What is the answer to those who say that the later scholars differed from the earlier scholars in their judgment of al-'Ajili regarding leniency in certifying narrators?

The questioner : Here is a question that says: There are those who deny al-'Ajili's leniency in certifying narrators among the earlier scholars, saying that no one among the earlier scholars explicitly stated that al-'Ajili was lenient, except the later scholars. And al-'Ajili's certification is relied upon just like the certification of others. What is the answer to that?

The Shaykh : First, who is meant by "the earlier scholars" in the question? It is the later memorizers who assess the certification and criticism of the earlier scholars. Who are the earlier scholars meant by their statement, who supposedly made al-'Ajili's certification lenient? The same is said regarding Ibn Hibban: which of the earlier scholars said that Ibn Hibban's certification contained leniency? This is because the question lacks precision unless they specify to usThe questioner : what they mean by the term "earlier scholars." We understand "earlier scholars" to be the people of the direction of certification and vindication, and these are the imams of criticism and vindication, without doubt. But those who say this one is moderate, this one is strict, and this one is lenient are the later scholars. So this is what I understood. Then what does he mean by "earlier scholars"?

The questioner : He means, for example, the contemporaries. It is the speech of the youth and students of knowledge, for example, from the contemporaries and the later scholars behind them, like al-Daraqutni and al-Bayhaqi, who came after them. And they consider the speech of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar and those below him to be from the later scholars.

The Shaykh : So al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar is from the later scholars, and al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi is from the earlier scholars in their view. So the issue became a matter of how, with no specific criteria. Then what is the intent of this question? What I understand is that we do not consider the intent to be that we do not give weight to the statement of one who says that Ibn Hibban is lenient, or that al-'Ajili is lenient. Why? Because this statement was not made by an earlier scholar. "How much did the earlier scholars leave for the later scholars?" In any case, this is as you indicated, may Allah reward you. This is a question from some students of knowledge, meaning those who have not practiced this knowledge in a scholarly manner. And if they had done so, in my belief, such a question would not have occurred to them.