and he must also supply the diacritical dots (1), writing anything that has been omitted in the right-hand margin so long as there is still space on that line; otherwise, he should place it in the left margin.

He must know the correct procedure for collating the text—namely, to read it against the shaykh who originally dictated it, or against another reliable person (2), or else to check it himself, bit by bit.

As for the etiquette of hearing (3), he should not occupy himself with anything that would detract from it, such as copying, conversing, or dozing.

The same applies to the etiquette of transmitting it to others (4): he should read from his own master copy that he heard from, or from a secondary copy that has been checked against that master (5). If that proves impossible, let him make up for the deficiency (6) by obtaining a formal authorization (ijāza) for any points of divergence—should any exist.

There is likewise a proper manner for travelling in quest of ḥadīth (7): he should begin with the narrations current in his own town until he has exhausted them (8), then set out to obtain what he does not yet possess. In all of this, giving priority to increasing the number of reports he hears is preferable to multiplying the number of teachers (9).