When Ibn Abbas Was Asked to Compare His Knowledge with Ali ibn Abi Talib

Despite being renowned as a great scholar among the companions of Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah ibn Abbas never boasted about his knowledge. When someone asked him how his learning compared to that of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ibn Abbas’s answer became an exemplary lesson in humility for a learned person.

Abdullah ibn Abbas was a companion of the Prophet from the Quraysh tribe, a descendant of Bani Hashim. His father was al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muthalib ibn Hashim ibn Abdu Manaf, and his mother was Lubabah al-Kubra bint al-Harits ibn Hazn al-Hilaliyah. Al-Abbas was the paternal uncle of the Prophet Muhammad and the paternal cousin of Khalid ibn al-Walid.

Ibn Abbas was nicknamed Habrul Ummah wa Tarjuman Alquran, meaning the ink of the nation and the interpreter of the Quran. He was also given the title al-Bahru, or the Ocean, due to the vastness of his knowledge.

One day, Ibn Abbas was asked, ‘O Ibn Abbas, how does your knowledge compare to that of your cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib?’ He replied, ‘It is like a drop of rain falling into a vast ocean.’ His words were precise. Ibn Abbas truly understood his own strengths and limitations. His statement affirmed that Ali ibn Abi Talib was far more knowledgeable than himself, while also demonstrating his own humility.

Umar ibn al-Khattab himself admired the breadth of Ibn Abbas’s knowledge and insight, nicknaming him the ‘youthful elder’. Umar would often seek Ibn Abbas’s views when facing difficult issues. When reading the Quran and grasping a matter that others had not yet understood, Ibn Abbas would say, ‘I have read a verse from the Book of Allah, and I wish everyone could understand it as I do.’