His lineage is as follows: Abdullah b. Abbas b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib b. Hāshim b. ʿAbd Manāf b. Quṣayy Abū’l-ʿAbbās al-Hāshimī. He is the cousin of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). He is the scholar of this umma. He is the mufassir (Qur’anic exegete) and translator of the Book of Allah. He was called "Ḥibr" and "Baḥr," meaning a scholar as deep as an ocean. He narrated many things from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and from the community of the Companions (ṣaḥāba). A group from among some of the Companions and the Successors (tābiʿūn) also narrated from him. Due to the breadth of his knowledge, the abundance of his understanding, the maturity of his intellect, the unattainability of his superiority, and his nobility, he possessed certain qualities not found in the lives of other Companions. Moreover, he narrated some things that others could not. May Allah be pleased with him and make him content.
His mother’s name is Umm al-Faḍl Lubāba bint al-Ḥārith al-Hilāliyya. His mother is the sister of Maymūna bint al-Ḥārith, the Mother of the Believers.
Abdullah b. Abbas is the ancestor of the Abbasid caliphs. He is one of the ten brothers born to his mother Umm al-Faḍl. He is the youngest of his brothers. As will be explained later, each of his brothers died in a land far from the others.
Muslim b. Khālid al-Zanjī al-Makkī narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was under boycott in the Shiʿb Abī Ṭālib, my father came to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him:
- O Muhammad, I think that my wife Umm al-Faḍl has become pregnant.
- I hope that Allah will bring you joy through the child she will bear. When my mother gave birth to me, she wrapped me in a cloth and swaddled me,
and they brought me to the Messenger of God. The Messenger of God then put his saliva into my mouth."
Mujāhid also said: "We do not know of anyone other than Abdullah b. Abbas into whose mouth the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) put his own saliva."
In another narration, when Abbas informed the Messenger of God that his wife was pregnant, the Messenger of God replied: "I hope that Allah, the Exalted, will bring us honor through the boy who will be born."
After the Messenger of God said this, Abdullah b. Abbas was born.
ʿAmr b. Dīnār said: "Abdullah b. Abbas was born in the year of the Hijra."
Al-Wāqidī narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"I was born three years before the Hijra. At that time, we were under boycott in the Shiʿb Abī Ṭālib. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I was thirteen years old."
Al-Wāqidī said: There is no disagreement among the people of knowledge regarding this much of the matter.
According to the evidence put forth by al-Wāqidī, Ibn Abbas reached puberty in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage.
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I was a circumcised boy." The Meccans would not circumcise their boys before they reached puberty.
Shuʿba, Hishām, and Ibn ʿAwāna narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I was a ten-year-old circumcised boy." Hishām, in addition to these words of Ibn Abbas in this narration, also reported that he said:
- In the time of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), I also memorized the muḥkamāt.
- What are the muḥkamāt?
- The detailed (mufaṣṣal) verses.
Abū Dāwūd al-Tayālisī narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, I was fifteen years old and circumcised."
Mālik narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "I went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) at Mina while he was leading the prayer, riding on a donkey. At that time, I had reached puberty. There was no wall between the Messenger of God and the qibla. I passed in front of one of the rows. Then I dismounted from my donkey and let it graze. I joined the row. No one found my action objectionable."
It is narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī that Ibn Abbas said: "My mother and I were among the mustaḍʿafūn (the weak); my mother was among the weak women, and I was among the weak children."
Ibn Abbas migrated to Medina with his father before the conquest of Mecca. They met the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) at Juhfa. At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was on his way to the conquest of Mecca. Ibn Abbas was present at the conquest of Mecca. In the eighth year of the Hijra, he participated in the battles of Ḥunayn and Ṭāʾif. According to another narration, these battles took place in the ninth year of the Hijra. In the tenth year of the Hijra, he participated in the Farewell Pilgrimage. He stayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), did not leave his side, and learned from him. He committed his words to memory, and his actions and states to mind, and acquired much knowledge from the Companions. He had a sharp intellect and deep understanding. He was eloquent and articulate, handsome and of good character. He was noble and a good speaker. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for him: "O Allah, teach him the interpretation of the Qur’an and make him a jurist in the religion."
Zubayr b. Bakkār narrated from Zayd b. Aslam that Ibn ʿUmar would pray for Abdullah b. Abbas, keep him close, and say about him: I saw, one day, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) praying for you, placing his hand on your head and putting his saliva in your mouth. He prayed for you: "O Allah, make him a jurist in the religion and teach him the interpretation."
In another narration, it is reported that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) also prayed for him: "O Allah, bring about blessing in him and spread blessing from him."
Ḥammād b. Salama narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "I spent the night in the house of my aunt Maymūna. I prepared water for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to perform ghusl. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, 'Who prepared this?' they said, 'Abdullah b. Abbas.' He then prayed: 'O Allah, teach him the interpretation and make him a jurist in the religion.'"
Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "At the end of the night, I went to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). I prayed behind him; he took my hand and pulled me toward him until he made me stand in line with him. When he turned to prayer, I stepped back again and completed my prayer. After he finished his prayer, he said to me:
- Why did you step back when I brought you in line with myself?
- O Messenger of God, you are the Messenger of Allah. You have been given honor and superiority. Is it appropriate for anyone to stand in line with you in prayer?
He was pleased with my answer and prayed to Allah to increase my knowledge and understanding. Then I saw that he slept, and I heard his snoring. After a while, Bilāl came and said, 'O Messenger of God, the time for prayer has come.' He got up and prayed without renewing his ablution."
Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) went to the lavatory. I prepared water for him to perform ablution. When he came out of the lavatory, he asked, 'Who prepared this water?' When it was said, 'Ibn Abbas did,' he prayed: 'O Allah, make him a jurist in the religion and teach him the interpretation.'"
Al-Thawrī narrated from Abū Jahdam Mūsā b. Salīm that Ibn Abbas saw Gabriel, and the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for him twice to be a possessor of wisdom (in another narration, of knowledge).
Al-Dāraquṭnī narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "I saw Gabriel twice. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for me to be a possessor of wisdom one hundred times."
Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) embraced me and said: 'O Allah, teach him wisdom.'"
Again, Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) embraced me and said: 'O Allah, teach him the Book.'"
Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for him: "O Allah, grant Ibn Abbas wisdom and teach him the interpretation."
The Commander of the Faithful, al-Mahdī, narrated from Abdullah b. Abbas that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed for him: "O Allah, teach him the Book and make him a jurist in the religion."
Imam Ahmad b. Ḥanbal narrated that Ibn Abbas said: "I was with my father in the presence of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). There was a man with him, whispering to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) seemed to turn away from my father Abbas. When we left, my father said to me:
- I think your cousin (the Messenger of God) was turning away from me, wasn’t he? - There was a man with him, whispering to him.
- Was there anyone else with him?
- Yes.
Upon this, Abbas returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him:
- O Messenger of God, was there anyone else with you just now besides us? Because Abdullah told me that there was a man sitting with you, whispering to you.
Upon this, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me:
- O Abdullah, did you see that man?
- Yes!
- That was Gabriel (peace be upon him). But now, you will lose your eyesight."