What is the ruling on reading the book of the Shi'ah on history?

The questioner : One should persist in reading it, otherwise he will forget it.

The Shaykh : What is the book?

The questioner : The book of the Shi'ah on history.

The Shaykh : Is the one who wants to write it a Sunni or a Shi'i?

The questioner : Allah knows best that he is a Shi'i from Lebanon.

The Shaykh : Yes, the one who wants to read the books of the Shi'ah is like the one who wants to read the Torah and the Gospel. This is an abrogated book, and it is not permissible to act upon it. The Shi'ah are a school of thought that has been distorted from the Book and the Sunnah, and it is not permissible to act upon it. So whoever wants to read the Torah and the Gospel is like the one who wants to read the books of the Shi'ah in general.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : He should be a scholar.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : In the Book and the Sunnah, so that he knows the points of entry and exit. But if he is from the general public, it is not permissible.