Shuʿba bin al-Ḥajjāj was born with a speech impediment (althagh) sometime between the years 80–86 AH, though likely 85, in Wāsiṭ, a historical city located on the west bank of the Tigris River in central ʿIrāq.
He then moved to Baṣra as a child, where lived, studied, and later died in 160/776 AH/CE due to plague.
Although Abū Ḥanīfa and ʿAbd Allāh bin Ṣāliḥ al-ʿAjlī al-Kūfī levelled critiques against his transmissions.
[3] However, his appearance in the ḥadīth transmitted by individuals such as Sufyan al-Thawri, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj and al-Bukhari show the prominent place he held in the early circles of ḥadīth transmitters and other scholars.
Furthermore, there are many reports that mention the devotion of Shuʿba, including: helping the poor, avoiding ostentatious displays of knowledge and wealth, and participating in renunciatory acts.