Ahmad (5/26) recorded it, and from his route Ibn Asakir (12/89/1).

Ahmad (5/26) recorded it, and from his route Ibn Asakir (12/89/1). I say: This chain is dha’if **. Its narrators are** thiqah (trustworthy), except Khalid b. Tahman for the majority declared him dha’if . Ib Ma’in said, “He is dha’if . He became confused ten years before his death. But, before that he was thiqah (trustworthy) .”[^6] So, both Imam al-Haythami and ‘Allamah al-Albani agree that all the narrators except Khalid were thiqah (trustworthy).

However, while al-Haythami maintains that even Khalid was graded unconditionally thiqah (trustworthy), al-Albani argues that the majority actually considered him dha’if . In a rather weird move, ‘Allamah al-Albani makes no attempt to, at least, list out the names of some of these“majority”. The best that he has offered is only one name: Yahya b. Ma’in! Interestingly, the same ‘Allamah even goes ahead to refute himself elsewhere: وأما أبو العلاء الخفاف واسمه خالد بن طهمان فهو صدوق، لكنه كان اختلط.

As for Abu al-‘Ala al-Khafaf, his name is Khalid b. Tahman, and he is saduq (very truthful), although he became confused .[^7] This is the correct view, according to al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) as well: خالد بن طهمان الكوفي وهو خالد بن أبي خالد وهو أبو العلاء الخفاف مشهور بكنيته صدوق رمي بالتشيع ثم اختلط Khalid b. Tahman al-Kufi, and he is Khalid b. Abi Khalid, and he is Abu al-‘Ala al-Khafaf, well-known with his kunya (nickname): Saduq (very truthful) , accused of Shi’ism.

He later became confused .[^8] Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) has the same opinion: خالد بن طهمان أبو العلاء الكوفي، الخفاف عن أنس، وعدة، وعنه الفريابي،وأحمد بن يونس، صدوق شيعي، ضعفه ابن معين. Khalid b. Tahman Abu al-‘Ala al-Kufi, al-Khafaf, he narrated from Anas and a number (of others) while al-Faryabi and Ahmad b. Yunus (also) narrated from him: Saduq (very truthful) , a Shi’i. Ibn Ma’in declared him dha’if .[^9] Apparently, Khalid was thiqah (trustworthy) or at least saduq (very truthful).

However, ten years before his death, his memory faded. In line with the Sunni hadith principles, when a reliable narrator with a failed memory transmits a report, we first ask if the specific report under study was narrated by him before or during his illness. If there is clear evidence that he transmitted the hadith during his days with a sound memory, then it is accepted from him unconditionally. However, in all other cases, a further question is asked.

Was his memory failure a serious one or not? The answer to that, as we will prove shortly, determines the final step.

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