Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

578 Governors at the time of 'Ali ibn Abi TZlib
been influenced by them. Hence you find in contemporary books of
history and literature, which are far removed from the methodology
of Ah1 as-Sunnah and based heavily on Orientalist methodology and
style, very weird distortions of the lives of the Companions. One
example is the claim made in these books that Abdullah ibn 'Abbb
(&) stole the wealth of the Muslims in Basra, betrayed his cousin
'Ali (&) and fled with the stolen wealth to Makkah, and that he
started planning to join ~u'iiwi~ah'~~ after having supported 'Ali.
That was mentioned shamelessly by Dr. Taha Hussein in his hook al-
Fitnah al-Kubra: 'Ali wa Banuhu. I will quote some of what he said:
1. "Ibn 'Abbh had knowledge of religious and worldly matters,
and he had status among Banu Hiishim in particular and among
Quraysh in general, and in the hearts of all Muslims, that could
be sufficient to protect him from drifting away from his
cousin."'56
2. "Ibn 'Abbk saw that his cousin's star was in decline and that
Mu'iiwiyah's star was in the ascendancy, so he stayed in Basra,
thinking of himself more than his cousin."'57
3. "Even though IIbn 'Abb2s forgot about himself (i.e., his position
and how he should behave) for a little while, he did not want to
put himself in a position where he should put himself, as 'Ali's
governor in one of the Muslim regions."158
There are also other lies and nonsense which the author took
from weak and fabricated reports. It is sufficient honour for Ibn
'Abbk that the Messenger of Allah (g) prayed for him, saying: "0
Allah, teach him interpretation of the Qur'an and give him
understanding of religion."'59
Ibn 'Abb2s began his work as governor of Basra after 'Ali
(4) left Basra for Kufah, and he joined 'Ali (4) just before the
Battle of Siffeen, having left Ziyiid ibn Abeehi in charge of Basra.160
During his governorship of Basra, Ibn 'Ahhis accomplished a