Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib

The Prophet’s Uncle

Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib was a paternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, of Banu Hashim, and a man of standing among the Quraysh. Though he embraced Islam openly only later, he watched over his nephew from the first.

Surety at the Pledge of Aqaba

When the believers of Madinah came secretly by night to pledge themselves to the Prophet ﷺ at Aqaba, it was Abbas who accompanied him to that meeting and rose to address the Ansar — telling them plainly that, since they wished to take the Prophet ﷺ from the protection of his own family, they alone would bear responsibility for his safety. 1 History of Islam · Vol 1 · pp. 134–135 — Najeebabadi — Abbas accompanies the Prophet to the Second Pledge of Aqaba and charges the people of Madinah with his protection.

Virtues in the Hadith

So honoured was his place as the Prophet’s ﷺ uncle that, years later, when drought struck in the caliphate of Umar, the caliph made Abbas the means of the community’s prayer for rain:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا فَتَسْقِينَا وَإِنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِعَمِّ نَبِيِّنَا فَاسْقِنَا

”O Allah, we used to seek a means to You through our Prophet ﷺ and You would give us rain; now we seek a means to You through the uncle of our Prophet ﷺ, so give us rain.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 1010 · Book 15 (Praying for Rain), Hadith 5 · USC-MSA: Vol. 2, Book 17, Hadith 123 · narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Death & Legacy

Abbas lived into the caliphate of Uthman and was buried in Jannat al-Baqi at Madinah. Through his son Abdullah ibn Abbas, the great scholar of the Qur’an, his house became renowned for learning in Islam.