'Amr b. Shu'aib

Amir ibn Sharahil al-Sha'bi, known simply as al-Sha'bi, was one of the most brilliant Tabi'i scholars of the early Islamic period. Born around 19 AH in Kufa, he claimed to have met five hundred companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and he narrated directly from major companions including Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Aisha, Jabir ibn Abdullah, and many others. He possessed an encyclopedic memory and sharp wit, and was celebrated for his knowledge of Quranic exegesis, hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, history, and pre-Islamic Arab genealogy. He was appointed as a judge and an emissary during the Umayyad period and was reportedly sent by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to the Byzantine emperor. He refused to give legal opinions except on what was definitively established and was known for his intellectual honesty and caution. He died around 103–104 AH. The great imams of the following generation, including Ibrahim al-Nakha'i and Abu Hanifah, drew heavily from his knowledge. His narrations appear throughout the Sahihayn and the major Sunan works, covering prayer, legal transactions, prophetic biography, and many other domains.