How and where should she start when teaching the principles of Islam?

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Knowledge of Islam and its
rulings and principles is obligatory for every Muslim, male and female, to
the extent that he or she needs to establish proper belief, worship and
behaviour and conduct in accordance with that which Allaah wants. It is
narrated in a hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim.” Narrated
by Ibn Majaah (224); classed as hasan because of its many isnaads and
corroborating reports by al-Mazzi, al-Zarkashi, al-Suyooti, al-Sakhaawi,
al-Dhahabi, al-Manaawi, al-Zarqaani. It is also included in Saheeh Ibn
Majaah by al-Albaani.

See also the answer to
question no. 10471 and
20092.

As for teaching knowledge,
this is the role of the Prophets, which was borne by the scholars after
them, so that the proof of Allaah would remain established among His
creation (and there would be no excuse for not knowing), and so that the
message of Tawheed would remain fresh as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught it to his companions.

It was narrated that
Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The scholars
are the heirs of the Prophets. The Prophets did not leave behind dinars or
dirhams, rather they left behind a heritage of knowledge, and the one who
acquires it acquires an abundant portion.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3641) and
others; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: This is one of the greatest qualities of the
scholars, for the Prophets are the best of the creation of Allaah, and their
heirs are the best of creation after them. As everything that is inherited
passes to the heirs, they are the ones who take his place after he is gone,
and there is no one who can take the place of the Messengers in conveying
that with which they were sent, except the scholars, who are the most
entitled of people to their legacy. This indicates that they are the closest
of people to them, for the inheritance only goes to the closest of people to
the deceased. Just as this applies to the inheritance of dinars and dirhams,
so it also applies to the inheritance of Prophethood, and Allaah singles out
for His mercy whomsoever He will. End quote.

Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah
(1/66).

But what we have stated
applies only to those who take the place of the Prophets in teaching people
and issuing rulings (fatwas) to the people concerning new issues that they
face and what they need, and guide people in accordance with the religion of
Allaah.

As for those who convey
what they know of the religion of Allaah to others, such as a verse that
they have memorized or a hadeeth that they know, or a fatwa that they have
heard from trustworthy scholars, this does not require one to be a scholar,
only that he should know what he is conveying and enjoining upon the people;
he does not have to be a scholar as such.

It was narrated from
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Convey from me even if it
is one verse, and narrate from the Children of Israel and there is nothing
wrong with it. And whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take
his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3461).

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: O people, whoever knows anything let
him say it and whoever does not know let him say Allaah knows best, for it
is part of knowledge when one does not know to say Allaah knows best. Allaah
said to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
(interpretation of the meaning): “Say
(O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): No wage
do I ask of you for this (the Qur’aan), nor am I one of the Mutakallifoon
(those who pretend and fabricate things which do not exist)” [Saad
38:86]. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4809).

So let us go back to your
question: how should one start?

Our advice if you find
someone who has already gained some knowledge and adheres to the rulings and
etiquette and is one of ahl al-sunnah, is to seek guidance from him and
benefit from his experience, because this will save a lot of time and effort
in sha Allaah.

Whether or not he has
access where he is to scholars and seekers of knowledge who can help him
with that, we offer him the following advice:

1 – Pay attention to the
Book of Allaah by memorizing, reading and studying, for the Qur’aan is the
first book of guidance, and the book of knowledge on which all branches of
Islamic knowledge are based. He should take care to understand its meanings
and study some tafseer. At that stage we advise him to study al-Tafseer
al-Muyassar, published by Dar al-Malik Fahd li Tibaa’ah al-Mus-haf,
which is a very useful book; Aysar al-Tafaaseer by Shaykh Abu Bakr
al-Jazaa’iri; and the Tafseer of Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah have
mercy on him). We do not mean that he should study all of them; whatever he
can manage, he can read them and study them.

2 – With regard to hadeeth
he should memorize al-Arba’een al-Nawawiyyah (al-Nawawi’s Forty) and
the addition thereto by Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him), and study
some of the commentaries on them such as those by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen and
others. It is also recommended to study some of the audio commentaries on
the Majd channel or on websites of Ahl al-Sunnah. When he has finished that,
he can study Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam by Ibn Rajab, which is good
in sha Allaah.

Then he should study –
every day if possible – Riyadh al-Saaliheen by Imam al-Nawawi (may
Allaah have mercy on him), and memorize one hadeeth from every chapter, and
read the commentary of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen thereon.

3 – With regard to
‘aqeedah, he should start with al-Usool al-Thalaathah wa Adillatuha,
by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allaah have mercy on him), and
study some of the commentaries thereon, by Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen and Shaykh
al-Fawzaan. If he can listen to them then that is better.

Then he should move on to
Kitaab al-Tawheed by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, with some
of the simple commentaries on it, such as that by Shaykh Saalih Aal
al-Shaykh. It is simple and beneficial, in sha Allaah. Or there are other
commentaries. In addition he should study al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah
with its commentary, by Shaykh al-Fawzaan or Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen.

He should pay attention to
all of the above, and study them and understand them.

With regard to ongoing
reading and study, he should pay attention [?[ to he series on
‘Aqeedah in the Light of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, by Shaykh ‘Umar
Sulaymaan al-Ashqar (may Allaah preserve him). [This series is available in
English, published by the International Islamic Publishing House of Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia].

4 –With regard to fiqh,
there are some easy books with which he may start, such as Arkaan
al-Islam by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), Fiqh al-‘Ibaadaat by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him), Mukhtasar Sifat al-Salaah by Shaykh al-Albaani (may
Allaah have mercy on him), Tayseer al-‘Allaam Sharh ‘Umdat
al-Ahkaam by Shaykh Bassaam (may Allaah have mercy on him). We also
advise him to make use of the books of fatwas by our contemporary scholars,
such as Fataawa ‘Ulama’ al-Balad al-Haraam, compiled by Dr. Khaalid
al-Juraysi, which is a useful compilation in sha Allaah.

5 – With regard to seerah
(the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)), he can study Mukhtasar Zaad al-Ma’aad by Shaykh Muhammad ibn
‘Abd al-Wahhaab, and al-Raheeq al-Makhtoom by Shaykh al-Mubaarakfoori
(may Allaah have mercy on them both). [The latter is available in English
translation under the title The Sealed Nectar, published by
Darussalam of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia]

With regard to general
history and biography, he may study al-Tareekh al-Islami by Prof.
Mahmoud Shaakir, and some books of biography such as Siyar A’laam
al-Nubala’.

6 –With regard to akhlaaq
(morals and manners) and raqaa’iq (heart softeners), he should read the
books of Ibn al-Qayyim a great deal, such as al-Da’ wa’l-Dawa’,
al-Risaalah al-Tabookiyyah, and the letter of Ibn al-Qayyim to one of
his brothers. He may also study Mukhtasar Minhaaj al-Qaasideen by Ibn
Qudaamah, or Tahdheeb Maw’izat al-Mu’mineen by Shaykh al-Qaasimi (may
Allaah have mercy on him), and he should also pay attention to the essays of
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him), such as Kashf al-Kurbah,
Sharh Hadeeth Ma Dhi’baan Jaa’i’aan, Tahqeeq Kalimat al-Ikhlaas
and others, most of which have been compiled in one four-volume collection.

7 – He should pay attention
to studying the adhkaar of the Prophet, because this is an important part of
knowledge and action, and he should try to memorize some of the books, such
as Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah,
abridged by al-Albaani, or Husn al-Muslim (available in English as
The Fortress of the Muslim) as well as reading al-Waabil al-Saayib by
Ibn al-Qayyim.

Finally, we must reiterate
the importance of learning from and listening to scholars who are
specialized in sharee’ah, which is something that is easy nowadays, praise
be to Allaah, via some useful channels or the internet. Perhaps you have
heard of the Majd channel which presents lessons from which all people may
benefit. You can also subscribe to their programs which take the student
through stages. As for the internet it is full, by Allaah’s grace, with
lessons of trustworthy scholars and you can follow some of them directly via
Paltalk or download recordings from the Islamway website.

An important matter when it
comes to learning is to pay attention to the correct method, by which we
mean adopting the correct gradual approach. So the student should start with
easy fields and short books, then move on to longer books with detailed
commentary, until he becomes able to read lengthy books and specialized
research material.

He has to choose lessons
from the Majd channel or the internet that are suitable for him, and he
should not try to follow every lesson that is offered, because it may not be
suitable for him at present.

You can find more advice on
our site in the answer to question no.
14082 and
20191.

And Allaah knows best.