• Kitab at-Tawhid by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, together with its commentary Fath al-Majid by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Hasan, or alternatively Taysir al-ʿAziz al-Hamid by Shaykh Sulayman ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab.

• Thalathat al-Usul by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab; likewise Kashf al-Shubuhat by the same author. I would also mention Tathir al-Iʿtiqad ʿan Adran al-Ilhad by the eminent Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil al-Sanʿani, and al-Durr an-Nadid fi Ikhlas at-Tawhid by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAli al-Shawkani.

• A wide-ranging manual that covers every chapter of creed is al-ʿAqidah al-Tahawiyyah of Imam al-Tahawi together with the commentary by al-ʿAllamah Ibn Abi al-ʿIzz al-Hanafi. Al-ʿAqidah al-Tahawiyyah and its commentary are among the most comprehensive, inclusive, and excellent works on Islamic doctrine.

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Books That Encourage Toward Paradise and Warn Against the Fire

Question: Please guide me to books that inspire longing for Paradise and its delights and that warn against the Fire and its torment.

Answer: At the forefront stands the Book of Allah. You must read the Glorious Quran and reflect upon its meanings, for it urges one toward Paradise and righteous deeds, and it scares one away from the Fire and from the deeds that lead to it. The Noble Quran combines promise and threat, as the Exalted says: “And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran and We have diversified therein the warnings so that they might become mindful or that it may produce remembrance for them” (Taha 20:113). Therefore, recite the Majestic Quran frequently, with contemplation and understanding of what it demands from the Muslim. Likewise, the sayings of the Messenger ﷺ contain encouragement