The Quran and the Sunnah are the basic sources of Islamic knowledge. You must refer to them for all guidance and legislation in order to achieve success in both worlds.
Learn Slowly and Practice
When starting to study, it’s important that you choose the right approach. There should be no haste during the process.
The rule is to allocate the necessary time for each area of learning and to do it in stages. For example, you must attempt a higher level only after having mastered the basics.
The method of the companions of the Prophet (ie Sahabahs) for the Quran was to start with 10 verses. They would not proceed further until they had correctly understood and put these into practice.
One of them even spent eight years on just two chapters of the Quran namely the second and third ones.
Guiding Principles
The Sahabahs were the best of all generations. They had more knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah as they had witnessed the revelation.
You must therefore be guided by their understanding of these subjects. In this way, you will avoid falling into the trap of innovation.
This is especially relevant during the study of fundamentals like the worship of Allah, His attributes or the topic of predestination. You can refer to reliable sources and records which reputable narrators/scholars (eg Abu Haneefah, Malik, Shafi, Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi) have transmitted to us.
Get the Right Teacher
It’s not recommended to learn only from books. Do not also expect to gain much from self-tutoring.
You should preferably look for one or more teachers who adhere to the way of the Sahabahs in belief and practice of the religion. As Ibn Masud (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “This knowledge is your religion”.
Acknowledgements
May Allah reward all the people who shared their invaluable knowledge of Islam with me to pave the way for guidance to the straight path.