Ali bin al-Madini was asked about Amr bin Mu'attib, from whom Yahya bin Abi Kathir narrated, from Abu al-Hasan, the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) "gave a ruling concerning a slave who had a slave woman as his wife." He said: He is majhul (unknown); no one other than Yahya narrated from him.
The Shaykh (al-Bayhaqi) said: The generality of the jurists hold the opposite of what he narrated. Had it been established, we would have held it, but we do not accept as established a hadith narrated by someone whose integrity is unknown, and success is from Allah. The opposite of this has been narrated from Ibn Mas'ud and Jabir as their own statements.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الرجعة / 15181