Beneficial Books in the Field of Calling to Allah

Q: Are there specific books that Your Eminence, the Shaykh, recommends to anyone who wishes to work in the field of calling to Allah?

A: The greatest and most noble book I recommend is the Book of Allah, to which falsehood does not come from before it or from behind it.
So I advise every caller to Allah, every one who enjoins good and forbids evil, and every teacher, instructor, and guide, whether male or female, to pay attention to the Book of Allah and reflect upon it, and to read it frequently; for it is the source of all good, it is the teacher, and it is the guide to good, as He the Mighty and Majestic said: [Al-Isra: 9]. It guides by Allah’s guidance to the straightest path, to the path of success.
It is obligatory for callers, those who enjoin good, and teachers to strive to read it and reflect on its meanings, for by doing so they will benefit greatly and become qualified for calling and teaching with Allah’s success.
Then I recommend the Sunnah and the knowledge and guidance contained in it, and that the caller to Allah, the one who enjoins good and forbids evil, and the teacher, male and female, review the books of hadith and what people have compiled in this regard, so that they may benefit from them. The most important and most authentic books of hadith are Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, so let them review them frequently and benefit from them, as well as the rest of the books of hadith such as the Four Sunans, Musnad Imam Ahmad, Muwatta Imam Malik, Sunan al-Darimi, and other well-known books of hadith. I also advise reviewing the beneficial books of the scholars, such as al-Muntakha by al-Mujaddid Ibn Taymiyyah, Riyad al-Salihin, Bulugh al-Maram, 'Umdat al-Hadith, Jami' al-'Ilm wa Fadhlihi by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, Jami' al-'Ulum wa al-Hukm by al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab, Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-'Ibad by the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim, and 'Alamat al-Muwaqqi'in, Tariq al-Hijratayn, and al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah, all of which are also by him. He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned a great deal in these books about calling to Allah, and about enjoining good and forbidding evil. The Muslim should benefit from them because they are great books by imams and scholars who hold a high rank in this path, with sound creed and extensive experience.
Likewise, what Abu al-'Abbas, the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, wrote on political jurisprudence, hisbah in the fatwas, and Minhaj al-Sunnah; he is one of the great imams who experienced this matter and excelled in it, and Allah benefited the Ummah through him and established the truth through him, and humiliated innovations and their people through him. May Allah reward him and his fellow scholars for their patience and struggle with the best of what He has rewarded the doers of good, for He is Generous and Noble.
So I advise every Muslim, every teacher, and every guide to pay attention to these beneficial books, after paying attention to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). I also advise the books compiled in this field by the imams of knowledge and guidance in the three schools of jurisprudence: the Maliki, the Shafi'i, and the Hanafi, as well as other books by the well-known Hanbalis known for knowledge, guidance, and sound creed.
The point is that the caller should seek assistance from the books of the scholars that have been compiled in this field; for they guide him to what he does not know and direct him to much knowledge. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 197]. And there is no doubt that learning and understanding are part of taqwa.