established—he did not say this. Ahmad did, however, narrate it elsewhere in the Musnad (5/256). This false attribution is known to everyone engaged in this noble field, for it was not Imam Ahmad’s practice in his Musnad to declare hadiths authentic.

It occurred to me that perhaps he had expressed himself poorly and intended to say, “Al-Tirmidhi said: ‘Its chain is authentic.’” But al-Tirmidhi did not say that either; rather, he said, “Good and authentic.” The difference between the two expressions is not lost on scholars.

This man has many errors and other falsehoods, especially against our Salafi brothers, which there is no room to mention or even allude to in this introduction, since they pertain purely to hadith. Perhaps we shall be afforded an opportunity to do so on another occasion, if Allah wills.

In sum, I have spoken at length about Shaykh al-Sabuni in particular, among contemporary opponents, because he is a suitable example of the majority of them, who lack competence in this field even in merely transmitting reports. Moreover, he exceeds them in the number of his errors and falsehoods. Thus, no weight should be given to the likes of him in this noble field.

This does not prevent me from acknowledging that some later scholars have evident merit in this field. We benefit greatly from their critical editions and annotations, such as Shaykh Ahmad Shakir—may Allah have mercy on him—and other distinguished scholars. Allah is the Granter of success.

In conclusion, I must thank everyone who helped me prepare this volume in its final form, submit it to the press, proofread its galleys, and compile its indexes—especially my daughter, Anisah Umm Abdullah. May Allah reward her, bless her, her husband, and their offspring. She assisted me greatly in proofreading the galleys and writing the index cards, thereby saving me much time and tremendous effort.