he narrated from Abū Jamrah al-Ḍubʿī, al-Zuhrī, Qatādah, Ibn Judʿān, and a group of others. Among those who transmitted from him were Sufyān al-Thawrī, Ḥammād ibn Zayd, Ibn al-Mubārak, Rūḥ ibn ʿUbādah, and Abū Muʿāwiyah al-Ḍarīr.

He died long ago, passing away sometime in the early 150s AH.

Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn once classed him as reliable, then later withheld endorsement, saying, “He is not strong.” Yaḥyā al-Qaṭṭān said, “Weak,” and al-Nasāʾī said the same, even though he included his reports in the Sunan. The two Shaykhs (al-Bukhārī and Muslim) also cited him only in supporting chains; I do not think either of them relied on him as an independent proof.

Ibn ʿAdī observed, “He is one of the weak narrators whose ḥadīth are nevertheless written down.”

Ibn al-Madīnī related: “I said to Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd, ‘Did you transmit anything from Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥafṣah?’ He replied, ‘Yes, I wrote down all of his ḥadīth and then discarded them,’ adding, ‘He is on the level of Ṣāliḥ ibn Abī al-Akhdar.’”

I (the author) say: At best his reports may be deemed ḥasan, and he was not prolific.

ʿUqaylī reports: “Muḥammad narrated to us, Ṣāliḥ narrated to us, ʿAlī narrated to us: I heard Muʿādh ibn Muʿādh say, ‘I wrote from him.’ I asked Muʿādh, ‘Why? (1)’ He replied, ‘Because I saw him visit Ashʿath ibn ʿAbd al-Malik; when we would rise to leave, he would sit with some boys and they would dictate (ḥadīth) to him.’ I then said to Muʿādh, ‘Who is he, O Abū al-Muthannā?’ He answered, ‘Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥafṣah.’”

ʿUqaylī recorded this anecdote under the entry for Muḥammad ibn Maysarah.