Hashid ibn Ismaʿil said, “I was in Basra when news reached me that Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil was on his way. Once he arrived, Bundar declared, ‘Today the chief of the jurists has entered!’ (1)

Muhammad related: I heard Abu ʿAbd Allah say that Muhammad ibn Bashshar told him, ‘My garment, as it were, does not even rest against my skin until you come back to me; I am afraid you might find in my narrations something that would discredit me. But when you return and examine my hadith, my heart is put at ease and I feel safe from what I fear.’

Muhammad ibn Abi Hatim reported: I heard Ibrahim ibn Khalid al-Marwazi say, ‘I saw Abu ʿAmmar al-Husayn ibn Hurayth praising Abu ʿAbd Allah al-Bukhari and saying, “I do not know that I have ever seen anyone like him; it is as though he were created solely for hadith.”’ (2)

Muhammad also said: I heard Mahmud ibn al-Nadr—Abu Sahl al-Shafiʿi—remark, ‘I entered Basra, al-Sham, the Hijaz, and Kufa, and I met their scholars. Whenever Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil was mentioned, they preferred him to themselves.’ (3)

He further related: I heard Muhammad ibn Yusuf say, ‘When I came to Basra I went straight to Bundar. He asked, “Where are you from?” I replied, “From Khurasan.” “Which part?” he inquired. “From Bukhara,” I said. He then asked, “Do you know Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil?” I answered, “I am one of his relatives.” From that moment on he would raise me above the people.’ (4)