Ibn Abbas

Political stance and succession

According to Shia historian al-Ya'qubi, following the death of Muhammad and the events at Saqifa, Ibn Abbas and the wider Banu Hashim maintained firm, albeit cautiously expressed, positions regarding their rightful political claim to leadership as the family of the Prophet. Alongside his brother Fadl ibn Abbas who openly challenged the assembly of Quraysh by declaring that the caliphate had been seized through political maneuvering rather than rightful precedence, Ibn Abbas allegedly held that Ali was legitimately entitled to the succession. Reflecting this sentiment, German historian Wilferd Madelung states that Ibn Abbas initially withheld his allegiance from Abu Bakr, viewing the transition of power as an arbitrary deprivation of the Banu Hashim's rightful inheritance.

Scholarly standing under Umar

Despite these initial political contentions, during the later reign of Umar, Ibn Abbas gained notable standing among the senior companions. Early interpretive methods among the companions tended to be personal, reflecting individual judgments without formal academic proofs. This dynamic was famously captured in an episode where Caliph Umar integrated the young Ibn Abbas into assemblies alongside veterans of the Battle of Badr. When some older companions questioned why a youth was included, Umar tested their understanding of An-Nasr (Surah 110: "When comes help of God, and the conquest..."). While others offered standard literal interpretations regarding the victory at Mecca, Ibn Abbas correctly deduced that the text served as a divine premonition signaling the impending death of Muhammad, an insight that Umar readily conceded he shared.

Military campaigns and defense of Uthman

During the caliphate of Uthman, Ibn Abbas took on a more active military and administrative role. In 647 CE, he joined the expedition to North Africa under the command of Abd Allah ibn Sa'd, which culminated in the Battle of Sufetula (647). He served in this campaign alongside other prominent members of the Banu Hashim and the wider Qurayshite youth.

In 650 CE, Ibn Abbas participated in the military campaign into Tabaristan led by the governor of Kufa, Sa'id ibn al-As. Marching alongside other prominent companions such as Hasan, Husayn, and Abd Allah ibn Umar, the army achieved a series of successful conquests. Following the successful siege and capture of Abrashahr, Sa'id advanced to Jurjan, where he secured a peace treaty requiring a tribute of two hundred thousand dirhams. The campaign then proceeded to Tamisah, a fortified coastal city situated on the borders of Jurjan and Tabaristan, where the Muslim forces faced stiff resistance from the local inhabitants before ultimately establishing control.

As discontent grew against Uthman due to his centralization of financial control and appointment of Umayyad relatives, disaffected provincial groups from Egypt and Kufa initiated a siege of the caliph's residence. Amidst these mounting tensions, Uthman appointed Ibn Abbas to lead the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca that year. Despite earlier political grievances, Ibn Abbas actively participated in the defense of Uthman during the siege, standing alongside the sons of other prominent companions before the caliph was ultimately assassinated.

Caliphates of Ali and Hasan, and the Umayyad era

During the First Fitna, Ibn Abbas remained a staunch supporter of his cousin, the Caliph Ali. Following the Battle of the Camel, Ali appointed him as the governor of Basra. He later fought prominently at the Battle of Siffin. After the fighting at Siffin ceased, Ali initially sought to appoint Ibn Abbas as his representative for the arbitration. However, this choice was rejected by Al-Ash'ath and the Iraqi qurra. They demanded a negotiator who was not a member of the Banu Hashim and who remained equally distant from both Ali and Mu'awiya . Following the assassination of Ali in 661 CE, Ibn Abbas pledged allegiance to his eldest son, Hasan ibn Ali, and remained a loyal supporter throughout Hasan's short caliphate, maintaining his allegiance until Hasan’s abdication in favor of Mu'awiya later that year.

During this period, a large segment of Ali's army broke away after becoming discontented with the arbitration, forming the faction known as the Kharijites. Ibn Abbas played a crucial role in engaging them, successfully convincing a large number of dissidents—numbering 20,000 out of 24,000 according to select sources—to return to Ali's fold by utilizing his deep knowledge of Muhammad's biography and scriptural interpretation. Documented across extensive medieval historiographical and biographical compendia such as al-Dhahabi's Siyar A'lam al-Nubala, Ibn Sa'd's Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kabīr, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, and Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, the theological rift centered around three core grievances raised by the Kharijites:

• Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri in Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, no. 2656,
• Al-Nasa'i in As-Sunan al-Kubra no. 8522
• Al-Nasa'i in Khoshoish Ali, no. 190
• Al-Fasawi 1/522-524
• al-Bayhaqi in Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi), no. 16740
• Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, no. 18678
• Al-Tabarani in Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (Al-Tabarani), no. 10598
• Diya' al-Din al-Maqdisi in Al-Āhādith al-Jiyād al-Mukhtārah min mā laysa fī Ṣaḥīḥain no. 436
• Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani in Hilyat al-Awliya', 3/318

1. Ali's policy for appointing Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as arbitrator in the dispute with Mu'awiyah. The Kharijites consider it as religious transgression, citing chapters Al-An'am Quran 6:57–7 ^{(Translated by Pickthall)} and Yusuf Quran 12:40–7 ^{(Translated by Pickthall)}: "The decision rests with Allah only.". Ibn Abbas responded by pointing out chapter Al-Ma'idah Quran 5:95–7 ^{(Translated by Pickthall)}. "the judge to be two men among you known for justice", arguing it is permitted to appoint arbitrator for dispute.
2. Ali's decision to not include his caliphal title during the arbitration with Mu'awiya's faction. Argued by Ibn Abbas, citing the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya when Muhammad does not include his honorific as Prophets and messengers in Islam when negotiating with Suhayl ibn Amr.
3. Spoils of war and captives, which was not taken by Ali after the Battle of the Camel, Ibn Abbas responded that since among the defeated was Aisha, the widow of Muhammad, it was impermissible for a Muslim to take another Muslim woman as a captive or to confiscate her property.

Following the death of Mu'awiya I in 680 CE (60 AH), Ibn Abbas turned his attention to political developments under the expanding Umayyad Caliphate. Before Husayn ibn Ali embarked on his expedition to Kufa, Ibn Abbas attempted to dissuade him, reminding him that the Kufans had previously abandoned both Ali and Hasan. He advised Husayn to seek refuge in Yemen instead, or at the very least, to leave his family behind if he insisted on going to Iraq.

Death and Legacy

Ibn 'Abbas is widely regarded by both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims as one of the earliest, greatest and most educated exegetes in Islamic history. Modern scholars consider Ibn Abbas to be a role model of knowledge, eloquence and excellence. There are several narrations surrounding Ibn 'Abbas. Masruq ibn al-Ajda said: "When I see Ibn 'Abbas, I say he is the most handsome of men. When I hear Ibn 'Abbas speak, I say he is the most eloquent of men. When I hear Ibn 'Abbas discussing [religious] matters, I say he is the most knowledgeable of men."

In terms of physical appearance and characteristics, he was described as being tall, handsome, white-skinned and bright-faced with a beautiful appearance. 'Ata Ibn Abi Rabah narrated: "Whenever I see the full moon on the 14th night of the month, I am reminded of the face of Ibn 'Abbas."

Ibn Abbas died in Taif, near Mecca, in 687 CE. Following his death, his son Ali became the patriarch of his offspring, a lineage that eventually established the Abbasid dynasty, which successfully overthrew the Umayyad Caliphate to assume the caliphate.

Wives and children

By a Yemenite princess named Zahra bint Mishrah, Ibn Abbas had seven children:

1. Al-Abbas, the first born, who was childless.
2. Ali ibn Abd Allah (died 736), who was the grandfather of the first two Abbasid caliphs, who replaced the Umayyads as rulers of Caliphate in 750.
3. Muhammad, who was childless.
4. Ubayd Allah
5. Al-Fadl, who was childless. (Riverine Sudanese trace their ancestry to al-Fadl through a son named Saeed, whose mother is said to be from the Ansar).
6. Sa'd had two children
7. Lubaba, who married Ali ibn Abdullah ibn Jaafar and had descendants.

He had another daughter, Asma, by a concubine; she married her cousin Abdullah ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abbas and had two sons.