ʿUthmān al-Dārimī said, “Reliable, though he does commit errors.”

Aḥmad ibn Zuhayr transmitted from Yaḥyā that he said, “Reliable,” and on another occasion he said, “Acceptable.” ʿAbbās related, “I heard Yaḥyā say, ‘Zuhayr ibn Muḥammad is reliable.’ (1)

Hanbal reported from Aḥmad that he said, “Reliable.”

Ibn Abī Ḥātim said: I asked my father about him, and he replied, “He is generally truthful, but his memory is weak; whatever he narrates directly from his notebooks is acceptable.”

Ibn ʿAdī said, “I hope there is nothing objectionable about him.” (2)

Ibn Qāniʿ stated, “He died in 162 AH.”

We were informed by someone who heard Ibn Khalīl, who told us that al-Labbān informed us, who told us that Abū ʿAlī informed us, who told us that Abū Nuʿaym informed us, who said that Ibn Fāris narrated to us, who said that Yūnus ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us, who said that Abū Dāwūd narrated to us, who said that Zuhayr ibn Muḥammad narrated to us—Mūsā ibn Wardān informed me, from Abū Hurayrah—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A person follows the religion of his close companion, so let each of you look carefully at whom he befriends.” (3)

This is a singular ḥadith with an elevated chain.

It was recorded by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, through Bundār, from Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī judged it to be sound (ḥasan).

Al-Tirmidhī said (4): “I asked Muḥammad about this ḥadith of Zuhayr ibn Muḥammad…”