—this is evidence that he heard the report from the shaykh together with others. On rare occasions the final nūn (1) is used as a plural of majesty (2), but that is uncommon.

The first of these ranks—namely, the expression “I heard”—is the most explicit formula for establishing that the speaker personally heard the narration, for it leaves no room for an intermediary. This is because (3) the phrase “He related to me” may sometimes be employed (4) within (5) an ijāza (written authorization) as a form of tadlīs (misrepresentation) (6).

The loftiest of them in status is the transmission that occurs by dictation, owing to the additional care and precision it guarantees.

The third is “He informed me,” while the fourth (7) is “I read” (8), applicable to one who himself read the text aloud to the shaykh.

If the narrator uses the plural—saying, for example, “He informed us,” or, “We read it to him”—that falls under the fifth rank, namely (9): “It was read to him while I was listening.”

From this (10) it is clear that using the wording “I read” for someone who actually read the material is preferable.