Ibn Hibban's Authentication of the Narrators

Question:
Here is a question regarding the science of hadith, may Allah bless you. He asks: What is your opinion on Ibn Hibban’s authentication of narrators? And if Ibn Hibban authenticates a man but does not include his narrations in his *Sahih*, is he like a man whom he authenticated and for whom he did include narrations in his *Sahih*?

Answer:
Ibn Hibban’s authentication involves leniency. If no one else has criticized the narrator, one may rely on him, and it falls under the category of an acceptable report. It may even reach the level of *hasan* (good) if no one has criticized him. However, if a scholar has criticized him and explained the reason, and that scholar is a specialist who knows the causes of criticism, then his opinion takes precedence over the reasoning of the lenient scholars. Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim are known for their leniency. Ibn Huzaym is better than them, yes. But al-Khatib al-Baghdadi is the best, then Ibn Hibban, then al-Hakim.