Dar Al-Taaseel: Serving the Prophetic Sunnah with Precision and Modern Tools

For over thirty years, Dar Al-Taaseel – Center for Research and Information Technology has been devoted to the service of the Prophetic Sunnah and its sciences. Through the efforts of its scholars and researchers, the center has employed accredited scientific documentation methods and cutting-edge computer technologies, many of which have been custom-designed to support the study of the Sunnah. Throughout its history, Dar Al-Taaseel has maintained a guiding principle:
“Excellence for a quality worthy of the Prophetic Sunnah.”

Among its most important contributions is the service and preservation of Al-Sunan by Imam Abu Dawood al-Sijistani (may Allah have mercy on him). A rigorous scholarly plan was established to produce this work in the best possible form that honors its value and that of its author.

Key features of Dar Al-Taaseel’s edition include:

• A fully verified and critically edited text based on 18 manuscript copies, including seven complete and high-quality manuscripts representing the narrations of Al-Lu’lu’i and Ibn Dasa, some dating back to the 6th century AH, with marginalia and annotations by leading scholars. This was achieved following the scholarly methodology agreed upon by experts in textual verification.

• The main text is limited to the narration of Al-Lu’lu’i, with footnotes comparing it to the narrations of Ibn Dasa and others such as Ibn Al-A’rabi and Abu Isa Al-Ramli.

• Hadiths are sourced from intermediate and supporting references that transmit from the author or his teachers to ensure textual authenticity, completeness, and highlight points of agreement and variance.

• Cross-referencing with “Tuhfat al-Ashraf”, utilizing it to confirm isnads (chains of transmission), noting hadiths present in Tuhfat but absent in this edition and vice versa.

• A comprehensive scholarly introduction covering the biography of Imam Abu Dawood, the narrators of Al-Sunan, an analysis of the most reliable narrations, a review of previous editions, and a detailed explanation of the methodology used in editing the text.

• Identification of every narrator throughout the book, aiding in isnad analysis and facilitating easy reference through an indexed list of narrators.

• The text is fully vowelized (tashkeel) for both structure and grammatical clarity, strictly adhering to the original verified manuscripts without introducing elements from other sources.

• Appropriate punctuation marks have been added throughout the text.

• Explanations of difficult or obscure terms (“ghareeb”) are provided in the footnotes, relying primarily on jurists for interpretation, followed by classical Arabic linguistic works, with sources clearly cited.

• A variety of scholarly indices have been prepared, combining expert knowledge with advanced computing tools to aid researchers. These include:

  1. Index of Quranic verses and readings.

  2. Index of hadith beginnings, distinguishing between marfoo’ (Prophet’s sayings) and mawqoof (Companion’s sayings).

  3. Index of narrators with all their hadith locations.

  4. Index of books and chapters.

• The book has been typeset in a custom font developed by Dar Al-Taaseel, featuring unique typographic characteristics to present the book in a refined and fitting appearance for a work of Sunnah.

• As part of Dar Al-Taaseel’s commitment to transparency and scholarly trust, a CD is included with the book, featuring the introduction to the critical edition, a sample of the editing process, and the manuscript scans used—linked directly to the subject index.