How and where should she start when teaching the principles of Islam?
Question

                If one wishes to teach somebody about Islam , how should they start?..and where should they start?.
Praise be to Allah.Knowledge of Islam and its 
    rulings and principles is obligatory for every Muslim, male and female, to 
    the extent that he or she needs to establish proper belief, worship and 
    behaviour and conduct in accordance with that which Allaah wants. It is 
    narrated in a hadeeth that the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah 
    be upon him) said: “Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim.” Narrated 
    by Ibn Majaah (224); classed as hasan because of its many isnaads and 
    corroborating reports by al-Mazzi, al-Zarkashi, al-Suyooti, al-Sakhaawi, 
    al-Dhahabi, al-Manaawi, al-Zarqaani. It is also included in Saheeh Ibn 
    Majaah by al-Albaani. 
See also the answer to 
    question no. 10471 and 
    20092. 
As for teaching knowledge, 
    this is the role of the Prophets, which was borne by the scholars after 
    them, so that the proof of Allaah would remain established among His 
    creation (and there would be no excuse for not knowing), and so that the 
    message of Tawheed would remain fresh as the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught it to his companions. 
It was narrated that 
    Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of 
    Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The scholars 
    are the heirs of the Prophets. The Prophets did not leave behind dinars or 
    dirhams, rather they left behind a heritage of knowledge, and the one who 
    acquires it acquires an abundant portion.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3641) and 
    others; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. 
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) said: This is one of the greatest qualities of the 
    scholars, for the Prophets are the best of the creation of Allaah, and their 
    heirs are the best of creation after them. As everything that is inherited 
    passes to the heirs, they are the ones who take his place after he is gone, 
    and there is no one who can take the place of the Messengers in conveying 
    that with which they were sent, except the scholars, who are the most 
    entitled of people to their legacy. This indicates that they are the closest 
    of people to them, for the inheritance only goes to the closest of people to 
    the deceased. Just as this applies to the inheritance of dinars and dirhams, 
    so it also applies to the inheritance of Prophethood, and Allaah singles out 
    for His mercy whomsoever He will. End quote. 
Miftaah Daar al-Sa’aadah 
    (1/66). 
But what we have stated 
    applies only to those who take the place of the Prophets in teaching people 
    and issuing rulings (fatwas) to the people concerning new issues that they 
    face and what they need, and guide people in accordance with the religion of 
    Allaah. 
As for those who convey 
    what they know of the religion of Allaah to others, such as a verse that 
    they have memorized or a hadeeth that they know, or a fatwa that they have 
    heard from trustworthy scholars, this does not require one to be a scholar, 
    only that he should know what he is conveying and enjoining upon the people; 
    he does not have to be a scholar as such. 
It was narrated from 
    ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Convey from me even if it 
    is one verse, and narrate from the Children of Israel and there is nothing 
    wrong with it. And whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take 
    his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3461). 
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood 
    (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: O people, whoever knows anything let 
    him say it and whoever does not know let him say Allaah knows best, for it 
    is part of knowledge when one does not know to say Allaah knows best. Allaah 
    said to His Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    (interpretation of the meaning): “Say 
    (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): No wage 
    do I ask of you for this (the Qur’aan), nor am I one of the Mutakallifoon 
    (those who pretend and fabricate things which do not exist)” [Saad 
    38:86]. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4809). 
So let us go back to your 
    question: how should one start? 
Our advice if you find 
    someone who has already gained some knowledge and adheres to the rulings and 
    etiquette and is one of ahl al-sunnah, is to seek guidance from him and 
    benefit from his experience, because this will save a lot of time and effort 
    in sha Allaah. 
Whether or not he has 
    access where he is to scholars and seekers of knowledge who can help him 
    with that, we offer him the following advice: 
1 – Pay attention to the 
    Book of Allaah by memorizing, reading and studying, for the Qur’aan is the 
    first book of guidance, and the book of knowledge on which all branches of 
    Islamic knowledge are based. He should take care to understand its meanings 
    and study some tafseer. At that stage we advise him to study al-Tafseer 
    al-Muyassar, published by Dar al-Malik Fahd li Tibaa’ah al-Mus-haf, 
    which is a very useful book; Aysar al-Tafaaseer by Shaykh Abu Bakr 
    al-Jazaa’iri; and the Tafseer of Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him). We do not mean that he should study all of them; whatever he 
    can manage, he can read them and study them. 
2 – With regard to hadeeth 
    he should memorize al-Arba’een al-Nawawiyyah (al-Nawawi’s Forty) and 
    the addition thereto by Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him), and study 
    some of the commentaries on them such as those by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen and 
    others. It is also recommended to study some of the audio commentaries on 
    the Majd channel or on websites of Ahl al-Sunnah. When he has finished that, 
    he can study Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam by Ibn Rajab, which is good 
    in sha Allaah. 
Then he should study – 
    every day if possible – Riyadh al-Saaliheen by Imam al-Nawawi (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him), and memorize one hadeeth from every chapter, and 
    read the commentary of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen thereon. 
3 – With regard to 
    ‘aqeedah, he should start with al-Usool al-Thalaathah wa Adillatuha, 
    by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allaah have mercy on him), and 
    study some of the commentaries thereon, by Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen and Shaykh 
    al-Fawzaan. If he can listen to them then that is better.  
Then he should move on to
    Kitaab al-Tawheed by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, with some 
    of the simple commentaries on it, such as that by Shaykh Saalih Aal 
    al-Shaykh. It is simple and beneficial, in sha Allaah. Or there are other 
    commentaries. In addition he should study al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah 
    with its commentary, by Shaykh al-Fawzaan or Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen.  
He should pay attention to 
    all of the above, and study them and understand them. 
With regard to ongoing 
    reading and study, he should pay attention [?[ to he series on 
    ‘Aqeedah in the Light of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, by Shaykh ‘Umar 
    Sulaymaan al-Ashqar (may Allaah preserve him). [This series is available in 
    English, published by the International Islamic Publishing House of Riyadh, 
    Saudi Arabia]. 
4 –With regard to fiqh, 
    there are some easy books with which he may start, such as Arkaan 
    al-Islam by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on 
    him), Fiqh al-‘Ibaadaat by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him), Mukhtasar Sifat al-Salaah by Shaykh al-Albaani (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him), Tayseer al-‘Allaam Sharh ‘Umdat 
    al-Ahkaam by Shaykh Bassaam (may Allaah have mercy on him). We also 
    advise him to make use of the books of fatwas by our contemporary scholars, 
    such as Fataawa ‘Ulama’ al-Balad al-Haraam, compiled by Dr. Khaalid 
    al-Juraysi, which is a useful compilation in sha Allaah. 
5 – With regard to seerah 
    (the biography of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him)), he can study Mukhtasar Zaad al-Ma’aad by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 
    ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, and al-Raheeq al-Makhtoom by Shaykh al-Mubaarakfoori 
    (may Allaah have mercy on them both). [The latter is available in English 
    translation under the title The Sealed Nectar, published by 
    Darussalam of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia] 
With regard to general 
    history and biography, he may study al-Tareekh al-Islami by Prof. 
    Mahmoud Shaakir, and some books of biography such as Siyar A’laam 
    al-Nubala’. 
6 –With regard to akhlaaq 
    (morals and manners) and raqaa’iq (heart softeners), he should read the 
    books of Ibn al-Qayyim a great deal, such as al-Da’ wa’l-Dawa’, 
    al-Risaalah al-Tabookiyyah, and the letter of Ibn al-Qayyim to one of 
    his brothers. He may also study Mukhtasar Minhaaj al-Qaasideen by Ibn 
    Qudaamah, or Tahdheeb Maw’izat al-Mu’mineen by Shaykh al-Qaasimi (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him), and he should also pay attention to the essays of 
    Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him), such as Kashf al-Kurbah, 
    Sharh Hadeeth Ma Dhi’baan Jaa’i’aan, Tahqeeq Kalimat al-Ikhlaas 
    and others, most of which have been compiled in one four-volume collection. 
7 – He should pay attention 
    to studying the adhkaar of the Prophet, because this is an important part of 
    knowledge and action, and he should try to memorize some of the books, such 
    as Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 
    abridged by al-Albaani, or Husn al-Muslim (available in English as 
    The Fortress of the Muslim) as well as reading al-Waabil al-Saayib by 
    Ibn al-Qayyim. 
Finally, we must reiterate 
    the importance of learning from and listening to scholars who are 
    specialized in sharee’ah, which is something that is easy nowadays, praise 
    be to Allaah, via some useful channels or the internet. Perhaps you have 
    heard of the Majd channel which presents lessons from which all people may 
    benefit. You can also subscribe to their programs which take the student 
    through stages. As for the internet it is full, by Allaah’s grace, with 
    lessons of trustworthy scholars and you can follow some of them directly via 
    Paltalk or download recordings from the Islamway website. 
An important matter when it 
    comes to learning is to pay attention to the correct method, by which we 
    mean adopting the correct gradual approach. So the student should start with 
    easy fields and short books, then move on to longer books with detailed 
    commentary, until he becomes able to read lengthy books and specialized 
    research material. 
He has to choose lessons 
    from the Majd channel or the internet that are suitable for him, and he 
    should not try to follow every lesson that is offered, because it may not be 
    suitable for him at present. 
You can find more advice on 
    our site in the answer to question no. 
    14082 and 
    20191. 
And Allaah knows best.