In tadlīs al-shuyūkh, a transmitter gives a known teacher an unfamiliar name, kunyah, or attribution, so that listeners may fail to recognize the teacher and apply previously established criticism. Al-Nawawī describes this concealment as «قَبِيحٌ مَذْمُومٌ»—blameworthy—especially where obscuring a weak teacher under an unfamiliar designation makes the chain appear more reliable.
Here “Abū Saʿīd al-Wuḥāẓī” is ʿAbd al-Quddūs. The teacher’s identity was disguised, but the teacher was **not omitted** from the chain: *tadlīs al-shuyūkh* is distinct from dropping an intermediary or proving an interruption. Not every alternate kunyah establishes dishonest intent, though Ibn al-Mubārak’s criticism identifies the actual danger in this case. Moreover, this report’s own unnamed upper intermediary prevents using this route alone as independent proof; its role here is supporting *mutābaʿah*.