Summary:

In short, the shaykh erred in his rebuttal on several counts:

1 – He declared the hadith of Anas weak, even though, according to the established principles of hadith criticism, it is authentic.

2 – He ignored the scholars who authenticated the report, although they outnumber those who ruled it weak—something that runs counter to the very premise of blind-following and to the argument usually advanced by its adherents, namely, relying on the greater majority.

3 – He weakened the hadith of Abu Basra, despite the fact that, by his own standards of verification, it is sound.

4 – He chose not to cite that hadith as corroborating evidence, even though by his criteria it is perfectly suitable for that purpose.

5 – He concealed the hadith of Dihyah, even though it too meets the requirements of authenticity according to his method.