Another important matter (1) is to know the etiquette (2) of the shaykh and the student. The two of them share (3) three basic duties: correcting their intention, cleansing themselves (4) of worldly motives (5), and refining their character (6).
The shaykh, however, has responsibilities peculiar to him. He should recite the hadith aloud (7) when people need it, and he must not teach in a town where someone more qualified is present; rather, he should direct the students to that scholar. He should never withhold the recitation (8) from anyone out of a corrupt intention. He is to be in a state of ritual purity, seated with dignity, and he should not teach while standing, in haste, or along the road—unless necessity forces him to do so. He must refrain from narrating (9) if he fears confusion (10) or forgetfulness owing to illness (11) or old age. When he establishes a session for dictation (12), he should appoint an alert (14) mustamli (13) to relay his words.
(1) In T: “min” (from).
(2) In Y, K, and L: “adab” (proprieties/manners).
(3) In Z: “yushtarikani” (they both share) without the prefixed conjunction waw.
(4) In Y and L: “wa-t-tathhir” (and purification).
(5) D, W, Z, and M read “aghrad” (purposes). Al-Laqani, Qadaʾ al-Watar, p. 1607, observes: “The manuscripts disagree over aghrad concerning whether the first letter is dotted or left undotted, while all agree that the final letter is dotted; both spellings are acceptable.”
(6) The word “al-khuluq” (moral character) is missing in A; D, T, K, and the marginal note on H have “al-hal” (state/condition) instead.
(7) A, D, and K read “yasmaʿ” (with fatḥa on the ya and the mim); the present edition follows J, W, Z, H, Y, L, and M. Al-Qari, Sharh Sharh al-Nukhba, p. 780, prefers the form vocalized with ḍamma on the first letter and kasra on the third.
(8) In B: “bi-ismaʿ” (by making [him] hear).
(9) In H: “al-hadith”.
(10) A, D, H, T, and K read “al-taghyir” (alteration/change).
(11) In D, above the word “li-maraḍ” (because of illness) appears “li-ʿar”; the scribe probably intended to record both “li-maraḍ” and “li-ʿaraḍ” (for an incidental reason).
(12) In B: “idha” (when) without the conjunction waw; in T: “wa-in” (and if).
(13) In W: “mustamli” (ending with ya).
(14) A reads “faqaṭ” (only), a scribal error; B, D, and T have “yaqiẓin” (while awake, genitive with tanwin), and this is the reading adopted from J, W, Z, H, Y, K, L, and M.