al-Ṣanʿānī and al-Najjār said:

“ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us; Maʿmar informed us, from al-Zuhrī, from ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUtbah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ looked at ʿAlī and declared: ‘You are a leader in this world and a leader in the Hereafter. Your beloved is my beloved, and my beloved is Allah’s beloved; your enemy is my enemy, and my enemy is Allah’s enemy. So woe to anyone who hates you after I am gone.’ (1)

al-Ḥākim said: Abū al-Azhar related this report in Baghdad while Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn was still alive. Some people objected to it until it later became clear to the assembly that Abū al-Azhar was completely free of blame, for he is truthful.

Abū ʿAlī Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿUmar al-Mudhakkir also transmitted it to us, saying, ‘Abū al-Azhar narrated …,’ and he mentioned the report.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿd related to me: Muḥammad ibn Ḥamdūn narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Najjār narrated …, and he mentioned it.

I heard (2) Abū ʿAlī the ḥāfiẓ say—having heard it from Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Tustarī—that when Abū al-Azhar recited this hadith in the chapter on virtues, news of it reached Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn. While Yaḥyā was sitting with a group of hadith scholars, he exclaimed:

‘Who is this lying man from Nishapur who has narrated this from ʿAbd al-Razzāq?’

Abū al-Azhar rose and said, ‘Here I am.’

Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn smiled and remarked, ‘Indeed, you are no liar.’ He was astonished at his innocence and added, ‘The fault in this matter lies with someone else.’

I also heard (2) Abū Aḥmad the ḥāfiẓ relate—from Abū Ḥāmid ibn al-Sharqī—who, when asked about Abū al-Azhar’s hadith from ʿAbd al-Razzāq on ʿAlī’s merits, replied:

‘This is baseless. The reason is that Maʿmar had a nephew who was a Rāfiḍī. Maʿmar used to allow him access to his books, and the nephew inserted this hadith there. Maʿmar was held in such awe that no one could—’