He heard ḥadith from: Ahmad ibn al-Faḍl ibn Khuzaymah, Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Khuldī, Daʿlj ibn Ahmad, Abū ʿĪsā Bakkār ibn Ahmad, Abū Bakr al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Bakr al-Naqqāsh the Qurʾān exegete, Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Ṣawwāf, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Miqsam, Abū Bakr ibn al-Haytham al-Anbārī, and many others.

He travelled to Basra, the provinces of Fārs, and Khurāsān; he gathered traditions, authored works, and senior scholars selected from his collections. He was renowned for his remarkable memory, piety, and expertise.

Those who narrated from him included Abū Saʿd al-Mālinī, Abū Bakr al-Barqānī, Abū Bakr al-Khaṭīb, Abū ʿAlī ibn al-Bannāʾ, Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Muhtadī bi-llāh, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Sikkīnah, Mālik ibn Aḥmad al-Bānyāsī, and several others.

Al-Ḥākim said, “The first audition Ibn Abī al-Fawāris attended was with Abū Bakr al-Najjād.”

Al-Khaṭīb (1) said, “I read to him a portion of his ḥadith, and he used to dictate in the Ruṣāfah congregational mosque.” He also stated, “He passed away in Dhū al-Qaʿdah 412 AH.”

Ismāʿīl ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān informed us; Abū Muḥammad ibn Qudāmah the jurist informed us; Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Bāqī informed us; Mālik ibn Aḥmad narrated to us; Abū al-Fatḥ ibn Abī al-Fawāris the ḥadith master narrated to us; Ahmad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Salm narrated to us; al-Abbār narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Shaqīq narrated to us; he said, “I heard ʿAbdān say:

ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak said, ‘The isnād (chain of transmission) is, in my opinion, part of the religion. Were it not for the isnād, anyone could say whatever he wished; but when he is asked, “Who told you this?”, he is left speechless.’’