In the Name of Allāh.

We need to know that blood or family relations do not take precedence over Eemān (faith), nor does it outweigh righteousness. There are some people whose relatedness with the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) is an added gain, only because they accepted the truth he brought and died upon it.

This means that a relationship with the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) can’t benefit anyone until it is followed with Eemān. This is the case of ‘Abbās Ibn AbdulMuṭṭalib (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu), while he was related to the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) by blood, it was his embrace of Islām, his unwavering commitment to the Prophet’s message, that marked him as a Companion, a Muhājir, a respected man.

‘Abbās was one of the youngest of AbdulMuṭṭalib’s ten sons and, therefore, he was the paternal uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ). He was the father of an eminent companion named ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās – the learned man of this Ummah (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhuma).

During the early years of Islām, ‘Abbas protected the Prophet (ﷺ) and averted the mischiefs and abuses against him by the people of Quraysh, using his intelligence and craftiness. It was reported he (first) concealed his acceptance of Islām and later openly professed it shortly after the battle of Badr. He thus became a companion of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the last of the Muhājirūn (immigrants). He joined the Muslim army and participated in the conquest of Makkah, the battle of Hunayn, the Siege of Ta’if, and Tabuk.

More so, he was a wealthy merchant who took over the responsibility of raising Ja’far Ibn Abī Ṭālib (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu) as the Prophet also raised ‘Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu). He also took over the Zam-zam well and dispensed its water to the pilgrims after the demise of his father. ‘Abbās was a respected man! He passed away at the age of 85 and was buried at Jannatul Baqee’ – the Muslim cemetery in Madīnah.

Dear brethren, let’s always remember that faith and commitment to Islām is the true bond that unites us.

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