Reading many books
There are many dependable religious books. Do we have to read all of them?
ANSWER
In order to learn our religion accurately, it is necessary for
us to read one correctly written book much instead of reading many books
voraciously. Because almost all the translated books contain
mistranslations and personal thoughts. Especially, since the full
meanings of some expressions in original language are not known, they
are translated literally, thus giving rise to fatal mistakes.
Ibni Taymiyya was a very profound scholar. However, he has been remembered among savants as the person whose knowledge was made by Allahu ta’âlâ the cause of his lapsing into heresy. As it is seen, knowledge alone does not suffice; learning it without a guide cannot make you find the way to salvation.
We should also bear in mind the fact that thousands of Islamic scholars,
who have come for 14 centuries, have written tens of thousands of
religious books. And these books were written in accordance with the
prevailing conditions of then time and people, and they demonsrated
conformity with the codes of Dâr-ul-Islam. Those books contain thousands
of qawls [reports]. Which report will you select to act upon? However, a
book alone, which transmits the preferred reports [muftabih qawls] of
the scholars, will suffice for the purpose.
Once an erudite person said, “I have read more than 1,000 books so far. If only I had read the book Endless Bliss one thousand times instead.” This valuable book provides all the information that is necessary for a Muslim.
Fiqh and ‘ilm-i hâl
Question: Is a fiqh book different from an ‘ilm-i hâl book?
ANSWER
Hadrat Imâm-i A’zam declares, “Fiqh is to know what is good and what
is bad for you.” The knowledge of fiqh teaches you af’âl-i mukallafîn,
that is, the things commanded, prohibited and permitted in Islam. The
knowledge of fiqh is divided into four parts:
1- ‘Ibâdât [the teachings pertaining to namâz, fast, zakât, hajj and jihâd],
2- Munâkahât [it has many divisions, such as marriage, divorce, subsistence, and many others],
3- Mu’âmalât [the teachings pertaining to buying and selling, rent, companies, interest, birthright]
4- ‘Uqûbât [punishments for such sins as theft, usurpation, murder and others].
As well as including the teachings pertaining to fiqh, the knowledge of
‘ilm-i hâl covers not only other Islamic branches — such as tafsîr,
qirâat, hadîth, kalâm, tasawwuf — but also scientific branches — such as
(the sciences of) logic, physics, chemistry, medicine and astronomy.
Experimental sciences are a part of Islamic sciences. For this reason,
learning the knowledge of ‘ilm-i hâl comes to mean learning the religion
wholly.