Ibn Abbas


ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās, also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Qur'an.
He was the son of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of Muhammad, and a nephew of Maymunah bint al-Harith, who later became Muhammad's wife. During the early struggles for the caliphate, he supported Ali, and was made governor of Basra. He withdrew to Mecca shortly afterwards. During the reign of Mu'awiya I he lived in Hejaz and often travelled to Damascus. After Mu'awiya I died in 680 CE he migrated to At-Ta'if, where he is resting from around 687 CE.
'Abd Allah ibn Abbas was highly regarded for his knowledge of traditions and his critical interpretation of the Qur'an. From early on, he gathered information from other companions of Muhammad and gave classes and wrote commentaries.

Biography

Family

He was the third son of a wealthy merchant, Al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, hence he was known as Ibn Abbas. His mother, Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, was the second woman who converted to Islam, on the same day as her close friend Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad's wife.
The father of Ibn Abbas and the father of Muhammad were both sons of Shaiba ibn Hashim, better known as 'Abdul-Muṭṭalib. Shaiba bin Hashim's father was Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, the progenitor of the clain of Banu Hashim of the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca.

619–632: Muhammad's era

Ibn Abbas was born in 3 BH and his mother took him to Muhammad before he had begun to suckle. This event represented the beginning of a close relationship between them.
As he grew up, he was by Muhammad's side doing different services like fetching water for ablution. He would pray with Muhammad and follow him on his assemblies, journeys and expeditions. It is said that Muhammad would often draw him close, pat him on the shoulder and pray, "O God! Teach him the Book ". Muhammad had also supplicated for him to attain discernment in religion. Ibn Abbas kept following Muhammad, memorizing and learning his teaching.

Muhammad's statement

In, Muhammad fell into his last illness. During this period, the Hadith of the pen and paper was reported, with Ibn Abbas as the first-level narrator, at that time about twelve years old. Days after that, Abbas and Ali supported Muhammad's weight on their shoulder, as Muhammad was too weak to walk unaided.

632–634: Abu Bakr's era

Inheritance from Muhammad

Ibn 'Abbas was thirteen years old when Abu Bakr came to power.

Continued education

After Muhammad's era, he continued to collect and learn Muhammad's teaching from Muhammad's companions, especially those who knew him the longest. He would consult multiple Sahaba to confirm narrations, and would go to as many as thirty Companions to verify a single matter, once he heard that a Sahaba knew a hadith unknown to him:
In addition to his own scholarship, Ibn Abbas was a teacher. His house from where he taught became the equivalent of a university.
One of his companions described a typical scene in front of his house:
He held classes on one single subject each day. His classes covered topics such as tafsir, fiqh, Halal and Haraam, ghazawa, poetry, Arab history before Islam, inheritance laws, Arabic language and etymology.

634–644: Umar's era

Advising Umar

Umar often sought the advice of Ibn Abbas on important matters of state and described him as a "young man of maturity":
The Sahaba Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas said:

656–661: Ali's era

Battle of Siffin

Ibn Abbas remained a staunch supporter of his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib during his war with Muawiyah, including at the Battle of Siffin. He had also been given the position of governor of Basra during Ali's reign as Caliph.
A large group of Ali's army were discontented with the outcome of Ali's war with Muawiyah, and broke off into a separate group that became known as the Kharijites. Ibn Abbas played a key role in convincing a large number of them to return to Ali; 20,000 of 24,000 according to some sources. He did so using his knowledge of Muhammad's biography. According to the Siyar A'lam al-Nubala by al-Dhahabi, 'Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kabīr by Ibn Sa'd, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq and many other medieval sources, there are three issues which pointed out by the Kharijites for the reason they rebelled:
  1. Ali's policy for appointing Abu Musa Al-Ashari as arbitrator in the dispute with Mu'awiyah. The Kharijites consider it as religious transgression, citing chapters Al-An'am and Yusuf : "The decision rests with Allah only.". Ibn Abbas responded by pointing out chapter Al-Ma'idah, arguing it is permitted to appoint arbitrator for dispute.
  2. Ali's decision to not include his caliphal title during the arbitration with Mu'awiyah's faction. Argued by Ibn Abbas, citing the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya when Muhammad does not include his honorific as Prophets and messengers in Islam when negotiating with Suhayl ibn Amr.
  3. Spoils of war and captives, which was not taken by Ali after the Battle of the Camel, Ibn Abbas responded that since among the defeated was Aisha, the widow of Muhammad, it was impermissible for a Muslim to take another Muslim woman as a captive or to confiscate her property.

680–683: Yazid's era

Sunnis believe that ibn Abbas was in favour of the unity of the Muslims and hence did not revolt against rulers. He advised Husayn ibn Ali against his proposed expedition to Kufa that ended at Karbala.

Wives and children

By a Yemenite princess named Zahra bint Mishrah, Ibn Abbas had seven children:
  1. Al-Abbas, the first born, who was childless.
  2. Ali ibn Abdullah, who was the grandfather of the first two Abbasid caliphs, who replaced the Umayyads as rulers of Caliphate in 750.
  3. Muhammad, who was childless.
  4. Ubaydullah, who was childless.
  5. Al-Fadl, who was childless..
  6. Saad had two children
  7. Lubaba, who married Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Jaafar and had descendants.
He had another daughter, Asma, by a concubine; she married her cousin Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas and had two sons.

Hadith transmitted

Ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said, "Two favours are treated unjustly by most people: health and free time."
Ibn Abbas reported: Muhammad said, "He who does not memorize any part from the Qur'an, he is like the ruined house."
On the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said, "One day I was behind the Prophet and he said to me: 'Young man, I shall teach you some words. Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the nations were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."
Al Hakim records on the authority of ibn Abbas that Muhammad advanced, carrying upon his back Hassan ibn Ali, and a man met him and said, 'an excellent steed thou ridest, lad!'. Muhammad replied, 'and he is an excellent rider.'
Ali ibn Husam Adin records that ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said the following about his deceased aunt Fatima, the mother of Ali: "I put on her my shirt that she may wear the clothes of heaven, and I lay in her grave that I may lessen the pressure of the grave. She was the best of Allah’s creatures to me after Abu Talib".

Legacy

Masruq ibn al Ajda said of him:
The 1924 Cairo edition Quran adopted the chronological order of chapters promulgated by Ibn Abbās, which subsequently became widely accepted.

Views

Ibn Abbas viewed that Tafsir can be divided in four categories:
  • The category the Arabs knew because of its language
  • Those of ignorance, of which no one will be excused
  • Those the scholars know
  • Those no one knows except Allah
Sunni view him as the most knowledgeable of the Companions in tafsir. A book entitled Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas is tafsir, all explanations of which may go back to Ibn Abbas. Of all narrations transmitted by Ibn Abbas, 1660 were considered authentic by the authors of the two Sahihs.
Regarding Ibn Abbas giving verdicts in favor of Nikah Mut'ah, most Sunnis view that Ali corrected him on the matter, while other view that "Ibn Abbas position on the permissibility of Mut'ah until his last day is proven" per the Hadith of Ibn al-Zubayr and Mut'ah.
Sunnis describe thus:

Summary

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās known as Ibn ʿAbbās was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most renowned Islamic scholars and Qur’anic commentators .
He was the son of al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, Muhammad’s uncle, and Umm al-Faḍl Lubāba, among the earliest converts to Islam. His close relationship with the Prophet began in childhood; Muhammad prayed for him to gain deep understanding of the Qur’an and religion.
After Muhammad’s death, Ibn ʿAbbās became known for his vast knowledge, scholarship, and teaching, consulting senior companions and verifying narrations carefully. His house in Mecca became a center of learning, teaching tafsīr, law, poetry, and history.
He was respected by the early caliphs:ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb often sought his counsel, admiring his wisdom despite his youth.
  • During ʿAlī’s caliphate, Ibn ʿAbbās served as governor of Basra and helped reconcile dissenting factions, including convincing many Kharijites to rejoin ʿAlī.
  • Under Muʿāwiya and later rulers, he remained politically neutral, prioritizing unity among Muslims.
In his later years, he settled in Ṭāʾif, where he died around 687 CE. His descendants included ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh, the grandfather of the first ʿAbbāsid caliphs.
Ibn ʿAbbās transmitted numerous ḥadīth and is credited with profound insights into Qur’anic meanings. Companions and successors praised him as eloquent, wise, and the most knowledgeable among men.