His patronymic is Abū Mikdām. It is also said that he was Abū al-Naṣr. He was a tābiʿī (member of the generation following the Companions) of high rank. His reputation was great. He was a trustworthy, virtuous, and just person, and among the reliable transmitters. He was the loyal vizier of the Umayyad caliphs.
When Makḥūl was asked a question, he would say: "Ask our shaykh and master Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywa." Some of the imams praised him and stated that he was reliable in transmission. Rajāʾ had beautiful sayings and narrations. May Allah have mercy on him.