ith Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh, at the time considered a champion of the traditionalist Sunni philosophy. Ibn al-Jawzi noted that when studying with Ibn Rahwayh, considered one of the most knowledgeable scholars in Muslim history, al-Zahiri was willing to debate with Ibn Rahwayh on religious topics, something no one else had ever dared to do. Rahwayh criticized Al-Shafi‘i during a lesson; a debate ensued in which Zahiri alleged that Rahwayh didn’t understand al-Shafi’i's point on the topic of discussion, though Ibn Hanbal, who was physically present for the debate, declared Rahwayh to be the winner.
al-Zahiri was initially a follower of Al-Shafi‘i in jurisprudence, later branching off in terms of his principles, likely due to the influence of Ibn Rahwayh.
After completing his studies in Nishapur, al-Zahiri returned to Baghdad and began delivering his own lessons. While historians differ regarding his exact number of students, it is agreed that his following was large, with most estimates ranging between four to five hundred students who would regularly attend his Majlis. His reputation spread outside of Baghdad, and even high-level scholars from elsewhere in the Muslim world began seeking al-Zahiri’s advice on religious topics of study.
While his views were not universally accepted in his time, no attempts were made by his contemporaries to prevent him from granting religious verdicts, nor were they opposed to his teaching position. His most well-known students were his son Muhammad bin Dawud al-Zahiri, Abdullah, the son of Ibn Hanbal, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Niftawayh and Ruwaym. Zahiri was also the teacher of early jurist Abd Allah al-Qaysi, who was responsible for spreading the Zahirite school in Al-Andalus.
al-Zahiri died during the month of Ramadan in Baghdad, where he was buried. The exact year in which he died according to the Gregorian calendar is a matter of some dispute, with historians having stated both 883 CE and 884 CE.
In terms of theology, al-Zahiri was described by Ibn Taymiyyah as having been upon the orthodox Athari creed, affirming the attributes of God without delving into their fundamental nature. Al-Shahrastani, a 12th century historian of religions, grouped al-Zahiri along with Malik bin Anas, Ibn Hanbal and Sufyan al-Thawri as early Sunni figures who rejected both esoteric and anthropotheistic interpretations of God, and both Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Shahrastani considered al-Zahiri and his students, along with Malik, Ibn Hanbal al-Thawri, Abu Thawr, Al-Mawardi and al-Shafi’i and their students to be the people of the hadith, as opposed to the people of ra’y.
This creed of not delving into the fundamental nature of the texts likely affected al-Zahiri’s views on literalism as well. While all the major figures of Islam were united upon the Qur’an and Sunnah being the foremost sources of law, al-Zahiri held that these two sources must also be taken at the literal meanings and only applied in the particular circumstances which they described.
al-Zahiri rejected Qiyas, otherwise known as analogical reasoning, as a method of deducing rulings in jurisprudence, regarding it as a form of bid’ah, or addition to Islam which the prophet Muhammad had not allowed. There are conflicting views regarding al-Zahiri’s position when the specific causality of a command or prohibition within the Qur’an or prophetic example was stated, due to different historians recording opposing statements. Some take the view that al-Zahiri restricted the ruling to the incident or condition in which the causality arose, seeing that the causality provides a concrete law; others take the view that he would instead form a general principle in the event of a stated causality.
al-Zahiri considered Ijma, or religiously binding consensus, to consist of the consensus of the prophet Muhammad’s direct companions only, excluding all other generations after them from this definition. In this matter, al-Zahiri was actually in agreement with Ibn Hanbal and Abu Hanifa, figureheads of two other prominent Sunni schools of thought.
While al-Zahiri at one ti