From the Etiquettes the Students With Their Books

By Shaikh Bakr ibn ‘Abdillah Abū Zayd, may Allah have mercy upon him.

Passion For The Books

The nobility of knowledge is well-known due to its general benefit and the dire need for it, more than the need to breathe. The manifestation of deficiency in it is dependent upon the extent of its diminution, and the attainment of satisfaction and happiness is dependent upon the quantity attained. For this reason the seekers of knowledge were filled with the passion for knowledge, and the passion for collecting books with team careful selection, and there are many accounts on this that would take too long to mention. Many accounts can be found in Khabar al-Kitāb (News of the Book by Shaikh Bakr Abū Zayd), may Allāh ease its completion and publishing.

Therefore, collect the books [which are considered as] foundations [of all books], and know that it is not sufficient to have one book and not the other. And do not stuff your library, and confuse your thinking with worthless books, especially the books of the innovators, for they are permeated with poison.

The Foundations Of Your Library

Make use of the books that are written upon the way of mentioning the proofs, and gaining understanding in the causes of the rulings, and diving into the deep meanings of the issues. From the greatest of these books are the books of the two Shaikhs Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Amongst these books that are upon this path, old and new [are the books of]:

1— al-Hāfidh Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr and the greatest of his books is at-Tamhīd.

2— al-Hāfidh Ibn Qudāmah d.620H and the head of all his books is al-Mughnī.

3— al-Hāfidh adh-Dhahabī d.747H

4— al-Hāfidh Ibn Kathīr d.774H

5— al-Hāfidh Ibn Rajab d.795H

6— al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajar d.852H

7— al-Hāfidh ash-Shawkānī d.1250H

8— al-Imām Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb d.1206H

9— The books of the scholars of the da’wah, and from the most comprehensive of them is ad-Durar as-Saniyyah.[ad-Durar as-Sanniyyah fī Ajwiba an-Najdiyyah compiled by ‘Abdur-Rahmān bin Muhammad bin Qāsim]

10— al-‘Allāmah Muhammad bin Isma’īl as-San’ānī d.1182H, especially his beneficial book Subul us-Salām [an explanation of Bulūgh al-Marām min Adillatil-Ahkām “Attainment of the Objective to Evidences of the Ordinances” a collection by al-Hāfidh ibn Hajar al-Asqalānī of Fiqh ahadīth]

11— al-‘Allamāh Siddīq Hasan Khan d.1307H

12— al-‘Allamāh Muhammad al-Amīn ash-Shanqītiī d.1393H especially his Adwaa’ al-Bayān [an exegesis of the Qur’an]

Dealing With The Book…

You will never benefit from any book unless you know the terminologies used by the author therein, and many a time the foreword is a guide to that, so read the book starting at the foreword.

Further To This…

If you purchase a book don’t put it in your library until you have had a chance to browse through it, or read its foreword, its index, and a few extracts from it. If, however, you put it in your library in its category, a longtime will pas, and your lifetime will pass without looking into it, and this has been experienced, and Allāh Alone is the giver of prosperity.

The Signs Of Beneficial Knowledge…

Ask yourself how much you share from the signs of beneficial knowledge, which are as follows:

1— Implementing it.

2— Hatred of being praised, complemented or displaying haughtiness over others.

3— Increasing your modesty with the increase of your knowledge.

4— Fleeing from the love of leadership, fame and worldly pleasures.

5— Abandoning the claim to have knowledge.

6— Having bad suspicions about oneself and good suspicion about other people, so as to steer clear from disparaging them.

And may the blessings and salutations of Allāh be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his companions.

For more manners and characteristics of the students of knowledge see the full translation of his book Hilyatu Tālibil-‘Ilm “The Etiquette of Seeking Knowledge” ©2000 C.E. Al-Hidaayah Publishing