The Scholar of the Ummah Passes

In his later years Ibn 'Abbas taught in Makkah and was approached by students seeking tafsir, fiqh, the Prophet's campaigns, poetry and Arabic usage. It is reported that he set aside different days of the week for different subjects, so that no one left his circle without benefit.

He lost his sight in old age and later left Makkah for Ta'if, where he died in 68 AH at about seventy. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah led the funeral prayer and said, "Today the rabbani of this ummah has died."

His interpretations of the Qur'an, passed down by his students such as Mujahid, 'Ikrimah and Sa'id ibn Jubayr, became the foundation of the science of tafsir.