Commenting on this regard...

Commenting on this regard, Ibn Abi al-Hadid says: Zuhri was among those figures who were deviated from the straight path of Imam Ali (a.s) and the Holy Prophet's family (a.s). Jarir bin Abd al-Majid quotes Muhammad bin Shaiba as saying: One day I went to the mosque of Medina. I saw that Zuhri and Urwa bin Zubair were sitting there talking ill of Ali (a.s). Ali bin al-Husain learnt about it and thus he walked towards them. When he reached them he said: O Urwa!

My father complained against your father before Allah and Allah passed a judgment in favor of my father against your father. As far you Zuhri! If I were in Macca I would have shown you the position of your father.

Ibn Abi al-Hadid adds: 'Asim bin Abu 'Amir Bajli narrates from Urawa's son that Yahya bin Urwa said: Whenever my father mentioned the name of Ali he would talk ill of him.[^15] Speaking about Zuhri, Ibn Abd al-Barr says: In his Jami'a, Mu'ammar, quoting Zahri, says: Zaid bin Haritha is the first one who embraced Islam.Abd al-Razzaq says that no one other than Zuhri has made such a claim.[^16] The word mentioned above implies that Zuhri has told a lie, because it was Imam Ali (a.s) who was the first to embrace Islam whereas Zuhri wanted to refute this virtue.

Moreover, Zuhri's hostility towards the Holy Prophet's progeny was so intense that he did not hesitate to narrate from Umar bin Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas! Speaking in this regard, Zahabi says: Umar bin Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas, quoting his father and Ibrahim and Abu Ishaq quoting Umar Sa'ad, say that Zuhri and Qutada narrate from Umar Sa'ad in 'mursal' format.

Ibn Mu'aeen exclaims saying how the killer of Imam Husain could be a credible person.[^17] It has to be said that Zuhri is among the supporters and secret agents of Ummayyid rule. Commenting on him in his Rijal al-Mishkat, Sheikh Muhadith , Abd al-Haq Dihlawi says: Because of accompanying rulers, Zuhrihad a weak faith. Scholars and pious people close to him were critical of him, pinpointing to him the risks of accompanying rulers.

In response, Zuhriwould always say that he was sharing their good deeds and was loathing their evil actions. The scholars and pious people would, in turn, say: Don't you see that they cherish false ideas and do evil deeds? Ibn Khallakan says that Zuhriwent on accompanying Abd al-Malik and his son, Hisham, after his father's death. Yazid bin Abd al-Malik used to make use of him in in judiciary matters.[^18] It was because of this that Ibn Mu'aeen criticized him.