Thābit al-Bunānī narrated, from Shahr, from Umm Salama, that the Prophet ﷺ recited, “Indeed, Allah forgives all sins and is not concerned. (1)” [al-Zumar 39:53].

This, then, is what has been deemed questionable among Shahr’s hadiths despite the breadth of his transmissions, and even this is not greatly objectionable. (2)

Yaʿqūb ibn Shaybah said, “Shahr is reliable; some have nevertheless criticised him.”

Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān said, “Although Ibn ʿAwn voiced reservations about him, Shahr is trustworthy.”

I say: The man’s honesty and learning are not to be denied, and the balance of evidence favours using his reports as proof.

Notes on the differing dates of his death:
• His companion ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bahrām said he died in 100 AH, a view followed by al-Madāʾinī, al-Haytham ibn ʿAdī, Khalīfah, and others.
• It is also reported that he died in 98 AH, but this is not sound.
• Yaḥyā ibn Bukayr said he died in 111 AH—and Allah knows best.
• Al-Wāqidī and his secretary stated that it was 112 AH, a date supported by Shuʿbah’s remark, “I met Shahr ibn Ḥawshab but deliberately refrained from taking hadith from him.”

I add: He was born during the caliphate of ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) and only began seeking knowledge after 50 AH, during the time of Muʿāwiyah.