Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet’s ﷺ Prayer

Abdullah ibn Abbas was a cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, son of his uncle al-Abbas. While still a boy, he set out the water for the Prophet’s ﷺ ablution, and the Prophet ﷺ prayed for him — that Allah grant him deep understanding of the religion and teach him the interpretation of the Qur’an. That prayer shaped his whole life. 1 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 3 · pp. 384 — Kandhlawi — the boy Ibn Abbas sets out the Prophet's wudu water; the Prophet's du'a for understanding of the religion and the Qur'an.

The Scholar of the Ummah

After the Prophet’s ﷺ death, the young Ibn Abbas sought knowledge tirelessly, waiting at the doors of the senior Companions until they woke. He grew into the foremost scholar of the Ummah — Hibr al-Ummah and interpreter of the Qur’an. The Caliph Umar would summon him for the most difficult problems and prefer his opinion even over the veterans of Badr; Ubayy ibn Ka’b had foretold he would become the most learned of the Ummah. 2 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 3 · pp. 304–305 — Kandhlawi — Umar gives Ibn Abbas's opinion precedence over the elders of Badr; Ubayy foretells his scholarship. 3 Stories of the Sahabah · pp. 179–181 — Zakariyya Kandhlawi — Ibn Abbas's quest for knowledge and his titles as scholar of the Ummah.

Virtues in the Hadith

اللَّهُمَّ فَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ

”O Allah, give him understanding of the religion.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 143 · Book 4 (Ablutions), Hadith 9 · USC-MSA: Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 145 · narrated by Ibn Abbas

He died at Ta’if, where the one who led his funeral prayer said the Ummah had that day lost its most learned guide. 4 Stories of the Sahabah · pp. 181 — Zakariyya Kandhlawi — Ibn Abbas's death at Ta'if and the words at his funeral.