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Abdullah ibn Abbas (Arabic: عبد الله ابن عباس ) was a cousin of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. He is revered by Shias and Sunnis alike for his knowledge. He was a hafiz and an expert in the exegesis of the Qur'an , as well as an authority on the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad due to his zeal in acquiring new knowledge. DURING PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S TIME When Abdullah was born in 619 CE, his mother, Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, took him to Prophet Muhammad, who put some of his saliva on the babe's tongue even before he began to suckle. This was the beginning of the close and intimate relationship between Abd-Allah ibn Abbas and Prophet Muhammad that was marked by a life-long love and devotion. His brother was Fadl ibn Abbas, and his father was Abbas Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib . HIS KNOWLEDGE When Abdullah was a child, Prophet Muhammad would often draw him close, pat him on the shoulder and pray, "O Lord, make him acquire a deep understanding of the religion of Islam and instruct him in the meaning and interpretation of things." During the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah did not miss any of the Prophet Muhammad's assemblies and he would commit to memory whatever Prophet Muhammad said. After Prophet Muhammad died, he would make sure to go to as many Sahaba as possible. Especially those who knew Prophet Muhammad the longest, and learn from them whatever Prophet Muhammad had taught them. Whenever he heard that someone knew a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad which he did not know he would quickly go to him and record it. He would subject whatever he heard to close scrutiny and check it against other reports. He would go to as many as thirty Companions to verify a single matter. Abdullah described what he once did on hearing that a companion of Prophet Muhammad knew a Hadith unknown to him: ''"I went to him during the time of the afternoon siesta and spread my cloak in front of his door. The wind blew dust on me (as I sat waiting for him). If I wished I could have sought his permission to enter and he would certainly have given me permission. But I preferred to wait on him so that he could be completely refreshed. Coming out of his house and seeing me in that condition he said, 'O cousin of the Prophet! What's the matter with you? If you had sent for me I would have come to you.' 'I am the one who should come to you, for knowledge is sought, it does not just come,' I said. I asked him about the hadith and learnt from him."'' Abdullah ibn Abbas was not content just to accumulate knowledge. He felt he had a duty to the Ummah to educate those in search of knowledge and the general masses of the Muslim community. He turned to teaching and his house became a university in the full sense of the word, a university with specialized teaching but with only one teacher, Abdullah ibn Abbas. He taught many people about Islam, including among the Sahaba Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and among the Taba'een Atiyya bin Saad and Sa'id bin Jubayr. ON PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S DEATHBED When Umar claimed that there was no need for Prophet Muhammad's will since Umar had the Qur'an, Ibn Abbas rushed out crying, there he met Ubaidullah ibn Abdullah. According to him, Ibn Abbas used to say, "No doubt, it was a great disaster that God's Apostle was prevented from writing for them that writing because of their differences and noise." Hadith of the pen and paper. HIS INHERITANCE FROM PROPHET MUHAMMAD Ibn Abbas, Fatimah and all the wives of Prophet Muhammad demanded their share of inheritance, but Abu Bakr refused to give them anything, arguing that he had heard Prophet Muhammad say "''We (Prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is (to be given in) charity"'' and that he was going to make provisions for those for whom Prophet Muhammad made provisions. In Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir by ibn Sa'd it is stated: On this Ali said, ''"Solomon inherited David"'', and Zachariah said, ''"He may be my heir and the heir of the children of John the Baptist".'' DURING THE REIGN OF ABU BAKR His Oath of Allegiance Neither Ibn Abbas nor the rest of Banu Hashim did give their allegiance to Abu Bakr until Ali allegedly did so. Abu Bakr said, ''"This is as this is. By God! You know it as I know."'' Thereupon Ali said, ''"This is the Book of God that speaks!"'' Then they became quiet and retired. DURING THE REIGN OF UMAR Inheritance At the beginning of Umar's reign as Caliph, Ibn Abbas and Ali went to Umar with a dispute between them (Ali and ibn Abbas). During the dispute (according to sunnis), ibn Abbas referred to Ali as a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest person. They also wanted to get their inheritance now that Abu Bakr died. Umar refused, arguing that Abu Bakr heard what he claimed. Umar heard Ibn Abbas calling Ali a liar, sinful, treacherous and dishonest person but thought that ibn abbas was referring to Abu Bakr and himself (Umar) as he was denying them inheritance. The dispute was between Ali and ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas referred to Ali as "liar". The Sunnis say that Ali and Ibn Abbas used to call each other names (out of love). As far as the inheritance is concerned, Umar gave it to them on the condition that it should be used for the same purposes for which it was used by the Prophet Muhammad. His Wisdom Umar Ibn Al-Khattab often sought his advice on important matters of state and described him as a "young man of maturity". Umar ibn Al-Khattab used to treat ibn Abbas very favorably. Umar said, "It is because of his knowledge." Then Umar asked Ibn Abbas about the interpretation of the Verse: When come the Help of God and the conquest (of Mecca) (110.1). Ibn Abbas said, ''"It portended the death of God's Apostle, which God had informed him of."'' Umar said, ''"I do not know from this Verse but what you know".'' HIS VIEWS ON TEMPORARY MARRIAGE Ibn Abbas argued against the ban of temporary marriage. Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr delivered an address in Mecca saying: ''God has made blind the hearts of some people as He has deprived them of eyesight that they give religious verdict in favor of temporary marriage, while he was alluding to a person (Ibn 'Abbas).'' Ibn Abbas called him and said: ''You are an uncouth person, devoid of sense. By my life, Mut'ah was practiced during the lifetime of the leader of the pious Muhammad . Ibn Zubayr said to him: just do it yourselves, and by God, if you do that I will stone you with your stones.'' Sunnis claim Ali corrected him in the matter, Shias disagree arguing it impossible for the knowledgeable Ibn Abbas to have remained ignorant on the issue during Umar's caliphate and take such a forceful stand against the prohibition without feeling assured. This and other evens resulted in the Hadith of Umar's speech of forbidding Mut'ah. DURING THE REIGN OF ALI IBN ABI TALIB One of his remarkable achievements was that he convinced 20,000 of 24,000 Kharijites to return to Ali. He used his immense knowledge of the Qur'an and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad to convince them and hence stopped them from rebelling against Ali, the Caliph. DURING THE REIGN OF YAZID I Due to coercion and duress he gave an oath of allegiance to Yazid the son of Muawiyah the son of Abu Sufyan . Shi’a contended that he used Taqiyya. While the Sunnis remain neutral about Yazid, they believe Ibn abbas was for the unity of the Muslims and hence did not revolt against rulers who were basically unjust. LAST DAYS At the age of 70, while talking to his student, the Taba'een Said ibn Jubair, Ibn Abbas cried when recalling the person preventing the will calling Prophet Muhammad "Delirious". He died in 68 Hijri LEGACY His son was Ali ibn Abdullah. From ibn Abbas’ lineage came the Abbasid dynasty, which replaced the Umayyad dynasty. He is considered to be the most knowledgeable of the Sahaba in tafsir. A book entitled tanwir al-miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas is a complete tafsir of the Qur'an. All explanations of which are said to go back to Ibn Abbas. On the question of authenticity, Ibn Abbas is highly respected by both Shi’as and Sunnis, although Shi’a suffered sever persecution during the Abbasid Dynasty. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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