in the narration of the Syrians from Zuhayr there are anomalies, whereas the narration of our companions from him is sound, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī and Abū ʿĀmir. I said: Ibn Mahdī is from Baṣrah, and likewise is Abū ʿĀmir, who is ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAmr al-Qaysī al-ʿUqaydī, the Baṣran ḥāfiẓ. Ibn ʿAdī said: "Perhaps the people of Syria erred regarding him, for when the people of Iraq narrate from him, their narration is sound, and I hope there is no harm in him." al-ʿAjlī said: "There is no harm in him, and these ḥadīths that the people of Syria narrate from him do not please me." This is what the ḥāfiẓ relied upon, for he said in "al-Taqrīb": "The narration of the people of Syria from him is not sound, so he was weakened because of it. Al-Bukhārī said about Aḥmad: It is as if Zuhayr whom the Syrians narrate from is another, and Abū Ḥātim said: He narrated in Syria from his memory, so his mistakes were many." Therefore, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr exaggerated when he said about him: "Weak according to everyone!" Al-Dhahabī refuted him by saying: "No, rather (al-Bukhārī and Muslim) narrated from him. He died in the year 162." I said: In the ḥadīth, there is a clear indication that a Muslim does not deserve Allāh's forgiveness unless he meets Allāh without associating anything with Him, because shirk is the greatest of sins, as is known in authentic ḥadīths. From this, it becomes clear to us the misguidance of those who live among us, pray our prayers, and fast our fasts, and... but they engage in various forms of shirk and paganism, such as seeking help from the dead among the saints and the righteous, calling upon them in times of distress instead of Allāh, sacrificing for them, and making vows to them, thinking that this brings them closer to Allāh. Far, far is that from the truth. * "That is the assumption of those who disbelieve, so woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire" *!