Welcome to our Blog! This article is a refutation of the claim that Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas called Mu’awiyyah Ibn Abi Sufyan a companion and a faaqih. We read in Sahih al-Bukhari :
“حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعَافَى، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، قَالَ أَوْتَرَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ بِرَكْعَةٍ وَعِنْدَهُ مَوْلًى لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، فَأَتَى ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقَالَ دَعْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ صَحِبَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم.”
al-Hasan Ibn Bishr narrated from al-Mu’afa on the authority of Uthman Ibn al-Aswad that Ibn Abi Mulayka said :
Mu’awiyyah prayed one rakah of Witr, and it was said to Ibn Abbas, so Ibn Abbas replied : ‘Leave him, for he was a companion of Rasul-Allah ﷺ’
~Sahih al-Bukhari 3764, vol 5:28
• Firstly, let us examine the commentary of the great Hafidh of Ahl al-Sunnah, Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani, before checking what exactly Ibn Abbas said about Mu’awiyyah :
فأتى ابن عباس فحكى له ذلك، فقال له: دعه، وقوله: دعه أي اترك القول فيه والإنكارعليه
The saying of Ibn Abbas ‘leave Mu’awiyyah’ means to leave his saying, and rejecting him.
~Fath al-Baari vol 7:104
>> Let us see what exactly Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas said about Mu’awiyyah, Abu Ja’far at-Tahavi wrote :
أن أبا غسان مالك بن يحيى الهمداني حدثنا قال: ثنا عبد الوهاب بن عطاء، قال: أنا عمران بن حدير، عن عكرمة أنه قال: كنت مع ابن عباس عند معاوية نتحدث حتى ذهب هزيع من الليل، فقام معاوية، فركع ركعة واحدة، فقال ابن عباس: “من أين ترى أخذها الحمار
Abu Ghassan al-Hamidani narrated from Abd al-Wahhab Ibn Aata’ who narrated from Imran Ibn Hudayr that Ikrimah Mawla Ibn Abbas said :
I was with Ibn Abbas around Mu’awiyyah and we were talking until part of the night had passed them Mu’awiyyah stoop up and prayed one rakah of witr.
Ibn Abbas said : ‘From where did this donkey (Mu’awiyyah) take it?’ I.e praying one rakah of witr.
• Allamah Abu Ja’far at-Tahavi wrote below the Hadith :
وقد يجوز أن يكون قول ابن عباس: “أصاب معاوية” على التقية منه له،
It is possible that when Ibn Abbas said ‘Mu’awiyyah is right’ it could be due to Taqiyyah towards Mu’awiyyah.
• Allamah al-Bahraji said : The sanad is Sahih (إسناده صحيح)
~Sharah ma’ani al-Athar vol 2:452-453, Dar Ibn Hazm
>> This shows that the narration where Ibn Abbas said ‘Leave Mu’awiyyah, for he is a companion’ or ‘Mu’awiyyah is right’ was said based upon rejection and taqiyyah as mentioned by Hafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani & Allamah Abu Ja’far at-Tahavi. While in reality, Ibn Abbas called Mu’awiyyah a donkey.
>> If we examine the chain of narration of both narrations, we find out that where Ibn Abbas called Mu’awiyyah – A Sahabi or Faaqih, it is narrated by Ibn Abi Mulayka, and where he calls him ‘A Donkey’, it is narrated by Ikrimah the Mawla of Ibn Abbas and it is proven that the narration of Ikrimah to Ibn Abbas is BETTER than the narration of Ibn Abi Mulayka as Hafidh al-Uqayli wrote :
ﺣﺪﺛﻨﺎ ﺣﺎﺗﻢ ﺑﻦ ﻭﺭﺩاﻥ ﻗﺎﻝ: ﺣﺪﺛﻨﺎ ﺃﻳﻮﺏ ﻗﺎﻝ: اﺟﺘﻤﻊ ﺣﻔﺎﻅ اﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺱ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻋﻜﺮﻣﺔ ﻓﻴﻬﻢ: ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﺑﻦ ﺟﺒﻴﺮ ﻭﻋﻄﺎء ﺑﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﺭﺑﺎﺡ، ﻓﺠﻌﻠﻮا ﻳﺴﺄﻟﻮﻧﻪ ﻋﻦ ﺣﺪﻳﺚ اﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺱ،
Haatim Ibn Wardan narrated that Ayub al-Sakhtiyani said : The Huffaz (Hadith memorisers) of Ibn Abbas unanimously agreed upon Ikrimah, upon whom (the Huffaz) were Sa’eed Ibn Jubayr & Aata’ Ibn Abi Rabah, they would go to Ikrimah and ask him about the Hadith of Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas.
~ad-Du’afa al-Kabeer vol 3:376
• Yahya Ibn Ma’in narrated :
ﺣﺪﺛﻨﺎ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻓﻀﻴﻞ ﻗﺎﻝ ﺣﺪﺛﻨﺎ ﻋﺜﻤﺎﻥ ﺑﻦ ﺣﻜﻴﻢ ﻗﺎﻝ ﺟﺎء ﻋﻜﺮﻣﺔ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺃﺑﻰ ﺃﻣﺎﻣﺔ ﺑﻦ ﺳﻬﻞ ﻭﺃﻧﺎ ﺟﺎﻟﺲ ﻋﻨﺪﻩ ﻓﻘﺎﻝ ﻳﺎ ﺃﺑﺎ ﺃﻣﺎﻣﺔ ﺃﻣﺎ ﺳﻤﻌﺖ ﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎﺱ ﻳﻘﻮﻝ ﻣﺎ ﺣﺪﺛﻜﻢ ﻋﻜﺮﻣﺔ ﻋﻨﻰ ﻣﻦ ﺷﻲء ﻓﺼﺪﻗﻮﻩ ﻓﺈﻧﻪ ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﺬﺏ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﺎﻝ ﻧﻌﻢ
Muhammad Ibn Fudayl narrated that Uthman Ibn Hakeem said : “Ikrimah went to Abu Umamah while I was sitting with him and I asked Abu Umamah ‘Have you heard Ibn Abbas say, whatever Ikrimah narrates to you on my authority, accept it, for Ikrimah never lies about me?’ Abu Umamah replied ‘Yes.”
~Taarikh Ibn Ma’in Riwayah al-Dawri vol 3:259
Part Two : Ibn Abbas cursed Mu’awiyyah
1) Ahmad Ibn Hanbal narrated :
وَقَالَ: لَعَنَ اللهُ فُلانًا، عَمَدُوا إِلَى أَعْظَمِ أَيَّامِ الْحَجِّ، فَمَحَوْا زِينَتَهُ، وَإِنَّمَا زِينَةُ الْحَجِّ التَّلْبِيَةُ
Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas said : ‘May Allah curse so and so (Mu’awiyyah) for they erased the beauty of Hajj and the beauty of Hajj is the Talbiyyah.’
•The Muhaqqiq of the book, Shaykh Shuayb al-Arnaut said :
حديث صحيح، رجاله ثقات رجال الشيخين
The Hadith is Sahih, the narrators are Thiqah and the narrators of al-Shaykhayn (Bukhari & Muslim)
~Musnad Ahmad vol 3:364
2) Abu Bakr al-Bayhaqi narrated :
عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ: كُنَّا عِنْدَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ بِعَرَفَةَ، فَقَالَ: يَا سَعِيدُ مَا لِي لَا أَسْمَعُ النَّاسَ يُلَبُّونَ؟ ” فَقُلْتُ: يَخَافُونَ مُعَاوِيَةَ فَخَرَجَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ مِنْ فُسْطَاطِهِ، فَقَالَ: ” لَبَّيْكَ اللهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ وَإِنْ رَغِمَ أَنْفُ مُعَاوِيَةَ اللهُمَّ الْعَنْهُمْ فَقَدْ تَرَكُوا السُّنَّةَ مِنْ بُغْضِ عَلِيٍّ
Sa’eed Ibn Jubayr said : “I was with Ibn Abbas on the day of Arafah and Ibn Abbas said to me, ‘O Sa’eed why do I not hear the Talbiyyah?’ I said ‘The people fear Mu’awiyyah.’
Ibn Abbas went out and said ‘Labbayk Allahuma Labbayk! Even if Mu’awiyyah dislikes it, May Allah curse them for they abandoned a Sunnah due to the hate of Ali.'”
~al-Sunan al-Kubra al-Bayhaqi vol 5:183
3) Abu Ja’far at-Tabari mentioned :
ورجع ابن عَبَّاس وشريح بن هانئ إِلَى علي، [وَكَانَ إذا صلى الغداة يقنت فيقول: اللَّهُمَّ العن مُعَاوِيَة وعمرا وأبا الأعور السلمي وحبيبا وعبد الرَّحْمَن بن خَالِدٍ والضحاك بن قيس والوليد] فبلغ ذَلِكَ مُعَاوِيَة، فكان إذا قنت لعن عَلِيًّا وابن عباس والأشتر وحسنا وحسينا.
Ibn Abbas & Shurayh Ibn Hani’ went to Imam Ali and when he prayed the Fajr prayer he would recite in the qunoot : ‘May Allah curse Mu’awiyyah, Amr Ibn al-Aas, Abu al-Awar al-Sulami, Habib, Abd al-Rahman Ibn Khalid, al-Dahhak Ibn Qays & al-Walid.’
When this news reached Mu’awiyyah, he recited the qunoot and cursed Ali, Ibn Abbas, Malik al-Ashtar, al-Hasan & al-Husayn.
~Taarikh at-Tabari vol 5:71
Thank you for reading! May Allah send countless salawat upon Muhammad and Aal’ Muhammad and countless la’anah upon those who hurt them.
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