Advice on reading religious books and identifying the best of them
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Question:
This questioner says: Is reading Islamic books without a teacher beneficial? And please mention some books that you advise us to acquire and read, and which are relied upon?
Answer:
Reading books involves a distinction: As for reading books for the purpose of learning, a person must read them under the guidance of scholars so that they can teach him and help him understand them. As for reading them for memorization so that he can benefit from them and ask scholars about them, that is good. However, the most important thing is the Qur'an; memorizing the Qur'an is the most important thing. The Qur'an is the source of all good, and it is the most truthful and best book. If memorizing it is facilitated, it takes precedence over everything. For one who does not memorize it, it is recommended to read it frequently. It is recommended to read it frequently, for both men and women, night and day, because of the great knowledge it contains and its call to good. Therefore, it is recommended for every believing man and woman to read the Noble Qur'an frequently, either from the mushaf or from memory.
As for the other books: If it is facilitated for him to memorize *Kitab al-Tawhid* by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) in creed, *Kashf al-Shubuhat* by him in creed, *Al-Usool ath-Thalathah* by him in creed, and *Al-Qawa'id al-Arba'*, *Shurut as-Salah* is a good, concise book, *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, memorizing these is good and beneficial. *Bulugh al-Maram* in hadith by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, *Umdat al-Hadith* by al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani ibn Sirr al-Maqdisi is a good book if memorizing it is facilitated, *Al-Arba'in an-Nawawiyyah* and its completion by Ibn Rajab, fifty hadiths, these are good if memorizing them is facilitated. This is good. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
This questioner says: Is reading Islamic books without a teacher beneficial? And please mention some books that you advise us to acquire and read, and which are relied upon?
Answer:
Reading books involves a distinction: As for reading books for the purpose of learning, a person must read them under the guidance of scholars so that they can teach him and help him understand them. As for reading them for memorization so that he can benefit from them and ask scholars about them, that is good. However, the most important thing is the Qur'an; memorizing the Qur'an is the most important thing. The Qur'an is the source of all good, and it is the most truthful and best book. If memorizing it is facilitated, it takes precedence over everything. For one who does not memorize it, it is recommended to read it frequently. It is recommended to read it frequently, for both men and women, night and day, because of the great knowledge it contains and its call to good. Therefore, it is recommended for every believing man and woman to read the Noble Qur'an frequently, either from the mushaf or from memory.
As for the other books: If it is facilitated for him to memorize *Kitab al-Tawhid* by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) in creed, *Kashf al-Shubuhat* by him in creed, *Al-Usool ath-Thalathah* by him in creed, and *Al-Qawa'id al-Arba'*, *Shurut as-Salah* is a good, concise book, *Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah*, memorizing these is good and beneficial. *Bulugh al-Maram* in hadith by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, *Umdat al-Hadith* by al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani ibn Sirr al-Maqdisi is a good book if memorizing it is facilitated, *Al-Arba'in an-Nawawiyyah* and its completion by Ibn Rajab, fifty hadiths, these are good if memorizing them is facilitated. This is good. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.