During his formative years, al-Zahiri relocated from Kufa to Baghdad and studied prophetic tradition and Qur'anic exegesis with a number of notable scholars during the time,[REF] including Abu Thawr, Yahya ibn Ma'in, and Ahmad bin Hanbal [REF].
Toward the end of his education, al-Zahiri traveled to Nishapur in Greater Khorasan in order to complete his studies with Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh,[REF][REF][REF][REF] at the time considered a champion of the traditionalist Sunni philosophy [REF].