Ibn Abbas
ʿAbd Allah ibn Abbas was a cousin of Muhammad and an early Muslim scholar renowned for his knowledge of the Quran and its interpretation.
Muhammad: Muhammad was the religious, political, and social leader who founded Islam in seventh-century Arabia. Ibn Abbas was Muhammad’s cousin and spent part of his childhood in his household.
Quran: The Quran is Islam’s central scripture, understood by Muslims as revelation to Muhammad in Arabic. Ibn Abbas became especially renowned for explaining its language and meanings.
Ibn Abbas Quran commentary: Ibn Abbas Quran commentary is the body of interpretations attributed to him in early and later Islamic sources. It gathers the explanations most closely associated with his scholarly reputation.
Schools of Quranic exegesis: Schools of Quranic exegesis are scholarly traditions that differ in methods, sources, and interpretive priorities. Ibn Abbas’s transmitted interpretations became a foundational source for later exegetical traditions.
Hadith criticism: Hadith criticism evaluates reports through transmitter reliability, chain continuity, and comparison of transmitted texts. It provides methods for judging reports attributed to Ibn Abbas.
Ali ibn Abi Talib: Ali ibn Abi Talib was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, the fourth caliph, and the first Shia imam. Ibn Abbas supported Ali during the First Fitna and served in his administration.
Tafsir: Tafsir is the scholarly interpretation and explanation of the Quran. Ibn Abbas is remembered as an early authority in this broader interpretive tradition.
Tanwir al-Miqbas: Tanwir al-Miqbas is a Quran commentary traditionally attributed to Ibn Abbas, though its attribution is disputed. Its famous attribution illustrates how his authority was invoked in later tafsir.
Isnad: Isnad is the chain of transmitters used to support a report in Islamic scholarship. Chains linking interpreters to Ibn Abbas affect how reports attributed to him are assessed.
Hadith attribution: Hadith attribution is the process of assessing whether a report can reliably be traced to its claimed source. The large body of material attributed to Ibn Abbas varies in reliability and transmission history.