Bidayat al-Abid: Commencement of the Worshiper

Very beneficial for the students of the Hanbali Madhhab, and its usage is best followed up with several audio explanations, including one by the translator himself Sh. John Starling (h) in the English language, as well as Sh. Dr. Mutlaq al-Jasir (h), and Sh. Dr. Amir Bahjat (h)'s explanations in Arabic.May Allah reward the translator and author for their hard work, and we await the translation of many more advanced Hanbali texts from both John Starling and Musa Furber.

A very easy to read and easy to understand book. Bravo to Sheikh John for his great translation and interpretation of the original text. I love the layout of the book and that the Arabic is included right next to the English translation

This Matn of Ḥanbalī Fiqh written by Īmām al-Ba’lī (r) and translated by Abū Ibrāhīm John Sterling (h) is something that is extremely important to the Fiqh as it exists in the English language. Every English-speaking Ṭālib al-‘Ilm should invest in a copy, read it, annotate it, take notes on it, study it, and add it to their collection. May Allāh reward the translator. The reason I have not awarded this particular text with five stars is due to the fact that it contains many errors in spelling as well as grammar that may mislead the unskilled reader; this text also contains highly academic language that the average reader may not be able to understand right off the bat. Another issue that is faced with this book is the fact that it does not contain a glossary of Arabic terminology that is used; keep this fact in mind when purchasing.

This book is an amazing asset. Being that it has the Arabic and English sided by side, I used this book to study along with Sheikh Mutlaq Al Jasir. The Arabic has very reliable tashkeelat and the English was translated very well to help clarify the condensed, concise Arabic terminology. I am very impressed with the author's scholarship. I look forward to purchasing more of his translations.

Alhamdulillah that the author, Imam al-Ba'li, has been blessed with such a simple yet comprehensive style of writing. May Allah have mercy on him. May he also reward the translator, Sheikh John Starling, as well as his teacher Sheikh Dr. Mutlaq al-Jaasir (May Allah preserve them both).The text itself (this 2nd edition copy) is fully translated into Arabic with all the harakaat (vowels). The only mistakes I have found myself currently are minor mistakes in the vowels as well as the accidental repeat of a phrase in English. The English reader will understand nevertheless so long as they listen to Sheikh John Starling's Youtube series, if you search "John Starling", which I recommend for everyone - it fills in the missing void many of us have in fiqh as largely English readers/native speakers, particularly in the Hanbali Madhab. Sheikh John Starling as an ijazah in it going all the way back to the author himself.As for the beginner-intermediate Arabic reader it seems fine in terms of lettering and anyone with a grasp of a fair amount of vocabulary can point out any slight mistakes should they be found. Moreover, the harakaat can be checked on an explanation named "منية الساجد ".As for other reviews prior to me then it seems these presented issues in the 1st edition, as for this edition then I will confidently say 99% is free of mistakes, and any mistake in it will not result in an erroneous conclusion.

This is a great beginner text for those looking to learn Hanbali fiqh free from the approach of the Salafi movement.

I had the pleasure of studying this book with the sheikh and translator John Starling.I would recommend listening to his youtube videos while going through this book.I have been Muslim for 12 years but have learnt more coherent knowledge going through this short book with a teacher in a space of 6 months than I have learnt in the 10 years prior (googling fiqh questions).

Great book for newbies.