随着时间推移，每条isnad中涉及的传述者越来越多，因此对圣训的采纳就必须严格遵守规范；规范这一准则的规则被称为Mustalah al-Hadith（圣训术语学）。

As time passed, more reporters were involved in each isnad, and so the situation demanded strict discipline in the acceptance of ahadith; the rules regulating this discipline are known as Mustalah al-Hadith (the Classification of Hadith).

在早期的圣训学者（muhaddithin，圣训学家）中，他们研究圣训的规则与标准虽然十分严谨，但其术语因人而异；他们的原则开始被系统地记录下来，却散见于各类著作之中，例如沙斐仪（卒于204年）的《Al-Risalah》、穆斯林（卒于261年）《Sahih》的导论，以及提尔米齐（卒于279年）的《Jami'》。许多早期圣训学家（例如布哈里）所遵循的标准，是后来的学者通过细致研究他们接受与拒绝哪些传述人或传述链（isnad）而推导出来的。

Amongst the early traditionists (muhaddithin, scholars of Hadith), the rules and criteria governing their study of Hadith were meticulous but some of their terminology varied from person to person, and their principles began to be systematically written down, but scattered amongst various books, e.g. in Al-Risalah of al- Shafi'i (d. 204), the Introduction to the Sahih of Muslim (d. 261) and the Jami' of al-Tirmidhi (d. 279); many of the criteria of early traditionists, e.g. al-Bukhari, were deduced by later scholars from a careful study of which reporters or isnads were accepted and rejected by them.

早期最先全面尝试以通行术语阐述圣训学（Mustalah）的著作之一，是al-Ramahurmuzi（卒于360年）的作品。其后的重要贡献是al-Hakim（卒于405年）的《圣训学知识》（Ma'rifah 'Ulum al-Hadith），该书涵盖了五十类圣训，但仍有一些内容未曾涉及；Abu Nu'aim al-Isbahani（卒于430年）补充了该书所缺的部分。之后出现了al-Khatib al-Baghdadi（卒于463年）的《传述学知识的充分指南》（Al-Kifayah fi 'Ilm al-Riwayah），以及另一部关于教授和学习圣训之方法的著作；后世学者普遍认为，他们在很大程度上受益于al-Khatib的著作。

One of the earliest writings to attempt to cover Mustalah comprehensively, using standard (i.e. generally-accepted) terminology, was the work by al-Ramahurmuzi (d. 360). The next major contribution was Ma'rifah 'Ulum al-Hadith by al- Hakim (d. 405), which covered fifty classifications of Hadith, but still left some points untouched; Abu Nu'aim al-Isbahani (d. 430) completed some of the missing parts to this work. After that came Al-Kifayah fi 'Ilm al- Riwayah of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 463) and another work on the manner of teaching and studying Hadith; later scholars were considered to be greatly indebted to al-Khatib's work.

在卡迪·伊亚德·雅哈苏卜伊(卒于544年)和阿布·哈夫斯·迈扬吉(卒于580年)等人的进一步贡献之后,出现了一部著作。它篇幅虽不大,但对该主题的论述精当而全面,因而在此后数百年直至今日,成为无数圣训学者和学生的标准参考书,这就是阿布·阿穆尔·奥斯曼·伊本·萨拉赫(卒于643年)的《圣训学科》(*'Ulum al-Hadith*),通常称为《伊本·萨拉赫导论》(*Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah*)。该书是他在叙利亚几座城市的圣训学院(Dar al-Hadith)任教期间编纂的。此后,许多以伊本·萨拉赫之作为基础的著作相继问世,以下是其中一些:

After further contributions by Qadi 'Iyad al- Yahsubi (d. 544) and Abu Hafs al-Mayanji (d. 580) among others, came the work which, although modest in size, was so comprehensive in its excellent treatment of the subject that it came to be the standard reference for thousands of scholars and students of Hadith to come, over many centuries until the present day: 'Ulum al- Hadith of Abu 'Amr 'Uthman Ibn al-Salah (d. 643), commonly known as Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah, compiled while he taught in the Dar al-Hadith of several cities in Syria. Some of the numerous later works based on that of Ibn al-Salah are:

• 纳瓦维（卒于676年）《引导》（Al-Irshad）前言的节本，他后来又将其概括于《接近》（Taqrib）中；苏尤蒂（卒于911年）为后者撰写了一部有价值的注释，名为《训练辅导者》（Tadrib al-Rawi）。

• An abridgement of Muqaddimah, Al-Irshad by al- Nawawi (d. 676), which he later summarised in his Taqrib; al-Suyuti (d. 911) compiled a valuable commentary on the latter entitled Tadrib al-Rawi.

• 伊本·凯西尔（卒于774年）的《圣训学概要》（Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-Hadith）、阿布·伊斯哈格·凯尔德·阿勒-提比（卒于743年）的《精要》（Al-Khulasah）、巴德尔丁·伊本·贾玛阿（卒于733年）的《Al-Minhal》、伊本·穆拉基姆（卒于802年）的《Al-Muqni'》，以及巴勒基尼（卒于805年）的《Mahasin al-Istilah》，这些著作都是对伊本·萨拉赫《圣训学导论》（Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah）的缩写。

• Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-Hadith of Ibn Kathir (d. 774), Al-Khulasah of al-Tibi (d. 743), Al- Minhal of Badr al-Din b. Jama'ah (d. 733), Al- Muqni' of Ibn al-Mulaqqin (d. 802) and Mahasin al-Istilah of al-Balqini (d. 805), all of which are abridgements of Muqaddimah Ibn al- Salah.

• 《纠正》（al-Nukat）作者az-Zarkashi（卒于794年），《阐明与说明》（al-Taqyid wa 'l-Idah）作者al-'Iraqi（卒于806年），以及《纠正》（al-Nukat）作者Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani（卒于852年）。这三部著作均是对Ibn al-Salah所提各点的进一步注释。

• Al-Nukat of al-Zarkashi (d. 794), Al-Taqyid wa 'l-Idah of al-'Iraqi (d. 806) and Al-Nukat of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (d. 852), all of which are further notes on the points made by Ibn al- Salah.

• 伊拉基的《圣训学阿尔菲耶》，是对《序言》（Muqaddimah）的一部长篇诗体改写，此书后来成为多部注释的对象，其中包括作者本人所作的两部注释（一部较长，一部较短）、萨哈维（卒于903年）的《Fath al-Mughith》、苏尤蒂的《Qatar al-Durar》，以及舍赫·宰凯里雅·安萨里（卒于928年）的《Fath al-Baqi》。

• Alfiyyah al-Hadith of al-'Iraqi, a rewriting of Muqaddimah in the form of a lengthy poem, which became the subject of several commentaries, including two (one long, one short) by the author himself, Fath al-Mughith of al-Sakhawi (d. 903), Qatar al-Durar of al- Suyuti and Fath al-Baqi of Shaykh Zakariyyah al-Ansari (d. 928).

• 《Al-Iqtirah》，伊本·达吉格·伊德（卒于702年）著。《Tanqih al-Anzar》，穆罕默德·本·易卜拉欣·阿尔-瓦齐尔（卒于840年）著，阿米尔·阿尔-萨纳尼（卒于1182年）为其作注。

• Al-Iqtirah of Ibn Daqiq al-'Id (d. 702). Tanqih al-Anzar of Muhammad b. Ibrahim al- Wazir (d. 840), the subject of a commentary by al-Amir al-San'ani (d. 1182).

• 伊本·哈哲尔·阿斯卡拉尼的《精英术语》（Nukhbat al-Fikr），此书又屡次成为注释的对象，其中包括作者本人所作的注释、其子穆罕默德所作的注释，以及阿里·阿尔-卡里（卒于1014年）、阿卜杜·拉乌夫·阿尔-门纳维（卒于1031年）和穆罕默德·本·阿卜杜·哈迪·阿尔-辛迪（卒于1138年）的注释。将《精英术语》改写为诗体的人中，有阿尔-图菲（卒于893年）和阿尔-阿米尔·阿尔-萨纳尼。

• Nukhbah al-Fikr of Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, again the subject of several commentaries, including one by the author himself, one by his son Muhammad, and those of 'Ali al-Qari (d. 1014), 'Abd al-Ra'uf al-Munawi (d. 1031) and Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Hadi al-Sindi (d. 1138). Among those who rephrased the Nukhbah in poetic form are al-Tufi (d. 893) and al- Amir al-San'ani.

• 《阿尔菲亚·哈迪斯》（Alfiyyah al-Hadith），苏尤蒂（al-Suyuti）所作，是该领域最为全面的诗体著作。《白伊各尼曼祖玛》（al-Manzumah of al-Baiquni），经由扎尔卡尼（al-Zurqani，卒于1122年）、纳瓦卜·西迪格·哈桑·汗（Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan，卒于1307年）等人加以扩充。《圣训学原则》（Qawa'id al-Tahdith），贾迈勒·丁·卡西米（Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi，卒于1332年）所作。

• Alfiyyah al-Hadith of al-Suyuti, the most comprehensive poetic work in the field. Al-Manzumah of al-Baiquni, which was expanded upon by, amongst others, al-Zurqani (d. 1122) and Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan (d. 1307). Qawa'id al-Tahdith of Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi (d. 1332).

《Taujih al-Nazar》，塔希尔·贾扎伊里（卒于1338年）所作，是对哈基姆《Ma'rifah》的概要。

• Taujih al-Nazar of Tahir al-Jaza'iri (d. 1338), a summary of al-Hakim's Ma'rifah.