The Ruling on Beginner Students of Knowledge Reading the Book *Hilyat al-Awliya*
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Question:
The first message in this episode is a letter sent to the program from Damascus by one of the brother listeners there, who indicated his name with the initials (A. N). Our brother asks Your Eminence, first, about the book *Hilyat al-Awliya*: What is your opinion of it? And what is your guidance for those interested in such a book? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
The book *Hilyat al-Awliya* is a well-known book by its author, the Hafiz Abu Nu'aym. It is a book that collects weak, authentic, and fabricated hadiths. It should not be read except by scholars who know the grades of hadith and can distinguish between the worthless and the valuable.
As for this book, it is not suitable for the general public or for students of knowledge who have not reached the level of distinguishing between weak and authentic hadiths. We advise students of knowledge and all our brothers to read beneficial, authentic books, such as *Sahih al-Bukhari*, *Sahih Muslim*, *Riyad al-Salihin*—a beneficial book—and *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, which is also beneficial. It contains weak hadiths, but the author of *Al-Targhib* pointed them out. When he says "it is narrated" or "it was narrated," that is the sign of a weak hadith. For authentic hadiths, he is definitive and does not say "it was narrated."
The point is: I advise my brothers to seek out well-known books whose authors took care of authentic hadiths, such as the two Sahihs, *Riyad al-Salihin*, *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, *Muntakha al-Akhbar* by Ibn Taymiyyah, *Mujall al-Bulugh al-Maram* and *Hifz al-Bulugh* by the Hafiz Ibn Hajar. All of these contain beneficial hadiths, and even if they contain weak hadiths, the Hafiz pointed them out; he indicated the weak ones. In *Al-Muntakha*, the weak hadiths are few, and a student of knowledge can identify the weak ones from *Sharh al-Muntakha* by al-Shawkani, which is beneficial. Also, *Umdat al-Hadith* by Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghani ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Maqdisi is a great and beneficial book, and its hadiths are authentic.
As for something like *Hilyat al-Awliya*, it is not suitable except for scholars who can distinguish between the authentic and the defective. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
The first message in this episode is a letter sent to the program from Damascus by one of the brother listeners there, who indicated his name with the initials (A. N). Our brother asks Your Eminence, first, about the book *Hilyat al-Awliya*: What is your opinion of it? And what is your guidance for those interested in such a book? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
The book *Hilyat al-Awliya* is a well-known book by its author, the Hafiz Abu Nu'aym. It is a book that collects weak, authentic, and fabricated hadiths. It should not be read except by scholars who know the grades of hadith and can distinguish between the worthless and the valuable.
As for this book, it is not suitable for the general public or for students of knowledge who have not reached the level of distinguishing between weak and authentic hadiths. We advise students of knowledge and all our brothers to read beneficial, authentic books, such as *Sahih al-Bukhari*, *Sahih Muslim*, *Riyad al-Salihin*—a beneficial book—and *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, which is also beneficial. It contains weak hadiths, but the author of *Al-Targhib* pointed them out. When he says "it is narrated" or "it was narrated," that is the sign of a weak hadith. For authentic hadiths, he is definitive and does not say "it was narrated."
The point is: I advise my brothers to seek out well-known books whose authors took care of authentic hadiths, such as the two Sahihs, *Riyad al-Salihin*, *Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib*, *Muntakha al-Akhbar* by Ibn Taymiyyah, *Mujall al-Bulugh al-Maram* and *Hifz al-Bulugh* by the Hafiz Ibn Hajar. All of these contain beneficial hadiths, and even if they contain weak hadiths, the Hafiz pointed them out; he indicated the weak ones. In *Al-Muntakha*, the weak hadiths are few, and a student of knowledge can identify the weak ones from *Sharh al-Muntakha* by al-Shawkani, which is beneficial. Also, *Umdat al-Hadith* by Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghani ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Maqdisi is a great and beneficial book, and its hadiths are authentic.
As for something like *Hilyat al-Awliya*, it is not suitable except for scholars who can distinguish between the authentic and the defective. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.