He answered, “He was intelligent, truthful, a hadith scholar, and he was stern with the people of doubts and innovation. He had heard from Abu Ishaq very early—before Zuhayr and before Israʾil.”

I asked, “Is Israʾil more reliable than he is?”
He replied, “Yes.”

I said, “Is his narration admissible as evidence?”
He said, “Do not ask me my opinion on that.”

I asked, “Then is Israʾil admissible as evidence?”
He said, “Indeed—by my life.”

He also said, “Sharik was born in the year 95 AH.”

I asked him, “What was his view concerning ʿAli and ʿUthman (may Allah be pleased with them)?”
He replied, “I do not know.”

Hafs ibn Ghiyath, through the route of ʿAli ibn Khushram, said: I heard Sharik say:

“The Prophet ﷺ passed away, and the Muslims chose Abu Bakr. Had they known that anyone among them was better than he, they would have deceived us. Then Abu Bakr appointed ʿUmar, and he upheld the truth and justice as Abu Bakr had. When death came to him, he placed the matter in consultation among six men, and they agreed upon ʿUthman. Had they known that anyone among them was better than he, they would have deceived us.”

ʿAli ibn Khushram said: Some of our colleagues among the hadith scholars told me that he presented this statement to ʿAbd Allah ibn Idris. Ibn Idris asked, “Did you hear this from Hafs?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Praise be to Allah who caused his tongue to say this. By Allah, he is a Shiʿi, and Sharik is indeed a Shiʿi.”

I said: This is a form of Shiʿism that, God willing, carries no harm—except when it involves speaking against those Companions who fought ʿAli (may Allah honor his face). That is reprehensible, and whoever does it deserves to be disciplined. We mention every Companion only with goodness, seek Allah’s pleasure for them, and say: They were a group of believers who transgressed against Imam ʿAli, as is explicit in the Prophet’s—may Allah bless him—statement to ʿAmmar: “The rebellious party will kill you.” (1)

So we ask Allah to be pleased with them all,