love of knowledge and of scholars, and the like—such as his remark in the biography of Qaymaz, the client of al-Mustanjid: “He was open-handed, generous, and seldom oppressive” (1); his description of Ibn Ghaniyyah: “the warrior emir” (2); his words concerning Majd al-Din Ibn al-Ṣāḥib: “He rebelled, shed blood, reviled the Companions, and resolved to overthrow the state, so Allah crushed him” (3); and his assessment of al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Taqī al-Dīn ʿUmar, lord of Ḥamāh: “He was a valiant hero—bold, magnanimous, and widely praised—who stood in famed battles alongside his uncle, Sultan Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn” (4). Many other examples could be cited (5).
With scholars, by contrast, he considered their brilliance and expertise within the discipline to which they devoted themselves. Thus, when evaluating poets, for instance, he looked to their creativity and the excellence of their verse, and rated them on that basis (6).
We also frequently find him withholding judgment on certain figures until he had examined some of their works, after which he would spell out the scholarly worth of those writings in relation to other books of the same genre.
- Critique of ḥadiths and reports
Imam al-Dhahabī quoted numerous Prophetic ḥadiths in his historical works and elsewhere, notably in Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ. Whenever possible he took pains to comment on each ḥadith with respect to both its chain of transmission and its wording. As his disciple said,