19/12/2025
18 Pieces of Advice Before Purchasing Books
Taken from a lecture entitled “How a Student of Knowledge Builds His Library” by Shaykh Khālid ar-Raddādī رحمه الله تعالى given at the Islamic University of Madīnah. The points were extracted by Abul-Hasan Rūqī al-‘Utaybī.
1. Know the appropriate book for you, either by acquiring the list of new books from the bookstore or by asking those who have experience before purchasing which books are beneficial and which prints are good.
2. Prepare well when purchasing books by preparing a list of books you want to purchase and a list of books you previously purchased.
3. Be keen to buy foundational books that one cannot do without, especially the books of the Righteous Predecessors and know that: No one book suffices for another.
4. Be keen to purchase books which have been verified by qualified Scholars, and also outstanding University thesis.
5. Flip through the pages of the books before buying it to make sure that it doesn’t have any blank pages, missing sections, a weak binding or other book defects.
6. If the book you want to purchase has been verified then be keen on the best verified copy. That is known by skimming the introduction, knowing the methodology of the verifier and asking other students of knowledge who have acquired this print.
7. Try and read the introduction and table of contents so you know what is in the book, this is extremely important for the one who wants to buy it.
8. Be keen to purchase the prints that the Scholars rely upon and they are the ones they refer to often.
9. Be extremely careful of publishers and printing houses which are well-known for corrupt beliefs or intellectual thievery.
10. If the book has been verified more than once by more than one person then it is preferred that it have the following qualities in order: (A.) The print that has been verified against a handwritten manuscript is preferred. (B.) The print that was given attention by verifying the Prophetic hadith is given preferred. (C.) The print which has valuable indexes is preferred. And if it gathers all three of these that is excellent.
11. Do not hesitate to buy the books you need for your studies, or you want to read them, or you fear them going out of print, or a reliable person who is well informed advises you to get them; rather rush to purchase them.
12. When you purchase a book be sure to buy the second or latest print since it will have improvements, corrections and revisions. But beware of a flashy phrase that they place on them in order to deceive the buyers: “With Additions, Revised and Verified” but who is the one who verified it? It is not known, he is not mentioned.
13. Be keen to purchase books in different subjects not just in one science.
14. Don’t buy the book until you know the terminology of the author. The introduction of the book usually uncovers that, so begin the book by reading the introduction.
15. Make sure the book is free from dirt and printing blemishes such as ripped or folded pages, or part of the book is ripped or missing.
16. Don’t be deceived by flashy titles or a cheap price. Verify the content of the book first.
17. Don’t consider the wealth you spend on purchasing beneficial books to be too much.
18. Benefit from book fairs, especially the university fairs, because they are a tremendous opportunity to purchase books and benefit from the seasons when books are on sale.
May Allah have mercy upon the Shaykh and grant him the highest level of Jannah
Posted by Madrasatu Ibn Taymiyyah
