ABSTRACT
Producing a translation of any text is always a matter of finding a balance between strict adherence to the text and preservation of readability. In producing this work, the translator has sought as far as possible to preserve readability while still conveying a literal representation of the text. It is assumed that those interested in the layout of the manuscript per se will be familiar with Arabic, and hence the translation retains neither indications of exactly which parts of the text appear in marginalia nor words that the scribe has crossed out, except in cases where these have been judged of benefit; such indications may be found in the Arabic text. Appropriate minor changes have been made to the text where it has assisted the clarity of the translation. Major changes or additions that have been made to the text to clarify or ease reading are given in square brackets; for example, ‘he reported that the Prophet [who was also present] said … ’ Al-Sulami periodically discusses the grammatical use and meaning of Arabic words, and in such cases these have been transliterated with the English meaning being given either in square brackets or in a footnote when it proves necessary for clear understanding of the text. As with the Arabic text, breaks have been inserted where they are indicated in the manuscript except in cases where their insertion seems erroneous or unhelpful. Likewise, to ease use of the text, breaks have also been inserted between hadiths and extensive isnads (in this case these are indicated with colons) or where there is a clear break in the flow of the text. Undeciphered words are indicated by bracketed ellipsis; for example, ‘he reported to [ … ] ibn Muhammad … ’
One of the trickier issues that faces translators of Arabic texts is the exact transcription and transliteration of some of the names used. This is complicated by both the fact that short vowels are not normally written in Arabic and, as mentioned earlier, the frequent lack of diacritics in the manuscript; the difference between the names ‘Nasr’ and ‘Nadr,’ for example, is a matter of merely one dot! That said, it has been possible to establish the likely transcription and transliteration of most of the names mentioned in al-Sulami’s text, but there remain some readings that must be regarded as merely best guesses.1 As an additional point to note, in this
1 Texts that have been particularly helpful in this regard include the Ta’rikh Dimashq of Ibn ‘Asakir (d. 1176), mentioned above, as well as Abu Sa‘d ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad al-Sam‘ani (d. 1166), Al-Ansab, ed. Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1998); and Jamal al-Din Abu’l-Hajjaj Yusuf al-Mizzi (d. 1341), Tahdhib al-Kamal fi Asma’ al-Rijal, ed. Bashshar ‘Awwad Ma‘ruf. (Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Risala, 1983-92).
