Learning from the Childhood of Abdullah Ibn Abbass
By Melissa Barreto
New Jersey

 

The lives of the early Muslims, lovingly known as the  sahaba, or companions, never cease to amaze me. These individuals, for many reasons, made the courageous choice to follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, often at the risk of their own status, community ties, wealth, and at times, even their physical safety. 

The stories of these early men and women are filled with tales of challenges and hardship, yet they stood firm in their faith and used whatever means they had to practice their religion as purely as they could while also helping to spread the message of Islam to the world. The sahaba were great role models for our children and their inspirational lives hold valuable lessons for us as parents as well.

One such man was named Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah have mercy on him, and his story, and the lessons we can take from it as parents, begins from the time that he was a child. 

His Birth and Lineage 

‘Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah have mercy on him, was the son of a prominent member of the Quraysh tribe, Abbass bin Abdul Muttalib and first cousin to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. 

He was born during the Boycott in Mecca, a three-year time period when ruling tribes of the Quraysh refused to trade with the early Muslims, limiting their access to community ties, and starving them of necessary food and goods. 

His mother, Lubaba, may Allah have mercy on her, was known as the second woman to accept Islam. Even though her husband did not accept Islam until much later, he loved the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, dearly and helped to protect him in Mecca. When their son ‘Abdullah was born, they took him immediately to the Prophet to perform the ritual of  tahneek. 

While the tradition was usually practiced by rubbing a small amount of date in the baby’s mouth, the ongoing boycott meant dates were unavailable and so the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used his finger moistened with a bit of his own saliva instead, creating an instant intimate bond with Abdullah ibn ‘Abbass from the time that he was a newborn. It was at this moment that the Prophet made a special dua for ‘Abdullah ibn Abbass, praying that Allah would make the child a blessing for his parents. 1  

This first act of welcoming Abdullah ibn Abbas as a newborn holds a vital lesson for us as parents: praying for our children. 

Raising children is an immense test that comes with as many challenges as it does joys. It’s also an  amanah or trust, that Allah has given us to fulfill for whatever time He has decreed for us. 

It is imperative that at every step of our parenting journey, we ask for Allah’s blessing for our children and our parenting so they can be raised in the best way possible. 

His Closeness to the Prophet 

It is said that Abdullah ibn Abbass’ family migrated from Mecca to Madinah around the 8th year after the hijrah. Even though he was only a child, he was known by the people for being a seeker of knowledge and for loving to be around the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, helping him in any way that he could, and striving to learn from him.  

As a young boy, he would bring the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his water for wudu, pray behind him in the masjid, and accompany him during his travels. 

When he was around 11 years old, Abdullah ibn Abbass’ father asked him to spend a night with the Prophet in his home so that he could observe him pray. 

Obeying his father, and eager to learn from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed isha with the Prophet inside the masjid and then joined him at the home of his aunt, Maymunah, may Allah be pleased with her. 

He was so interested in watching the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, pray, that he stayed up through the night, fighting his drowsiness and desire to sleep, so that he could observe the Prophet closely. 

He watched and listened as the Prophet slept and kept watching as he woke up to make dua in the middle of the night. He observed him use the siwak, make wudu, and then pray two units of prayer before going back to sleep again. After some time sleeping, he watched again as the Prophet rose again to repeat this process later in the night before praying witr and resting again.

Because of this young companion’s striving and keen observations, our ummah now has the details of how the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed his tahajjud prayer, witr prayer, and made dua afterward (narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim). 

It also demonstrates a very important reality for parents: our children are looking to our examples. Whether the examples we set are good or bad, for better or for worse, our children are watching us, and taking notes. 

It is so important that in raising our children, we take steps to ensure that we are modeling the kinds of behaviors and character that we want them to adopt and carry on themselves. Or, at the bare minimum, we must try to rid ourselves of our vices and improve upon our shortcomings so that they can learn from that example too. 

If we want children who will grow to love the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the way Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, did, we ourselves have to embody that love for his life and his  sunnah. 

The relationship that Abdullah ibn Abbass had with the Prophet in his youth also shows us the importance of spending time with our children and including them in our daily affairs. 

Though it is definitely easier at times to shoo them away when we are occupied or handling the day-to-day needs of the family, allowing our children to take part in our affairs can give us unique opportunities to nurture their growing characters and teach them important lessons. 

During the night Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, stayed with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he learned and memorized the beautiful ‘dua of noor’ to pass along to the rest of the Muslims through the generations, right down to us today. Ibn Abbass reported that when the Prophet went out for his prayer on this night, he made dua to Allah, saying:

“O Allah, place light in my heart and light on my tongue. Place light in my hearing and light in my seeing. Place light behind me and light in front of me. Place light above me and light below me. O Allah, grant me light!” 

(Bukhari and Muslim)

His Thirst for Knowledge 

Over the course of his life, Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, became known as  the greatest scholar of his time. 

One of the nicknames he was given by those who knew him was ‘The Scholar of the Ummah’ because no one could compete with him in his understanding of the Islamic sciences and because of how learned he was in different disciplines. Modern scholars today rank him as one of the greatest narrators of hadith from the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, right after Aisha bint Abu Bakr and Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them. 

But how? How can such a young person narrate over 1,600 hadith during his lifetime? 

The answer lies in his insatiable thirst for knowledge and deep understanding of the religion that began when he was a young child and was fueled by a special dua of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. 

In an authentic hadith narrated in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad that the Prophet placed his hand on the shoulder of Ibn Abbass as a young boy and prayed for Allah to grant him understanding of the religion and interpretation of the Qur’an. 

And Abdullah ibn Abbass took that dua seriously, dedicating any time he had to learning about Islam and gathering knowledge from whoever he could. 

When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, offered to teach him a lesson, he would listen and commit it to memory, like the time he was traveling with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as a young teen and was taught this beautiful hadith about being mindful of our relationship with Allah: 

“Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of God. If you need help, seek it from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if God had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.”

 (Narrated in Tirmidhi and Imam Nawawis 40 Hadith)

Even his childhood friends knew that he was different in the way that he strived for knowledge. Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, used to invite his friend to ask the other companions to share their knowledge with them but his friend wanted to play instead and would try to deter Ibn Abbass from his path. Ibn Abbass left his friend to learn from the companions instead, often waiting outside their homes for hours until they would find him and share what they knew with him. 3  

When I think about this young mind hungry for beneficial knowledge, it puts me to shame. 

If we truly ask ourselves: what are we prioritizing in our life? How are we spending our time? What answers would our hearts come up with? What answers are our children learning to value and prioritize through our example? 

As parents, we often fall into the trap of believing that we know best and have all of the answers. But what that does is actually prevent us from thinking critically, learning new things, and becoming better versions of ourselves. 

What knowledge can we begin reaching for to better our relationship with Allah? What knowledge can we soak up to become better versions of ourselves for ourselves and then for our families? 

Abdullah ibn Abbass, may Allah be pleased with him, was just 13 years old when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, died. His contributions continued long afterward, and he grew to be a well-respected scholar and advisor to the khalifas who followed. His life is full of valuable lessons for children and adults alike. 

His childhood alone teaches us to ask for Allah’s guidance, to seek knowledge, and to strive to set worthy examples for our children to follow. 

End Notes: 

1  Lives of the Sahaba - Series

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

(Melissa Barreto is a home-educating mother of five and Co-Founder of Wildflower Homeschool Collective, a homeschool organization based in Northern New Jersey.) https://www.soundvision.com/article/learning-from-the-childhood-of-abdullah-ibn-abbass