5.14. THE RELIED UPON BOOKS IN ISLAMIC SCIENCES
Regarding the books of different disciplines upon which one should rely, there is a lot of room for options here. It also depends on how people are brought up in different countries, as knowledge itself or one’s preferred method or school of seeking it may be more available in some countries than others. All good, in any case, is in seeking the assistance of Allah, Exalted, in learning the knowledge. This is what truly deserves to be called knowledge while everything else is either knowledge that does not benefit or not knowledge at all in spite of carrying its name.
If knowledge about something is indeed beneficial, there is undoubtedly something similar and even better in the heritage of Muhammad that can take its place. Therefore, one should focus on understanding the intent behind the commands, prohibitions, and all of the speech of Allah’s Messenger. Then, when his heart is content with something being the true intent behind the Messenger’s words, he must not change his view before Allah, Most High, and not before the people either, if he is able.
He should make sure that every chapter of knowledge that he studies is backed by evidence from the Prophet. If he is unsure about a matter that people have differed about, let him supplicate with the words found in the hadlth of ‘A’ishah (radiyAllah (anha) which was related by Muslim in his Sahlh. This hadith states that when the Messenger of Allah got up to pray at night he would say:
“O Allah, the Lord of Jibril, Mika’ll, and Israfil, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the knower of the hidden and the seen! You rule between your servants regarding their differences. Guide me to the truth concerning that over which they have differed, by Your permission. Indeed, you guide whom you will to the straight path.’’
Allah, Most High, has said, as narrated by His Messenger: “My servants! All of you are lost save the ones I guide, so ask for My guidance and I will guide you.
With regard to written works and their authors, Allah, Exalted, facilitated for the questioner to hear us talk about them in our study sessions earlier. All in all, there is no classified book as beneficial as the Sahlh of Muhammad Ibn Ismahl al-Bukharl, but it alone does not contain all the foundations of Sacred Knowledge and does not mention everything needed by those who are well acquainted with the topics of this field. One has to be aware of other hadiths as well and see what the people of understanding and knowledge have said about matters that are their specialty.
The Muslim nation has taken up every discipline of Sacred Knowl- edge in a thorough manner. If Allah illuminates a person’s heart, He lets him be guided by whatever of this knowledge reaches him, but those whom He blinds will only become more confused and lost as their books increase. The Prophet told Abu Labid al-Ansari (radiyAllahu ‘anhu): “Do not theJewsand the Christians have the Torah and the Bible? Yet how have they helped them?”
We ask Allah All Mighty to grant us guidance and correctness and to inspire us to follow good sense. May He protect us from the evil of our own selves and not allow our hearts to go astray after having guided us. We ask Allah to grant us His mercy, for truly, He is the Bestower. All praises be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may His mercy be upon the noblest of all Messengers.
By Shaykhu’l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
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