‘Ali Shiri...

‘Ali Shiri, in his tahqiq of Tarikh Madinah Dimashq - while commenting under the above riwayah – identifies who Abu Idris was for us: وهو أبو إدريس يزيد بن عبد الرحمن الأودي He was Abu Idris Yazid b. ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awdi.[^12] Who then was he? Al-Hafiz has the answer: يزيد بن عبد الرحمن بن الأسود الأودي بواو ساكنة بعدها مهملة، أبو داود مقبول Yazid b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Aswad al-Awdi, Abu Dawud: Maqbul (accepted when seconded).[^13] Obviously, he is NOT majhul al-hal, but maqbul.

This means that whenever he is seconded in his report, it is established from his shaykh. However, if he is alone in narrating a riwayah, then it is dha’if. We know…