Introduction
A friend of mine asked me to write about whether Ibn Abbas’s tafsir (exegesis) is necessary for us to accept in light of the hadith of the Prophet (SAW) where he made dua to give Ibn Abbas knowledge of Quranic interpretation.
As far as I have seen, there are two groups who misuse or misrepresent the authority of Ibn Abbas (RA) in tafsir:
- Anti-Islam Apologists try to use tafsir by Ibn Abbas that contradicts historical or scientific knowledge to say, “Look the Quran got this wrong.” When Muslims tell them, “But, the Quran itself does not say what you are saying,” they say, “Ibn Abbas explained the Quran like this and he is the best interpreter of the Quran according to your Prophet, so you should believe him.”
- Some Muslims, reacting against modern skepticism, treat every tafsir from Ibn Abbas as though it were religiously binding, even when the matter concerns history, cosmology, or reports that may have come from other traditions.
The reality is Ibn Abbas (RA) was a human mufassir (interpreter of the Quran), and any human mufassir can be right or wrong when he explains the Quran. There is no such thing as an infallible interpreter of the Quran in Islam except the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself.
The dua of the Prophet (SAW) establishes the virtue and scholarly rank of Ibn Abbas (RA), not his infallibility. Reports from Ibn Abbas must still be authenticated, interpreted according to their likely source, and weighed according to the normal principles of tafsir and usul. His tafsir is therefore valuable evidence, and sometimes very strong evidence, but it is not automatically binding merely because it is attributed to him.
I do not know of any recognized Sunni scholarly tradition that treated Ibn Abbas’s individual tafsir as categorically infallible or binding, so this article does not involve much original research or argument on my part. Instead, this article only explains the view already accepted by all scholars of Sunni Islam and provides examples to make it clear.
I chose to focus on Ibn Abbas rather than other companions because a lot of tafsir is attributed to him and because of the dua of the Prophet (SAW) for him, but my arguments apply equally to other companions who spoke about tafsir.
Is Ibn Abbas Binding in Tafsir?
Hadith on the Dua
There are three major hadith on the dua of the Prophet (SAW) for Ibn Abbas (RA) with slightly different wordings. Two of them are Sahih, and the third is more questionable.
- Ibn Abbas (RA) said: Once, I placed water for the Prophet (SAW) to do wudhu, and he asked, “Who placed this here?” He was told, “Ibn Abbas.” The Prophet (SAW) said, “O Allah, give him understanding.” One (weaker) narration says, “Give him understanding of the religion.” (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)
- Ibn Abbas (RA) said: The Prophet (SAW) hugged me and said, “O Allah, teach him the Book (i.e. the Quran).” (Sahih Bukhari)
- Ibn Abbas (RA) said: The Prophet (SAW) placed his hand on my shoulders and said, “O Allah, give him understanding of the religion and teach him interpretation.” (Musnad Ahmad; Hasan)
The two Sahih hadith only mention that the Prophet (SAW) asked Allah to give Ibn Abbas (RA) understanding (probably of the religion) and teach him the book (i.e. the Quran). The weaker version mentions interpretation or tafsir.
What does the dua mean?
Ibn Abbas (RA) having understanding, or learning the book, or learning interpretation does not entail having perfect knowledge of any of those.
Any of us can try to gain understanding or learn the book or learn interpretation, but that would not entail that we have learned all of those completely.
Allah says in the Quran, using the same phrase as the Prophet’s dua, ⟪Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses and purifying you and teaching you the Book and wisdom and teaching you that which you did not know.⟫ (2:151)
Allah said the Prophet (SAW) “taught you (all) the Book”, but it is obvious this does not mean the Prophet (SAW) gave all the companions perfect knowledge of the Quran or gave us perfect knowledge! We know this for sure because the companions differed about interpretation.
Thus, the Prophet (SAW)’s dua cannot be construed to mean he was asking for Ibn Abbas (RA) to have perfect knowledge in any subject.
The dua was only asking for Ibn Abbas (RA) to be given knowledge, and there is no doubt Ibn Abbas (RA) was given knowledge. There is a reason Ibn Abbas (RA) was one of the most prominent companions in tafsir and fiqh despite being one of the youngest, but none of that entails he had perfect understanding or was always right.
Even if someone claimed that the dua asks for complete knowledge (which is not possible as explained above), it was the recommendation of the Prophet (SAW) that we should ask for the highest we can ask for. He said, “When you ask Allah, ask him for Firdaus (the highest level of Paradise).” (Sunan Tirmidhi) That does not mean people will always get the highest they ask for. Rather, Allah gives people to the level He wishes according to His wisdom.
Scholarly Disagreement with Ibn Abbas’s Tafsir
There was complete consensus in Muslim history that Ibn Abbas (RA) was neither infallible in fiqh nor tafsir. This consensus is proven by the fact that all scholars opposed the views of Ibn Abbas (RA) if they felt another view was stronger for any reason.
Companions Disagreeing With Ibn Abbas
Firstly, there are many examples of companions of the Prophet (SAW) disagreeing with Ibn Abbas in many matters of fiqh and tafsir.
For example, Allah says in Surah Najm ⟪The heart did not lie [about] what it saw.⟫ (53:11) and ⟪And he certainly saw him in another descent⟫ (53:13)
Ibn Abbas (RA) said this is about the Prophet (SAW) seeing Allah with his heart.
However, Aisha (RA) and other companions strongly opposed this view. Aisha (RA) said, “Whoever says Muhammad (SAW) saw his Lord is lying.” (Sahih Bukhari) Ibn Masud (RA) said about these verses, “He saw Jibril (AS) with 600 wings.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Later Scholars Disagreeing With Ibn Abbas
Even after the companions, there was no scholar or school in Muslim history that believed Ibn Abbas (RA) was infallible in either fiqh or tafsir.
There are schools, like the Hanafi and Maliki school, that believe the legal opinions of companions are valuable evidence. However, neither the Hanafis nor the Malikis believe in giving precedence especially to Ibn Abbas (RA) over other companions.
For example, Allah says ⟪Divorced women stay by themselves for three periods.⟫ The periods could refer to menstruation or purity. The Hanafis said it means she has to wait three periods of menstruation, and this was the view of the early scholars of Makkah, Kufa, and Basra and is authentic to Ibn Masud, Umar, and Ibn Abbas (RA). The Malikis and Shafi’is said it means she has to wait three periods of purity, and this was the view of the early scholars of Madinah including Aisha, Zaid ibn Thabit, and Ibn Umar (RA). There are two opinions among the Hanbalis.
If you read any discussion of this topic, no one uses as argument that Ibn Abbas (RA)’s view is infallible.
Another example is Allah mentions that you need to purify yourself and do tayammum (if there is no water) when ⟪you touch women⟫ (4:43). The Hanafis said this only means intercourse and refers to the obligation of ghusl. The Malikis, Shafi’is, and Hanbalis had different views that extended this to include touching women without intercourse and said it refers to the obligation of wudhu. Some of them said any touching is included and some said only touching with desire is included. Either way, they extended it beyond intercourse and ghusl.
It is authentically reported from Ibn Abbas (RA) that he said the verse only refers to intercourse.
Despite that, the Malikis, Shafi’is, and Hanbalis did not have any trouble disagreeing with Ibn Abbas’s view, and the Hanafis never used as argument that Ibn Abbas’s view is infallible.
Ibn Abbas’s Students Disagreeing With Ibn Abbas
Even from the Makkan scholars who descended from the scholarly tradition of Ibn Abbas (RA), there is no evidence they ever claimed Ibn Abbas (RA) was infallible. In fact, it is possible to find examples of Ibn Abbas’s own students sometimes disagreeing with him in fiqh or tafsir.
For example, Allah says ⟪Establish prayer at the decline (duluk) of the sun⟫ (17:78)
Mujahid narrated: Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “The sun’s duluk is when it sets.” Meaning, the time of Maghrib. (Tafsir Tabari; Sahih) Ibn Masud (RA) also supported this view.
However, Mujahid himself opined, “The sun’s duluk is when it declines (i.e. from it zenith).” Meaning, the time of Zuhr. Note that there are weaker transmissions from Ibn Abbas that support this view although the Sahih report is what I mentioned above.
Three Common Objections
Someone may say: We only believe Ibn Abbas’s explanations are binding because he said he knew the meaning of every word in the Quran except two or three.
I would say: Firstly, that statement is about knowing the linguistic meaning of words in Arabic, not general tafsir. Secondly, Ibn Abbas (RA) believing he knew the meaning of every word other than two or three does not prove his understanding was infallible, and we have seen that no one understood his understanding as infallible. Even you could study tafsir for a long time and say you know the meaning of every word except two or three.
Someone may say: We believe Ibn Abbas is infallible in tafsir, not fiqh.
I would say: Firstly, the strongest hadith on the topic is general and mentions the Prophet (SAW) asking Allah to give Ibn Abbas (RA) understanding (of the religion). There is no specification to tafsir over fiqh. Secondly, many fiqh discussions are over how to interpret verses of the Quran. All the examples I gave above are of this type.
Someone may say: We only believe Ibn Abbas’s explanation is binding when no other companion said anything on the topic. All the examples you provided have other companions supporting other views.
I would say: Either Ibn Abbas’s understanding is intrinsically binding for Muslims to believe or not. If it is binding, then it should be binding all the time, whether other companions said anything or not. How is it possible Ibn Abbas’s view only failed when other companions said something? If it is not intrinsically binding, then Muslims are not bound to accept a view just because he opined it. To become binding, it would require some external reason other than his personal authority. We will discuss some of those reasons in a later section.
Sources of Ibn Abbas’s Knowledge
Someone may ask: If you say Ibn Abbas (RA) was fallible in tafsir, where could he have gotten his knowledge other than the Prophet (SAW)?
Firstly, Ibn Abbas (RA) was a very young companion. He was only 13 years old when the Prophet (SAW) passed away. Thus, it is well-known that even when he does narrate hadith from the Prophet (SAW), they often do not come directly from the Prophet (SAW) but were learned from other companions.
Secondly, Ibn Abbas (RA), like some other companions, learned and transmitted knowledge taken from scholars of the Jewish tradition. Abu Hurairah and Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas were two other companions known for this. The main scholars they learned from were Abdullah ibn Salam and Ka’b al-Ahbar. They were both Jewish converts to Islam.
For example, Abu Mijlaz said: Ibn Abbas came to Abdullah ibn Salam and said, “I want to ask you about three things.” Abdullah ibn Salam said, “You ask me even though you read the Quran?” He said, “Yes.” So, Ibn Abbas asked him about the identity of Tubba’, the identity of Uzair, and the reason why Sulaiman (AS) noticed the (bird) Hudhud was missing despite the large number of birds. (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaibah and Tafsir Tabari; Hasan Sahih)
This report is especially interesting because it directly involves tafsir of the Quran. Tubba’ is mentioned in the Quran in 44:37 and 50:14, Uzair is mentioned in the Quran in 9:30, and the story of Hudhud is mentioned in the Quran starting from 27:20. If Ibn Abbas (RA) had knowledge from the Prophet (SAW) directly or indirectly on all of tafsir, he would not need to ask Abdullah ibn Salam.
There are many other reports that mention Ibn Abbas learning Jewish and Christian traditions.
Thirdly, Ibn Abbas (RA) also knew the poetry of the Arabs, and he often used that when explaining the words of the Quran. This is, in fact, one of the reasons his tafsir is so valuable, since Arab poetry is an important source of understanding Arabic. However, that also entails he was utilizing ijtihad, not taking everything from the Prophet SAW, and no person’s ijtihad can be binding on everyone to believe.
In conclusion, some of Ibn Abbas’s tafsir could come from Ibn Abbas (RA)’s personal ijtihad or knowledge of Arabic, some from information from other traditions, and some from a mixture of the two. None of that is inherently binding for Muslims to believe if they have reason otherwise.
Authenticity of Ibn Abbas’s Tafsir
After discussing whether Ibn Abbas’s tafsir is binding, we should discuss through which sources we can even find authentic tafsir from Ibn Abbas.
Like attributions to the Prophet (SAW) himself and companions other than Ibn Abbas, there can be weak reports that Ibn Abbas said X or Y. So, it is not enough to find that someone attributed a tafsir to Ibn Abbas. We must verify whether it truly comes from him.
Ibn Abbas was especially attributed a large amount of tafsir compared to other companions, a lot of it being inauthentic to him.
Imam Ahmad reportedly said, “Three things have no foundation: Tafsir, End Times, and History.” Having no foundation refers to these topics having a lot of reports without Sahih evidence.
Ibn Taymiyyah said, “How frequently are the views of Ibn Abbas corrupted and things are mistakenly attributed to him.”
The Famous Book Tafsir Ibn Abbas
There is a book titled Tanwir ul-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas. Although this is commonly spread online as “Tafsir Ibn Abbas”, it is actually just a later writer who collected tafsir he got through one chain to Ibn Abbas.
The chain of the author goes through Muhammad ibn al-Saaib al-Kalbi to Abu Salih Bazam to Ibn Abbas.
Al-Kalbi was a notoriously weak and unreliable narrator. Many scholars outright accused him of fabricating hadith, especially from his teacher Abu Salih. Abu Salih himself was weak and criticized for fabrication. Additionally, Ibn Hibban and others said Abu Salih never heard anything from Ibn Abbas!
Imam Ahmad was asked about Kalbi’s Tafsir, and he said, “It is lies from beginning to end.” People asked, “Is it allowed to look into it?” He said, “No.”
Good Chains of Tafsir to Ibn Abbas
Ibn Abbas had many famous students who learned tafsir from him, including Mujahid, Saeed ibn Jubair, Ikrimah, and others.
The views of Ibn Abbas (RA) are collected through some of these chains and other weak chains in works like Tafsir Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim. It is necessary to verify the authenticity of any given report before being sure it comes from Ibn Abbas (RA).
A lot of times, students of Ibn Abbas spoke about tafsir without explicitly attributing anything to Ibn Abbas. In those cases, it is impossible to say for sure whether that tafsir came from the student or from Ibn Abbas (RA). For example, we have a collected tafsir of the Quran from Mujahid where Mujahid rarely explicitly said he got something from Ibn Abbas.
When are companions binding in tafsir?
I have explained why Ibn Abbas (RA) as an individual is not binding in tafsir.
Someone may ask: Does that mean companions are never binding in tafsir?
The answer is: It depends. The companions are binding in tafsir in some circumstances, strong evidence in tafsir (without being binding) in some circumstances, and neither binding nor strong evidence in other circumstances.
When Companions Are Binding
The companions are binding in tafsir when they all agree on an aspect of tafsir. This requires evidence the major scholars of the companions, like Ibn Masud, Umar, Ubay ibn Ka’b, and others agreed on a certain meaning of the Quran with no one disagreeing. This is usually only in matters of fiqh. Rarely, it occurs in some matters of tafsir unrelated to fiqh.
Someone may ask: What if one companion says something about tafsir and no companion contradicts him?
The answer is: This depends on the situation. It can become binding with two conditions: 1) The view became widespread and we know other companions heard of it but said nothing, and 2) It is a matter of importance where knowing the right opinion would be necessary.
When these two conditions are fulfilled, most scholars believed the view of one companion is binding. That is because it is a type of silent consensus. The widespread nature of the opinion while no one corrected it proves that all the major companions agreed about the view. Other scholars disagreed with this and said the view of a few companions is never binding.
None of this is proven for most cited statements of Ibn Abbas (RA) in tafsir. It is neither proven that the view was widespread so everyone knew about it, nor is it proven that the matter was important enough that the companions would have felt the need to opine it loudly if they were not convinced of Ibn Abbas’s view.
When Companions Are Evidence
The companions are strong evidence in tafsir to understand the context of a verse’s revelation (since the Quran was revealed in their lifetimes) and to explain the meaning of the language of the Quran (since the Quran was revealed in their language).
If Ibn Abbas (RA) explains the meaning of an Arabic word, he is an important authority. If Ibn Masud (RA) explains the context of a verse, he is an important authority. If Aisha (RA) explains how the companions understood a certain verse, she is an important authority.
They are also valuable evidence if they say something about tafsir and we have no reason to doubt or reject their view.
For example, Ibn Abbas (RA) was asked about ⟪And strike them⟫ (4:34) and he said, “With a toothbrush or something like it (i.e. lightly).” (Tafsir Tabari; Sahih) This view is supported by everything other companions said and narrated, and it is not contradicted by anything. So, it is very strong evidence about what the verse should be understood as.
When Companions Are Not Binding
The companions are neither binding nor strong evidence in tafsir when they narrate from other traditions (like Jewish or Christian traditions) or extrapolate from the words of the Quran through their own opinion.
The Prophet (SAW) said, “Narrate from the People of the Book; there is no harm.” (Sahih Bukhari) He also said, “Do not confirm the People of the Book and do not disbelieve in them, but say ⟪We believe in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed to you⟫.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Since the companions were only following these statements of the Prophet (SAW) when narrating from the People of the Book, we cannot be forced to accept what the Prophet (SAW) himself allowed narrating without complete acceptance.
Someone could say: What if a companion says something about tafsir which could come from the People of the Book or could come from the Prophet (SAW)?
I would say: In that case, they are not binding, since it could come from either, and we are not forced to accept something that “could” have come from the Prophet (SAW). If that were the case, millions of things “could” have come from the Prophet (SAW). We are only required to accept things we know came from the Prophet (SAW) with clear evidence.
Someone could say: What if a companion was convinced a particular tafsir is true? Does that not mean he either got it from the Prophet (SAW) or that it is binding for us to accept for some other reason?
I would say: No, a companion being convinced about a view cannot be enough evidence it is binding. A companion could become convinced of a view due to his ijtihad, personal understanding of the Quran, or opinion that some information from the People of the Book is so close to the Quran’s words that it is clearly true.
For example, Aisha (RA) said, “Whoever says Muhammad (SAW) saw his Lord is lying.” (Sahih Bukhari) Clearly, Aisha (RA) was extremely sure of her view. However, her reason was not a clear statement from the Prophet (SAW). She said it was because of the verse ⟪Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision.⟫ (6:103)
Despite Aisha (RA) being so firm in her denial, a group of scholars throughout history (including Ibn Abbas himself) have disagreed with Aisha (RA) on this and said the verse Aisha (RA) quoted as evidence is not a strong argument because, in their view, the Prophet (SAW) only saw Allah with his heart.
Other scholars agreed with Aisha (RA), but none of them used the argument that Aisha (RA) being sure of her view makes it binding.
In the same way, even if Ibn Abbas (RA) was personally sure about the meaning of a verse, that meaning would not be binding for all Muslims to accept.
There are also many cases of two companions disagreeing and each being convinced of his own view. So, it cannot be possible that a companion is binding to accept if he is sure.
For example, Allah says ⟪By the racers, panting⟫ (100:1) Ibn Abbas said this refers to horses, and Ibn Masud and Ali (RA) said this refers to camels.
Ibn Abbas (RA) was so sure it could not refer to camels, he said, “No animals ‘pant’ except horses and dogs.” (Tafsir Tabari; Sahih)
In a Hasan report, Ibn Abbas (RA) said: A man came and asked me about this verse, and I said it refers to horses fighting in the path of Allah. Then, the man went and asked Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), and Ali asked the man, “Did you ask anyone before me?” He said, “Yes, I asked Ibn Abbas and he said it refers to horses fighting on the path of Allah.” Ali (RA) called me and said, “Do you give people opinions without knowledge? The first battle in Islam was Badr, and we only had two horses: Zubair’s horse and Miqdad’s horse, so how can this verse refer to horses on the path of Allah (since it was revealed before the Battle of Badr)? The ⟪racers, panting⟫ are the camels going from Arafah to Muzdalifah to Mina (during Hajj).” (Tafsir Tabari)
Both Ibn Abbas and Ali (RA) were convinced of their respective tafsirs, however, they became convinced because of reasons other than getting the tafsir from the Prophet (SAW). Ibn Abbas (RA) was convinced because of his understanding of the word ‘panting’ and how it is used in Arabic. Ali (RA) was convinced due to his knowledge of when the Surah was revealed: before Muslims had any access to horses.
Interesting Tafsirs of Ibn Abbas (RA)
The previous principles can be tested through some famous tafsir reports attributed to Ibn Abbas. The point is not to reject them automatically, but to ask a narrower question: Are Muslims bound to accept them?
Example 1: Time Between Prophets
Allah says ⟪Mankind was [of] one religion; then Allah sent the prophets as bringers of good tidings and warners and sent down with them the Scripture in truth to judge between the people concerning that in which they differed.⟫ (2:213)
Ikrimah narrated: Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “There were ten generations between Adam and Nuh, all of them following the truth. When they differed, Allah sent prophets and messengers and revealed His scripture. So, they were one religion [before that].” (Mustadrak al-Hakim)
Others narrated that Ikrimah said this as his own statement. It is difficult to be certain but most likely it does trace back to Ibn Abbas (RA) In sha Allah, because the students of Ibn Abbas (RA) sometimes explicitly attributed tafsir to Ibn Abbas and sometimes said it themselves.
There is a hadith narrated from the Prophet (SAW) that says something similar about the generations between Adam and Nuh (AS), but I wrote an article on its questionable authenticity.
This tafsir could easily have derived from Jewish traditions, so there is no reason it should be binding for Muslims to accept.
In summary:
- The authenticity of this tafsir from Ibn Abbas is likely but not to the level of being strongly Sahih
- The tafsir is not binding because there is no evidence of consensus and it is possible it comes from Jewish traditions.
Example 2: Earth Being on a Whale
Allah says ⟪Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe.⟫ (68:1)
Ibn Abbas (RA) said, “The first thing Allah created was the pen. Then, He lifted the vapor of water. Then, He created the skies. Then, He created the Nun (i.e. whale, in this context), then He placed the earth on the back of the Nun […]” (Tafsir Tabari; Sahih)
This view was narrated from Ibn Abbas (RA) with Sahih chains.
Weaker chains allege other views from Ibn Abbas. Some say Nun means ink, and others say Nun is a letter signifying one of Allah’s names. However, these chains are too weak to take into account.
So, we are left with the fact that Ibn Abbas (RA) said the earth was placed on the back of the Nun.
We do not have evidence that any other companion believed this about Nun, nor do we have any evidence Ibn Abbas (RA) got this information from the Prophet (SAW). So, we are not required to believe this about the meaning of Nun. Most scholars in history did not accept this view either.
In summary:
- The authenticity of this tafsir from Ibn Abbas is strong and Sahih.
- The tafsir is not binding because there is no evidence of consensus and it is possible it came from other traditions.
Example 3: Seven Earths
Allah says ⟪It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth, the like of them. [His] command descends among them so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge.⟫ (65:12)
Ibn Abbas (RA) allegedly said, “There are seven earths, and every earth has a prophet like your Prophet (SAW), an Adam like your Adam, a Nuh like your Nuh, an Ibrahim like your Ibrahim, and an Isa like your Isa.” (Mustadrak al-Hakim)
Imam Ahmad explicitly criticized this report and said one of the narrators mixed it up. (Masail Ibn Hani)
In other narrations, Ibn Abbas (RA) allegedly said, “If I told you the tafsir of this verse, you would disbelieve, and your disbelief would be denying its tafsir.” (Tafsir Tabari)
This report has Ibrahim ibn Muhajir in the chain, and Ibn Hibban said, “He made a lot of mistakes.”
There are other chains to Ibn Abbas (RA) for this idea. All of these reports have one issue or another. Some of them have questionable narrators in the chain. Some of them have doubtful links.
Some scholars can argue that we should combine these reports and say it is Sahih li-Ghayrihi or Hasan li-Ghayrihi to Ibn Abbas (RA).
There is also a report attributed to Ibn Masud (RA) that he said, “There is a distance of 500 years [of travel] between each earth.” (Tafsir Tabari) This is arguably Hasan, not Sahih.
There are also weak hadith attributed to the Prophet (SAW) that claim there are 500 years between each earth.
Despite all of this, it is not proven in a strongly Sahih way any companion said this (let alone the Prophet), nor is it proven that there was consensus among the companions, nor is it proven they could not have gotten this information from other sources.
In summary:
- The authenticity of this tafsir from Ibn Abbas (and Ibn Masud) is questionable.
- Even if it were proven, it would not be binding because there is no consensus or proof against the possibility of it coming from other traditions.
Example 4: Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring
Allah says ⟪Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it [as if] setting in a spring of dark mud⟫ (18:86)
Many students reported from Ibn Abbas (RA) that he said this verse refers to dark mud. (Tafsir Tabari) This is not a problem because Dhu al-Qarnayn could have perceived the sun setting in a spring of dark mud.
Ibn Abbas (RA) said: I recited it ⟪spring of dark mud⟫ and Abdullah ibn Amr recited it ⟪spring of warm water⟫, so we asked Ka’b al-Ahbar and he said, “It sets in a spring of black mud.” In one narration, he says, “It is in the revealed book of Allah (the Torah?) black mud.” (Tafsir Tabari; Sahih)
So, Ka’b al-Ahbar confirmed Ibn Abbas’s recitation. This narration from Ibn Abbas (RA) is very Sahih.
There is another narration transmitted by Uthman ibn Hadhir about the same incident which adds more details:
Uthman ibn Hadhir narrated:
Ibn Abbas (RA) and Muawiyah (RA) disagreed about the recitation of the verse. Muawiyah recited it ⟪spring of warm water⟫ and Ibn Abbas recited it ⟪spring of dark mud⟫.
So, Muawiyah asked Abdullah ibn Amr and he said, “I recite it like your recite it.”
Ibn Abbas said, “You ask him even though the Quran was revealed in my house?!”
So, Muawiyah sent for Ka’b al-Ahbar and asked him, “Where do you find the sun setting in the Torah?”
Ka’b said, “As for Arabic, I do not know about it. As for me, I find the sun setting in the Torah in water and mud.”
After Ibn Abbas finished narrating the story, Uthman said to Ibn Abbas (RA), “If I were there with you, I would have told you a poem that would have made it clearer.”
Then, Uthman quoted some verses that are attributed to a person named Tubba’:
- Dhu al-Qarnayn was my uncle, a Muslim,
- a king to whom kings submitted and for whom they were gathered.
- He came to the easts and the wests, seeking
- the means of dominion from a wise, guiding one.
- He saw the setting-place of the sun at its disappearance,
- in a spring of dark, muddy clay.
This report is not as strong as the first report but it is at least Hasan or to the level of Sahih In sha Alah.
It is possible to read this second narration as referring to a literal discussion about where the sun sets rather than the perception of either Dhu al-Qarnayn or the perception of anyone who goes to the western reaches of the known world.
In favor of the idea that it is a literal discussion of where the sun sets is that Ka’b was asked, “Where do you find the sun setting in the Torah?” However, it is possible the wording of this question is not fully accurate and that he was not asked specifically about the Torah but that he was rather asked about the story of Dhu al-Qarnayn according to his knowledge. Then, it would not necessarily be a literal discussion.
In favor of the idea that it was about the perception of Dhu al-Qarnayn is the fact that Uthman quoted poetry about Dhu al-Qarnayn specifically rather than general poetry about where the sun sets.
There are other weak and disproven reports, some even attributed to the Prophet (SAW) that claim the sun sets literally in a muddy spring, but none of them are authentic enough to be binding in any way.
The very fact that these companions disagreed and were unable to directly quote the Prophet (SAW) to support themselves proves their views were not based on direct evidence from the Prophet (SAW). If they had any evidence from the Prophet (SAW), that would have been the best time for quoting it.
In summary:
- The authenticity of these reports is Sahih to Ibn Abbas (RA)
- It is not completely clear whether they were discussing the perception of Dhu al-Qarnayn or literal place of the sun setting.
- The reports themselves prove this information does not come from the Prophet (SAW) but other sources.
- There was also no consensus among the major companions of tafsir like Ibn Masud, Ubay ibn Ka’b, and others. The reports only mentioned Ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Amr, and Muawiyah, and in fact, mention them disagreeing, not agreeing.
Example 5: Division After Isa (AS)
Allah says ⟪O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah, as when Jesus, the son of Mary, said to the disciples, “Who are my supporters for Allah?” The disciples said, “We are supporters of Allah.” And a faction of the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant.⟫ (61:14)
Ibn Abbas (RA) allegedly said as part of a long narrative, “After Isa (AS)’s crucifixion, they split into three groups. One group said that God was with us as long as He wanted, then he ascended to the sky. Those were the Jacobites. Another group said the son of God was with us as long as God wanted, then God raised him to Himself. Those were the Nestorians. The third group said the servant and messenger of Allah was with us as long as God wanted, then Allah raised him to Himself. Those were the Muslims.”
This report has a few problems in its chain including the fact that only Abu Muawiyah narrated it from A’mash (so it is ghareeb) and that it contains A’mash narrating from Minhal when there is no proof he learned directly from Minhal as far as I know.
So, perhaps this report is to the level of Hasan to Ibn Abbas (RA) In sha Allah.
There is no evidence of this classification of sects from any other companion.
In summary:
- The authenticity of this report to Ibn Abbas is acceptable but mediocre.
- Ibn Abbas (RA) was alone in this and there is no evidence of consensus from the companions or thata he got this information from the Prophet (SAW).
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ibn Abbas (RA) was one of the greatest authorities in tafsir, and his explanations deserve serious weight. But neither the Prophet’s dua for him nor the later scholarly use of his tafsir establishes that his individual statements are categorically binding. A report from Ibn Abbas must first be authenticated, then assessed according to its likely source and supporting evidence. If it reflects companion consensus, clear prophetic teaching, or decisive linguistic/contextual evidence, it may be binding or very strong evidence. But if it may come from ijtihad or earlier traditions, then Muslims are not required to accept it merely because it is attributed to Ibn Abbas or another companion.
