- Site
content is anything written by Imami scholars up to and
including `Allama Hilli (d. 1325 CE) with preference given to
scholars up to and including Ibn Idris al-Hilli (d. 1202 CE).
Content might also have been extracted from later works (e.g. ahadith from Wasa'il
ash-Shi`a) when the source has been referenced to a work from this
earlier time period (e.g. al-Kafi).
- The
sanad, when the text mentions it, is always included in the
translation.
- Ahadith are not all checked for sihhat in their sanad,
though preference is given to the sahih, hasan and muwaththaq amongst
them. If sanad grade is indicated, it is being taken from a scholar's
work such as Majlisi's Mir'at al-`Uqul. It is not the personal grading
of the translator.
- Fonts
used are the site's standard 10 pt.
- See the transliteration guide for explanation of how Arabic letters have been transliterated.
- In
isnad, بن
is denoted as (b.), e.g. `Ali b. Ibrahim. When it is not
preceded by another name at the beginning, (Ibn) is used, e.g. Ibn
Ishaq.
- Plurals
of Arabic terms are often given in their Arabic forms (e.g. ahadith
instead of hadiths, shuyukh instead of shaykhs, akhbar instead of
khabars).
- Sound judgment is exercised in translation of certain Arabic terms - whether to use the Arabic original or an
English equivalent. In many cases, preference is given
to the Arabic term which may either be more familiar to the Muslim
reader (for instance, sajda instead of prostration when in the
context of salat, tawaf instead of circumambulation in the context of
`umra and hajj), or a technical term used in such works denoting
a concept that the reader should become familiar with in order to
better understand the work. Unless the term is already
commonly known amongst Muslim readers, if the Arabic term is used, it is accompanied by its translation in parentheses
at its first occurrence in a work, but not afterwards.
- Extra words found in () are usually explanatory additions done by the translator to try to clarify the meaning of the text in translation (either were a literal rendering would not be as clear in English as it might be in the Arabic, or as explanation to the context, references, etc.), and not an actual part of the text itself.
- In cases where a (?) has been placed, this indicates a question as to the accuracy of the translation.
- The occurence of (- al-hadith) at the end of a narration indicates that only part of the narration has been quoted in the text.
- Translations of ayat from Quran are largely derived from various existing translations, such as Arberry's and Palmer's.
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