And while we bear this testimony on his behalf, we do not claim for him infallibility. Indeed, we have recorded a few brief remarks on certain limited points in the treatise, giving practical expression to the statement of Imām Mālik (may Allah have mercy on him): “None of us is such that his every word must be accepted—except the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.” This same sentiment is also reported from others.1 Such comments do not in the least detract from his rank or from the worth of his epistle—far from it; they actually enhance its value, precisely because the occasions for correction are so few. As the poet said:

It suffices a man’s nobility
that his failings can be counted.

Nor is there any fault upon him whatsoever, for he is a mujtahid who is rewarded: either two rewards—which, by Allah’s favor, is the more frequent—or one reward.

The epistle was previously printed under the title

“The Woman’s Veil and Her Dress in Prayer and Otherwise.”

Were it not for certain considerations, among them the wide recognition of that title, I would have preferred to call it:

“The Dress of Men and Women in Prayer,”

for that is the precise topic to which the work is devoted, around which the author’s discussion turns, and in which he provides rare benefits and sound jurisprudence.

In my annotations I have added several academic and ḥadīth-related points drawn from