His teachers included ‘Amr, ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, Abu Hurayrah, Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani, and Abu Sa‘id. He heard tafsīr (Quranic exegesis) and other disciplines from Ibn ‘Abbās. Among the Tabi‘ūn who narrated from him were many, including al-Zuhrī, ‘Amr ibn Dīnār, Abū al-Zubayr, Qatādah, Yahyā ibn Kathīr, Mālik ibn Dīnār, Habīb ibn Abī Thābit, al-A‘mash, Ayyūb al-Sakhtiyānī, and numerous other imams and scholars. Abū Hazzān reported: “I heard ‘Aṭā’ ibn Abī Rabāḥ say, ‘Whoever sits in an assembly of dhikr (remembrance of God), Allah will absolve him on account of that gathering from ten assemblies of falsehood.’” (Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, p.313; cited by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalī in Jāmi‘ al-‘Ulūm wa’l-Ḥikam, p.168.) Abū Hazzān added: “I asked ‘Aṭā’, ‘What is an assembly of dhikr?’ He said, ‘The gatherings concerning what is permissible and what is forbidden—how one prays, how one fasts, how one contracts marriage and divorce, and how one buys and sells.’” (Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 5/195.) Al-Ṭabarānī narrated from Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm, who reported from ‘Abd al-Razzāq (in al-Musannaf, 8/130, no.14596, up to “they lend dirhams”), from Yahyā ibn Rubay‘ah al-Ṣan‘ānī: “I heard ‘Aṭā’ say concerning the verse ‘…and in the city there were nine wretched ones who spread corruption in the land but did not reform’ [Quran 27:48], ‘They used to lend dirhams…’” (Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 5/315 via ‘Abd al-Razzāq; also in al-Musannaf, 3/369, under this verse, with the remark that they used to trim and clip their coins as the Arabs did.) It was said that they used to nick their edges. Al-Thawrī reported from ‘Ubayd Allāh (al-Waṣṣāfī) ibn al-Walīd that he asked ‘Aṭā’: “What do you think of one who uses a pen? If he writes, he and his family will live in abundance; if he abandons it, he will become poor.” I said, “This attribution is from al-Qasrī about Khalid.” ‘Aṭā’ replied, “A righteous servant said: ‘He said, “My Lord, by what You have bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals.”’ [Quran 28:17]” (Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 3/315.) He also said, “The best gift given to servants is ‘aql ‘an Allāh (intellect from God), namely knowledge of the religion.” (Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 3/315.) ‘Aṭā’ remarked, “No servant utters ‘My Lord, my Lord’ three times except that God turns His gaze toward him.” I mentioned this to al-Ḥasan, and he said, “Do you not recite the Quran: ‘Our Lord, indeed we heard a caller calling to faith, “Believe in your Lord,” and we believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds…’ until ‘and their Lord responded to them’ [Quran 3:193–195]?” (Ibn Rajab, Jāmi‘ al-‘Ulūm wa’l-Ḥikam, p.106.) ‘Abd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal reported: Abū ‘Abd Allāh al-Sulamī told us, Ṭamrah narrated from ‘Amr ibn al-Ward that ‘Aṭā’ said, “If you can seclude yourself on the eve of ʿArafa, then do so.” (Ibn Abī ‘Āṣim, al-Zuhd, p.377; Abū Nu‘aym, al-Hilya, 3/314.) Sayyid ibn Salām al-Baṣrī said: “I heard Abū Ḥanīfah an-Nu‘mān say, ‘I met ‘Aṭā’ in Mecca and asked him about something. He asked, “Where are you from?” I replied, “From Kūfah.” He said, “You are among the villagers who split their religion and became sectarian.” I said, “Yes. Then of which group are you?” I said, “Of those who do not curse the Salaf and who believe…’”