the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and from the Companions and Successors, so many false reports that only Allah can count them, what then of what he transmits from someone like Ahmad?

He was not someone who deliberately lied, for he was above that. He possessed exceptional intelligence, an intense desire for knowledge, and great diligence in investigating matters. In what he said, he was among those most intent on reaching the truth. Many of his statements are admirable and sound, possessing great substance and eloquence, while his skill in classification and arrangement places him among the finest authors. Yet because he had not accessed what the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) brought through reliable channels, he transmitted such material according to what had reached him—especially given this corrupt principle, whereby he made prophethood derivative of other things.

It has also been said of him that much of what he mentions in his books consists of things he used to hear from certain storytellers and preachers, or