We're talking to you today about an illustrious companion whose name should not have escaped you, the imam and glorious Ibn Abbas in particular. This emblematic companion has become the greatest tasfir specialist. It's an honor to tell you about him, his life and his invaluable role in these few lines.
Who was Ibn Abbas?
Ibn Abbas, whose full name was Abou l-'Abbas 'Abdou lLah son of Al-'Abbas son of 'Abdou l-Mouttalib Chayba son of Hachim son of 'Abdou Manaf, Al-Qouraychi, Al Hachimi, Al Makki, was the paternal cousin of Allah's Messenger.
Much younger than the Prophet, he was born three years before the Hegira. So when the Prophet died, he had barely reached the age of 13. But Ibn Abbas was born to be a scholar, and despite the short time he spent with the Prophet, his record in science is truly more than exemplary.
Let's start by describing him physically, before illustrating his precious and vast knowledge.
What did he look like?
A man of merit in both demeanor and appearance, Ibn Abbas was a glorious, respectable imam of great intellect and intelligence. Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, himself referred to Ibn Abbas as a young man worthy of many an adult. Not least because he had quickly realized his maturity, his immense knowledge and his high degree. Ibn Abbas, in his appearance, was of great beauty and good looks, by the grace of Allah subhanu wa ta3la.
He is described as a very handsome man, with a beautiful white face, and a sublime mouth of great size. And it was always Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said to Ibn Abbas himself:
"You are certainly the most beautiful of our young men by face and the most beautiful by reason and the one among them who has the most knowledge about the Book of Allah 'azza wa jall". This is how we are inevitably led to present him in the qualities of the man of science that he was.
Inevitably, a man of great learning
What we always remember about Ibn Abbas is that he reached a high level of knowledge and understanding of the religion of truth. So much so, in fact, that Caliph Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, despite ibn Abbas's young age, would humbly consult him for advice on a variety of subjects. Indeed, many haadiths record his immense knowledge, particularly of the Noble Qur'an.
Ibn 'Abbas himself is reported to have said: "The Prophet placed his hand on my head and made an invocation for me to have wisdom".
Similarly, in another hadith reported by Al-Hakim, the Messenger of Allah made an invocation to him: "O Allah, teach him the interpretation of the Qur'an". And in another version "O Allah teach him the science of the laws in religion and teach him ta-wil."
And so it was that Ibn Abbas, in addition to his personal will, attained a high degree of knowledge. And since science was definitely his hallmark, let's take a look at which subjects Ibn Abbas' knowledge embraced in particular.
Ibn Abbas the rallying point of knowledge
Ibn 'Abbas is remembered for his wide-ranging knowledge, which had the impact of enlightening hearts. Notably in the interpretation of the Qur'an, in the sciences of jurisprudence and also in the haadiths. But also in history, the Arabic language and literature.
So much so, in fact, that it was the destination for those in search of knowledge. Indeed, people came to him right up to the end of his life, at the age of 71 to be precise. To learn from him haadiths, explanations of the Qur'an and jurisprudence. In conclusion, we'd like to share this hadith with you to bear witness to this.
The hadith testifying to his immense knowledge
Ibnou l-Jawzi in Siffatou s-Safwah reports:
"I saw people gathered in front of his door to the point that the road no longer contained them. No one could come or go. So I went back to tell him that they were outside his door. He said:
"Prepare the water for the woudou. He made the woudou. Sat down and he said, "Go out and call whoever wants to ask about the Qur'an and its ta-wil. " I went out and gave them permission. They returned until they filled the house.
They did not ask a single question, without him answering them and teaching them more than they had asked. Then he said to them, "Your brothers now." They left to make room for others.
Then he said to me, "Go out and call those who want to ask about what is lawful and what is forbidden and jurisprudence, and what is of the sort, let them come in." He said, "I went out and gave them permission." They went in until they filled the house. They didn't ask a single question, without him answering them and adding to what they had asked.
Then he told them, "Your brothers after you." They went out. Then he said to me, "Go out and call those who want to ask about the science of inheritance and what is of that order.
Let them enter," "I went out and gave them permission." They came in until they filled the house. They didn't ask a single question on any subject. Without him answering them and teaching them more than they had asked.
Then he told them, "Your brothers now." Then he said to me, "Go out and call, those who have questions about the Arabic language, about poetry and about what is strange in words.
Let them come in". He said, "They've come in until they've filled the house. They did not ask about a thing without him adding to them in addition to what they had asked." The one who reported said, "If all Quraysh took pride in this, it would have been enough for them. I have not seen this granted to anyone other than him.".