He is the most prominent student of Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee. His other Shaykhs are Nu'aym bin Hammaad, Alee bin Ma'bad bin Shaddaad al-Basree, and Asbagh bin Naafi'. The small number of his Shaykhs is explained by the fact that he kept very close attachment to his Shaykh, ash-Shaafi'ee, and he did not travel a great deal to the various lands of Islaam, but sufficed himself with the Shaykhs of Egypt (Misr).

Abu Ishaaq ash-Sheeraazee said (as-Siyar of adh-Dhahabi 12/493):

I saw al-Muzanee and I have not seen anyone of greater worship of Allaah than him, and nor more precise in fiqh than him.

Adh-Dhahabi said (as-Siyar 12/492):

The Imaam, the Allaamah, the jurist of the Ummah, the signpost of the ascetics.

And al-Bayhaqi mentions the saying of ash-Shaafi'ee (Manaaqib ash-Shaafi'ee 2/356):

If this one - pointing at al-Muzanee - debated with the Shaytaan, he would have cut him off (in argument)

His students include:

• Abu Bakr bin Khuzaimah (d. 311H),
• Abu Ja'far at-Tahawi (d. 321),
• Zakariyyaa bin Yahyaa as-Saajee (d. 307H),
• Abul-Hasan bin Jawsaa (d. 320H),
• Abu Muhammad bin Abdur-Rahmaan bin Abee Haatim ar-Raazee (d. 327)

He was born in 175H, the year in which al-Layth bin Sa'd died, and he died in 264H.