Abu Dawud likewise said, “He is reliable, a man of Sarakhs. He set out intending the pilgrimage, but when he reached Nishapur he found its people following the doctrine of Jahm (1). He therefore said, ‘Staying among these people is better than performing Hajj.’ So he remained there and shifted them from Jahm’s teaching to the view of the Murjiʾah (2).

Salih ibn Muhammad Jazarah said, “He is trustworthy, his hadith are sound, and he leans somewhat toward irjaʾ in matters of faith. Allah has endeared his narrations to the people; his transmission is excellent.”

Ishaq ibn Rahawayh remarked, “His narrations are authentic, and he heard a vast amount. No one in Khurasan possessed more hadith than he did, and he was reliable.”

Abu al-Salt ʿAbd al-Salam ibn Salih al-Harawi said, “I heard Sufyan ibn ʿUyaynah say, ‘No Khurasani has ever come to us better than Abu Rajaʾ ʿAbd Allah ibn Waqid.’ I asked him, ‘And what about Ibrahim ibn Tahman?’ He replied, ‘That one was a Murjiʾ.’ Abu al-Salt then added, ‘Their irjaʾ was not the vile doctrine that faith is merely a statement with no deeds and that abandoning deeds does not harm faith. Rather, their irjaʾ meant that they hoped Allah would forgive those guilty of major sins, as a rebuttal to the Khawarij and others who declare Muslims unbelievers because of their sins.’

I heard Wakiʿ say, ‘I heard al-Thawri, toward the end of his life, say: “We hope for all who commit major sins—so long as they follow our religion and perform our prayer—even if they commit whatever acts they may.”’ He added, ‘And he was extremely harsh with the Jahmiyyah (3).’

Yahya ibn Aktham said, “Ibrahim was among the most noble people of Khurasan, Iraq, and the Hijaz—the most trustworthy of them and the widest in knowledge.”