“No one narrated it from Ruqbah except Muhammad, and no one narrated it from him except Afif; Ibn Ammar alone transmitted it.”

I say: Al-Haythami deemed it defective on account of Muhammad ibn Abi Hafs al-Ansari, saying: “I could not find any biographical notice for him.” The editor of Majma al-Bahrayn (1/338—Maktabat al-Rushd) followed him in this! I say: Al-Hafiz al-Mizzi listed him among the shaykhs of Afif ibn Salim, as occurs here, and, among those who narrated from Ruqbah ibn Mithqalah, he listed Muhammad ibn Abi Hafs al-Attar.

I then consulted al-Mizan and found there: “Muhammad ibn Abi Hafs al-Kufi al-Attar narrated from al-Suddi. Al-Azdi said: ‘They spoke critically of him.’” Al-Hafiz said in al-Lisan: “Al-Nabati said: He is Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ansari, whose entry follows.” I then returned to the place indicated and found: “Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ansari narrated from Kathir al-Nawwa a rejected report; al-Azdi declared him weak. End quote. In Ibn Hibban’s al-Thiqat: Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Ali al-Ansari narrated from Usamah ibn Zayd al-Laythi, and al-Hadrami narrated from him. It is therefore possible that he is the same person.”

I then returned to Ibn Abi Hatim’s al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil, where I found (4/1/19): “Muhammad ibn Umar, who is Ibn Abi Hafs al-Ansari al-Attar, narrated from al-Suddi, and Abu Nu'aym narrated from him.” I say: It has thus become clear that Muhammad ibn Abi Hafs al-Ansari is Muhammad ibn Umar al-Ansari al-Attar, and that three trustworthy narrators are known to have narrated from him: