Thursday

Al Fadl Ibn Abas RA

Fadl ibn Abbas RA (611-639) was a brother of Abdullah ibn Abbas RA  and was a cousin of Rasulullah ﷺ. Fadl was the eldest son of Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, an uncle of Rasulullah ﷺ and a wealthy merchant of Makkah, and of Lubaba bint al-Harith, a sister of Rasulullah ﷺ 's wife Maimunah. Fadl ibn Abbas RA was among those who "stood firm" at the Battle of Hunayn in 630, after which his family emigrated to Madinah.

Fadl ibn Abbas RA married his cousin, Safiya bint Mahmiya RA and they had one daughter, Umm Kulthum RA, who was born in Rasulullah ﷺ's lifetime. Fadl ibn Abbas RA also married Amra bint Yazid of the Kilab tribe, but this marriage ended in divorce after only a few months.
 
Illustration Only : Fadl Ibn Abas RA
According to his brother Abdullah ibn Abbas RA, Fadl ibn Abbas RA was an extremely handsome man. At the Farewell Pilgrimage in March 632, he rode pillion on Rasulullah ﷺ’s camel. On his own admission, he gazed at a pretty girl on another camel so intently that Rasulullah ﷺ had to take his chin and turn his face away from her three times. It was concerning this incident that Rasulullah ﷺ made his famous remark: “I saw a young man and a young woman, and I could not trust Satan with them.”

When Rasulullah ﷺ succumbed to his final illness, it was Fadl ibn Abbas RA and his cousin Ali who supported him in his final walk to Aisha's house. After Rasulullah ﷺ 's demise, Fadl ibn Abbas RA was one of those who entered his grave and helped to lay his corpse.
Fadl ibn Abbas RA took part in many battles of the Muslims against Europeans and Persians.
Fadl ibn Abbas RA transmitted some hadiths about Rasulullah ﷺ, but he did not live long enough to be known as a great teacher. Fadl ibn Abbas RA died of the plague in Amwas, Syria, in 18 AH (639 CE), aged about 25



Illustration Only - Fadl Ibn Abas following Rasulullah ﷺ 




Fadl ibn Abbas RA, lowering his gaze?
Lowering One’s Gaze and Ba’dal Hajj

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas RA: Al-Fadl bin Abbas RA rode behind Rasulullah ﷺ as his companion rider on the back portion of his she-camel on the day of Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifice, 10th Dhul-Hijja) and Al-Fadl was a handsome man. Rasulullah ﷺ stopped to give the people verdicts (regarding their matters). In the meantime, a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khatham came, asking the verdict of Rasulullah ﷺ. Al-Fadl bin Abbas RA started looking at her as her beauty attracted him. Rasulullah ﷺ looked behind while Al-Fadl bin Abbas RA was looking at her; so Rasulullah ﷺ held out his hand backwards and caught the chin of Al-Fadl bin Abbas RA and turned his face (to the other side) in order that he should not gaze at her. She said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! The obligation of performing Hajj enjoined by Allah on his worshippers has become due (compulsory) on my father who is an old man and who cannot sit firmly on the riding animal. Will it be sufficient that I perform Hajj on his behalf?’ He said, ‘Yes.'” [Sahih Bukhari]

This hadith gives several important rulings.
One is that Rasulullah acted himself, and made other men act, on Allah’s orders to lower their gazes. [Quran 24: 27-29]
We see in this hadith, that Rasulullah listened to the woman’s question and answered it while not looking at her. Rasulullah ﷺ also turned the face of his cousin to the side who had been staring at the woman’s beautiful face. Rasulullah ﷺ did not ask the woman to cover her face.

This incident took place during Hajj, when even those women who normally cover their faces are required to leave their faces uncovered. Other ahadith show that the Sahabiyat would go for Fajr and Isha prayers in Rasulullah ﷺ’s masjid with their faces uncovered and not be recognized on account of the darkness, not because their faces were covered.

This topic, of whether women need to cover the face or can leave it uncovered, has evidence on both sides of the argument. So long as evidence from the Quran and Sunnah exists for an opinion, one must refrain from falling into the devil’s trap of involving oneself in debate over it. It would be much more useful to talk about Allah Subhana Wa ta’ala) and the Hereafter to the Kuffar (disbelievers) or Fasiqoon (those acting in clear contradiction to what is well known to be a part of Islam, such as avoiding alcohol).

From this hadith we also learn that it is permissible to perform Hajj on behalf of those who are too old or sick to undertake the journey themselves. 

            
Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 8, Book 74 [Asking Permission], Number 247


Narrated: Al-Fadl ibn Abbas From Sunan Abu Dawood

Hadith No: 717
Narrated/Authority of Al-Fadl ibn Abbas
Listed in: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)
Rasulullah ﷺ came to us accompanied by Abbas when we were in open country belonging to us. He prayed in a desert with no sutrah in front of him, and a she-ass and a bitch of ours were playing in front of him, but he paid no attention to that.
Narrated: Fadl ibn Abbas From Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Jami-al-Tirmidhi)
Hadith No: 385
Narrated/Authority of Fadl ibn Abbas
Listed in: Salah (Prayers)
Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Salah is in twos, the tashahhud after every two rakaat. It is to be humble and pleading, fearful and beseeching and to raise both hands." The narrator explained that the insides of the hands should be towards the face and raised, and one should plead, "0 my Lord, 0 my Lord!" One who does not do that is like this and like that."

Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 8, Book 74 [Asking Permission], Number 247

Fadl ibn Abbas RA, lowering his gaze?
Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 8, Book 74 [Asking Permission], Number 247:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas (al Fadl's brother)

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Landau-Tasseron, E. (1998). Volume 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors, p. 201. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Ibn Ishaq (Guillaume) p. 569.
Tabari (Landau-Tasseron) p. 202.
Muslim 5:2347.
Abu Dawud 19:2979.
Ibn Hajar, Isaba, vol. 7 #11412; vol. 8 #12064.
Ibn Hajar, Isaba, vol. 8 #12234.
Guillaume, A. (1960). New Life on the Light of Muhammad, p. 55. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Bukhari 8:74:247.
Ibn Hanbal, Musnad. Translated by Al-Khattab, N., vol. 2 p. 218 #1805. Riyadh: Darussalem.
Ibn Hanbal (Khattab) vol. 2 p. 222 #1818.
Ibn Kathir (Le Gassick) vol. 4 p. 265.
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad, p. 679. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ibn Ishaq (Guillaume) pp. 688-689.
Peshawar Nights on Al-Islam.org [1]
Tabari (Landau-Tasseron) p. 95.
Hazrat Fadl ibn Abbas(رضئ اللہ تعالی عنہ)

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