“The Requirement of the Straight Path to Differ from the People of Hellfire,” to which I have devoted myself for critical editing and annotation, striving—so far as I am able—to present it to the public in an authenticated form, as a doctoral dissertation (1).
I am fully aware that this book has already seen several printings, the best of which is the edition prepared by Shaykh Muḥammad Ḥāmid al-Faqī, may Allah have mercy on him, whose commendable labors are well known in the service of the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, and other early scholars.
Yet the work still calls for additional attention: a more thorough critical edition and study; complete sourcing of its ḥadiths and narrations that have not yet been traced; verification of its text; and biographical notes on the figures mentioned therein.
This is not to claim that I can improve upon the efforts of Shaykh Ḥāmid al-Faqī—may Allah have mercy on him—but rather to join him with the modest efforts of one who possesses little. I apologize in advance for any deficiency and ask Allah for pardon and forgiveness.
Allah alone is the Helper and the Guide to the straight path. May blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family, his Companions, and all who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.