(1) This is a medium-size tafsir that collates the explanations of the salaf (early pious scholars) for each verse, supplementing them with prophetic hadith that either accord with the wording of the verse or clarify a legal ruling. Al-Baghawi deliberately omits everything not directly related to exegesis. When Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya was asked about three well-known tafsirs (Majmu al-Fatawa, 2/193), he replied: “Of the three, the one safest from innovation and weak hadith is al-Baghawi’s.” The work has been printed repeatedly, but every edition is marred by corrupt readings, misprints and poor layout. It therefore merits a critical, fully verified scholarly edition that would make it easier to consult and derive benefit from. (2) In this collection al-Baghawi gathered a selection of hadith cited by the leading imams, omitting the chains of transmission. He divided the material into sahih (sound) and hasan (fair): by sahih he meant reports found in the two Sahihs, or in either of them; by hasan, reports recorded by the authors of the Sunan. The book has appeared in several prints. Al-Khattib al-Tabrizi adopted it, expanded it and refined it in his Mishkat al-Masabih. (3) This is a carefully edited, concise work, generally devoid of evidentiary proofs. Al-Baghawi abridged it from the lecture notes (taʿliqa) of his teacher, al-Qadi Husayn, adding and omitting as he deemed fit. It is widely known among the Shafiʿis, who cite it and rely on it for many issues. Imam al-Nawawi frequently quotes it in his Rawdat al-Talibin, which I have co-edited with my esteemed colleague Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Arnawut; that edition has been released in twelve volumes. Al-Baghawi’s Tahdhib itself occupies four large volumes; the fourth volume is preserved in the Zahiriya Library, Damascus, under catalogue number 292 (Shafiʿi fiqh), and the copy dates back to 599 AH.