Yahya ibn Maʿin declared him trustworthy. Abu Hatim said, “He is truthful in hadith.” It was also said that he was the son of the man who transmitted the hadith (1) “Do not benefit from the hide or the sinews of a carcass.” Others maintained that he was Maʿbad ibn Khalid.

ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr related that the Qur’an-reciters gathered around Maʿbad al-Juhani, who had been one of those present at the arbitration, and said to him, “The affair of these two—ʿAli and Muʿawiyah—has gone on too long; why not speak to them?” He replied, “Do not involve me in a matter I detest. By Allah, I have never seen the like of Quraysh; it is as though their hearts were locked with iron locks. Still, I shall proceed to do what you have asked.”

Maʿbad continued, “I met Abu Musa and said, ‘Consider carefully what you intend to do.’ He answered, ‘O Maʿbad, tomorrow we shall summon the people to a man about whom no two will differ.’ I said to myself, ‘That means he has deposed his companion.’

“Then I met ʿAmr and said, ‘You have been entrusted with the affair of the ummah; consider what you will do.’ He pulled his bridle from my hand and said, ‘Away with you, you he-goat of Juhaynah! What business is this of yours? You are privy to neither the private counsel nor the public deliberation. By Allah, the truth will not benefit you, nor will falsehood harm you.’ (2)

Al-Jawzajani said: ‘There were some people who spoke about qadar (divine decree). The scholars accepted their narrations because they recognized their diligence in religion, their honesty, and their trustworthiness, and they never suspected them of lying, even though they were tried by the unsoundness of their views. Among them were Maʿbad al-Juhani and Qatadah, and Maʿbad was their leader.’

Muhammad ibn Shuʿayb said, ‘I heard al-Awzaʿi say: The first person to speak about qadar…’