Amr ibn Dinar's exact date of birth is unknown, but Islamic biographical dictionaries estimate it to be around c. AH 46 (666/667).
[2] In his early years, he attended the study circles of Ibn Abbas' students, possibly in Mecca and Ta'if.
[2] He gained renown as a scholar by the beginning of the eighth century and was offered the position of mufti of Mecca by the Umayyads after the death of Ata.
Although he initially refused, he accepted after being offered the post a second time following the death of Ata's successor, Qays ibn Sa'd.
[1] Biographical works suggest he possessed an odd personality: he seemingly arbitrarily refused to answer questioners, required his students to carry him in and out of mosques and expressed his displeasure by weeping and pretending to be blind.