He heard from: Hammad ibn Salamah, Jarir ibn Hazim, Thabit ibn Yazid al-Ahwal, Dawud ibn Abi al-Furat, Mahdi ibn Maymun, ʿUmara ibn Zadhan, Abu Hilal Muhammad ibn Sulaym, Muhammad ibn Rashid al-Makḥuli, Qazaʿah ibn Suwayd, Wuhaib, ʿAbd al-Warith, Abu ʿAwanah, ʿAbd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad, and many others.
Those who narrated from him include: al-Bukhari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, ʿAbd ibn Humayd, Muhammad ibn Yahya, Sulayman ibn Sayf, al-Kudaymi, Yaʿqub al-Fasawi, Ibn Warah, Abu al-Ahwas al-ʿUkbari, Abu Muslim al-Kajjī, and a large number besides.
Al-Dhuhli said: “Muhammad ibn al-Fadl ʿĀrim narrated to us, and he was far removed from brazenness.” (1)
Ibn Warah said: “ʿĀrim—the truthful, trustworthy one—narrated to us.” (2)
Abu ʿAli al-Zuraīqi said: “ʿĀrim narrated to us before he became confused.” (3)
Al-Bukhari said: “His condition changed toward the end of his life.” (4)
Ibn Abi Hatim said: “I heard my father say, ‘When ʿĀrim relates something to you, seal it; ʿĀrim is in no way inferior to ʿAffan. Sulayman ibn Harb used to place ʿĀrim ahead of himself whenever they differed on any matter and would defer to what ʿĀrim said. Among the disciples of Hammad ibn Zayd he is the most reliable after ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi. He also said, “ʿĀrim is dearer to me than Abu Salamah.”’” (5)