This is a translation of Imam al-jurjani’s abridgment of al-tibi’s introduction to mishkat al-masabih. I will translate it in several posts.

All praise is for Allah the lord of the worlds. Prayers and blessings be upon his messenger, Muhammad, his people entirely.

This is a concise abridgment of ‘ilm al-hadith, comprised upon an introduction and objectives.

Introduction in Explicating its Principles and Terminology

al-matn: It is the words of the hadith which meanings are established upon it.

al-hadith: Generally it is a statement of the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa sallam, companion, tabin, their action, or their report.

al-sanad: Information regarding the path of individuals ascribed to the matn.

al-isnad: Attributing the hadith to its originator. Both sanad and isnad are similar in meaning. The muhadithin are observant in its being soundness and weakness.

al-khabr al-mutawatir: That which has reached excessively in multitude, making impossible for it to be a lie, and it continued in excess until the end of the sanad. Thereby, the first of its beginning is like its end; its middle being like its begging and end, such as the Qur’an and and the five prayers.

al-ahaad: it is that which did not reach mutawatir.

ibn al-jazi said, “Comprising all of the hadith is far from possible, to the point that a group of them tried and failed.”