عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاس
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا
Abdullah ibn Abbas
Interpreter of the Qur'an · Cousin of the Prophet ﷺ · A boy when he died
may Allah be pleased with them both
Quraysh — Banu Hashim · Makkah, Madinah and Ta'if, up to about 68 AH
He was around thirteen when the Prophet ﷺ died, and spent the next fifty years turning that short exposure into the foundation of Qur'anic interpretation. Umar seated him among the veterans of Badr while he was still young enough for people to object.
Known for
He became the foremost authority on interpreting the Qur'an
The Prophet ﷺ prayed that he be given understanding of the religion
He was a boy when the Prophet ﷺ died
The reports put him around thirteen.
Umar seated him among the veterans of Badr
Older men objected that they had sons his age. Umar put a question of interpretation to the gathering, and Ibn Abbas was the one who answered it.
His story in moments
Short episodes from his life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
A short exposure
Ibn Abbas was a cousin of the Prophet ﷺ, born a few years before the Hijrah. He was a boy — the reports put him around thirteen — when the Prophet ﷺ died.
That is a very small window, and it is the central fact about him. Almost everything he became known for was built afterwards, by going to the older Companions and asking them, systematically, over years.
The reports describe him seeking out the Ansar in particular and waiting at their doors rather than sending for them.
Later years
He taught, and the interpretation of the Qur'an as a discipline rests substantially on what came through him and his students.
He lost his sight towards the end of his life. He died at Ta'if; the sources give the year as around 68 AH.
How the sources describe him
He went to people rather than waiting for them to come to him
He was interested in what the words actually meant
Connect
People around him
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
His cousin, who prayed that he be given understanding of the religion.
Seated him among the veterans of Badr while he was still a young man.
Full timeline
- 11 AH
The Prophet ﷺ dies while he is still a boy
- During Umar's caliphate
Umar seats him among the veterans of Badr
- The decades after the Prophet's ﷺ death
Teaches, and becomes the reference for interpreting the Qur'an
- Around 68 AH approximate, reports differ68 AH is the commonest report; others differ.
Dies at Ta'if
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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