a study of his biography and a critical examination of what is mentioned in it, as is evident and not hidden from the seeker of knowledge, if Allāh wills. 5 - I said: al-Dhahabī's statement "Yaḥyá, although he is trustworthy, has been weakened" does not mean he is weak. Rather, it is evident that he considers him trustworthy with some weakness. Thus, it does not contradict his agreement with al-Ḥākim on the authentication of this ḥadīth, which we are defending, nor does it contradict his statement after another ḥadīth: "It is not authentic in any way," because he mentioned another defect before that, which the honorable writer should have noted. The exact words of al-Dhahabī are: "I said: Aḥmad is denounced in ḥadīth, and he is among those who criticized Muslim for including him in the 'Ṣaḥīḥ,' and Yaḥyá, although he is trustworthy, has been weakened." This Aḥmad is Ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Wahb, about whom there is much discussion. Al-Dhahabī even included him in "al-Ḍuʿafāʾ" (2/2) and said: "Ibn ʿAdī said: I saw the scholars of Egypt unanimously agree on his weakness; he narrated what has no basis." He mentioned in "al-Mīzān" a ḥadīth from his narration from his uncle ʿAbd Allāh ibn Wahb with a sound chain from Ibn ʿUmar, elevated, and said: "This is fabricated against Ibn Wahb." He also mentioned another ḥadīth from his uncle with a sound chain from Anas, elevated: "He used to recite aloud (In the name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate) in prayer," and there is no authentic ḥadīth on reciting aloud. The issue arose from his confusion, and thus the ḥāfiẓ said: "Truthful, but changed at the end." I said: He is the defect in the ḥadīth about which al-Dhahabī said "It is not authentic in any way," and it is not Yaḥyá ibn Ayyūb. In summary: al-Dhahabī's statement "although he is trustworthy, he has been weakened" merely means he is trustworthy