What is Ibn Hajar’s criterion for arranging the men according to the generations?

The questioner : ... It is well known that [the classification] is for those before the first century and those after the first century. This is his convention. However, sometimes a narrator may be mentioned as being from the fourth or fifth generation, yet his death may have occurred before the first century, or he may be from the ninth generation and his death after the first or second century. What is the criterion? I do not know how it works. If there is a specific criterion or a particular convention of the Hafiz...

The Shaykh : I do not know of a specific criterion for this, because he considers the status of the sheikhs he followed. If he met, for example, a Companion of the Successor, he may not look precisely at the year of death, as long as he narrated from a Successor. And you are descending in this manner, meaning he does not only consider the year of death; he also considers his meeting with the sheikhs.

The questioner : The greater focus is on the generation, regardless of his death.

The Shaykh : Yes, this is what I have observed, and Allah knows best.

The questioner : The commentary on al-Taqrib, of course, is by 'Abd al-Wahhab 'Abd al-Latif. Sometimes he seems to correct the Hafiz, for example, mentioning that someone is from the fourth generation, and saying: No, he is from the second or third. In reality, the Hafiz’s statement is in its proper place.

The Shaykh : ... No, it has no basis for consideration.

The questioner : Thank you.

The Shaykh : You are welcome.