Third: His restricting himself to declaring Yazid weak displays clear leniency, for the man was in a far worse state: al-Nasa’i and others deemed him abandoned, and al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib: “Malik and others accused him of lying.” *

3182—(Whenever a matter troubled him, he would say: “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer! By Your mercy I seek aid.”)

It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (9/185/3524) and Ibn al-Sunni in ‘Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (109/332)—the wording is his—through Yazid al-Raqashi, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: ... and then mentioned it. Al-Tirmidhi said: “A singular hadith.”

I say: Its flaw is this Yazid—namely, Ibn Aban—who is weak, as stated in al-Kashif and al-Taqrib, despite his righteousness and devotion.

However, it has a corroborating report in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, who said:

Whenever anxiety or grief came upon the Messenger of Allah, he would say: ... and then mentioned it.

It was recorded by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (1/509), and through him by al-Bayhaqi in al-Da‘awat al-Kabir (127/170), by way of al-Nadr ibn Isma‘il al-Bajali: Abd al-Rahman ibn Ishaq narrated to us; al-Qasim ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us from his father, from him. Al-Hakim said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi rebutted him, saying:

“I say: Abd al-Rahman did not hear from his father, and Abd al-Rahman and those after him are not authorities.”