This monograph on ĥadīth principles by Imām Sayyid-Sharīf is an excellent introduction to hadith sciences and nomenclature for students and non-specialists alike. This started off as an appendix to the translation of Imām Nawawī’s Arbaýīn. However, a plain translation of a breviloquent epistle would be daunting to the non-specialist, and perhaps fail spectacularly in its stated purpose of enlightening the beginner. Hence, explanatory footnotes were indispensible, and kept piling up until eventually, what was expected to be an ‘appendix’ reached the size of the main work (i.e. Arbaýīn). After consultation with reviewers, it was decided to release this as a separate work.
