Abdullah bin Ubayd bin Umayr narrates that once Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) was with Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he was holding Ibn Abbas's (may Allah be pleased with them both) hand. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I see that the Qur'an has become very widespread among the people." I said: "O Commander of the Believers, I do not like that." The narrator says: He pulled his hand away from mine and asked: "Why?" I said: "Because when they recite it abundantly, they will rush ahead (hastily, without understanding); and when they show haste, they will differ among themselves; and when they differ, they will strike one another's necks." The narrator says: He left me and kept away from me, and that day passed over me (in fear and anxiety) in a way that only Allah knows. Then at the time of Zuhr his messenger came and said: "Answer the summons of the Commander of the Believers." I came to him, and he asked me: "What was it you said?" I again said: "O Commander of the Believers, I do not like that, because when they recite (the Qur'an) abundantly, they will be hasty; and when they are hasty, they will differ; and when they differ, they will strike one another's necks." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, I too had been concealing this from the people (that is, the same fear was in my heart)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Khosrow (Kisra) gave the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a mule as a gift. He (peace and blessings be upon him) rode it with a bridle made of a rope of hair, and seated me behind him. Then, after travelling for a while, he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards me and said: "O boy!" I said: Labbayk, O Messenger of Allah (here I am). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Guard the commands of Allah, and Allah will guard you. Observe the rights of Allah, and you will find Him before you. Know Allah in times of ease, and He will know you in times of hardship. When you ask, ask Allah alone, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah alone. The Pen has written everything that is to happen and has dried. So if all the people wanted to bring you a benefit that Allah has not decreed for you, they would not be able to do it; and if all the people wanted to bring you a harm that Allah has not written against you, they would not be able to do it. So if you are able to act with patience together with certainty, then do so; and if you are not able, then be patient, for in being patient over what you dislike there is great good. And know that victory comes with patience, and know that relief comes with distress, and know that with every hardship there is ease." This is a great hadith with a high (short) chain from the narration of Abd al-Malik bin Umayr from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), except that the two Shaykhs did not narrate from Shihab bin Khirash or al-Qaddah in their Sahihs; and this hadith is also narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) through other chains.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Guard the commands of Allah, and Allah will guard you. Observe the rights of Allah, and you will find Him before you. Know Allah in times of plenty and prosperity, and He will know you in times of hardship and difficulty. And know that whatever (harm or good) has reached you was not going to miss you, and whatever has missed you was not going to reach you. And know that if all of creation gathered together to give you something that Allah has not decreed for you, they would not have the power to do it; and if they gathered together to turn away from you something that Allah has decreed for you, they would not be able to do it. So when you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. And know that success comes with patience, and relief comes with distress, and indeed with hardship there is ease. And know that the Pen has already run with all the matters that are to happen."

Abu al-Tufayl narrates that he saw Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) performing tawaf of the Ka'bah, with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) on his left, and I was walking behind them listening to their conversation. Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) began to touch the two corners on the side of the Hatim (the Iraqi corner and the Syrian corner) as well. So Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said to him: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not touch these two corners." Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O Ibn Abbas, no part of the House of Allah is to be abandoned (mahjur)." But Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) did not let it go, and whenever Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) placed his hand on either of those two corners, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said the same thing to him. This hadith has an authentic chain (sahih al-isnad), but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Abdullah bin Mulayl al-Ijli narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), three days before his death, saying: "O Allah, I repent to You from the fatwas I used to give the people concerning sarf (the exchange of currency)." This hadith has an authentic chain (sahih al-isnad), and it is among the greatest merits of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he retracted the one opinion for which, apart from it, nothing else of his was objected to.

It is narrated from Ibn Abi Mulaykah that Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse: "Would any of you like to have a garden of date palms and grapevines with rivers flowing beneath it, in which he has all kinds of fruit", up to: "and then a whirlwind with fire in it strikes it and it is burned" [Surah al-Baqarah: 266] . Then he asked the people about it, saying: "What is your view, concerning what was this verse, 'Would any of you like to have a garden', revealed?" The people said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry and said: "Either say 'We know' or say 'We do not know'." At this Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "O Commander of the Believers, I have something in my mind about it." He said: "O son of my brother, speak, and do not think little of yourself." Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "It is a parable given for a deed." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said (explaining it): "A rich man who does good deeds, then Allah sets the devils upon him, so he starts committing sins until he drowns all of his deeds. His example is that of a garden which burns to ashes at the time he needs it most, that is, when he himself has grown old and his children are many (and weak)." Then he said: "Would any of you like to come on the Day of Resurrection in a state in which he is most in need of his deeds, and find nothing there for himself?" This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

Muharib bin Dithar asked Ata bin al-Sa'ib: Have you heard Sa'id bin Jubayr relate anything from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) about al-Kawthar? I said: Yes; he told that it means "abundant good" (al-khayr al-kathir). At this he said: Subhan Allah! Ibn Abbas rarely errs in anything he says. He (Sa'id) says: I heard Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) say that when the verse "Indeed, We have given you al-Kawthar" [Surah al-Kawthar: 1] was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is a river in Paradise whose two banks are of gold; it flows over pearls and rubies; its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey." Then he said: By Allah, Ibn Abbas spoke the truth; this is indeed the real "abundant good." This hadith has an authentic chain (sahih al-isnad), but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Abu Nu'aym narrates that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) died in the year 68 AH.

It is narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah that he said four takbirs over (the funeral of) Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and said: "Today the Rabbani (great scholar) of this Ummah has departed."

Abu al-Zubayr narrates: I attended the funeral of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) in Ta'if. I saw a white bird come and enter beneath the cloth of his shroud, and then it was not seen coming out from there.