In preparing the bulk of these indexes I was assisted by my brother Magdy al-Sayyid Amin.

After the introduction I have placed sample images of the manuscripts on which this critical edition is based.

In sum, our edition is distinguished by several features:

Among them: meticulous control of the text—most notably, presenting the Qur’anic verses in the Uthmanic orthography of the muṣḥaf according to the recitation of al-Dūrī from Abū ʿAmr al-Baṣrī, the very recitation adopted by Imām Ibn al-Qayyim (1); fully vocalising the hadiths and poetry; and adding diacritical marks to other problematic words.

Among them: employing the finest copies of Mukhtaṣar al-Ṣawāʿiq as an auxiliary witness for establishing the text, which made it possible to correct many errors and recover numerous omissions.

Among them: extensive care in sourcing the hadiths and poems, authenticating the quoted material and statements, and collating them with their originals—efforts that likewise served to rectify many mistakes and remedy much of the deficiency and loss.

Among them: special attention given to indexing the contents of the book.

Among them: tasteful layout and printing, and the condensation of the work into two volumes instead of the four found in the current edition.