the people of ḥadith are the Prophet’s own—
Though they never sat with him, they breathe his every breath. (1)

For this reason, the present work—God, Exalted is He, willing—will gather together the scattered pieces found in the various compilations of ḥadith and fiqh, across all the schools of law, so long as they bear on its subject. No single book or school, however, can claim to encompass all the truth it contains. Whoever puts its contents into practice will, by Allah’s leave, be among those “whom Allah has guided to the truth concerning that over which they differed; and Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path” (Q 2:213).

When I adopted this methodology for myself—namely, strict adherence to the sound sunnah—and followed it in this book and in other works that, God willing, will circulate among the people, I knew full well that it would not please every faction or school. Indeed, some—perhaps many—will aim the darts of criticism and the pens of blame at me. That does not trouble me, for I also know that pleasing everyone is an impossible pursuit, and that “whoever seeks people’s approval at the cost of Allah’s displeasure, Allah will leave him to the people,” as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said. (2)

How apt are the poet’s words:

I’ll never escape the critic’s tongue,
Even were I hidden in a cave atop a rugged mount;
Who can keep clear of people’s blame,
Even if he vanished between an eagle’s wings? (3)