الرحلةThe Journey

العباس بن عبد المطلب

al-'Abbas (RA)

al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib

Also known as: Abbas

c. 55 BH – 32 AH · c. 568–653 CE

Companions

Uncle of the Prophet ﷺ and ancestor of the Abbasid caliphs.

Al-'Abbas was one of the Prophet's paternal uncles and only a few years older than him. He was a wealthy merchant of Makkah, responsible for providing water to the pilgrims (siqayah). Though he did not openly join the Muslims at first, he attended the Second Pledge of 'Aqabah to secure assurances for his nephew. He was captured at Badr, and he openly declared Islam and migrated to Madinah around the time of the Opening of Makkah.

He stood firm beside the Prophet ﷺ at Hunayn and was honoured by the caliphs after him; 'Umar once prayed for rain through his supplication. His descendants founded the Abbasid caliphate in 750 CE.

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Life journey

  1. c. 568 CE Makkah مكة
  2. 630 CE Madinah المدينة
    Died 653 CE · 32 AH
    Migrated shortly before the Opening of Makkah.

Places in their life

The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
Photo: Adli Wahid (minor modifications by Basile Morin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
Photo: TheHadiRahim, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra
  • Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Isaba fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba
  • Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of the Prayer for Rain)
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Reports differ on when he became Muslim; some say he was Muslim in secret before Badr.