found in these works over that in the Sahīh when they differ. This is a subtle point that led earlier editors of the book into error, as we explained in our discussion of the printed editions.

We should mention here a point concerning vowel marks. In the typeface chosen for our publications, the final alif written in the shape of yā carries a small alif above it, while we have placed the tanwīn (nunation) on the preceding letter. The reader may therefore find the vocalization of a word such as “fatā” (a young man) unusual, noticing both the tanwīn on the tā and the small alif above the yā. Yet there is nothing unusual about this: it is like the word “ʿasā” (a staff), in which the sād bears the tanwīn and is followed by an alif.

We prefaced the book with an introduction of moderate length, covering all matters relevant to presenting the work, and concluded it with detailed lexical and subject indexes that reveal its wealth of knowledge and treasures.

It is worth mentioning that two editors shared the work on the fifth volume: ʿAlī al-ʿImrān edited it from the beginning to (p. 352), and ʿUzayr Shams from (p. 353) to the end.

We did not compile a bibliography of sources and references, so as not to increase the size of the book; most of them are familiar to its readers. Whenever a reference was to a work that some readers might not know, or to a particular edition, we supplied the relevant details at that point. As for the manuscript sources we consulted, we gave the names of the libraries holding the originals.

At the close of this introduction, we must thank everyone who helped us complete our task and participated in preparing this scholarly edition. We offer particular thanks to those who helped obtain some of the manuscript copies, such as the Amjād Manuscripts Centre and the officer responsible for