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ABDULLAH
IBN ABBAS Radhia
Allahu Anaha
Abdullah
was the son of Abbas, an uncle of the noble Prophet. He
was born just three years before the Hijrah. When the
Prophet died, Abdullah was thus only thirteen years old.
When
he was born, his mother took him to the blessed Prophet
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 tie between Abbas and the Prophet that
was to be part of a life-long love and devotion.
When
Abdullah reached the age of discretion, he attached
himself to the service of the Prophet. He would run to
fetch water for him when he wanted to make wudu. During
Salat, he would stand behind the Prophet in prayer and
when the Prophet went on journeys or expeditions, he would
follow next in line to him. Abdullah thus became like the
shadow of the Prophet, constantly in his company.
In
all these situations he was attentive and alert to
whatever the Prophet did and said. His heart was
enthusiastic and his young mind was pure and uncluttered,
committing the Prophet's words to memory with the capacity
and accuracy of a recording instrument. In this way and
through his constant researches later, as we shall see,
Abdullah became one of the most learned companions of the
Prophet, preserving on behalf of later generations of
Muslims, the priceless words of the Messenger of God. It
is said that he committed to memory about one thousand,
six hundred and sixty sayings of the Prophet which are
recorded and authenticated in the collections of
al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The
Prophet would often draw Abdullah as a child close to him,
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."
There
were many occasions thereafter when the blessed Prophet
would repeat this dua or prayer for his cousin and before
long Abdullah ibn Abbas realized that his life was to be
devoted to the pursuit of learning and knowledge.
The
Prophet moreover prayed that he be granted not just
knowledge and understanding but wisdom. Abdullah related
the following incident about himself: "Once the
Prophet, peace be upon him, was on the point of performing
wudu. I hurried to get water ready for him. He was pleased
with what I was doing. As he was about to begin Salat, he
indicated that I should stand at his side. However, I
stood behind him. When the Salat was finished, he turned
to me and said: 'What prevented you from being at my side,
O Abdullah?' 'You are too illustrious and too great in my
eyes for me to stand side by side with you,' I replied.
Raising
his hands to the heavens, the Prophet then prayed: 'O
Lord, grant him wisdom." The Prophet's prayer
undoubtedly was granted for the young Abdullah was to
prove time and again that he possessed a wisdom beyond his
years. But it was a wisdom that came only with devotion
and the dogged pursuit of knowledge both during the
Prophet's lifetime and after his death.
During
the lifetime of the Prophet, Abdullah would not miss any
of his assemblies and he would commit to memory whatever
he said. After the Prophet passed away, he would take care
to go to as many companions as possible especially those
who knew the Prophet longer and learn from them what the
Prophet had taught them. Whenever he heard that someone
knew a hadith of the Prophet which he did not know he
would go quickly 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
the Prophet 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."
In
this way, the dedicated Abdullah would ask, and ask, and
go on asking. And he would sift and scrutinize the
information he had collected with his keen and meticulous
mind.
It
was not only in the collection of hadith that Abdullah
specialized. He devoted himself to acquiring knowledge in
a wide variety of fields. He had a special admiration for
persons like Zayd ibn Thabit, the recorder of the
revelation, the leading judge and jurist consult in
Madinah, an expert in the laws of inheritance and in
reading the Quran. When Zayd intended to go on a trip, the
young Abdullah would stand humbly at his side and taking
hold of the reins of his mount would adopt the attitude of
a humble servant in the presence of his master. Zayd would
say to him: "Don't, O cousin of the Prophet."
"Thus
we were commanded to treat the learned ones among
us," Abdullah would say. "And Zayd would say to
him in turn: "Let me see your hand." Abdullah
would stretch out his hand. Zayd, taking it, would kiss it
and say: "Thus we were commanded to treat the ahl
al-bayt members of the household of the Prophet."
As
Abdullah's knowledge grew, he grew in stature. Masruq ibn
al Ajda said of him: "Whenever I saw Ibn Abbas, I
would say: He is the most handsome of men. When he spoke,
I would say: He is the most eloquent of men. And when he
held a conversation, I would say: He is the most
knowledgeable of
men."
The
Khalifah Umar ibn al-Khattab often sought his advice on
important matters of state and described him as "the
young man of maturity".
Sad
ibn abi Waqqas described him with these words: "I
have never seen someone who was quicker in understanding,
who had more knowledge and greater wisdom than Ibn Abbas.
I have seen Umar summon him to discuss difficult problems
in the presence of veterans of Badr from among the
Muhajirin and Ansar. Ibn Abbas would speak and Umar would
not disregard what he had to say."
It
is these qualities which resulted in Abdullah ibn Abbas
being known as "the learned man of this Ummah".
Abdullah
ibn Abbas was not content 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 -
yes, a university in the full sense of the word, a
university with specialized teaching but with the
difference that there was only one teacher Abdullah ibn
Abbas.
There
was an enthusiastic response to Abdullah's classes. One of
his companions described a typical scene in front of his
house: "I saw people converging on the roads leading
to his house until there was hardly any room in front of
his house. I went in and told him about the crowds of
people at his door and he said: 'Get me water for wudu.'
He
performed wudu and, seating himself, said: 'Go out and say
to them: Whoever wants to ask about the Quran and its
letters (pronunciation) let him enter.'
This
I did and people entered until the house was filled.
Whatever he was asked, Abdullah was able to elucidate and
even provide additional information to what was asked.
Then (to his students) he said: 'Make way for your
brothers.'
Then
to me he said: 'Go out and say: Who wants to ask about the
Quran and its interpretation, let him enter'.
Again
the house was filled and Abdullah elucidated and provided
more information than what was requested."
And
so it continued with groups of people coming in to discuss
fiqh (jurisprudence), halal and haram (the lawful and the
prohibited in Islam), inheritance laws, Arabic language,
poetry and etymology.
To
avoid congestion with many groups of people coming to
discuss various subjects on a single day, Abdullah decided
to devote one day exclusively for a particular discipline.
On one day, only the exegesis of the Quran would be taught
while on another day only fiqh (jurisprudence). The
maghazi or campaigns of the Prophet, poetry, Arab history
before Islam were each allocated a special day.
Abdullah
ibn Abbas brought to his teaching a powerful memory and a
formidable intellect. His explanations were precise, clear
and logical. His arguments were persuasive and supported
by pertinent textual evidence and historical facts.
One
occasion when his formidable powers of persuasion was used
was during the caliphate of Ali. A large number of
supporters of Ali in his stand against Muawiyah had just
deserted him. Abdullah ibn Abbas went to Ali and requested
permission to speak to them. Ali hesitated fearing that
Abdullah would be in danger at their hands but eventually
gave way on Abdullah's optimism that nothing untoward
would happen.
Abdullah
went over to the group. They were absorbed in worship.
Some were not willing to let him speak but others were
prepared to give him a hearing.
"Tell
me" asked Abdullah, "what grievances have you
against the cousin of the Prophet, the husband of his
daughter and the first of those who believed in him?"
"The
men proceeded to relate three main complaints against Ali.
First, that he appointed men to pass judgment in matters
pertaining to the religion of God - meaning that Ali had
agreed to accept the arbitration of Abu Musa al-Asbari and
Amr ibn al-As in the dispute with Muawiyah. Secondly, that
he fought and did not take booty nor prisoners of war.
Thirdly, that he did not insist on the title of Amir
al-Muminin during the arbitration process although the
Muslims had pledged allegiance to him and he was their
legitimate amir. To them this was obviously a sign of
weakness and a sign that Ali was prepared to bring his
legitimate position as Amir al-Muminin into disrepute.
In
reply, Abdullah asked them that should he cite verses from
the Quran and sayings of the Prophet to which they had no
objection and which related to their criticisms, would
they be prepared to change their position. They replied
that they would and Abdullah proceeded: "Regarding
your statement that Ali has appointed men to pass judgment
in matters pertaining to Allah's religion, Allah Glorified
and Exalted is He, says: 'O you who believe! Kill not game
while in the sacred precincts or in pilgrim garb. If any
of you do so intentionally, the compensation is an
offering, of a domestic animal equivalent to the one he
killed and adjudged by two just men among." "I
adjure you, by God! Is the adjudication by men in matters
pertaining to the preservation of their blood and their
lives and making peace between them more deserving of
attention than adjudication over a rabbit whose value is
only a quarter of a dirham?"
Their
reply was of course that arbitration was more important in
the case of preserving Muslim lives and making peace among
them than over the killing of game in the sacred precincts
for which Allah sanctioned arbitration by men.
"Have
we then finished with this point?" asked Abdullah and
their reply was: "Allahumma, naam - O Lord,
yes!" Abdullah went on: "As for your statement
that Ali fought and did not take prisoners of war as the
Prophet did, do you really desire to take your
"mother" Aishah as a captive and treat her as
fair game in the way that captives are treated? If your
answer is "Yes", then you have fallen into kufr
(disbelief). And if you say that she is not your
"mother", you would also have fallen into a
state of kufr for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has
said: 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their
own selves and his wives are their mothers (entitled to
respect and consideration).' (The Quran, Surah al-Ahzab,
34:6).
"Choose
for yourself what you want," said Abdullah and then
he asked: "Have we then finished with this
point?" and this time too their reply was:
"Allahumma, naam - O Lord, yes!" Abdullah went
on: "As for your statement that Ali has surrendered
the title of Amir al-Muminin, (remember) that the Prophet
himself, peace and blessings of God be on him, at the time
of Hudaybiyyah, demanded that the mushrikin write in the
truce which he concluded with them: 'This is what the
Messenger of God has agreed...' and they retorted: 'If we
believed that you were the Messenger of God we would not
have blocked your way to the Kabah nor would we have
fought you. Write instead: 'Muhammad the son of Abdullah.'
The Prophet conceded their demand while saying: 'By God, I
am the Messenger of God even if they reject me." At
this point Abdullah ibn Abbas asked the dissidents:
"Have we then finished with this point? and their
reply was once again:
"Allahumma,
naam - O Lord, yes!"
One
of the fruits of this verbal challenge in which Abdullah
displayed his intimate knowledge of the Quran and the
sirah of the Prophet as well as his remarkable powers of
argument and persuasion, was that the majority, about
twenty thousand men, returned to the ranks of Ali. About
four thousand however remained obdurate. These latter came
to be known as Kharijites.
On
this and other occasions, the courageous Abdullah showed
that he preferred peace above war, and logic against force
and violence. However, he was not only known for his
courage, his perceptive thought and his vast knowledge. He
was also known for his great generosity and hospitality.
Some of his contemporaries said of his household: "We
have not seen a house which has more food or drink or
fruit or knowledge than the house of Ibn Abbas."
He
had a genuine and abiding concern for people. He was
thoughtful and caring. He once said: "When I realize
the importance of a verse of God's Book, I would wish that
all people should know what I know.
"When
I hear of a Muslim ruler who deals equitably and rules
justly, I am happy on his account and I pray for him...
"When
I hear of rains which fail on the land of Muslims, that
fills me with happiness..."
Abdullah
ibn Abbas was constant in his devotions. He kept voluntary
fasts regularly and often stayed up at night in Prayer. He
would weep while praying and reading the Quran. And when
reciting verses dealing with death, resurrection and the
life hereafter his voice would be heavy from deep sobbing.
He
passed away at the age of seventy one in the mountainous
city of Taif.
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