as well as by Aḥmad ibn ʿĪsā al-Tustarī, and by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Wahb, both on the authority of Ibn Wahb.

Abū Zurʿah al-Naṣrī said: “Its transmitters are all well-known.”

I say: Beyond any doubt it was narrated by Ibn Wahb, his own teacher, and Ibn Abī Hilāl, and they are recognized, upright men. As for Marwān—what will make you realize who Marwān is?—he is the grandson of Abū Saʿīd b. al-Muʿallā al-Anṣārī, and his teacher was ʿUmārah b. ʿĀmir b. ʿAmr b. Ḥazm al-Anṣārī.⦗1⦘

Even if we were to concede that the Prophet ﷺ actually said this, he ﷺ knows best what he said; moreover, any dream-vision of his calls for an interpretation that he did not spell out, nor are we capable of providing it. To take the report at its literal, sensory face value—far be it from us to indulge in such speculation. Indeed, some scholars have maintained that the ḥadith suffered a copyist’s error and that the correct wording is: “he saw his riʾiyy,” with a doubled yāʾ.

ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Address the people with what they can understand, and leave aside what they would repudiate.”⦗2⦘

It is authentically established that Abū Hurayrah withheld many reports that a Muslim has no need of for his religion; he used to say, “If I were to disclose them among you, this throat of mine would be cut.”⦗3⦘

This, however, is not a case of concealing knowledge.