[3][4] His great-grandfather was Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym, a chieftain of the Azd and the commander of his tribesmen in the army of Caliph Ali (r. 656–661) at the Battle of Siffin in 657.
[7] Abu Mikhnaf is the latter’s almost exclusive source for the events in Iraq during the long governorship of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf (694–714), the Zubayrid and Umayyad conflict with the Azariqa rebels in Persia (684–698) and the expedition of Ibn al-Ash'ath against Sistan (699–700).
[12] Some have interpreted his historical narratives to generally reflect a Kufan or Iraqi bias, rather than a purely Shia point of view.
[11] He has presented narratives in abundance of details and fullness, in strikingly frank and arresting manner, in form of dialogue and staging, which he had gathered through independent enquiries, collection of facts and seeking first hand information, but he has not ignored other traditionists, older than or contemporary with himself, for instance, he has used such authorities as, Amir Al Shahi, Rasibi, Mugalid ibn Said, and Muhammad ib Said Al Kalbi.
[8] Many Sunni scholars like Al-Dhahabi, Yahya ibn Ma'in, Al-Daraqutni, and Abu Hatim have been critical of him,[14] while some describe him as pure source.