Tag: Shaykh Saalih Abdil-‘Azeez Aali Shaikh

Also from the etiquettes related to books is that one should make an effort to care for and reinforce their outer and inner parts as well as to keep them clean so that the books can be in a presentable condition that is befitting for others besides you.

This is since when a student of knowledge buys a book, he must have or should we say it’s preferred for him to have two types of intentions. The first is that he should intend to benefit from it in order to free himself from ignorance. And secondly, he should intend that others benefit from the book as well – such as either his wife or his children. Afterward, the books can either remain with that person (in his family) or they can be donated after him. Or perhaps one can give them away to someone as a gift or sell them, and so on and so forth.

Read More “Etiquette Seven: Preserving and Safeguarding One’s Books : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

Also from the etiquettes related to caring for books, even though this topic is vast and covers many aspects, is that a student of knowledge should review and examine his books from time to time. This means that he should not amass books without reviewing what he has. So, for example, he goes out and gets this book and that book, puts them in his library and only refers to a small portion from them. One should continuously inspect all of his books.

You should go and examine what books you have so that you remember the subjects they cover. This is since some people buy the same book twice or three times or maybe even four times due to the fact that they have forgotten that they already have the book! And this is because of the few times that they inspect and review their collection.

Read More “Etiquette Six: Reviewing and Inspecting One’s Books : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

A student should arrange his books in such a way that it is easy for him to refer to them if there is an issue that requires him to research some of his books. This means that he should maintain his books in a certain order. The way the books are to be organized depends on the preference of this student. So if he requires that all of his books on Tafseer be arranged together and all of his books on Hadeeth be arranged together, and he further divides the Tafseer section into its various sciences and the Hadeeth section into its various sciences, and the Fiqh books into their respective madh-hab’s and so on and so forth, then there is no harm in this. And if he decides to arrange his books in some other order that he feels is more beneficial, then there is also no problem with this. The objective is for the book to be in a place where if he looks for it, he will find it.

Read More “Etiquette One: Arranging and Organizing Books : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

From the manners of dealing with books is that a student of knowledge focuses his attention on the revised and accurate editions of books only. In the old days, books used to be bought from a manuscript transcriber known as a warraaq. A person was called a warraaq if he had a place where he would manually transcribe a copy of a book and sell it to buyers or sell it to someone who intended to sell his manuscripts (i.e. dealers). These people were known as warraaqoon – those who devoted their time to transcribing books by hand or to just selling books. Amongst these transcribers were those who were vary careful in their work and others who weren’t.

The closest things in resemblance to them in our time are the publishing houses and print shops that exist today. They have inherited the work of the warraaqoon throughout the passage of time. This is why we say that the occupation of the copyists was taken over in detail as time passed on by the scholars. A student of knowledge should strive to buy a verified and edited book or to transcribe one by hand whilst comparing what he has copied to the original manuscript. Or he should buy a book and compare it with a reliable source copy that is studied in the presence of scholars and so on and so forth.

Read More “Etiquette Two: Acquiring the Most Accurate Editions of Books : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

The third etiquette with regard to books is that one must strive to keep his books clean and preserved. This means that his books should be clean and have no dust attached to them. They should not be dirty nor should they have any bad markings on them. They should also not be put in an improper place, meaning the book should be put in an appropriate place that is befitting for it.

From that which is not befitting for books – especially the books of the people of knowledge in which can be found a clarification of the meanings of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah – is that they have dirt, dust and filth on them. Keeping books clean is a sign of one’s respect for what is contained in them and a proof that one magnifies the symbols of Allaah. Allaah says:

ِبﻮُﻠُﻘْﻟا ىَﻮْﻘَﺗ ﻦِﻣ ﺎَﻬﱠﻧِﺈَﻓ ِﻪﱠﻠﻟا َﺮِﺋﺎَﻌَﺷ ْﻢﱢﻈَﻌُﻳ ﻦَﻣَو
“And whoever magnifies the symbols of Allaah, then that is truly from the piety of the hearts.” [Surah Al-Hajj: 32]

So if the book is on Tafseer or on the Sunnah or on Fiqh – the lawful and unlawful – or on Creed, then a person should strive to preserve them. Maintaining books clean falls under honoring Allaah and honoring the religious knowledge that is taken from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.

Read More “Etiquette Three: Keeping One’s Books Clean and Tidy : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

Another etiquette regarding books which deserves attention is: A student of knowledge should maintain (a list of) selected points of benefit for each of his books. This means that if someone reads a book and he doesn’t feel that he will remember or be able to recall what he read later – even if he is young – he should select points of benefit from this book and write them down in a special notebook. Or he can make references to them in the preface of the book, such as in a page at the beginning of the book. So he makes something that resembles a table of contents, however, it is specifically catered to him since these points of benefit that apply to him may not apply to others.

Read More “Etiquette Four: Recording the Points of Benefit found in Books : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”

From the etiquettes related to books, also, is: The manners of lending out books. Giving out books for people to borrow is not allowed unless you are giving them to someone that you trust will care for the books. The reason for this is because you have the most right to your book, unless you find someone else that is in need of it and who, when finished using it, will return it back to you.

It is mentioned in the biography of Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee that a man once asked him if he could borrow one of his books, so he replied saying: “You have three days to use it.” The man said: “That is not enough time.” So Al-Khateeb said: “I have counted its pages, so if you want to make a copy of it, then three days is sufficient for you. And if you want to read it, then three days is sufficient for you. And if you want to do more than that with it, then I have the most right to my book.”

Read More “Etiquette Five: Lending Books Out to Others : Shaikh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-’Azeez Aali Shaikh”