Religion, in essence, is the Book of Allah—Glorified and Exalted be He—(1); the transmitted reports, the Sunnahs, and the rigorously authentic narrations conveyed by trustworthy transmitters through strong, well-known, widely circulated reports—one recognized reliable narrator transmitting from another equally reliable narrator—(2). These narrations mutually corroborate one another (3) until the chain reaches the Prophet (4), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the Companions of the Prophet (5), the Successors (6), the Successors of the Successors (7), or (8) those after them among the well-known imams: those who are followed, who cling to the Sunnah, and who devote themselves to the transmitted evidence (9); [those] (10) who are not known for any innovation (11), against whom no charge of falsehood is raised (12), who are not accused of deviation, and who are neither proponents of analogy nor of speculative opinion (13).
(1) The word min ("from") appears in both the T and H manuscripts.
(2) Omitted in the T and H manuscripts.
(3) The T and H manuscripts read: yusaddiqu ba'duha ("some parts corroborate others").
(4) The T and H manuscripts read: rasul Allah ("the Messenger of Allah").
(5) In T: wa ashabihi — ridwan Allah alayhim; in H: wa ashabihi radiya Allah anhum ("and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them").
(6) Both T and H read: wa al-tabi'in ("and the Followers").
(7) Both T and H read: wa tabi'i al-tabi'in ("and the Followers of the Followers").
(8) Both T and H read: wa man ba'dahum ("and those who came after them").
(9) Both T and H read: bi al-athar ("on the basis of transmitted reports").
(10) Omitted in the T and H manuscripts.
(11) Only in T: la ya'rifuna bid'a ("they are unfamiliar with innovation").
(12) Both T and H read: la yut'anu fihim ("no one disparages them").
(13) Only in T: wa laysu bi-ashab ("and they are not adherents").