direct the inquirer to someone more qualified than himself, for the religion is sincere counsel. Nor should he refuse to relate hadith to anyone because he suspects the latter’s intention to be unsound; that intention may yet be set right. Instead, he should be eager to disseminate the hadith, seeking the immense reward that comes from doing so.

Section
It is recommended that, when he intends to attend a hadith gathering, he perform purification, apply perfume, groom his beard, and seat himself firmly with dignity. Should anyone raise his voice, he rebukes him. He should give his attention to everyone present, and he should begin and end the session with praising Allah Most High, invoking blessings upon the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and offering a supplication suited to the occasion, after a reciter with a pleasant voice has read a passage from the Noble Quran. He must not rattle off the hadith at a pace that prevents full comprehension. Allah knows best.

Section
It is commendable for a competent hadith scholar to convene a session for dictating hadith, for dictation is the highest station of transmission. He appoints a mustamli—an alert, capable prompter—to relay his words when the gathering grows large, as is the practice of the hadith masters. The mustamli requests the dictation from an elevated spot, or otherwise while standing, and must deliver every word exactly as uttered. His benefit is that he enables listeners at a distance to understand. Anyone who hears only the mustamli and not the dictating shaykh may not attribute the narration directly to the shaykh unless he makes the situation clear; this was discussed earlier in Section Twenty-Four.

After a reciter with a good voice has read a portion of the Quran, the mustamli calls the audience to silence, pronounces the basmalah, praises Allah, and invokes blessings upon the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—choosing the most eloquent form. He then addresses the narrator with phrases such as, “From…” or “As you have mentioned—may Allah have mercy on you,” or “may He be pleased with you,” and the like. Each time the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—is named, al-Khatib says, the mustamli should raise his voice; when a Companion is mentioned he says, “may Allah be pleased with him,” and if the person is the son of a Companion he says, “may Allah have mercy on him.”

It befits the narrator to praise his shaykh while transmitting, giving him his due, as many of the early generations did. He should be especially diligent in praying for him, for that is of greatest importance. There is no objection to mentioning the person from whom the narration is taken