A brief manual of Hadith Principles

The Science of Hadith is an integral component of the Islamic scholarly tradition - one that Muslims should be immensely proud of. It is emblematic of the intellectual richness that Islam offers to the world.

Hadith Studies is a meticulous discipline that strives to critically authenticate accounts and reports, tracing them to their sources, as accurately as possible - whether to the Prophet Muhammad (صل الله عليه وسلم) or any other prominent religious figure - with the utmost diligence, precision, and neutrality. It’s rigor is unparalleled in the annals of historical reporting.

Despite its significance, the science of hadith remains largely unknown among the Muslim laity. Even those who study it, often learn it in a rote manner - failing to imbibe its spirit, and engaging with its exacting standards.

In a modest step toward filling this lacuna, Shaykh Abu Hasan undertook this translation of a brief but comprehensive Epistle on Hadith Science - Al-Risalah fi Ulum al-Hadith - by the 14th-century theologian and polymath, Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani. He has gone to great lengths in making this important work accessible to the layman, providing running commentary in the form of footnotes, simplifying the terse, explaining the ambiguous, clarifying the obscure and pointing out nuances that students are apt to overlook.

The translation is supplemented by two appendices - the first, an exposition of the spurious "satanic verses", and the second, a comprehensive biography of the author, Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani.

Studying this work will help laymen to appreciate the robustness of the tradition of Hadith Transmission and the intellectual greatness of the scholars that originated it and practiced it down the centuries. It will also enable students to better comprehend the painstaking process of Hadith scrutiny and the untiring efforts of Hadith scholars in preserving the words of the Prophet Muhammad (صل الله عليه وسلم).