Deciding on a Madhab?

[Al Ansari]

assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I just was interested in this because as myself, i do not subscribe to a particular madhab. I usually go with the madhab who provides firm daleel. However, I have been reading about madhabs and I mean how do you come to a particular decision about this?

Yes, I do see the point in madhabs, but however, I also begin to witness that some Muslims become blind followers to these madhabs and have pride in their madhab in expense to any daleel provided to them.

Any ideas or how did you brothers and sisters select a particular madhab?

Fi amaan ilah

WAllaahu alim

 

[Beardo]

If you follow one specific madhab strictly, you aren't following blindly. So when you say, "I'm not like those who follow blindly", I'd like to differ.

I'd just like to mention that whichever madhab you choose, stay consistent. And remember, the only time you can change or differ in Madhab is when you endorse the "stricter" ruling.

Majority of the people are Hanafi these days, probably because thhats what their local Imam is. You'd want a scholar in that Madhab to refer to, possibly someone locally.

 

[Beardo]

Here's an e-book as well. VERY good author, Masha'Allah! They say once he leaves this world, we will no longer have Ulema like him. His name is Mufti Taqi Uthmani, and he's also my romodel.

http://www.cometoislam.com/fiqh/legal/main.htm

You may download the PDF version here:
http://www.central-mosque.com/fiqh/LegalStatusOfFollowingAMadhab.pdf

I hope this helped, Insha'Allah! Remember me in your duas!

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

it is easier to blind follow and go astray without a madhab

 

[Beardo]

it is easier to blind follow and go astray without a madhab

Agreed. We, for the most part, are not scholars and do not have in depth knowledge of religion. That is why we have Madhabs, as a guideline and set to follow.

 

[nebula]

i found a fatwa by shaykh uthaymeen rahimahullah

Adhering to one of the four Imaams
*Please appropriately reference this fatwa to: www.fatwa-online.com, thankyou!*
Question: What is your advice to a beginner seeking knowledge – should he adhere to one of the four Imaams (i.e. Abu Haneefah, Maalik ibn Anas, ash-Shaafi’ee, Ahmad ibn Hanbal) or should he leave them?

Response: Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says:

{Then ask the People of Knowledge if you do not know}, [Soorah an-Nahl, Aayah 43 and Soorah al-Anbiyaa., Aayah 7].

So if the student is an absolute beginner, and (therefore) does not know how to extract the evidences (from their sources, i.e. the Qur.aan and the Sunnah), then there is nothing for him except to adhere to one of the (four) Imaams or any of the Imaams (major scholars) of today and ask him. This is best.

However, if he should find that (any particular) statement (of this Imaam) differs from the authentic hadeeth, then it is obligatory upon him to adhere to the authentic hadeeth (and in doing so, leave the statement of the Imaam).

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Kitaabul-‘Ilm - Page 115, Question 14

Source

 

[Beardo]

i found a fatwa by shaykh uthaymeen rahimahullah

Adhering to one of the four Imaams
*Please appropriately reference this fatwa to: www.fatwa-online.com, thankyou!*
Question: What is your advice to a beginner seeking knowledge – should he adhere to one of the four Imaams (i.e. Abu Haneefah, Maalik ibn Anas, ash-Shaafi’ee, Ahmad ibn Hanbal) or should he leave them?

Response: Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) says:

{Then ask the People of Knowledge if you do not know}, [Soorah an-Nahl, Aayah 43 and Soorah al-Anbiyaa., Aayah 7].

So if the student is an absolute beginner, and (therefore) does not know how to extract the evidences (from their sources, i.e. the Qur.aan and the Sunnah), then there is nothing for him except to adhere to one of the (four) Imaams or any of the Imaams (major scholars) of today and ask him. This is best.

However, if he should find that (any particular) statement (of this Imaam) differs from the authentic hadeeth, then it is obligatory upon him to adhere to the authentic hadeeth (and in doing so, leave the statement of the Imaam).

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Kitaabul-‘Ilm - Page 115, Question 14

Source

That's the key point. We'll never have enough knowledge to do that.

 

[convert]

I'd be very careful with those articles above. I have Reliance of the Traveler and Nuh ha Meem Keller starts taking tawassul to extreme ends in there and he and his mureeds are known to go to extremes in their hatred of salafi-type muslims.

 

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I just was interested in this because as myself, i do not subscribe to a particular madhab. I usually go with the madhab who provides firm daleel. However, I have been reading about madhabs and I mean how do you come to a particular decision about this?

Yes, I do see the point in madhabs, but however, I also begin to witness that some Muslims become blind followers to these madhabs and have pride in their madhab in expense to any daleel provided to them.

Any ideas or how did you brothers and sisters select a particular madhab?

Fi amaan ilah

WAllaahu alim

:wasalamex

I wrote a post on this a while ago:

Most of the people I've come across usually tend to go to extremes in regards to this issue. There are on one side, a group of people that advise the laymen to make Ijtihad and abandon Taqleed trying to use some quotes from the four Imaams that indicate abandoning Taqleed of them and going back to the sources themselves. Those statements, in and of themselves are correct, but they're not intended for the laymen. They were intended for the students of the Imaams who maybe werent completely Mujtahid Mutlaq but were knowledgeable enough to decipher the evidences and extract jurisprudential rulings on their own and evaluate differences. In explaining this position, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah says: “[Imam Ahmad] would order the layman to ask (yustafti) Ishaq, Abu ‘Ubaid, Abu Thawr, Abu Mus’ab, whilst he would forbid the scholars from his followers, such as Abu Dawud (the compiler of Sunan), ‘Uthman ibn Sa’id, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Abu Bakr al-Athram, Abu Zur’ah, Abu Hatim al-Sajistani, Muslim (the compiler of Sahih) and others, from making Taqleed of anyone from the scholars. He would say to them: You must refer to the sources, to the Book and the Sunnah.”

See al-Manhaj 373-376, al-Tahqiqat 643-645, Majmu’ah 20/116, 124-126, al-Mustadrak 2/241, 258, al-Furu’ 6/492, al-Insaf 11/147, I’lam 6/203-205, Mukhtasar al-Tahrir 103, Hal al-Muslim Mulzam… 14, Rawdhat al-Talibin 11/117, Usul al-Fiqh al-Islami 2/1166

So that is one extreme. The second extreme I've found amongst the people are those that make it completely mandatory (i.e. wajib) for everyone to adhere to a madhab. I understand that it is perhaps a lot better for a layman to stick to a madhab, but I have yet to see evidence that it is wajib. This is different from being la madhabi - that position is the extreme described above.

So personally, I've found the following beneficial. i) Avoiding arguments about these issues. ii) Finding a scholar that I trust, who has learned fiqh traditionally via a madhab, and asking him my questions, because to me at the end of the day, that is me fulfilling the obligations Allaah has placed upon me ('Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know'). After all, the madhab of the layman is the madhab of the scholar he refers to. I've found this to be balance between the two extremes. I might also add, this position (of following a madhab not being wajib, but asking a scholar that one trusts) is supported by many of the previous scholars such as Imam an-Nawawi, Ibn Qawan al-Shafi’i, Mulla ‘Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi, Ibn al-Humam al-Hanafi, and even some of the recent scholars such as Shaykh ‘Abdul-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (rahimullah) held this opinion.

My personal advise would be to not turn this issue into a gigantic argument, except against those that are la-madhabi ofcourse . Follow whichever madhab you want Insha'Allaah - there isn't a problem with that. I remember reading from a trustworthy Shaykh who studied with Shaykh Uthaymeen that once he attended a lecture of the Shaykh and in that lecture Shaykh Uthaymeen rahimullah advised and encouraged the listeners to choose and follow a madhab. Notice that this advice wasn't given to lay people like us, but actual students of knowledge - how much more important would it be for us to follow it?

Lastly, is just the issue of tolerance. A lot of us Alhamdullilah are tolerant of other madahib, but in the past and still today in places, people tend to go to extremes. The rivalry between the hanafis and the shafiees in the past is well known and one can give many examples of the type of fantacism that existed in the past. My point is basically, choose a madhab or a scholar that your trust, don't become la madhabi, follow it, but be open and tolerant to those that choose to follow a different one. :thumbs_up

http://www.islamicboard.com/1039200-post47.html

 

[Beardo]

I'd be very careful with those articles above. I have Reliance of the Traveler and Nuh ha Meem Keller starts taking tawassul to extreme ends in there and he and his mureeds are known to go to extremes in their hatred of salafi-type muslims.

Yeah, that's why I posted a Mufti Taqi back up.

 

[convert]

Yeah, that's why I posted a Mufti Taqi back up.

Akhi, I would remove the posts altogether, lest any converts or muslims with a lack of knowledge think Keller to be someone they should learn their deen from.

 

[alcurad]

learn as much as you can and adhere to Allah and his messenger only.
why do you need to follow a sect? simply learn without following any single one.

also, Muslims are not supposed to have churches and popes, hence following a sect is a necessary evil at best.

 

[ژاله]

learn as much as you can and adhere to Allah and his messenger only.
why do you need to follow a sect? simply learn without following any single one.

also, Muslims are not supposed to have churches and popes, hence following a sect is a necessary evil at best.

i hold the same opinion too. derive the knowledge from quran and sunnah and refer to any of the four imams when you are stuck, i.e when you dont know how to interpret something.
and also i dont understand why do we have to stick to a particular madhab when it comes to interpretive isssues, why cant we pick and choose among the four imams, according to whose fiqh we find easy to follow in a particular matter. follow imam abu hanifa in one interpretive issue, imam shafa3i in another (depending on what is easy), and where a clear ruling from quran or hadith is available, dont follow anyone, follow the hadith rather...
can anyone tell me whats wrong with this approach,as a lot of muslims dont approve of it, with daleel if possible. JazakAllah.

 

[Salahudeen]

^ I remember the scholar answering this at my masjid, he said following a madhab is ok as long as you don't become fanatical in following a particular madhab to the point where, a more authentic opinion comes to you from another madhab and you reject because of the fact it's from a different madhab.

He said you should follow all the madhabs taking the most strongest, authentic and correct opinion from each one. Some people take it as far as not wanting to marry a person from a different madhab, that's how fanatical they've become about following their madhab.

You even show them the statement of the imam's

"if you find any material that is more authentic than mine then throw my material against the wall and follow the more authentic material"

they still refuse, If I was you, follow the strongest opinion from all the madhabs and don't limit yourself to a particular one.

 

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

learn as much as you can and adhere to Allah and his messenger only.
why do you need to follow a sect? simply learn without following any single one.

also, Muslims are not supposed to have churches and popes, hence following a sect is a necessary evil at best.

A madhab is not a sect, it doesn't fall into the same kind of distinction that groups the likes of the Khawarij, Rafidah, Qadariyyah etc fall into. Those are sects, a madhab is not and no scholar has ever held a madhab as such and it has never really caused any problems amongst those who have knowledge. Fanaticism regards to them has only been seen amongst the ignorant or isolated individuals. Remove the madahib from Islaam and effectively remove the proper codified Islamic Law.

Maybe someone can abandon the work of the four Imaams and try to repeat it themselves. They'll only be repeating the work the Imaams already did and they will never be able to do it as well as they did. It will be a sub-par attempt.

And the irony here is that one will actually going to create a new sect if he were to abandon the madahib - simply because he'll be leaving off something the Muslims have had for the past millennium or so and the vast majority of Muslims won't accept him.

^ I remember the scholar answering this at my masjid, he said following a madhab is ok as long as you don't become fanatical in following a particular madhab to the point where, a more authentic opinion comes to you from another madhab and you reject because of the fact it's from a different madhab.

He said you should follow all the madhabs taking the most strongest, authentic and correct opinion from each one. Some people take it as far as not wanting to marry a person from a different madhab, that's how fanatical they've become about following their madhab.

You even show them the statement of the imam's

"if you find any material that is more authentic than mine then throw my material against the wall and follow the more authentic material"

they still refuse, If I was you, follow the strongest opinion from all the madhabs and don't limit yourself to a particular one.

Akhi, because a group of people become fanatical in their following of a mahdab does not mean we fall into the opposite extreme in trying to avoid their mistake. As for the statement of the Imaams, you're taking it out of context. Ibn Taymiyyah explains it very well - that statement was only for the scholars amongst the students of the Imaams who were already quite knowledgeable of the sources, not for the common people who have no idea how to weigh the different evidences:

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah says: “[Imam Ahmad] would order the layman to ask (yustafti) Ishaq, Abu ‘Ubaid, Abu Thawr, Abu Mus’ab, whilst he would forbid the scholars from his followers, such as Abu Dawud (the compiler of Sunan), ‘Uthman ibn Sa’id, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Abu Bakr al-Athram, Abu Zur’ah, Abu Hatim al-Sajistani, Muslim (the compiler of Sahih) and others, from making Taqleed of anyone from the scholars. He would say to them: You must refer to the sources, to the Book and the Sunnah.”

See al-Manhaj 373-376, al-Tahqiqat 643-645, Majmu’ah 20/116, 124-126, al-Mustadrak 2/241, 258, al-Furu’ 6/492, al-Insaf 11/147, I’lam 6/203-205, Mukhtasar al-Tahrir 103, Hal al-Muslim Mulzam… 14, Rawdhat al-Talibin 11/117, Usul al-Fiqh al-Islami 2/1166

This is why context is very important when looking at what was said, we can't take things at face value and assume that we're the intended audience.

 

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It's Ramadan and we all can be making better use of our time. Therefore, I'm going to close this thread.

 

[Muhammad]

Here's an interesting article that might help to bring about more understanding of this whole issue:

Hanafi Salafism: An oxymoron?

There was also another link to a relevant video but I can't seem to find it.

 

[Beardo]

just wanted to end with this list...

----
Here are some excellent links for new Muslims:

WhyIslam
http://www.whyislam.org

The Sunni Islam Reader (Traditional Islam)
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...ID=9056&CATE=0

Shaykh Murabtal Haaj’s Fatwa on Following One of the Four Accepted Madhhabs
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/mhfatwa.htm

Following One Particular Imam In Every Juristic Issue
http://www.ilookisee.co.uk/index_Fol...lar Imam.htm

How Do I Choose a Madhab and Why?
http://www.sunnipath.com/Academy/Onl...on/madhab.aspx

What is a Madhab? Why is it necessary to follow one?
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/madhhab.htm

UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR MADHHABS
the problem with anti-madhhabism
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/newmadhh.htm

---

Question:
How does one choose a school of fiqh to study?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Inspirer of truth,

Choosing a school to study and follow is a decision which should be based on accessibility of material and scholars of that school, rather than anything else.

It is difficult to say which the easiest school to follow is. Each school has certain issues which would be considered more difficult than what is fond in another school and some issues which would be considered easier.

Hence, inquire around your area to see what is the madhhab that most people follow and have access to. If there are proficient scholars of the Hanafi school found in your area, then take up that school by learning the basics rules of everyday worship from them or by reading a text under their guidance then consult them on any deeper issues that arise.

Likewise, if you find scholars from the Shafi'i or Maliki school, and have access to them or the relevant materials then adopt that school.

May Allah guide you to do what is best and most beneficial for you.

Wassalam

Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...D=4983&CATE=23

---

The Four Madhabs:

http://www.themodernreligion.com/madhab.html

Maliki Madhab:

Maliki Madhab (Wikipedia):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maliki

Misc Info:

http://www.islamawareness.net/Madhab/Maliki/

Maliki Prayer Manual:

http://lamppostproductions.org/files...les/SADL_2.pdf

Biography of Imam Malik:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ley/Malik.html

The Fundemental Principles of Imam Malik's Fiqh:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...wley/usul.html

Essentials of Islam (Maliki)

http://www.sunnipath.com/Academy/Onl...am-Maliki.aspx

Islam Starter Kit (Maliki)
http://bewley.virtualave.net/Starttitl.html

Shaykh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali's webpage (Maliki fiqh Answers & Info)
http://lamppostproductions.com/

The 'Amal of Medina (This is important!)
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...ley/Page1.html

The Fundamental Principles of Imam Malik's Fiqh
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...wley/usul.html

Summary on 'Ibadat according to the School of Imam Malik
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/9.html

Yahoo Maliki Fiqh Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maliki...guid=229216615

The Maliki Argument for Not Clasping the Hands in Salat:

Part 1
http://lamppostproductions.org/files...les/SADL_1.pdf

Part 2
http://lamppostproductions.org/files...les/SADL_2.pdf

There are some Maliki Scholars here
http://www.zaytuna.org/

Some famous scholars who follow the Maliki Madhab:

Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Dr. Abdal Hakim Jackson
Imam Suhaib Webb
Shaykh Muhammad al Yaqoubi (former-Hanafi)

Following a Madhab:By Imam Zaid Shakir (Video Lecture)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxVjEYxAumc

Following a Madhhab - By Maulvi Muhammed Yusaf al-Kanadi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqR7C...eature=related

Following one of 4 imams - By Shaikh Hussain Abdul Sattar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK011zopCUE

Distance Learning
http://www.zaytuna.org/distancelearning.asp

Free Audio Lectures
http://www.zaytuna.org/multimedia.asp

Free Videos
http://www.zaytuna.org/video.asp

Excellent Articles (highly recommend)
http://www.zaytuna.org/articles.asp

Curriculum for New Muslims? Ust. Abdul Sattar

Dear respected brother,

If someone is starting out learning about Islam, what program of study do you recommend. Note: this person is trying to avoid the group politics and influences. What should he do? At times he feels like he's being torn to pieces and the sweetness of Islam is waining.

Thanks

A. The best way to gain knowledge in the din, is to gradually build up a decent level of competency in the various subjects, before embarking deeply into one subject or another. It is admirable that you wish the study Islam without the influence of the various groups and have a balanced understanding. InshAllah the following will provide some benefit with this goal. We strongly suggest contacting the Islamic American University (http://www.islamicau.org/static/Default.aspx) and seeing if studying with them is an option for you. They have distance learning classes and you will get course material from them. They have a well designed syllabus and studying with them will give you a solid grasp of the subjects and a methodical path of learning.

If however this is not an option, we will highlight each basic subject here and a resource or two which will allow you to benefit in it. This list of subjects and books may seem varied to you, but it will build your understanding to a critical mass needed for knowledge and practice. After this, you will be able to move forward to higher studies if you wish. All of these books can be found on www.islamicbookstore.com or www.kalamullah.com

Before beginning:
Pitfalls in the Quest for Knowledge (Available at Islam Today dot com)

One of the pitfalls that a student can fall into is to seek knowledge for its own sake. Knowledge is a desire like any other human desire. It can be sought for the pure pleasure of acquiring it and not for the sake of Allah. People love to discover new things. It is a natural human inclination. When a person strives long and hard to find something out, then comes upon the answer, it can be quite exhilarating. This book encourages him to study further.

B. We suggest first and foremost that you learn the fundamentals of purification, prayer and fasting. This is because learning to worship correctly and properly is integral to your spiritual advancement and your Islam.

The question may arise as to which madhab you should choose or how you should study these acts of worship. Regardless of the issue of whether or not one must/must not adhere to one specific madhab, it is recommended that you begin your studies while studying a specific one - as this will make it easy for you to quickly learn rulings for all the acts of worship and begin to implement them. Not doing so will likely result in jumping from opinion to opinion while reading the debates among various proofs, and spending vast amounts of time studying various views on a minor issue dealing with prayer. The focus is to learn how to pray and to focus on the prayer itself, not the myriad of opinions out there. Once you have studied more deeply and have access to a scholar, you can begin to learn about other schools. The Hanafi and Shaf'i schools have more adherents in North America than other the other two schools. We suggest learning the fundamentals from one of them as you will have access to a wider range of teachers. For a basic primer on Hanafi fiqh and then a more advanced book, you can read the following:

1. The Absolute Essentials of Islam - Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School
2. The Humility in Prayer: Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and 33 Ways to Concentrate in Your Prayer (Munajjid)
3. Al Fiqh al-Islami According to the Hanafi Madhab (Sh. Muhammad Akram Nadwi) (3 months - use as a reference and source for better understanding)

While studying these, be cognizant of the fact that there are many other valid opinions in the wide corpus of Islamic Law, and many Muslims who do not find it necessary to stick a specific school. We should respect all of these opinions and focus on one's own worship, and on maintaining harmony and good relations with everyone around us.

C. Belief and Worldview (Aqeedah):

It is important that you study Islamic Aqeedah, as it is our fundamental beliefs that make us muslim, and beliefs related to our world view that give us an Islamic outlook on life. One detrimental thing many students do, is study Aqeedah as a study of opposition to other Muslims' opinions on minor issues or unresolved arguments on advanced topics that have been debated by scholars for over a thousand years. Instead, it is best to study our creed as the Companions did, as a means of seeking a better understanding of Allah and His role in our lives. To develop a better understanding of this belief and the Islamic world view, I recommend the following books, in this order:

1. Islam: The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid (5-6 weeks)
2. The Purification of the Soul (Hanbali, ibn al Qayyim, Ghazali, others) http://kalamullah.com/Books/PurificationOfTheSoul.pdf
3. Risalatul Mustarshidin by Al-Muhasibi, translation and commentary by Zaid Shakir (3 weeks)
4. Aqeedah at-Tahawiyyah - Translated by Hamza Yusuf (This is a text which by itself is agreed upon by all of the major Sunni theological schools, regardless of the interpretation of it's specifics which there is no need to go into without a teacher)

It is recommended at this point that you read the book, "Drowning in Minor Details" by Sh. Salman Awdah:
(Available at Islam Today dot com)

D. The Seerah - Life Story of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)

1. Muhammad: Man and Prophet by Adil Salahi

2. Madinan Society at the Time of the Prophet

A solid book which offers a comprehensive look at the story and lessons of the life of the Prophet (saw). It is critical to know the life of the Prophet as it provides us a context by which we can understand the Quran, the various aspects of islamic law, and develop a proper understanding of the meaning and message of the religion which the Prophet (saw) came to give us.

E. Understanding the Quran

There are hundreds of books on tafsir out there, explaining various aspects of the Quran through various points of view. I suggest starting with understanding those parts of Quran which will have a direct impact on our personalitiy and belief, and to move on from there. For this reason, it is important that one constantly have a relationship with the Quran and read it consistently everyday - the text by itself. But along with this, to develop an understanding of its meanings and message, I suggest the following course of readings:

0. Introduction to the Study of the Quran (Maududi) available online
1. The Seven Oft-Repeated Verses (Awdah) -
An Explanation of Surah Fatihah
(Available at Islam Today dot com)
2. Study the last juz of Quran - Chapter 78 till the end - Chapter 114. Using an easy resource, www.englishtafsir.com
3. The Quran: Essential Teachings - Kidwai
4. A Thematic Commentary of the Quran: Muhammad al-Ghazali (recommend reading this work while doing a full reading of the Quran in parallel to the chapter you are on in the book to get the proper benefit from this book)
5. An Introduction to the Sciences of the Quran: Mufti Taqi Usmaani

With this, you will be ready to jump into reading more of the Quranic tafsir works available in english bookstores, while being assured that you have picked up the essentials needed to navigate around the Quran and generally pick up on clearly strange or undoubtedly erraneous interpretations. It is always a good idea to spend some time making sure that one's recitation and prounounciation meets a basic standard. www.quranicsciences.com is a good place to try out your letters and pronounciation and work on them if needed.

F. Hadith

It is important for anyone wishing to learn Islam, that he /she be familiar with not only the verses of Quran, but also the words, speeches, and sayings of the Prophet (saw). The Sunnah is the practical implementation of the Quran in the life of the Prophet, so it is important for a person to understand its importance, and learn some of the statements and sayings of the Prophet.

1. Tahdhib al Akhlaq : A Hadith Guide for Personal and Social Conduct (Sayyed Abdul Hayy al Hasani)
2. The Complete Forty Hadith : Revised Edition with the Arabic Texts (Imam an-Nawawi) includes commentary
3. The Authority of the Sunnah by Taqi Usmani (available online) or the Authority and Importance of the Sunnah by J. Zarabozo
4. Begin a casual, everyday reading of Riyadh us Saaliheen

With this foundation, one will have gained familiarity with many of the popular ahadith of the Prophet and continue to learn more of the traditions from his life

G. Basic Islamic History

1. Companions of the Prophet by Abdul Wahid Hamid

2. The Pious Caliphs

3. History of Islam

Please remember, it is not needed to traverse this plan subject by subject if this will be too monotonous. You can start with the "level" 1 books under each subject and read them together, and move on slowly through each "level", thus doing multiple subjects at once. Or if you prefer, you can do this by doing all the books in one subject first, then moving to the next subject (not recommended).

After all these, you will be ready to move on to heavier books. I am not sure of your current knowledge level so if these are too basic for your taste, please let me know and we can revise it to include heavier material, inshAllah.

wa alaikum assalam
Answered by Ust. Abdul Sattar

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/blog/gener...-abdul-sattar/