the knowledge of the common people falls short of such matters
علم الْعَامَّة يقصر عَن مثل هَذَا
The Number of Its Parts
عدد أَجْزَائِهَا
The number of books in these "Sunan" is eighteen parts, with one part dedicated to the "Mursal" reports The ruling on the "Mursal" reports and what is narrated from the Prophet (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) among the "Mursal" reports: some are not authentic, and some are attributed to others and are connected and authentic
وَعدد كتب هَذِه السّنَن ثَمَانِيَة عشر جُزْءا مَعَ الْمَرَاسِيل مِنْهَا جُزْء وَاحِد مَرَاسِيل حكم الْمَرَاسِيل وَمَا رُوِيَ عَن النَّبِي ﷺ من الْمَرَاسِيل مِنْهَا مَا لايصح وَمِنْهَا مَا هُوَ مُسْند عَن غَيره وَهُوَ مُتَّصِل صَحِيح
The Number of Ḥadīths in His Book
عدد أَحَادِيث كِتَابه
And perhaps the number of ḥadīths in my book is approximately four thousand eight hundred ḥadīths and about six hundred ḥadīths from the "Mursal" reports
وَلَعَلَّ عدد الَّذِي فِي كتابي من الْأَحَادِيث قدر أَرْبَعَة آلَاف وَثَمَانمِائَة حَدِيث وَنَحْو سِتّمائَة حَدِيث من الْمَرَاسِيل
His Method in Selection
منهجه فِي الِاخْتِيَار
Whoever wishes to distinguish these ḥadīths along with the expressions A ḥadīth might come from one source and be considered by the general public as coming from the well-known imams, yet it may happen that
فَمن أحب أَن يُمَيّز هَذِه الْأَحَادِيث مَعَ الْأَلْفَاظ فَرُبمَا يَجِيء حَدِيث من طَرِيق وَهُوَ عِنْد الْعَامَّة من طَرِيق الْأَئِمَّة الَّذين هم مَشْهُورُونَ غير أَنه رُبمَا