How and what to study at home to learn more

A

azharimiyan

sunniport user
What books can be studied by someone who does not have a suitable place of learning accessible to them?

I know there is no substitute for a good teacher and a good course, but unfortunately not all have this available to them.

I am able to obtain almost every and any book however; hence the question.

What books should one read as a beginner or what what topics should one study, and how should one progress themselves in said topics?

I know a lot of brothers on the site are self learned and haven't been through madaaris which is why I ask.

jazakAllah
 
if you are able to read urdu and/or arabic there are a number of options.

madrasahs only facilitate learning, and one of the greatest teachers in the indian subcontinent (in the past 100 years) deemed madrasah learning as just the beginning.

madrasah is an opportunity to be in the company of fellow-scholars, and meet, discuss, exchange ideas among people in the same field. unfortunately, like all other fields of learning, this too is reduced to mostly exams and certificates. at least that is what i know from my interaction with madrasah grads.

people make a big fuss about sanad. indeed, sanad is important, but in our time, it is certainly not a measure of one's knowledge. i know of 'muftis' who are unable to explain basic principles of fiqh and hadith. in fact, many of them are unaware of the authorities in various branches of knowledge and which are key references!

i am not saying that you should shut madrasahs. just that, syllabii are outdated and teaching methods are outdated and competence is measured by rote-learning.

---
autodidacts.

there is nothing wrong in learning from books. but it is just that one should not get carried away. if one has an open mind to correct one's mistakes when pointed out and is steadfast to the path of sunni scholars, there is no harm in reading and learning from books.

madrasah grads turn their noses up, and look down upon those who learn from books, even if they are themselves incapable of reading those books, much less having read those books. (disclaimer: as always, there is a small minority - very few people - who are different; who are both capable and learned themselves, and value learned people).

if books are not to be read by people, then why did those imams write them in the first place? and outstanding scholars from the recent past, academics and madrasah grads themselves - why did they translate these books and have them published? at least paste a notice: "only madrasah grads are capable of reading this. outsiders, excuse".

----
the other point is, how many madrasah graduates (sanad-yafta) have read books cover to cover with a teacher and how many? surely, even the most diligent student would utmost will have read basic books with the teacher. thereafter, they are on their own - they read and research and keep learning the rest of their lives (diligent students, i mean).

the rest will have closed their books after final exams in the final year - and will hardly ever read books, except perhaps, those who become teachers. and even they don't go beyond standard books.

DISCLAIMER: i have not conducted a survey and collected data for the conclusions above - this is based on my observation over the years, and extrapolation. i may be wrong. feel free to disagree.

----
knowledge is important. one may not be considered a scholar - or asked to sit in a panel of scholars, after reading a few books. but that should not be the aim. one should strive to gain knowledge. and there are wonderful books available today.

may Allah ta'ala elevate the ranks of ulama who made these books more accessible by translating them in our languages. particularly, in urdu.

the first and foremost clarification is that yes, one can read books and learn from books.

next: which books? (and that was the brother's q)

----
Allah ta'ala knows best.
 
(this list is mostly aimed for non-specialist urdu readers; some of these books may have not be translated in urdu; i don't claim that this is a definitive list. feel free to add books that i may have left out.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I. ADAB

1. bidayatu'l hidayah - imam ghazali

2. mukhtasar shu'ab al-yiman - qazwini/bayhaqi

3. ta'lim al-muta'allim - zarnuji

4. ayyuha'l walad - ghazali

5. akhlaq al-ulama - aajuriyy

6. tazkiratu's samiy - ibn jama'ah

7. fadl ilm al-salaf - ibn rajab

8. aadaab al-ishrah - al-ghazzi

9. aadab al-suluk - sayyidi abdullah alawi al-haddad

10. akhlaq ahl al-qur'an - aajuriyy

11. islami zindagi - mufti ahmad yar khann nayimi​


=======================================================

II. AQIDAH

1. aqidah taHawiyyah - imam taHawi

2. bad' al-amali - imam ali al-ushi

3. takmil al-iman (orig. farsi) - shah abdul haq dihlawi

4. bahar e shariat, vol.1

5. kitab al-aqayid - sadrul afadil mawlana nayimuddin

6. fiqh al-akbar, wasiyyah imam a'azam

7. sharh fiqh al-akbar/wasiyyah - ali al-qari

8. daw al-ma'ali sh. bad' al-amali - ali al-qari

9. sh. aqidah tahawiyyah - maydani

10. sharh al-aqayid - taftazani

11. tuhfatu'l murid sh. jawharah al-tawhid - ibrahim bajuri

12. sh. aqidah tahawiyah - sh. sayid foudeh

13. mustanad/mutaqad of allamah fazul rasul / alahazrat in arabic; urdu translation by tajush' shariah mawlana akhtar rida khan raHimahullah.
​


=======================================================

III. HANAFI FIQH

1. bahar e shariat

2. qanun e shariat

3. hamara islam

4. jannati zeywar

5. sunni bihishti zeywar

6. lubab sh. quduri - abdul ghani ghunaymi maydani

7. rash'hat al-aqlam sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul ghani nablusi

8. nayl al-maram sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul latif al-mulla (al-ahsayi)

9. hidayah (there is an english translation) - imam marghinani

10. halbatu'l mujalli sh. munyatu'l musalli - ibn amir al-haaj

11. fat'h bab al-inayah sh. al-nuqayah - ali al-qari

12. nihayatu'l murad sh. hidayah ibn imad - abdul ghani al-nablusi

13. hidayah al-alayiyyah -


FATAWA / URDU ONLY:

14. al-fatawa al-ridawiyyah

15. fatawa amjadiyyah

16. fatawa hamidiyyah

17. fatawa mustafawiyyah

18. fatawa nayimiyyah

19. fatawa nayimuddin sadru'l afadil

20. fatawa fayz al-rasul

21. waqaru'l fatawa

22. fatawa alamgiri translated (don't know if sunni)

23. fatawa faqih e millat​


=======================================================

IV. TAFSIR, ULUM AL-QUR'AN

1. kanzul iman with khazayin al-irfan

2. kanzul iman with nooru'l irfan

3. tafsir jalalayn

4. tafsir nasafi

5. tibyan fi adabi hamalati'l qur'an - imam nawawi

6. itqan - suyuti

7. tafsir nayimi - mufti ahmad yar khan

8. ilmu'l qur'an - mufti ahmad yar khan

9. tafsir e ashrafi - shaykh al-islam mawlana madani miyan

​

=======================================================

V. HADITH

1. anwaru'l hadith - mufti jalaluddin amjadi

2. intikhab e hadith - compilation by mawlana akhtar shahjahanpuri, mawlana siddiq hazarwi et al.

3. ziyaa'ul hadees - shah turabu'l haq rahimahullah.

4. riyadu's salihin

5. mishkatu'l masabih

6. mir'atu'l manajih

[the six motherbooks have also been translated in urdu]

i don't know if sunni ulama have translated arbayin al-nawawiyyah or sh.arbayin by ibn rajab [jamiy al-ulum wa'l hikam].

7. bustanu'l muhaddithin of shah abdul aziz dihlawi
​

=======================================================

VI. SIRAT

1. sirat e mustafa

2. madariju'n nubuwwah

3. shifa sharif

4. shamayil sharif

5. mawahib ladunniyyah

6. saltanat e mustafa - mufti ahmad yar khan

7. shan e habibur rahman - "

8. jazbu'l qulub - shah abdu'l haq

9. jawahiru'l bihar

10. kitab al-wafa


(all urdu translations of above are available)​
 
abu Hasan said:
if you are able to read urdu and/or arabic there are a number of options.

madrasahs only facilitate learning, and one of the greatest teachers in the indian subcontinent (in the past 100 years) deemed madrasah learning as just the beginning.

madrasah is an opportunity to be in the company of fellow-scholars, and meet, discuss, exchange ideas among people in the same field. unfortunately, like all other fields of learning, this too is reduced to mostly exams and certificates. at least that is what i know from my interaction with madrasah grads.

people make a big fuss about sanad. indeed, sanad is important, but in our time, it is certainly not a measure of one's knowledge. i know of 'muftis' who are unable to explain basic principles of fiqh and hadith. in fact, many of them are unaware of the authorities in various branches of knowledge and which are key references!

i am not saying that you should shut madrasahs. just that, syllabii are outdated and teaching methods are outdated and competence is measured by rote-learning.

---
autodidacts.

there is nothing wrong in learning from books. but it is just that one should not get carried away. if one has an open mind to correct one's mistakes when pointed out and is steadfast to the path of sunni scholars, there is no harm in reading and learning from books.

madrasah grads turn their noses up, and look down upon those who learn from books, even if they are themselves incapable of reading those books, much less having read those books. (disclaimer: as always, there is a small minority - very few people - who are different; who are both capable and learned themselves, and value learned people).

if books are not to be read by people, then why did those imams write them in the first place? and outstanding scholars from the recent past, academics and madrasah grads themselves - why did they translate these books and have them published? at least paste a notice: "only madrasah grads are capable of reading this. outsiders, excuse".

----
the other point is, how many madrasah graduates (sanad-yafta) have read books cover to cover with a teacher and how many? surely, even the most diligent student would utmost will have read basic books with the teacher. thereafter, they are on their own - they read and research and keep learning the rest of their lives (diligent students, i mean).

the rest will have closed their books after final exams in the final year - and will hardly ever read books, except perhaps, those who become teachers. and even they don't go beyond standard books.

DISCLAIMER: i have not conducted a survey and collected data for the conclusions above - this is based on my observation over the years, and extrapolation. i may be wrong. feel free to disagree.

----
knowledge is important. one may not be considered a scholar - or asked to sit in a panel of scholars, after reading a few books. but that should not be the aim. one should strive to gain knowledge. and there are wonderful books available today.

may Allah ta'ala elevate the ranks of ulama who made these books more accessible by translating them in our languages. particularly, in urdu.

the first and foremost clarification is that yes, one can read books and learn from books.

next: which books? (and that was the brother's q)

----
Allah ta'ala knows best.
Click to expand...

I can read Urdu and can understand it to a moderate level but not to a high enough level to read most books. is there anything you can suggest for improving Urdu saheb?

JazakAllah for the detailed responses also
 
abu Hasan said:
(this list is mostly aimed for non-specialist urdu readers; some of these books may have not be translated in urdu; i don't claim that this is a definitive list. feel free to add books that i may have left out.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I. ADAB

1. bidayatu'l hidayah - imam ghazali

2. mukhtasar shu'ab al-yiman - qazwini/bayhaqi

3. ta'lim al-muta'allim - zarnuji

4. ayyuha'l walad - ghazali

5. akhlaq al-ulama - aajuriyy

6. tazkiratu's samiy - ibn jama'ah

7. fadl ilm al-salaf - ibn rajab

8. aadaab al-ishrah - al-ghazzi

9. aadab al-suluk - sayyidi abdullah alawi al-haddad

10. akhlaq ahl al-qur'an - aajuriyy

11. islami zindagi - mufti ahmad yar khann nayimi​


=======================================================

II. AQIDAH

1. aqidah taHawiyyah - imam taHawi

2. bad' al-amali - imam ali al-ushi

3. takmil al-iman (orig. farsi) - shah abdul haq dihlawi

4. bahar e shariat, vol.1

5. kitab al-aqayid - sadrul afadil mawlana nayimuddin

6. fiqh al-akbar, wasiyyah imam a'azam

7. sharh fiqh al-akbar/wasiyyah - ali al-qari

8. daw al-ma'ali sh. bad' al-amali - ali al-qari

9. sh. aqidah tahawiyyah - maydani

10. sharh al-aqayid - taftazani

11. tuhfatu'l murid sh. jawharah al-tawhid - ibrahim bajuri

12. sh. aqidah tahawiyah - sh. sayid foudeh

13. mustanad/mutaqad of allamah fazul rasul / alahazrat in arabic; urdu translation by tajush' shariah mawlana akhtar rida khan raHimahullah.
​


=======================================================

III. HANAFI FIQH

1. bahar e shariat

2. qanun e shariat

3. hamara islam

4. jannati zeywar

5. sunni bihishti zeywar

6. lubab sh. quduri - abdul ghani ghunaymi maydani

7. rash'hat al-aqlam sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul ghani nablusi

8. nayl al-maram sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul latif al-mulla (al-ahsayi)

9. hidayah (there is an english translation) - imam marghinani

10. halbatu'l mujalli sh. munyatu'l musalli - ibn amir al-haaj

11. fat'h bab al-inayah sh. al-nuqayah - ali al-qari

12. nihayatu'l murad sh. hidayah ibn imad - abdul ghani al-nablusi

13. hidayah al-alayiyyah -


FATAWA / URDU ONLY:

14. al-fatawa al-ridawiyyah

15. fatawa amjadiyyah

16. fatawa hamidiyyah

17. fatawa mustafawiyyah

18. fatawa nayimiyyah

19. fatawa nayimuddin sadru'l afadil

20. fatawa fayz al-rasul

21. waqaru'l fatawa

22. fatawa alamgiri translated (don't know if sunni)

23. fatawa faqih e millat​


=======================================================

IV. TAFSIR, ULUM AL-QUR'AN

1. kanzul iman with khazayin al-irfan

2. kanzul iman with nooru'l irfan

3. tafsir jalalayn

4. tafsir nasafi

5. tibyan fi adabi hamalati'l qur'an - imam nawawi

6. itqan - suyuti

7. tafsir nayimi - mufti ahmad yar khan

8. ilmu'l qur'an - mufti ahmad yar khan

9. tafsir e ashrafi - shaykh al-islam mawlana madani miyan

​

=======================================================

V. HADITH

1. anwaru'l hadith - mufti jalaluddin amjadi

2. intikhab e hadith - compilation by mawlana akhtar shahjahanpuri, mawlana siddiq hazarwi et al.

3. ziyaa'ul hadees - shah turabu'l haq rahimahullah.

4. riyadu's salihin

5. mishkatu'l masabih

6. mir'atu'l manajih

[the six motherbooks have also been translated in urdu]

i don't know if sunni ulama have translated arbayin al-nawawiyyah or sh.arbayin by ibn rajab [jamiy al-ulum wa'l hikam].

7. bustanu'l muhaddithin of shah abdul aziz dihlawi
​

=======================================================

VI. SIRAT

1. sirat e mustafa

2. madariju'n nubuwwah

3. shifa sharif

4. shamayil sharif

5. mawahib ladunniyyah

6. saltanat e mustafa - mufti ahmad yar khan

7. shan e habibur rahman - "

8. jazbu'l qulub - shah abdu'l haq

9. jawahiru'l bihar

10. kitab al-wafa


(all urdu translations of above are available)​
Click to expand...

abu Hasan said:
if you are able to read urdu and/or arabic there are a number of options.

madrasahs only facilitate learning, and one of the greatest teachers in the indian subcontinent (in the past 100 years) deemed madrasah learning as just the beginning.

madrasah is an opportunity to be in the company of fellow-scholars, and meet, discuss, exchange ideas among people in the same field. unfortunately, like all other fields of learning, this too is reduced to mostly exams and certificates. at least that is what i know from my interaction with madrasah grads.

people make a big fuss about sanad. indeed, sanad is important, but in our time, it is certainly not a measure of one's knowledge. i know of 'muftis' who are unable to explain basic principles of fiqh and hadith. in fact, many of them are unaware of the authorities in various branches of knowledge and which are key references!

i am not saying that you should shut madrasahs. just that, syllabii are outdated and teaching methods are outdated and competence is measured by rote-learning.

---
autodidacts.

there is nothing wrong in learning from books. but it is just that one should not get carried away. if one has an open mind to correct one's mistakes when pointed out and is steadfast to the path of sunni scholars, there is no harm in reading and learning from books.

madrasah grads turn their noses up, and look down upon those who learn from books, even if they are themselves incapable of reading those books, much less having read those books. (disclaimer: as always, there is a small minority - very few people - who are different; who are both capable and learned themselves, and value learned people).

if books are not to be read by people, then why did those imams write them in the first place? and outstanding scholars from the recent past, academics and madrasah grads themselves - why did they translate these books and have them published? at least paste a notice: "only madrasah grads are capable of reading this. outsiders, excuse".

----
the other point is, how many madrasah graduates (sanad-yafta) have read books cover to cover with a teacher and how many? surely, even the most diligent student would utmost will have read basic books with the teacher. thereafter, they are on their own - they read and research and keep learning the rest of their lives (diligent students, i mean).

the rest will have closed their books after final exams in the final year - and will hardly ever read books, except perhaps, those who become teachers. and even they don't go beyond standard books.

DISCLAIMER: i have not conducted a survey and collected data for the conclusions above - this is based on my observation over the years, and extrapolation. i may be wrong. feel free to disagree.

----
knowledge is important. one may not be considered a scholar - or asked to sit in a panel of scholars, after reading a few books. but that should not be the aim. one should strive to gain knowledge. and there are wonderful books available today.

may Allah ta'ala elevate the ranks of ulama who made these books more accessible by translating them in our languages. particularly, in urdu.

the first and foremost clarification is that yes, one can read books and learn from books.

next: which books? (and that was the brother's q)

----
Allah ta'ala knows best.
Click to expand...

Also, what sort of methods do you guys use when reading at home? I find myself reading books and then not remembering anything from them because I do not write anything down or do anything besides read the words.

Do you guys make notes - if so how organised are these or are they just random scribbles? Or do people find it easier to just read and recollect?

I understand that this will be different for almost every single person but it would still be interesting to know how others do things, nevertheless.
 
azharimiyan said:
Also, what sort of methods do you guys use when reading at home? I find myself reading books and then not remembering anything from them because I do not write anything down or do anything besides read the words.

Do you guys make notes - if so how organised are these or are they just random scribbles? Or do people find it easier to just read and recollect?

I understand that this will be different for almost every single person but it would still be interesting to know how others do things, nevertheless.
Click to expand...

Read chapter, and underline or mark important points as you go along. End of chapter summarize your highlights. Keep doing this and you'll have a summary. Discuss the ideas in the book with friends.
 
azharimiyan said:
is there anything you can suggest for improving Urdu saheb?
Click to expand...
many courses of Ta'meere adab (reading and writing) on youtube.

books like Qanoon e shariat etc. are also available and taught by sunni scholars on youtube. Try to follow with the Mawlana as he reads and then In sha' Allah you will get the hang of it.

heres a channel called faizan e darse nizami ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpcYrfvyvU31P2qlAPezwSQ )
many darse nizami books with level of study are taught by this Mawlana for free. i Really commend him for his efforts!

Its a sunni aalim.
 
Forming small study groups or reading groups is a useful tool. One benefit being it gives you the motivation to finish a book.

if any brothers want to start a small reading group - please do share your thoughts - I would be happy to join. Can perhaps start with 1 book - 15 pages a week?
 
YaMustafa said:
Forming small study groups or reading groups is a useful tool. One benefit being it gives you the motivation to finish a book.

if any brothers want to start a small reading group - please do share your thoughts - I would be happy to join. Can perhaps start with 1 book - 15 pages a week?
Click to expand...

good idea but it’s so hard to remain consistent with bookclubs / reading groups and numbers often dwindle over time.
 
YaMustafa said:
if any brothers want to start a small reading group
Click to expand...

Just an idea: as mentioned, commitment remains a major issue for people over time, particularly for large works.

One thing I've seen work, in part, though is the following:
  1. Find a text.
  2. Get a group.
  3. Assign responsibility for summarizing one or two chapters per person. That person leads the discussion that week.
  4. They provide the group their summary a day or two in advance of the meeting.
  5. By the end you should have a collection of annotated summaries.
Benefits: a summarized version of the text without all the effort from one person, as well as beneficial points of discussion.

Concerns: commitment and discipline in making sure people do their part.
 
Juwayni said:
They provide the group their summary a day or two in advance of the meeting.
Click to expand...

how can consistency across the summaries be ensured?

my idea of a summary can mean 2 lines whereas someone else’s 2 paragraphs.

What I find important to note might not be so for another person, in which case they wouldn’t record it.
 
One thing one can do is agreeing on a summary methodology.

An approach I learned was having enough of the main points that one could reconstruct the author's point without in-depth engagement with the evidence he provides.

Another is adapting the gradualness-focused (tadarruj) approach of teaching and using that as a list of priorities when summarizing. Tadarruj-based teaching aims to teach sciences at three levels
  1. Key concepts and definitions.
  2. Proofs for said concepts.
  3. Differences of opinion regarding said concept.
Adapting this to summaries might look like instructing others to focus on:
  1. Key terms
  2. Key concepts/events
  3. Argument flow that uses 1 & 2/overall theme.
 
abu Hasan said:
(this list is mostly aimed for non-specialist urdu readers; some of these books may have not be translated in urdu; i don't claim that this is a definitive list. feel free to add books that i may have left out.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I. ADAB

1. bidayatu'l hidayah - imam ghazali

2. mukhtasar shu'ab al-yiman - qazwini/bayhaqi

3. ta'lim al-muta'allim - zarnuji

4. ayyuha'l walad - ghazali

5. akhlaq al-ulama - aajuriyy

6. tazkiratu's samiy - ibn jama'ah

7. fadl ilm al-salaf - ibn rajab

8. aadaab al-ishrah - al-ghazzi

9. aadab al-suluk - sayyidi abdullah alawi al-haddad

10. akhlaq ahl al-qur'an - aajuriyy

11. islami zindagi - mufti ahmad yar khann nayimi​


=======================================================

II. AQIDAH

1. aqidah taHawiyyah - imam taHawi

2. bad' al-amali - imam ali al-ushi

3. takmil al-iman (orig. farsi) - shah abdul haq dihlawi

4. bahar e shariat, vol.1

5. kitab al-aqayid - sadrul afadil mawlana nayimuddin

6. fiqh al-akbar, wasiyyah imam a'azam

7. sharh fiqh al-akbar/wasiyyah - ali al-qari

8. daw al-ma'ali sh. bad' al-amali - ali al-qari

9. sh. aqidah tahawiyyah - maydani

10. sharh al-aqayid - taftazani

11. tuhfatu'l murid sh. jawharah al-tawhid - ibrahim bajuri

12. sh. aqidah tahawiyah - sh. sayid foudeh

13. mustanad/mutaqad of allamah fazul rasul / alahazrat in arabic; urdu translation by tajush' shariah mawlana akhtar rida khan raHimahullah.
​


=======================================================

III. HANAFI FIQH

1. bahar e shariat

2. qanun e shariat

3. hamara islam

4. jannati zeywar

5. sunni bihishti zeywar

6. lubab sh. quduri - abdul ghani ghunaymi maydani

7. rash'hat al-aqlam sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul ghani nablusi

8. nayl al-maram sh. kifayatu'l ghulam - abdul latif al-mulla (al-ahsayi)

9. hidayah (there is an english translation) - imam marghinani

10. halbatu'l mujalli sh. munyatu'l musalli - ibn amir al-haaj

11. fat'h bab al-inayah sh. al-nuqayah - ali al-qari

12. nihayatu'l murad sh. hidayah ibn imad - abdul ghani al-nablusi

13. hidayah al-alayiyyah -


FATAWA / URDU ONLY:

14. al-fatawa al-ridawiyyah

15. fatawa amjadiyyah

16. fatawa hamidiyyah

17. fatawa mustafawiyyah

18. fatawa nayimiyyah

19. fatawa nayimuddin sadru'l afadil

20. fatawa fayz al-rasul

21. waqaru'l fatawa

22. fatawa alamgiri translated (don't know if sunni)

23. fatawa faqih e millat​


=======================================================

IV. TAFSIR, ULUM AL-QUR'AN

1. kanzul iman with khazayin al-irfan

2. kanzul iman with nooru'l irfan

3. tafsir jalalayn

4. tafsir nasafi

5. tibyan fi adabi hamalati'l qur'an - imam nawawi

6. itqan - suyuti

7. tafsir nayimi - mufti ahmad yar khan

8. ilmu'l qur'an - mufti ahmad yar khan

9. tafsir e ashrafi - shaykh al-islam mawlana madani miyan

​

=======================================================

V. HADITH

1. anwaru'l hadith - mufti jalaluddin amjadi

2. intikhab e hadith - compilation by mawlana akhtar shahjahanpuri, mawlana siddiq hazarwi et al.

3. ziyaa'ul hadees - shah turabu'l haq rahimahullah.

4. riyadu's salihin

5. mishkatu'l masabih

6. mir'atu'l manajih

[the six motherbooks have also been translated in urdu]

i don't know if sunni ulama have translated arbayin al-nawawiyyah or sh.arbayin by ibn rajab [jamiy al-ulum wa'l hikam].

7. bustanu'l muhaddithin of shah abdul aziz dihlawi
​

=======================================================

VI. SIRAT

1. sirat e mustafa

2. madariju'n nubuwwah

3. shifa sharif

4. shamayil sharif

5. mawahib ladunniyyah

6. saltanat e mustafa - mufti ahmad yar khan

7. shan e habibur rahman - "

8. jazbu'l qulub - shah abdu'l haq

9. jawahiru'l bihar

10. kitab al-wafa


(all urdu translations of above are available)​
Click to expand...

@Juwayni I like the approach you propose but some further questions for all who could contribute.

What should a person expect to memorise and what should they not attempt to memorise (if any)?

For example, should every book be read with the purpose of memorisation? Or only certain subjects? Perhaps only certain books?

I have read that mawlana a.h. saheb's translation of Ba'd Al Amali should be memorised in its entirety but it's difficult to know what other topics you should attempt to do so.
 
barelwi said:
For example, should every book be read with the purpose of memorisation?
Click to expand...
no. there are some books that are useful whto memorise.

it is a well known mas'alah, that learning about islam (ilm) and reading tafsir is a better occupation than memorising the qur'an.

barelwi said:
translation of Ba'd Al Amali should be memorised in its entirety
Click to expand...
instead of the translation, try memorising the actual poem in arabic.

barelwi said:
What should a person expect to memorise and what should they not attempt to memorise (if any)?
Click to expand...

some texts that ulama used to memorise in the past are:

1. muqaddimah al-jazariyyah

2. jawharatu't tawhid (but bad' al-amali will do)

3. bayquniyah

4. aajurrumiyyah

5. some sections of hirz al-amani if not the whole poem.

6. the 42 hadith of arbayin al-nawawiyyah


===
it would be excellent if we memorised the qur'an. but those who cannot, at least try to learn to read the qur'an with tajwid and memorise the following surahs (level by level):

1. surah feel to surah naas + surah fatihah + ayat al-kursi + 3 last verses of surah al-baqarah (absolute minimum)

2. surah duhaa to surah feel; the first five aayats of surah al-baqarah;

3. surah fajr, al-a'la (as RasulAllah sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam would often read it in eid)

4. surah al-mulk

5. surah yasin

6. surah alif-lam-mim al-sajdah

7. surah dukhan

8. surah al-waqi'ah

9. the last verses of surah al-hashr starting from laa-yastawi... (v20-24)

10. last verses of surah al-jumu'ah (v9,10,11)

11. first 10 and last 10 verses of surah al-kahf

12. the last 11 aayats of surah aal-imran v190-200 (also add two starting from v188)

13. preferably the 30th juz

14. surah muzzammil

12. last verses of surah muminun (from a-fa hasibtum v115-118); last of surah tawbah (v127-129)

13. surah al-rahman

14. surah muhammad

15. surah yusuf

----


wAllahu a'alam
 
abu Hasan said:
no. there are some books that are useful whto memorise.
Click to expand...

Jazak-Allah for clarifying. I commonly begin reading books only to feel daunted by the realisation of my inability to be able to remember what I am reading.

Juwayni said:
Read chapter, and underline or mark important points as you go along. End of chapter summarize your highlights. Keep doing this and you'll have a summary. Discuss the ideas in the book with friends.
Click to expand...

InshaAllah I will attempt to adopt this method by @Juwayni although I do commonly make the mistake of trying to do too much note taking and highlighting.

I find it difficult sometimes to understand what parts should be read with intent to understand and what should be read with intent to remember and end up with analysis paralysis.

YaMustafa said:
if any brothers want to start a small reading group - please do share your thoughts - I would be happy to join. Can perhaps start with 1 book - 15 pages a week?
Click to expand...

If you do decide to go ahead then this would be something I would really benefit from, so count me in also.
 
Juwayni said:
Just an idea: as mentioned, commitment remains a major issue for people over time, particularly for large works.

One thing I've seen work, in part, though is the following:
  1. Find a text.
  2. Get a group.
  3. Assign responsibility for summarizing one or two chapters per person. That person leads the discussion that week.
  4. They provide the group their summary a day or two in advance of the meeting.
  5. By the end you should have a collection of annotated summaries.
Benefits: a summarized version of the text without all the effort from one person, as well as beneficial points of discussion.

Concerns: commitment and discipline in making sure people do their part.
Click to expand...

I know from first hand experience with extended family members and coworkers, this is pretty much the SOP of jamate islami (maududi) guys. They do it with his tafheemul Quran, as well as generally run through a book or a specific topic and their weekly meetings include such discussions and a pot luck. Lately, by inspiration from us, they also have a break some weeks and do a naatiya mushaira or islahi mushaira focusing on society's problems including those we face from bjp and so on, and those who are well versed in Urdu, compose their own kalam and read it out

My observation: this is not done by ulama but common folk like you and me. So there's a lot of room (in their case) for people to offer their own nafsanic tashreehs, like someone can cite Tafsir Ibn Kathir, and then rattle off something from his own mind. But it's a great method if someone (weekly speaker) does his due diligence to stick to the book and the author (talking about valid books and authors). Also good way of having a social life within the maslak. The guys are all friends within the same maslak. Their wives and kids are the same. Strong bonds are formed. DI weekly ijtemas are close to this social model in some ways.

This other thing has been on my mind for a long time hoping some astute mawlana or translator takes this up.

Summaries of Sunni books - see below - no reason we can't have such initiatives for Sunni works. It might require a specialist or just not be possible for books of fiqh and masail, but an excellent method to present snapshots from tafsir, history, seerah, and scholars bios as book summaries.

I know in some Arab countries some Sunni mosques, every Ramadan they present a full summary of the tafsir of the Quran. A one to one and half hour session every day for a summarized talk on tafsir, asbabe nuzul, and commands contained in 1 juz. In 30 days, you get a bird's eye view of the tafsir of entire Quran.

On qtv i see shujauddeen sheikh of north karachi (light devbandi, and doesn't speak devbandiyat on qtv) do a quick run through of the translation of one Paara every day of Ramadan along with some very quick comments on tafsir or asbabe nuzul. His show too runs for about an hour and a half

See here

here too -
https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/12/book-summaries.html
 
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