He transmitted from: Usamah ibn Zayd al-Laythi, Usamah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam al-‘Umari, Ayman ibn Nabil, Sayf ibn Sulayman, ‘Ikrimah ibn ‘Ammar, al-Dahhak ibn ‘Uthman al-Hizami, Mu‘awiyah ibn Salih al-Himsi, Qurrah ibn Khalid, Malik ibn Mighwal, Musa ibn ‘Ulayy ibn Rabah, al-Husayn ibn Waqid al-Marwazi, Sufyan al-Thawri, Yahya ibn Ayyub, Musa ibn ‘Ubaydah, and many others.
He roamed in pursuit of knowledge, traveling from Marw al-Shahijan (1) to Egypt, and it was even said that he reached al-Andalus.
Among those who narrated from him were Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Khaythamah, Muhammad ibn Rafi‘, Abu Ishaq al-Jawzajani, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Hulwani, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Numayr, Abu Kurayb Muhammad ibn al-‘Ala’, Salamah ibn Shabib, Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Ruhawi, Yahya ibn Abi Talib, and many others; indeed, even Yazid ibn Harun—despite his seniority—reported from him.
‘Ali ibn al-Madini and others declared him reliable.
Some hadith masters said, “His narrations are acceptable; there is nothing objectionable about him.”
Ahmad ibn Hanbal remarked, “He is a sharp-witted hadith scholar. He journeyed to Egypt and Khurasan for the sake of hadith, and how patient he was in poverty! I wrote from him in Kufah, and here as well.”
He added, “He even traversed the lands for hadith as far as al-Andalus.” (2)
This was reported by Abu Bakr—