'Amr bin Al-Harith

Ata ibn Abi Rabah was a leading Tabi'i scholar who lived from approximately 27 AH to 114 AH and served as the foremost jurist and mufti of Mecca in his era. He was of Abyssinian origin, born into slavery, and became a freed slave of a Qurayshi family. Despite his humble origins, he rose to become one of the most respected religious authorities of his generation. He studied under numerous companions including Abdullah ibn Abbas — from whom he is the primary transmitter of a large body of hadith and tafsir — as well as Ibn Umar, Aisha, Jabir ibn Abdullah, and Abu Hurairah. Imam al-Shafi'i said: 'Ata was from those whose word was trusted in matters of religion.' He was appointed as the chief mufti of Makkah and served in that capacity for decades. He was known for his refusal to accept gifts from rulers and his willingness to advise them firmly. His narrations are extensive, covering Hajj, prayer, fasting, and Islamic jurisprudence broadly, and appear in all six major hadith collections. He is cited more than almost any other Tabi'i in classical legal literature.