BENEFIT: A Study Plan for the Beginner Student

Question: I am a beginner student of knowledge. What do you advise me to read? There are so many books that I don’t know which ones are the most useful and beneficial. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Jazaa'iri ḥafidhahullāh: I advise you to start with the Book of Allāh: memorising it, reciting it, reflecting on it, and acting upon it. Along with that, read a simple tafsīr, such as the tafsīr of Shaykh As-Sa‘dī (may Allāh have mercy on him). For hadith, I advise you to memorise Al-Arba‘īn An-Nawawiyyah (Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths) and read one of its explanations, such as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s explanation because it is easy to understand. Then memorise Riyāḍ As-Ṣāliḥīn and read Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s explanation of it as well. For hadiths about legal rulings, start by memorising ‘Umdat Al-Aḥkām and reading some of its commentaries, like the commentary of Al-Bassām. Then memorise Bulūgh Al-Marām and read either the explanation of Ibn ‘Uthaymeen or Tawḍīḥ Al-Aḥkām by Al-Bassām. For Tawḥīd, memorise Al-Uṣūl Ath-Thalāthah (The Three Fundamental Principles), then Kitāb At-Tawḥīd by Imam An-Najdī, along with Ibn Qāsim’s explanation of them, and then Fatḥ Al-Majīd (its detailed commentary). For ‘Aqīdah, memorise Al-Ḥā’iyyah by Ibn Abī Dāwūd, then memorise Al-Wāsiṭiyyah by Ibn Taymiyyah and read Al-Harrās’s explanation. After that, study Al-Ḥamawiyyah, then At-Tadmuriyyah, then Ibn Abī Al-‘Izz’s commentary on Al-‘Aqīdah At-Ṭaḥāwiyyah. For Arabic grammar, memorise Al-Ājurrūmiyyah and read Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s explanation. If you find that you understand well, then move on to memorising Alfiyyat Ibn Mālik with Ibn ‘Aqīl’s commentary. For Uṣūl Al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence), memorise Ibn ‘Uthaymeen’s Uṣūl min ‘Ilm al-Uṣūl with its explanation. Then study the Mudhakkirah by Shaykh Ash-Shinqīṭī. For hadith terminology, memorise Al-Bayqūniyyah and read any good explanation, such as the one by our shaykh Yaḥyā (may Allāh preserve him). Then study Nukhbat Al-Fikar by Ibn Ḥajar with its commentary Nuzhat An-Naẓar. After that, study the book of Ibn As-Ṣalāḥ along with the two “Nukat” works by Az-Zarkashī and Ibn Ḥajar. You must also pay attention to books that explain the manhaj of the Salaf, their principles, and how they differed from the people of innovation and partisanship, and that warn against the doubts they spread—such as Ash-Sharī‘ah by Al-Ājurrī, Al-Ibānah by Ibn Baṭṭah, and Sharḥ Uṣūl I‘tiqād Ahlus-Sunnah by Al-Lālikā’ī. Also read contemporary works that explain the errors and doubts of contemporary sects and groups—such as Al-Fatāwā Al-Jaliyyah by Shaykh An-Najmī, the writings of our Shaykh Al-Ḥajūrī such as Al-Wasā’il Al-Khafiyyah, and the book by Shaykh Al-Fawzān Questions on the New Methodologies. Make time to read about the life of the Prophet ﷺ, such as The Prophetic Biography by Ibn Kathīr. Be sure to study these books with a trustworthy Salafi teacher. It is a great blessing for a young student to be guided to a scholar of the Sunnah from the very beginning. If you cannot find such a teacher or cannot travel to seek knowledge, then rely on the recorded explanations of the scholars of the Sunnah—such as Ibn Bāz, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, Al-Wādi‘ī, Al-Fawzān, An-Najmī, Al-Ghudayān, our shaykh Al-Ḥajūrī, Al-Jāmī, and other scholars of the Sunnah. When you complete these books and their explanations, we will advise you on what to study next, if Allāh wills. And Allāh is the One who grants success. Source: https://t.me/youssefalgazairi/1369