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ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest mufassir of the Quran.Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), Historical Dictionary of Islam, p.134. Scarecrow Press. .
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 Taif, where he is resting from around 687 CE.There is uncertainty as to the actual year of his death. Some sources state either 687 or 688.
'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.
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.
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 knowledge of) the Book (Qur'an) ". Muhammad had also supplicated for him to attain discernment in religion.Sahih Muslim (#6523) Ibn Abbas kept following Muhammad, memorizing and learning his teaching.
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, Ghazw, poetry, Arab history before Islam, inheritance laws, Arabic language and etymology.
The Sahaba Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas said:
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 Khawarij or 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, in particular, the events of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah.
He had another daughter, Asma, by a concubine; she married her cousin Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas and had two sons.Tabari, vol. 39, pp. 54-55.
Ibn Abbas reported: Muhammad said, "He who does not memorize any part from the Qur'an, he is like the ruined house." (from Tirmidhi)
On the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said, "One day I was behind (i.e. riding behind him on the same mount) the Prophet and he said to me: 'Young man, I shall teach you some words (of advice). 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." (from Tirmidhi)
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 (commonly known as al-Mutaki al-Hindi) records that ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said the following about his deceased aunt Fatima, the mother of Ali: "I (Muhammad) 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".
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Sunni view him as the most knowledgeable of the Sahaba in tafsir. A book entitled Tanwir al-Miqbas 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.Reliance of the Traveller by Ahmad al-Misr, (A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law), translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, published by Amana publications, Beltsville, Maryland, USA 1991
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.Fatih al-Qadir by Muhammad ash-Shawkani, Sharh Hidaya Volume 3 p. 51
Sunnis describe thus:
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 (Qur’anic interpretation), law, poetry, and history.
He was respected by the early caliphs:
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.
Biography
Family
He was the third son of a wealthy merchant, Al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, thus he was called Ibn Abbas (the son of Abbas). His mother was Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, who prided herself in being the second woman who converted to Islam, on the same day as her close friend Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad's wife. Marriage to a 'past': Parents should not reject a proposal without a good reason – and being a revert with a past is not an acceptable one
619–632: Muhammad's era
Ibn Abbas was born in 3 BH (619–620 Common Era) and his mother took him to Muhammad before he had begun to suckle. This event represented the beginning of a close relationship between them.
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. Regarding Omar's Refusal to Give the Prophet a Pen to Write his Will!!! 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:
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":
656–661: Ali's era
Battle of Siffin
Ibn Abbas remained a staunch supporter of his cousin Ali 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.
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:
Hadith transmitted
Ibn Abbas narrated that Muhammad said, "Two favours are treated unjustly by most people: health and free time." (from Sahih Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah and al-Nasa'i)
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.Jane Dammen McAuliffe "Preface" Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Vol. 1Gerhard Böwering, "Chronology and the Quran", Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Vol. 1, [[Brill|Brill Publishers]]
Descendants
[[Caliph]]s of the Abbasid Caliphate
[[Caliph]]s of [[CairoMamluk Sultanate]]
[[Zaydi]] imams
Views
Ibn Abbas viewed that Tafsir can be divided in four categories: Interpreting The Text
Summary
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (c. 619–687 CE) known as Ibn ʿAbbās was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and one of the most renowned Islamic scholars and Qur’anic commentators (mufassirīn).
See also
External links
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