The Book of Attributes by Imam Al-Daraqutni

Forward The house of Qatn Virtuous Sheikh Abdullah Muhammad Al-Ghunayman Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate - and upon Him I rely. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon whom Allah sent as a guide to Him, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, his family, and his companions. After: One of the most beneficial things for a student of knowledge to read after the Book of Allah and the sayings of His Messenger are the books of the scholars of the Salaf. They do not deviate from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger. Among the most important books of the scholars of the Salaf are those they wrote, indicating Allah the Almighty with His names and attributes, and what is necessary from His rights over the servants. From this category is the book of Attributes by Imam Al-Daraqutni, which we present to the readers, hoping that Allah will benefit from it in its third edition… supplemented with some important comments. This is a brief biography of the author, Imam Abu al-Hasan Al-Daraqutni—may Allah have mercy on him. His name and lineage: He is Ali bin Omar bin Ahmad bin Mahdi bin Mas’ud bin Numan bin Dinar bin Abdullah. Abu al-Hasan. Al-Daraqutni—with the opening of the Dāl and the sukoon of the Taa’ al-Mahmala—refers to the district of Al-Daraqut in Baghdad, a large neighborhood. He was born in the year 306 AH. He was diligent in seeking knowledge from a young age, and Allah granted him intelligence and memorization that are rarely found in anyone else. This was among the reasons for his brilliance. He achieved most of his goals, traveling extensively to seek knowledge. He became the Imam of his time in the science of Hadith, knowing the reasons behind the narrations, and the men of Hadith. He heard in Baghdad a lot, and from other cities of Iraq such as Kufa, Basra, Wasta, and he traveled to Sham, Egypt, and many of his teachers were very numerous. Anyone who has read his books would recognize that. Al-Khatib said he was unique in his era, the peer of his time, a fabric of his own, and an Imam. He reached the pinnacle of knowledge of the chain of narration, the reasons behind Hadith, the names of the men, the conditions of truthfulness, honesty, jurisprudence, justice, acceptance of narrators, along with testimony, correct belief, sound methodology, and mastery of sciences beyond Hadith. This is the utmost praise and commendation. Al-Dhahabi praised him greatly in "Al-Siyar" in a similar manner. Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned his chain of transmission to Al-Ashari, saying: "Al-Daraqutni died on the last Tuesday of the 7th of Dhu al-Qa’dah in the year 385 AH, and was buried in the well-known cemetery on Wednesday. He was born five days before Dhu al-Qa’dah in the year 306 AH, so he was ninety-nine years and two days old." He left behind many beneficial works, such as: The Sunan, Al-‘Ilal (The Hidden Defects), Al-Mu’talif and Al-Mukhtalif, and others. May Allah have mercy on him.