I have traced every hadith cited in the base text, indicating the numbers under which they appear in the hadith collections.

Wherever the author’s words required it, I have added explanatory notes—clarifying difficult passages, resolving ambiguities, and pointing out the critiques that have been leveled against him.

I have authenticated the statements the author quotes by attributing them to their original sources, whether in the authors’ own works or in later transmitters; when greater clarity demanded it, I reproduced their wording verbatim.

I have identified the titles of the books to which Ibn Ḥajar refers or alludes, naming their authors and, where possible, indicating which of them are available in print.

I have supplied marginal headings throughout the book to facilitate access to its discussions and to draw the reader’s attention to its principal issues; these headings are also gathered in the subject index together with their page numbers.