“And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is the best [way] and best in result.” (Qur’an 17:35)
Narrated `Ikrima:
that Ibn `Abbas told him and `Ali bin `Abdullah to go to Abu Sa`id and listen to some of his narrations; So they both went (and saw) Abu Sa`id and his brother irrigating a garden belonging to them. When he saw them, he came up to them and sat down with his legs drawn up and wrapped in his garment and said, “(During the construction of the mosque of the Prophet) we carried the adobe of the mosque, one brick at a time while `Ammar used to carry two at a time. The Prophet (saw) passed by `Ammar and removed the dust off his head and said, “May Allah be merciful to `Ammar. He will be killed by a rebellious aggressive group. `Ammar will invite them to (obey) Allah and they will invite him to the (Hell) fire.”
Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2812)
Narrated `Ikrima:
“Some Zanadiqa (atheists) were brought to `Ali and he burnt them. The news of this event reached Ibn `Abbas who said, “If I had been in his place, I would not have burnt them, as Allah’s Apostle forbade it, saying, ‘Do not punish anybody with Allah’s punishment (fire).’ I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah’s Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.’”
Source: (Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57) (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6922)
Some Muslims really do imagine that they can have their cake and eat it too when it comes to Ikrima.
On the one hand they want to use Ikrima (r.a) as a narrator when it comes to clearly showing who the kharijites truly were, none other than Muawiyah and his band.
In the following post you can see how Ibn Taymiyyah tripped over himself in regards one of the narrations of Ikrima regarding Ammar ibn Yasir (r.a).
Yet, than they want to cast aspersions upon the narrator Ikirma (r.a) because he has none other than Ibn Abbas (r.a) narrate that he himself differed with the ijtihad of Ali, concerning the burning of apostates.
On what consistent basis is his testimony used when it advances the claims of a particular sect and than rejected when it shows that none other than Ibn Abbas (r.a) differed with the ijtihad of Ali?
With Ikrima (r.a) you cannot have your cake and eat it too. You will need to be consistent in your methodology. May Allah (swt) open the eyes and the hearts.
Prima Quran 