一般来说，保存圣训采用了三种方法：

Generally, three methods were used to preserved úódõth:

第一种方法是背诵。阿拉伯人以记忆力著称，尤其是他们能够背诵长篇诗歌以及诗人的生平。他们还能够回忆诗人祖先的长串名字和谱系。不仅如此，阿拉伯人还背诵自己马匹的血统，甚至马的步态。因此，成千上万的名字都能脱口而出，并且借着圣训的福泽，真主 سبحانه وتعالى 增强了他们的背诵能力。

The first method was memorization. The Arabs were renowned for their memories, particularly their ability to memorize long poems along with the biographies of their authors. They could recollect long lists of the names of poets’ forefathers and their lineages. Not only that, the Arabs also memorized the lineage of their horses, even the horse’s gaits. Thus, thousands of names were at the tip of their tongues, and through the blessings of the ahadith Allah سبحانه وتعالى added to their proficiency in the art of memorization.

这种保存圣训的简便方法不可忽视，尤其是当Imam Bukhari等杰出人物记录下马尔万的事迹时，更能说明阿拉伯人非凡的记忆力。马尔万是大马士革的首任总督，也是倭马亚王朝的首位埃米尔。

This simple method of preserving hadith cannot be ignored, especially when eminent personalities like Imam Bukhari have recorded incidents such as that of Marwan, which illustrate the extraordinary memory of the Arabs. Marwan was the first governor of Damascus and also the first emir of the Umayyad Dynasty.

他的秘书艾布·扎扎（Abu al-Za‘za）转述说，有一次，麦尔旺召见了尊贵的圣门弟子艾布·胡莱赖from（رضي الله عنه）到他的朝堂。据说，麦尔旺之所以如此罕见地召见圣门弟子到他的朝堂，是因为他怀疑艾布·胡莱赖（رضي الله عنه）所记住并经常转述的圣训数量之多。在艾布·胡莱赖（رضي الله عنه）进来之前，麦尔旺吩咐他的秘书艾布·扎扎躲在帘子后面，手里拿着笔和纸。他说：“我要请他转述一些圣训；他转述的时候，我要你把所有圣训都记下来。”艾布·胡莱赖（رضي الله عنه）进来后，麦尔旺就问他一些圣训。艾布·胡莱赖（رضي الله عنه）开始转述时，艾布·扎扎就把它们记了下来。艾布·扎扎说：“艾布·胡莱赖（رضي الله عنه）讲了很长时间，我看到我的纸上已经记下了大量的圣训。”从艾布·扎扎的话语“hadithun kathirun”（大量的圣训）来看，他确实在纸上记录了大量的圣训。

His secretary, Abu al-Za‘za, narrates that once Marwan called the eminent Sahaba رضي الله عنه‎, Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎ to his court. It is said that the reason behind this rare invitation of a Sahaba رضي الله عنه‎ to Marwan’s court was that Marwan doubted the large number ofahadith Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎ had memorized and frequently narrated. Before Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه‎ entered, Marwan instructed his secretary, Abu al-Za‘za, to hide behind a curtain with a pen and paper in his hand. He said, “I am going to ask him to narrate some ahadtih; while he narrates, I want you to pen all the ahadith down.” When Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎ entered, Marwón asked him about some aúódõth. As Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎began narrating, Abñ al-Za‘za wrote them down. Abu al-Za‘za says, “Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎continued narrating for a long time and I saw that I had written a large collection of aúódõth on my papers.” It seems from Abu al-Za‘za’s words “hadithun kathirun” that he had indeed recorded a large collection of aúódõth on his paper.

与此同时,艾布·胡莱赖(愿安拉喜悦他)并不知道自己正在被考验。此后,艾布·胡莱赖(愿安拉喜悦他)离开了。马尔旺保存了那些被暗中记录的圣训卷册,并等待了下一年。一年后,马尔旺再次邀请艾布·胡莱赖(愿安拉喜悦他)光临,以示对他的尊重。马尔旺再次吩咐艾布·扎扎躲在帷幕后面,带着他去年所写圣训的纸张。他说:“我将重复去年问过的同样问题。你核对一下,看看是否与去年的圣训一致。”这对艾布·胡莱赖(愿安拉喜悦他)来说是一次临时的考验。艾布·扎扎说:“于是马尔旺手中保存着一年前的圣训。一年后,他再次召见艾布·胡莱赖(愿安拉喜悦他),而我则安静地坐在帷幕后面。他提出问题时,我便看着我的纸张。他对圣训的任何一个字都没有增加或减少。”8

Meanwhile, Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه‎had no idea he was being tested. After this, Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه‎left. Marwan preserved the scrolls of the secretly recorded ahadithand waited for the following year. A year later, Marwan again invited Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه‎t o honor him with his presence. Once again, Marwan told Abu al-Za‘za to hide behind the curtain with the papers on which he had written the ahadith the previous year. He said, “I am going to repeat the same questions I asked last year. Check and see if it coincides with the aúódõth of the previous year.” It was an extemporaneous test for Abu Hurairaرضي الله عنه‎. Abu al-Za‘za says, “So Marwan kept the year old ahadith in his hands. After one year, he again called upon Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه‎ as I sat quietly behind the curtain. As he put the questions, I looked into my papers. He did not add to or subtract from even one word of a úadīth.”8

虽然无法确定所记录圣训的确切数量，但很明显这是一个相当可观的数字。类似的事情也发生在同一时期的伊本·沙哈卜·祖赫里身上。希沙姆·本·阿卜杜勒·马立克召见伊本·沙哈卜到他的宫廷。在这件事中，明确提到伊本·沙哈卜恰好讲述了四百条圣训。

Though it is not possible to ascertain the exact number of ahadith noted, it is clear that it was a significant number. A similar incident occurred with Ibn Shihób al-Zuhrõ during the same time period. Hishóm ibn ‘Abd al-Malik called Ibn Shihób to his court. In this incident, it is clearly mentioned that Ibn Shihób narrated exactly four hundred aúódõth.

据史书记载，希沙姆曾考验伊本·祖赫里的记忆力，正如马尔旺曾考验艾布·胡莱赖的记忆力一样。故事是这样的：رضي الله عنه

It is also mentioned in the books of history that Hishóm tested Ibn Zuhri’s memory as Marwan had Abñ Huraira’s رضي الله عنه‎. The story goes like this:

一天,伊本·沙哈卜因事来到宫廷。希沙姆亲自请求伊本·沙哈卜为他的儿子——王子——写下一些圣训。伊本·沙哈卜答应了;人们召来了书记员,口述便开始了。宰海比写道:“伊本·沙哈卜向王子口述了四百条圣训。”随后,伊本·沙哈卜离开了。一个月后伊本·沙哈卜再次回来时,希沙姆假装懊悔,对伊本·沙哈卜说:“我很难过地告诉你,记录圣训的羊皮纸不见了,怎么也找不到了。”伊本·沙哈卜问道:“这有什么好哭的?叫书记员来,我再口述一遍。”这正是希沙姆的目的。他立即下令把书记员召入宫中。伊本·沙哈卜把同样的圣训又口述了一遍。第一批圣训其实并没有真的丢失,那只是一个测试伊本·沙哈卜圣训记忆力的计谋。伊本·沙哈卜离开宫廷后,希沙姆把旧的抄本与新的抄本进行了比对,发现原本的圣训记录没有任何改动。9

One day, Ibn Shihab came to the court for something. Hisham personally requested Ibn Shihab to write some ahaadith for his son, the prince. Ibn Shihab accepted; a scribe was called in and the dictation began. Dhahabi writes, “Ibn Shihab dictated four hundred ahdith to the prince.” Then Ibn Shihab left. When Ibn Shihab returned a month later, Hisham feigned remorse by saying to Ibn Shihab, “I am saddened to tell you that the parchments on which the ahadith were written have disappeared and they are nowhere to be found.” “What is this to cry about?” asked Ibn Shihb. “Call the scribe and I will dictate them again.” This was precisely the objective of Hisham. He quickly ordered the scribe to his court. Ibn Shihab dictated the same ahadith over again. The first collection of ahadith had not really disappeared, it was only a ploy to test Ibn Shihab’s memory of ahadith. When Ibn Shihab left the court, Hisham compared the older copy with the new one and saw that no change had been made to the original copy of ahadith.9

要不是今天有这些背诵古兰经的hafiz（背诵者），"圣训的原本从未增添任何内容"这一说法，恐怕会像儿童故事书里的情节一样令人难以置信。如今人们可以对一位古兰经背诵者进行测试，而古兰经的篇幅比四百段圣训的合集还要大。让他诵读一章古兰经，然后要求他凭记忆再背诵一遍，便可以证明：两次背诵逐字相同，没有任何差别。于是人们不得不承认，这些圣训既没有增添任何内容，也没有减少任何内容。

Had it not been for the huffaz [memorizers] of Qura’n today, the claim “not one addition had been made to the original copy of ahadith” would seem like a tale from a children’s storybook. Today one can test a hafiz [memorizer] from the Qura’n, which is bigger than a collection of four hundred ahadith. Having him read a chapter of the Qur’an and then asking him to recite it from memory will prove that word for word, there will be no difference between the first recitation and the second. One is thus forced to admit that neither any addition nor any subtraction was made to these ahadith.