He was the first to hold the public taʿrīf gathering in Basra: on the night of ʿArafah he would ascend the pulpit, the people of Basra would assemble around him, and he would interpret portions of the Quran and remind the congregation from late afternoon until sunset. Then he would descend and lead them in the Maghrib prayer. (1)
After his time the scholars differed over this practice. Some disliked it, declaring, “It is an innovation that neither the Messenger of Allah ﷺ nor any of his Companions performed—except Ibn ʿAbbas,” while others considered it commendable because it involves the remembrance of Allah and coincides with what the pilgrims are doing. (2)
Ibn ʿAbbas also criticized ʿAli in certain legal matters, and ʿAli would defer to him. Imām Ahmad said: (3) Ismaʿil narrated to us, Ayub narrated to us, from ʿIkrimah, that ʿAli burned some people who had apostasized from Islam. When this reached Ibn ʿAbbas he said, “I would not have burned them (4) with fire, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Do not punish with Allah’s punishment.’ I would have killed them (5) in light of the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’”
When this was reported to ʿAli he said, “Woe to Ibn ʿAbbas!” In another wording: “Woe to Ibn ʿAbbas—he dives for subtle issues.” ʿAli also returned the favor, for Ibn ʿAbbas held that temporary marriage (mutʿah) remained lawful and that the meat of domesticated donkeys was permissible. ʿAli replied, “You are a confused man! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited temporary marriage and the flesh of domesticated donkeys on the day of Khaybar.”
This hadith is recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs (6) and elsewhere; it exists in several wordings, of which this is among the finest. Allah—glorified and exalted—is most knowledgeable.
Al-Bayhaqi said: Abū ʿAbd Allah al-Ḥāfiẓ informed us, saying: I heard Abū Bakr ibn al-Muʾammal say: I heard Abū Naṣr ibn Abī Rabīʿah say: Saʿsaʿah ibn Ṣoḥān came to ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib from Basra, and ʿAli—who had left Ibn ʿAbbas in charge there—asked him about Ibn ʿAbbas. Saʿsaʿah replied, “Commander of the Faithful, he clings to three qualities and avoids three.
He captures men’s hearts when he speaks, he listens well when spoken to, and he opts for the easier of two courses when differences arise. He avoids dispute, the company of the ignoble, and anything that would require an apology.”
Al-Waqidi said: Abū Bakr ibn Abī Sabrah narrated to us, from Mūsā ibn Saʿd, from ʿĀmir ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, from his father, who said: “I have never seen anyone quicker in grasping, sounder in intellect, more abundant in knowledge, or broader in forbearance than Ibn ʿAbbas. I even saw ʿUmar summon him for vexing problems and say, ‘A thorny issue has come to you.’ He would not go beyond Ibn ʿAbbas’s judgment, even though around him were the veterans of Badr from among the Emigrants and the Helpers. (7)"