and their method of compilation runs counter to the approach now adopted in institutes and universities.
Accordingly, I undertook the writing of this commentary, hoping that it would be suited to its time, congenial to its readers, sufficient for its field, and comprehensive in its aim. The benefits and legal rulings contained in this book fall into two categories:
- Those I have drawn from the storehouse of memory—the fruit of earlier studies which, by the grace of sustained training, have become part of my own preparation.
- Passages cited from the sources themselves, either verbatim or in a concise form that does not compromise their meaning; I omit nothing except digressions unrelated to the topic or material that exceeds the chosen synopsis.
Furthermore, I have adorned this commentary with features that enhance its quality and invite the reader to engage with it. In brief, they are as follows:
First: I have itemized and arranged the subjects of the book so that every student of knowledge may readily obtain what he seeks. Thus the commentary treats the grade of each hadith, explains its uncommon vocabulary, clarifies its legal rulings, and details the scholarly differences concerning its issues—each topic in its own dedicated section.
Second: I have not championed any particular imam, nor shown partisanship for any school; rather, I have directed my effort toward whichever view the evidence supports among the statements of the scholars—may Allah have mercy on them all.
Third: I have appended the relevant resolutions issued by the juristic councils, namely: the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (headquartered in Jeddah); the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League (headquartered in Mecca); the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and the Islamic Research Academy in Cairo.
These resolutions are of two kinds: either long-standing issues that the council’s scholars have examined—so the value of the resolution lies in its having been studied from