This ḥadith was also recorded by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah (1) in their Sunan, and likewise by Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah. Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥākim (2) said, “Its chain of transmission is sound.”
Abū Muḥammad Ibn Ḥazm (3) stated, “It is authentic; none of the transmitters in this isnād needs further examination except this Sufyān ibn Ḥusayn—for they are the imams of Islam and the guides of mankind” (4).
Therefore, with Allah’s help, we say: this Sufyān (5) was declared reliable by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿAjlī, and by Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn according to the narration of Muḥammad ibn Saʿd—though Ibn Maʿīn added, “He did make mistakes.” He was also deemed trustworthy by ʿUthmān ibn Abī Shaybah.
ʿAbbās al-Dūrī reported: “I asked Yaḥyā about him, and he replied, ‘There is nothing wrong with him, but he is not among al-Zuhrī’s foremost pupils.’”
And Yaḥyā—in the version related by Ibn Abī Khaythamah—said: “He is acceptable, yet his reports from al-Zuhrī are not of that quality; he only heard from him during the pilgrimage season.”