but in the aforementioned words of al-Ṭabarānī, there is an indication that he was not alone in this, and Allāh knows best. Al-Mundhirī said in "al-Targhīb" (3/132): "It was narrated by al-Bazzār and al-Ṭabarānī in 'al-Kabīr' and its narrators are those of the authentic [collections]." He also said in "al-Majmaʿ" (5/200): "It was narrated by al-Bazzār and al-Ṭabarānī in 'al-Kabīr' and 'al-Awsaṭ' in a summarized form, and the men of 'al-Kabīr' are the men of the authentic [collections]." Thus he said, and it implies that the men of al-Bazzār and 'al-Awsaṭ' are not from the men of the authentic [collections], which is contrary to reality! The correct statement is: "And all their men are the men of the authentic [collections]." There is a supporting narration for the ḥadīth, narrated by Muḥammad ibn Abān al-Wāsiṭī, who informed us from Sharīk, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĪsá, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Abū Hurayrah—Sharīk said: I do not know if he raised it or not—who said: "Leadership, its beginning is regret, its middle is a penalty, and its end is punishment on the Day of Resurrection." It was recorded by al-Ṭabarānī in 'al-Awsaṭ' and he said: "No one narrated it from ʿAbd Allāh except Sharīk, and Muḥammad ibn Abān was alone in narrating it." I said: He is truthful, but al-Azdī criticized him, yet his teacher Sharīk, who is Ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Qāḍī, is weak due to poor memory. The ḥāfiẓ said: "He is truthful but makes many mistakes; his memory changed since he took the position of judge in Kūfah." I said: So al-Mundhirī's statement: "It was narrated by al-Ṭabarānī with a good isnād" is not good, and similarly, al-Haythamī's statement: "It was narrated by al-Ṭabarānī in 'al-Awsaṭ' and its men are trustworthy."