A Brief Manual of Ĥadīth Principles
by
Imām Sayyid Sharīf Álī al-Jurjānī
Translation and Footnotes
Abu Hasan
"In the Name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Merciful
This is a short and concise epistle on the principles of ĥadīth, which is comprised of an introduction and objectives in four chapters.
INTRODUCTION
Matn: The text of the ĥadīth; the exact wording of the ĥadīth which imparts meaning.
Ĥadīth: means speech in general [i.e. literally], and it is not just the speech of RasūlAllāh or the speech of the companions or their followers and their affirmations.
Sanad: description of the route4 by which the text [matn] is transmitted.
Isnād: recounting the route of the ĥadīth, reaching until the speaker.
Sanad and Isnād are close in meaning; and a ĥadīth is deemed sound/authentic or weak based on these two aspects.."