Examples of the scholars’ praise for him — may Allah have mercy on him:

The scholars spoke at length about Imam Muslim’s merit, attesting to the breadth of his learning and his lofty standing. His teacher Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Farrāʾ said, “Muslim was one of the people’s scholars, a vessel of knowledge; I knew nothing of him but good.” Ibn al-Akhram remarked, “Our town has produced only three men of ḥadith: Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā, Ibrāhīm ibn Abī Ṭālib, and Muslim.” Ibn ʿUqda said, “Muslim seldom erred regarding narrators, for he recorded ḥadith exactly as he heard it.” Abū Bakr ibn al-Jārūdī stated, “Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj narrated to us, and he was one of the repositories of knowledge.” Maslama ibn Qāsim declared, “He is trustworthy, of great stature among the leading scholars.” Ibn Abī Ḥātim said, “I wrote from him; he was reliable, one of the preservers, and well-versed in ḥadith. My father was asked about him and replied, ‘Sound.’” Bundār said, “The foremost preservers are four: Abū Zurʿah, Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, al-Dārimī, and Muslim.” Isḥāq ibn Manṣūr said to Muslim, “We shall never be bereft of good so long as Allah keeps you alive for the Muslims.” Aḥmad ibn Salamah related, “I saw Abū Zurʿah and Abū Ḥātim giving precedence to Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj over the other teachers of their time in identifying what is authentic.” And al-Nawawī said: