What books are recommended to acquire and read?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
You are asking about some books, if you would be so kind, O Shaykh, and requesting your opinion on them, mentioning for example the book *Tuhfat al-'Arus*?
Answer:
Books differ, and the best, most truthful, greatest, and most obligatory of them is the Book of Allah. The Qur'an is the best book, the most truthful book, and the greatest book, and it is the origin and foundation of the religion. So my advice to every Muslim man and woman is to take care of the Qur'an through recitation, reflection, memorization, understanding, and action. It is the best book and the most truthful book.
I advise every Muslim man and woman to take care of the Book of Allah, memorize what is easy for them of it, and read it with reflection, understanding, and action. If it becomes easy for them to memorize it, that is a great blessing, along with increasing recitation, reflection, understanding, and studying the meanings with scholars and companions, and reviewing the reliable books of tafsir, such as those by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, al-Baghawi, and similar works, to know the meanings from the Book of Allah .
Then following that are the books of the Sunnah, the books of the noble hadith. The first and most authentic of them are the two Sahihs, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. They are the most authentic books after the great Qur'an. Then come the four Sunans: Sunan Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. These are great books in the noble hadith, but they are not... like the two Sahihs; rather, they are below the two Sahihs because they contain some weak hadiths.
Attached to these are Musnad Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), Muwatta Malik, Sunan al-Darimi, al-Daraqutni, Sahih al-Hakim, and Sahih Ibn Hibban. These are beneficial and great books, but they contain weak hadiths as well as authentic ones. The student of knowledge strives to know the authentic ones, asks the people of knowledge, and strives to know the terminology and what the scholars said in explaining the authentic and weak hadith, so that he is on clear guidance and insight.
Among the books that should be taken care of are the books of 'aqidah, because they help in understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which the scholars from the people of the Sunnah have compiled. For example, the book *al-Tawhid* by Ibn Khuzaymah, the book by al-Darimi in refuting Bishr al-Murisi, the book *al-Sunnah* by Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, *Minhaj al-Sunnah* by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in refuting the Rafidah, and *Zad al-Ma'ad* by Ibn al-Qayyim in explaining the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in worship and other matters. Also, *Fath al-Majid* by Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan al-Shaykh, which is an explanation of the book *al-Tawhid*. And also the book *al-Tawhid*, which is a great book, *Kashf al-Shubuhat*, *Thalathat al-Usul* by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), *al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and likewise *al-Hamawiyyah* and *al-Tamimiyyah* by him (may Allah have mercy on him). All of these are great books that should be acquired and taken care of. And likewise *Sharh al-Tahawiyyah* by Ibn Abi al-'Izz, which is a good and great book. We ask Allah for success for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
You are asking about some books, if you would be so kind, O Shaykh, and requesting your opinion on them, mentioning for example the book *Tuhfat al-'Arus*?
Answer:
Books differ, and the best, most truthful, greatest, and most obligatory of them is the Book of Allah. The Qur'an is the best book, the most truthful book, and the greatest book, and it is the origin and foundation of the religion. So my advice to every Muslim man and woman is to take care of the Qur'an through recitation, reflection, memorization, understanding, and action. It is the best book and the most truthful book.
I advise every Muslim man and woman to take care of the Book of Allah, memorize what is easy for them of it, and read it with reflection, understanding, and action. If it becomes easy for them to memorize it, that is a great blessing, along with increasing recitation, reflection, understanding, and studying the meanings with scholars and companions, and reviewing the reliable books of tafsir, such as those by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, al-Baghawi, and similar works, to know the meanings from the Book of Allah .
Then following that are the books of the Sunnah, the books of the noble hadith. The first and most authentic of them are the two Sahihs, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. They are the most authentic books after the great Qur'an. Then come the four Sunans: Sunan Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah. These are great books in the noble hadith, but they are not... like the two Sahihs; rather, they are below the two Sahihs because they contain some weak hadiths.
Attached to these are Musnad Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), Muwatta Malik, Sunan al-Darimi, al-Daraqutni, Sahih al-Hakim, and Sahih Ibn Hibban. These are beneficial and great books, but they contain weak hadiths as well as authentic ones. The student of knowledge strives to know the authentic ones, asks the people of knowledge, and strives to know the terminology and what the scholars said in explaining the authentic and weak hadith, so that he is on clear guidance and insight.
Among the books that should be taken care of are the books of 'aqidah, because they help in understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), which the scholars from the people of the Sunnah have compiled. For example, the book *al-Tawhid* by Ibn Khuzaymah, the book by al-Darimi in refuting Bishr al-Murisi, the book *al-Sunnah* by Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, *Minhaj al-Sunnah* by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in refuting the Rafidah, and *Zad al-Ma'ad* by Ibn al-Qayyim in explaining the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in worship and other matters. Also, *Fath al-Majid* by Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan al-Shaykh, which is an explanation of the book *al-Tawhid*. And also the book *al-Tawhid*, which is a great book, *Kashf al-Shubuhat*, *Thalathat al-Usul* by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), *al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah* by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and likewise *al-Hamawiyyah* and *al-Tamimiyyah* by him (may Allah have mercy on him). All of these are great books that should be acquired and taken care of. And likewise *Sharh al-Tahawiyyah* by Ibn Abi al-'Izz, which is a good and great book. We ask Allah for success for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.