Mūsā ibn ʿUbaydah narrates, from Yaʿqūb ibn Zayd, who said:
Whenever a pressing issue faced ʿUmar, he would consult Ibn ʿAbbās and say, “Ghus, ghawwās—dive in, master diver!”
Abū Yaḥyā al-Ḥimmānī reports: ʿAmr ibn Thābit told us, from his father, from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, that ʿUmar said, “Let no one blame me for loving Ibn ʿAbbās.”
Mujālid transmits, from al-Shaʿbī, who said:
Ibn ʿAbbās related: My father said to me, “My son! ʿUmar is drawing you close, so remember three things from me: never disclose a secret to him, never backbite anyone in his presence, and never let him find you lying.” (1)
Ibn ʿUlayyah reports: Ayyūb narrated to us, from ʿIkrimah, that ʿAlī burned some people who had apostatized from Islam. When this reached Ibn ʿAbbās he said, “I would not have burned them with fire, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do not punish with Allah’s punishment.’ But I would have executed them, because he ﷺ said, ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’”
When ʿAlī was informed of Ibn ʿAbbās’s remark, he said, “Woe to Ibn Umm al-Faḍl—he dives after the subtleties!” (2)
(1) Al-Hilya 1/318; Nasab Quraysh, p. 36; Ansab al-Ashraf 3/51; al-Tabarani, no. 1069; al-Fasawi 1/533–534. Mujalid is criticised, but the remaining transmitters are reliable; see also al-Majmaʿ 4/221.
(2) The chain of transmission is sound. It appears in Tarikh al-Fasawi 1/516 through Sulayman ibn Harb — Hammad ibn Zayd — Ayyub — Ikrima. Bukhari also recorded it: 6/106 (Book of Jihad, chapter “Do not punish with the punishment of Allah”) and 12/237 (Book of the Apostate, chapter “The ruling on the male and female apostate”); likewise al-Nasai 7/104 (Book of Blood Prohibitions, chapter “The ruling on the apostate”), all through Ayyub from Ikrima, omitting the phrase “So the report reached…”.
Abu Dawud (no. 4351, opening of Hudud) and al-Hakim 3/538–539 include the wording: “When that reached Ali, he said: wayh Ibn Abbas.” Al-Khattabi explains that wayh here outwardly sounds like a curse but is actually an expression of praise and admiration—much like the Prophet’s saying about Abu Basir, “wail ummih, a blazing warrior,” and ʿUmar’s remark when he approved al-Wadaʿi’s view on giving cavalry a larger share: “hublat al-Wadaʿi ummuhu, he has reminded us,” meaning “How knowledgeable he is, how sound his judgment!”
Al-Tirmidhi (no. 1458, Hudud) reports the wording: “When that reached Ali, he said: Ibn Abbas has spoken the truth,” while al-Baladhuri 3/35 cites: “When that reached Ali, he said: Allah bless Ibn Abbas.”