Type 25:
Writing Hadith and Ensuring Its Accuracy

It comprises a number of issues.

1. The early generations differed about recording hadith. One group considered it disliked, while another permitted it; later they all agreed that it is lawful. Two prophetic reports exist—one permitting and the other forbidding. Permission is for the one whose memory might fail; prohibition is for the one whose memory is secure yet might come to rely on his notes. It was also said that writing was forbidden when confusion with the Qur’an was feared and allowed once that fear had passed.

Once a person does set pen to paper, he must devote himself to securing the text—placing every needed vowel and dot so that no ambiguity remains. Some held that only genuinely ambiguous words need to be vowelized and dotted. Scholars have transmitted a dislike for applying full iʿjām and iʿrāb (the dotting of consonants and the marking of vowels) except where confusion is likely; others maintained that everything should be fully marked.

2. Particular care should be taken with names that might be confused with others, and it is commendable to show any difficult word with its vowels in the body of the text and then write it again, fully vocalized and clear, in the margin opposite. Clear, well-formed handwriting is recommended so long as it causes no undue hardship, and a lightly cursive (taʿlīq) style is also praiseworthy. Overly fine, cramped script is disliked, except for the small distinguishing mark placed on undotted letters; it is said that this sign should be written beneath the letters dāl, rāʾ, and sīn,