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Ibn Abbaas had not only a sharp memory but an extraordinary one, and extreme brilliance and

intelligence. His arguments were as dear, bright, and cheerful as sunlight. He would not let his opponent

leave until he was not only convinced but, in addition, completely satisfied and pleased with the

magnificence of his logic and brilliance of his speech.

In spite of his rich knowledge and effective argument, he never considered his discussion and

conversation a battle of intellects in which he could be proud of his vast knowledge and victory over his

opponents. On the contrary he considered it a straightforward path to visualize and realize truth.

For a long time his fair and sharp logic had been a source of alarm to the Khawaarij. Once Imam

`Aliy (May Allah be pleased with him) sent him to a large group of the Khawaarij. They had a wonderful

discussion, in which he was in control of the talk, arguing in a very admirable way. The following is an

extract of that long conversation:

Ibn `Abbaas asked them, `What do you have against `Aliy?"

They said, "We are discontent with three matters.

First,

he let men judge in Allah's religion,

whereas Allah said, ". . surely judging is only for GOD" (6:57).

Second,

he is a murderer. However, he didn't take any captives or war booty. If they had been

disbelievers, then their wealth would have been permissible, and if they had been Muslims, then their

murder would have been prohibited.

Third,

during the arbitration, he agreed to give up the title `Commander of the Faithful' in response

to his enemies. If he isn't Commander of the Faithful, then he must be Commander of the Disbelievers."

Ibn Abbaas began to refute their claims. "As for letting men judge in Allah's religion, what's wrong

with that? Allah said, " O you who believe! Do not kill animals of the hunt while you are on the

Pilgrimage, and whoever of you kills it intentionally, he shall make recompense the equal of what he has

killed from the cattle, which shall be judged by two just men among you" (5: 95). Tell me, by Allah, is

letting men judge in sparing the Muslim blood not worthier than letting them judge in the case of

compensating a killed rabbit that is worth a quarter of a dirham?"

Their leaders stammered in speech under the pressure of that sarcastic but decisive logic. Then he

continued his talk. "As for your claim that he is a murderer who didn't take prisoners or war booty, did

you expect him to take Aa'ishah, the Prophet's wife and Mother of the Faithful, a prisoner and her

belongings as booty?" At that moment their faces went blank out of shame and they tried to cover them

with their hands.

Ibn `Abbaas went on to the third claim. "As for your claim that he agreed to give up the title

`Commander of the Faithful' to give arbitration a chance, let me tell you what the Prophet (PBUH) did on

the Day of Hudaibiyah. While he was dictating the agreement between him and the Quraish, he said to

the scribe, `Write, This is what the Messenger of Allah agreed upon.' The representative of the Quraish

said, `By Allah, if we believed that you were the Messenger of Allah, we wouldn't have hindered you

from entering the Sacred House or fought against you.' The Prophet (PBUH) then said, `Then write, This

is what Muhammad Ibn `Abd Allah has agreed upon. By Allah, I'm the Messenger of Allah even if you

deny that. Write whatever you like."'

The discussion between lbn `Abbaas and the khawaarij went on in such a miraculous, magnificent

way. The discussion had hardly ended when some 20,000 of the Khawaarij announced their conviction in

what was said and announced the end of their oppositon to Aliy's imamate.

lbn `Abbaas not only possessed a great fortune of knowledge but also a greater fortune of manners

of knowledge and the knowledgeable. He was a great figure in his generosity. He spent his wealth

abundantly for the people's sake with the same willingness with which he shared his knowledge. His