Abdullah ibn Abbas

Abdullah ibn Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was a Companion (one of those who lived in the time of the Prophet Muhammad) and one of the earliest scholars of Islam. He was the cousin of the Prophet, as his father Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was the Prophet's uncle. He was born in Mecca shortly before the Hijra, and was still a young man when the Prophet died.

He is known by honorific titles such as "Interpreter of the Qur'an" and "Scholar of the Community," which arose from the effort he devoted to explaining the meanings of verses. Many later exegetical works contain traditions traced to him, although scholars of hadith have distinguished between authentic chains of transmission and weaker ones.

Early Life

His family belonged to Banū Hāshim, the clan of the Prophet. Until the conquest of Mecca, his father Abbas remained in Mecca; afterward the family moved to Medina. Abdullah spent time in the company of the Prophet, heard hadith from him, and learned from senior Companions such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Zayd ibn Thābit.

Knowledge and Exegesis

Abdullah's method was based on: explaining verses by means of other verses, the hadith of the Prophet, classical Arabic language and pre-Islamic poetry, and reports from the People of the Scripture when the subject concerned the history of earlier prophets. His students included Mujāhid ibn Jabr, Ikrimah, Sacīd ibn Jubayr, and Adā' ibn Abī Rabāh; they became the foundation of the Meccan school of exegesis. He is also linked to the beginnings of jurisprudence and the principles of inheritance calculation.

Public and Political Roles

During the time of Ali ibn Abi Talib, he is said to have administered Basra for a period. He also took part in negotiations aimed at resolving internal disputes, including dialogue with dissenting groups (Khawārij). In his later years he lived in Mecca and Tā'if, where he taught.