رسالة د. كهلان الخروصي

which links descendants and disciples، who are authorities on knowledge، to their ancestors until the chain reaches the Prophet.

… Moving to a more general examination and analysis of the subject of the book، one can readily perceive that the basic stance of the work is juristic (fiqh)، rather than that of ˆad‚th.⁽¹⁾ Most of the points and issues discussed have been dealt with and argued about over the ages by scholars of all Muslim schools; yet when we take the early date of the work into account، as well as the diversity of subjects and opinions in it، and compare it with similar compilations of the same time – if there are any⁽²⁾ –، the significance of the work becomes clearer. For Ib~‡‚s، it is unquestionable that this work preserves a rich mine of the knowledge of their first leaders and scholars on different issues;⁽³⁾ for non-Ib~‡‚s، on the other hand، it includes opinions and views of many Followers and later generation scholars، and it shows at least the kind of questions that were discussed in the community at that early period of time.⁽⁴⁾