The ten books you should read

When you start your journey to seek knowledge what books should your read when taking your first steps to get the necessary knowledge? I often get asked this question and these are the top 10 books I would suggest that everyone serious about knowledge should read:
- Aqeedah – Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar by Abu Hanifa.
- Tahawiyyah by Al-Imam Al-Tahawi.
- Fiqh – You need a book in fiqh which is simple and easy to read, so you can know everything you need about the five pillars, salah, fasting, zakat and Hajj. These are easily available.
- Tafseer – Mufti Taqi Usmani’s Meaning of the Quran, is his excellent commentary on his translation of the Quran, is very good. It is 2 volumes.
- Seerah – everybody needs to know the life of the Prophet (peace be on him). There are plenty of books on it. One of the best is Our Master Muhammad by Imam Abdullah Sirajuddin, translated by Khalid Williams with a forward by Shaykh al Ninowi.
- Sciences of Quran – you can read by the Science of the Quran, and the Sciences of Hadith by Shaykh Shuyab Hasan, which is short and easy to read.
- The History of the Quranic Text by the late Shaykh Mustafa al Azami.
- Introduction to Usul al Fiqh (The Principles of Fiqh)
- Introduction to the Maqasid al Shariah and Qawaid al Fiqhiyya
- Any biographies of the scholars and companions. And Islamic history for instance Imam al Dhahbi has written 3 volumes on the companions scholars of the first two centuries. It is more than 50 volumes but you don’t need to read all of it.
- Ibn Khaldun’s Muqqadimah.
I don’t advise reading Ibn Kathir as a tafseer, as it is 10 volumes and will leave you more confused. It is not meant for lay people.
Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 2nd July 2020, The Boy who sold his Father’s Mule for a Book.
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