Among those who transmitted from him were Muslim, Abū Dāwūd; and, through an intermediary, al-Nasāʾī; as well as al-Bukhārī in works other than his Ṣaḥīḥ; Zakariyyā, the compiler known as Khayyāṭ al-Sunnah (1); Abū Yaʿlā al-Mawṣilī; Abū al-Qāsim al-Baghawī; Yaḥyā ibn Ṣāʿid; Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Sarrāj; and many others.

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—despite his seniority—also related ḥadith from him.

He had been one of the leading Christians, then he embraced Islam.

Al-Ḥākim said: I heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Aḥmad al-Māsarjisī relate, on the authority of his grandfather and others:

“Al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, the two sons of ʿĪsā, used to ride out together, and people were astonished by their beauty and fine attire. They agreed to become Muslim, so they went to Ḥafṣ ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who said to them: ‘You are among the most distinguished of the Christians, and Ibn al-Mubārak is coming (2) to perform the ḥajj. If you accept Islam at his hands, that will carry far greater weight with the Muslims and raise your standing, for he is the shaykh of the East.’

They departed from him, but al-Ḥusayn fell ill and died a Christian. When Ibn al-Mubārak arrived, al-Ḥasan accepted Islam at his hands (3).”

I (the author) say: It is unlikely that Ḥafṣ would have advised them to delay embracing Islam, for he was a learned man. If the report is sound, then al-Ḥusayn’s dying while intending to become Muslim, awaiting Ibn al-Mubārak so that he might profess the faith, would be beneficial for him.

Al-Ḥākim also said: The ḥāfiẓ Abū ʿAlī al-Naysābūrī narrated to us, on the authority of his shaykhs, that Ibn al-Mubārak once alighted at the head of Sikkat ʿĪsā, and al-Ḥasan ibn ʿĪsā used to ride