Books Recommended for the Beginner
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Question:
And another says: He was a teenager, and he used to leave off prayer and fasting, but he repented to Allah with a sincere repentance. However, he still fears his sins and fears the punishment of the grave after death. He says: I do not want to ask anyone but you, and I will not ask anyone but you. If you point me to the path, I will hold onto it and not leave it. I ask your eminence to point me to books from which I can learn the sciences of Islam, on a knowledge that indicates the Islamic religion, establishes one on the path, and illuminates the path for me?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah who guided you to repentance, and through repentance Allah erases what has passed. He says: Allah : [An-Nur: 31], and He says, Exalted is He: [At-Tahrim: 8] the verse. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
So when the servant repents to Allah with a sincere repentance, Allah erases the sin from him and replaces it with a righteous deed, if he is truthful and follows it with faith and righteous deeds, as He said, : [Ta-Ha: 82]. And when He mentioned, Exalted is He, shirk, killing without right, and zina, He said, Exalted is He: [Al-Furqan: 68-70]. This indicates to us that if the servant repents with a sincere repentance and follows the repentance with sincere righteous deeds, then Allah forgives his evil deeds and replaces them with good deeds. This is from His favor, : He forgives the evil deeds and good deeds take their place. So you must be truthful in your repentance, and you must be upright upon it and steadfast in it.
And we advise you with the Noble Qur'an, for it is the greatest book and the most noble book. So you must engage with the Book of Allah, increasing its recitation and reflection on its meanings. In it is guidance and light, and in it is healing from every evil. And likewise, memorize what is easy of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as the Forty Hadiths collected by An-Nawawi, which Ibn Rajab completed with fifty hadiths. They are important hadiths; memorize them and you will benefit from them.
And likewise, if it is easy for you to memorize some texts of hadith, such as "Umdat al-Ahkam" in hadith by the Shaykh Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him), or "Bulugh al-Maram" in hadith, this also is of great benefit. And you must engage with "Kitab at-Tawhid" by the Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), which is a great book in creed; memorize it. And "The Three Fundamental Principles" is a great and beneficial book. And "The Etiquette of Walking to Prayer." All these books are beneficial.
And if you have studied in secondary school, or intermediate school, or above that, you have other books above that which contain more knowledge; such as "Zad al-Ma'ad" by Ibn al-Qayyim on the guidance of the best of creation. It is a great book with much benefit.
The intended meaning: That you focus—first and foremost—on the Great Qur'an, and you engage with its recitation and increase in it, with reflection and understanding. It is the Book of Allah, in it is guidance and light, in it is the indication to every good, and in it is the call to every good...
In creed, "Kitab at-Tawhid" by the Shaykh Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), and the book "The Three Fundamental Principles," and "Kashf al-Shubuhat," and "Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah" by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. These are great books with much benefit. And "The Etiquette of Walking to Prayer, Zakah, and Fasting" is a small, beneficial book. Or "Umdat al-Fiqh" by Al-Muqaddam ibn Qudamah, in which is much good. Then after that, if you are learning and proceeding on the path, there are other books from which you will benefit—Allah willing.
And another says: He was a teenager, and he used to leave off prayer and fasting, but he repented to Allah with a sincere repentance. However, he still fears his sins and fears the punishment of the grave after death. He says: I do not want to ask anyone but you, and I will not ask anyone but you. If you point me to the path, I will hold onto it and not leave it. I ask your eminence to point me to books from which I can learn the sciences of Islam, on a knowledge that indicates the Islamic religion, establishes one on the path, and illuminates the path for me?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah who guided you to repentance, and through repentance Allah erases what has passed. He says: Allah :
And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَO you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُIndeed, when the servant commits a sin and then repents to Him, he is like one who has no sin.
إن العبد إذا أذنب ذنبًا ثم تاب إليه؛ كان كمن لا ذنب لهSo when the servant repents to Allah with a sincere repentance, Allah erases the sin from him and replaces it with a righteous deed, if he is truthful and follows it with faith and righteous deeds, as He said, :
But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance.
وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِمَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىAnd whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (69) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (70) Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good.
وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍAnd we advise you with the Noble Qur'an, for it is the greatest book and the most noble book. So you must engage with the Book of Allah, increasing its recitation and reflection on its meanings. In it is guidance and light, and in it is healing from every evil. And likewise, memorize what is easy of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as the Forty Hadiths collected by An-Nawawi, which Ibn Rajab completed with fifty hadiths. They are important hadiths; memorize them and you will benefit from them.
And likewise, if it is easy for you to memorize some texts of hadith, such as "Umdat al-Ahkam" in hadith by the Shaykh Abdul-Ghani al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on him), or "Bulugh al-Maram" in hadith, this also is of great benefit. And you must engage with "Kitab at-Tawhid" by the Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), which is a great book in creed; memorize it. And "The Three Fundamental Principles" is a great and beneficial book. And "The Etiquette of Walking to Prayer." All these books are beneficial.
And if you have studied in secondary school, or intermediate school, or above that, you have other books above that which contain more knowledge; such as "Zad al-Ma'ad" by Ibn al-Qayyim on the guidance of the best of creation. It is a great book with much benefit.
The intended meaning: That you focus—first and foremost—on the Great Qur'an, and you engage with its recitation and increase in it, with reflection and understanding. It is the Book of Allah, in it is guidance and light, in it is the indication to every good, and in it is the call to every good...
In creed, "Kitab at-Tawhid" by the Shaykh Imam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him), and the book "The Three Fundamental Principles," and "Kashf al-Shubuhat," and "Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah" by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. These are great books with much benefit. And "The Etiquette of Walking to Prayer, Zakah, and Fasting" is a small, beneficial book. Or "Umdat al-Fiqh" by Al-Muqaddam ibn Qudamah, in which is much good. Then after that, if you are learning and proceeding on the path, there are other books from which you will benefit—Allah willing.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.