I say: He is closer to being deemed trustworthy. The truth is that he is of intermediate standing, and his hadith is good, for Ahmad, Ishaq, and al-Humaydi used his hadith as evidence. Al-Hafiz said in al-Taqrib: “Truthful, though there is some weakness in his hadith; it is said that he changed in his later years.”

I say: It would be more appropriate to declare it defective on account of the narrator who reports from him, ʿAmr ibn Thabit, for they unanimously deem him weak, even though Abu Dawud said of him: “His hadiths are sound.”

The hadith has a supporting narration from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, through several routes:

The first: from Masruq, from her. She said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, Ibn Judʿan used to maintain ties of kinship and feed the poor in the pre-Islamic era. Will that benefit him?’ He said: ‘It will not benefit him, for not once did he say: My Lord, forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgment.’” It was narrated by Muslim (1/136), Abu ʿAwanah (1/99–100), and Ahmad (6/63).

The second: from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, from her, with a fuller wording. It was narrated by Abu ʿAwanah; Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (no. 330, al-Ihsan/al-Risalah); Ahmad (6/120); Abu Yaʿla (4672); and Abu Nuʿaym in al-Hilyah (3/278). Ahmad—and Abu ʿAwanah in one of his versions—said: “ʿAbd Allah ibn Judʿan.”

The third: from Abu Salamah, from her. It was narrated by al-Hakim (2/405), who named him “ʿAbd Allah ibn Judʿan” and said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi concurred with him.