Guidelines for Transcripts

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

For those who wish to transcribe the lectures of Ustaadh Moosaa Richardson, like those found on the First Muslim Mosque’s Spreaker Channel, here are some guidelines that may be of benefit, especially for those who are precise and would like to share their transcripts with others to increase the benefit.

  • Fear Allaah, and seek the Pleasure of Allaah alone with your action, not people’s recognition or praise of your work.
  • Transcribe faithfully, with integrity. Do not make corrections to things you feel are erroneous. Do not remove things you disagree with. Do not add things from yourself for clarity. Suggestions are highly appreciated and can be submitted along with your finished transcript.
  • Exclude fillers, personal discussions, or things not helpful or relevant to the class. For example, exclude: “Ummm…”, or, “Good to see you, Fulaan, how are you?”, or, “Hold on, what’s that aayah? Get me a mushaf, OK here it is…”
  • Write: “…[words unclear here]…” when you cannot understand a passage. Ask someone to review that section and help you.
  • Do not format your work with other than basic typesetting. Do not bold or italicize anything. Do not use colored fonts or different sizes.
  • Use correct spelling and punctuation, and break up the transcribed material into paragraphs as needed.
  • State clearly the following important matters:
    1. The name of the source lecture, with a link to where you got it from
    2. The date and place of source lecture if known
    3. The full name and contact information of the transcriber(s)
    4. Any relevant acknowledgements, like: “With help from So-and-So…”
    5. The following disclaimer: “This is my personal transcription of the lecture. Ustaadh Moosaa Richardson has not reviewed this work or endorsed it.” (If submitted and reviewed, we may direct you to replacing this with something else.)
  • Review your transcript well before submitting.
  • Ask Allaah to accept your work and to make a source of benefit for yourself and others.
  • Submit your transcript(s) for review here. Include a clear and appropriate subject line, like: “My transcript of Class #34 of Kitaab at-Towheed”.
  • Ustaadh Moosaa does not guarantee that he will review or endorse any submitted transcript.

May Allaah give you success!