In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions.

To proceed:

This is a valuable treatise from the works of Ibn Abī al-Dunyā. Its whereabouts had long been unknown, concealed by the passage of time, and only a rare few scholars were able to obtain it. Its subject is expressed by its title: Sincerity and Intention. Its author was a renowned hadith master and transmitter: he heard and received, learned and acted upon his knowledge, and then sought to convey what he had heard and disseminate what he had retained, in obedience to the Prophet’s words—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“Convey from me, even if only one verse” (1), and his words—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“Whoever conceals knowledge, Allah will bridle him with a bridle of fire” (2).

Having been blessed by Allah to discover it, I felt duty-bound to attend to it and present it to esteemed readers. I therefore critically edited and annotated it to the extent Allah enabled me. I also prefaced the book with an introduction containing a brief biography of the author and a few