إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيِّئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مُضِلَّ له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله.
All praise is due to Allāh; we praise Him and seek His aid and assistance. We seek refuge with Allāh from the evil of our souls and our sinful deeds. Whoever Allāh guides, none can misguide—and whoever He leaves to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh alone, without partners—and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His devoted servant and Messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إلَّا وَأَنتُم مُسْلِمُونَ١٠٢
“O you who have believed, keep your duty to Allāh and fear Him as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims in submission to Him.” [Āli ʿImrān: 102]
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكَمْ رَقِيبًا١
“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from them both many men and women. And fear Allāh, through whom you seek your mutual rights, and sever not the family ties. Surely, Allāh is and ever an All-Watcher over you.” [An-Nisāʾ: 1]
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا٧٠ يُصْلحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيماً٧١
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allāh and fear Him and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement.” [Al-Aḥzāb: 70-71]
To proceed:
Over the years, many brothers and sisters have asked me what books I recommend for those who wish to learn the Religion and build their understanding, so that they remain steadfast upon the Sunnah and are safeguarded from the sects of misguidance and their futile beliefs. It goes without saying that the learner must remain sincere to Allah, seeking His Face, His pleasure, His guidance, His bounty, and His forgiveness.
I advise my brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who have chosen the path of Salafiyyah (the methodology of Ahlul-Hadeeth) to also read this article from my website: Advice to Muslims Who have Chosen the Way of the Salaf and Ahlul-Hadeeth (30-page eBook). — and share it with your relatives and friends.
As for the books that I (and more importantly, our scholars) recommend for the one who has embarked upon the madhhab of the Salaf and Ahlul-Hadeeth, then they are as follows:
1. The Book of Allah: this should be read daily without fail—ideally in the morning after Fajr, and then again at night. For those with work and busy schedules, make time for the Book of Allah, even if it’s just half an hour daily after Fajr. Ponder over its meanings and attach your hearts to it.
2. The Three Fundamental Principles (Thalāthatul-Usūl wa Adillatuhā) of Shaikh al-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhāb: a book dealing with Tawheed of worship — along with the explanation of Shaikh al-Fawzān, or Shaikh ʿUbaid al-Jābirī or Shaikh Ibn ʿUthaimeen.
3. The Explanation of the Creed of Imām al-Barbahārī (Sharhus-Sunnah): discusses ʿAqeedah and Manhaj — along with the explanation of Shaikh al-Fawzān or Shaikh Rabeeʿ al-Madkhalī.
4. Kitāb at-Tawheed of Shaikh al-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhāb (The Book of Tawheed) — along with the explanation of Shaikh Ahmad an-Najmī, or Shaikh al-Fawzān, or Shaikh Ibn ʿUthaimeen.
5. Al-Aqeedah al-Wāsitiyyah of Shaikh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah: discusses ʿAqeedah, especially Allāh’s Names and Attributes — along with the explanation of Shaikh al-Fawzān, or Shaikh Muhammad Khalīl Harrās, or Shaikh Ibn ʿUthaimeen, or Shaikh Sālih Aalush-Shaikh.
6. The Foundations of the Sunnah of Imām Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (Usūlus-Sunnah): discusses ʿAqeedah and Manhaj — along with the explanation of Shaikh Ahmad an-Najmī or Shaikh Rabeeʿ al-Madkhalī.
7. ʿAqeedatur-Rāziyyan of Abu Hātim and Abu Zurʿah (the Rāziyiyan): discusses ʿAqeedah and Manhaj — along with the explanation of Shaikh Rabeeʿ al-Madkhalī, or Shaikh Ahmad an-Najmī.
8. Buloogh al-Marām of al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr: Hadeeth collection in Shariʿah regulations and Fiqh— with the explanation of Shaikh al-Fawzān, or Shaikh Sideeq Hasan Khān.
9. Umdatul-Ahkām min Kalām Khairil-An’ām of Imām Abdul-Ghaniyy al-Maqdisi (d. 600 H): Hadeeth collection in Shariʿah regulations and Fiqh — along with the explanation of Shaikh Ibn ʿUthaimeen, or Shaikh Ahmad an-Najmī.
10. An-Nawawī’s Forty Hadeeth of Imām an-Nawawī — with the explanation of Shaikh al-Fawzān.
11. Tasfeer of the Qur’ān by at-Tabarī, Ibn Katheer, or in recent times of as-Saʿdi; and my personal favourite, Ibn ʿUthaimeen.
12. Minhāj as-Sālikeen of Shaikh ʿAbdur-Rahmān Nāsir as-Saʿdī: discusses matters of Shariʿah regulations and Fiqh rulings.
13. Sifatus-Salāh: Description of the Prophet’s Prayer (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) of Shaikh al-Albānī; also his Ahkām al-Janā’iz (Funeral Regulations).
13. Al-Adab al-Mufrad of Imām al-Bukhārī: Hadeeth collection in Islamic manners and conduct — along with the explanation of Shaikh Zayd al-Madkhalī.
14. All the six books of Hadeeth for your reference library: al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abu Dāwūd, at-Tirmidhī, an-Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah — for the four books of Sunan, rely on the checkings of Shaikh al-Albānī. Of course, each of these books has well-known Arabic explanations, and some contemporary scholars of Ahlul-Hadeeth and Salafiyyah also provide explanations. But, for the beginner, he should get hold of the texts of these hadeeth books, and then slowly build upon that with their explanations. One-volume versions of the texts are available with rulings upon the ahādeeth by Shaikh al-Albānī, which is invaluable to the student of knowledge.
15. There are also, in Tawheed and fundamentals, further well-known books of Shaikh al-Islām Muhammad Ibn ʿAbdul-Wahhāb that I see to be very important: Qawāʿid al-Arbaʿah (Four Fundamental Principles); Kashf ash-Shubuhāt (Removal of the Doubt); Fadl al-Islām (the Excellence of Islam); and Masā’il al-Jāhilyyah (Affairs from the Time of Pre-Islamic Ignorance).
16. Manhaj al-Anbiyāʾ fid-Daʿwati ilallāh (The Methodology of Prophets in Calling to Allāh) of Shaikh Rabeeʿ al-Madkhalī.
17. Al-Ajwibah Al-Mufeedah ‘an As’ilatil-Manāhij Al-Jadeedah (Beneficial Answers to Questions about the Modern-Day Innovated Methodologies) of Shaikh Sālih al-Fawzān.
18. The Fatawā of al-Lajnah ad-Dā’imah (Permanent Committee for Fatwa in Saudi Arabia) — a large collection.
19. Majmooʿ Fatāwā of Imām Ibn Bāz — a large collection.
20. Majmooʿ Fatāwā wa Rasāʾil of ʿAllāmah Ibn ʿUthaimeen — a large collection.
21. At-Tawassul: Its Types and Rulings of Imām al-Albānī: an important book in Tawheed al-Ibādah and seeking nearness to Allah; and where the innovators have gone wrong.
I could continue listing more and more books, until the list becomes very lengthy—and then the purpose of writing a manageable list is lost. So, I will suffice with what I have stated (for now). Many of these books have been translated into English and are available at the Salafi Bookstore (al-Maktabah as-Salafiyyah) in Birmingham and on their online store.
I may, at some stage, add to this list if the need arises and the readers request that—may Allah bless you.
Abu Khadeejah ʿAbdul-Wāhid Alam.
