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Abdullah bin Abbas ( رضي الله عنه – may Allah be pleased with him) was the cousin of Muhammad ﷺ whose tehneek was done by him ﷺ as a baby. He grew up in the company of the Prophet ﷺ as he would bring him water for ablution and stand up with him for prayer even as a child. He was only 13 years old when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passed away. Ibn Abbas narrated – Once the Prophet ﷺ entered a lavatory and I placed water for his ablution. He asked, “Who placed it?” He was informed accordingly and so he said, “O Allah! Make him (Ibn
Abbas) a learned scholar in religion (Islam).” – eventually he became one of the most knowledgeable people in tafsir. Many senior companions used to call him in for his opinions although he was a young man. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah embraced me and said: ‘O Allah, teach him wisdom and the (correct) interpretation of the Book.'”
A narration attributed to ibn Abbas reports: “…I went to him (another companion) during the time of the afternoon siesta and spread my cloak in front of his door. The wind blew dust on me (as I sat waiting for him). If I wished I could have sought his permission to enter and he would certainly have given me permission. But I preferred to wait on him so that he could be completely refreshed. Coming out of his house and seeing me in that condition he said, ‘O cousin of the Prophet! What’s the matter with you? If you had sent for me I would have come to you.’ I said: ‘I am the one who should come to you, for knowledge is sought, it does not just come,’. Then I asked him about the hadith and learnt from him.” Ibn Abbas turned to teaching and his house became the equivalent of a university with specialized teaching and with him as the only teacher. He held classes on one single subject each day, classes on issues such as tafsir, fiqh, halal haram, poetry, Arab history, inheritance laws, Arabic language and etymology.