Moreover, this is further proof that the books of Shaykh al-Saʿdī which were printed during his lifetime and which he personally approved are the sole authoritative texts, to the exclusion of the handwritten drafts in his own script.

The al-Bassām copy, therefore, is of great significance. Shaykh Muḥammad b. Sulaymān al-Bassām—may Allah have mercy on him—introduced a range of editorial refinements: correcting slips of the pen, deleting certain phrases, adding others, reformulating sentences, and rearranging passages. All of these interventions were endorsed by Shaykh al-Saʿdī, who sent that very copy to the press.

For this reason, our present edition is based on the version that appeared while Shaykh al-Saʿdī—may Allah have mercy on him—was still alive, the one he authorised and oversaw through printing and distribution. It was issued by the Imām Press in Egypt in 1368 AH (1), and we refer to that printing with the siglum (Ṭ).

Because this printing serves as the foundation of our edition, we have not recorded in the footnotes the many corrections and editorial changes it already contains in relation to the autograph manuscript.

• We have nevertheless consulted the autograph manuscript penned by Shaykh al-Saʿdī—may Allah have mercy on him—to rectify a few minor errors that slipped into the Imām Press edition. Each such correction is noted in its place, and we have also listed in the footnotes certain divergences between the Imām Press edition and the autograph whenever they offered a benefit or clarified the meaning.

The autograph manuscript in Shaykh al-Saʿdī’s own hand is a clear, easily legible copy consisting of 168 pages. He completed it on 3 Shawwāl 1368 AH. The manuscript is preserved at the Shaykh Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn Charitable Foundation. We were provided with a photographic facsimile by the author’s grandson, the esteemed Ustadh Musāʿid b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Saʿdī—may Allah reward him well for his blessed efforts and his constant support for the publication of his grandfather’s works. We designate this manuscript with the siglum (Kh).