وَظَنَنْتُ حِينَ سَأَلْتَنِي تَجَشُّمَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَوْ عُزِمَ لِي عَلَيْهِ، وَقُضِيَ لِي تَمَامُهُ، كَانَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ يُصِيبُهُ نَفْعُ ذَلِكَ إِيَّايَ خَاصَّةً قَبْلَ غَيْرِي مِنَ النَّاسِ؛ لِأَسْبَابٍ كَثِيرَةٍ،
I considered that, if I were enabled to undertake and complete this demanding work, I myself would be the first to benefit from it, for many reasons.
“Tajashshum” means taking on a demanding task; al-Nawawī glosses it as accepting effort and hardship. Selection, comparison, and arrangement can refine the compiler’s own knowledge.
The benefit concerns rigorous scholarly effort, not the size of a compilation as such.