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Abbas ibn Ali (peace be upon him)

Abbas ibn Ali, known as Abu al-Fadl, Qamar Banu Hashim, and Bab al-Hawa'ij (born 4 Sha'ban 26 AH (647 CE) and martyred 10 Muharram 61 AH (680 CE)), was the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and Umm al-Banin, and the younger brother of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him). His fame and popularity among Muslims is primarily due to his bravery and loyalty to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) in Karbala. His shrine is located in Karbala, at the site of the Battle of Karbala. Abbas ibn Ali was martyred on the 10th of Muharram, Ashura, during the Event of Karbala, while fetching water from the Euphrates River to quench the thirst of the household of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), who were besieged by the army of Umar ibn Sa'd. The heroic killing of Abbas in the Battle of Karbala has created a special persona among Shia and Sunni. According to an old custom common among Muslims, especially Shia and eulogists, on the 9th of Muharram (Tasua), they hold memorial ceremonies for his martyrdom and Mourn.


Biography

Abbas ibn Ali (peace be upon him) was born in the year 26 AH in Medina. He was raised in the lap of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) and his mother Umm al-Banin in such a way that he became a symbol of zeal, self-sacrifice, and bravery. During his life, he benefited most from the presence of his father and brothers and became comprehensive in good virtues. He manifested what he had learned from the presence of those three Infallible Imams in Karbala. According to Shia narrations, he was a brave, handsome, and tall young man, he fought alongside his father Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) in the battles of Siffin and Nahrawan, and he is one of the few people known among Shia as Bab al-Hawa'ij. He had three full brothers named Ja'far, Abdullah, and Uthman, all of whom were killed in Karbala on the day of Ashura, 61 AH. He married Lubaba, the daughter of Ubaydallah ibn Abbas, and had four sons named Ubaydallah, Fadl, Hasan, Qasim, and one daughter. There is disagreement regarding the number of his children. All his children except Ubaydallah died without issue.


Titles

"Qamar Banu Hashim" is his most famous title. Later, he was also titled "Saqqay Karbala", "Alamdar Husayn", etc.


Kunyas

  1. "Abu al-Fadl", is the most famous kunya of Abbas[1]. Some have stated that since anyone named Abbas in the Banu Hashim clan was called Abu al-Fadl, he was also called Abu al-Fadl even in childhood[2].
  2. "Abu al-Qasim", because Abbas had a son named Qasim, he was also called Abu al-Qasim. This kunya is also mentioned in Ziyarat Arbaeen [3].
  3. "Abu al-Qirba", Qirba means water-skin[4], some believe that this kunya was given to him because he carried water-skins to the tents several times during the Event of Karbala. This kunya is mentioned in several sources[5].
  4. "Abu al-Farja", Farja means relief and removal of grief[6], the reason for this kunya is that Abbas (peace be upon him) creates relief for those who seek his intercession[7].


Personality

The heroic killing of Abbas in the Battle of Karbala has created a legendary persona among Shia and Sunni, making it very difficult to match it with reality. The main problem is that History of al-Tabari and Baladhuri, primary sources of the Battle of Karbala, have not mentioned the details of his killing in Karbala. Shaykh Mufid in the book al-Ikhtisas describes Abbas ibn Ali with the attribute "Saqqa" meaning water-bearer. It has been said that Abbas ibn Ali inherited bravery and courage from his father Ali ibn Abi Talib and in battles he always carried the flag with him, and for this reason, he was known as "Alamdar".


Notes

  1. ↑ Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, Published 1408 AH, p. 89.
  2. ↑ Muzaffar, Musuat Batil al-Alqami, Published 1429 AH, Vol. 2, p. 12.
  3. ↑ Beheshti, Qahraman Alqama; Published 1374 SH (1995 CE), p. 43; Muzaffar, Musuat Batil al-Alqami, Published 1429 AH, Vol. 2, p. 12.
  4. ↑ Dehkhoda, Dehkhoda Dictionary, Published 1377 SH (1998 CE), Vol. 11, p. 17497.
  5. ↑ Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf, Published 1394 AH, Vol. 2, p. 191; Tabarsi, A'lam al-Wara bi-A'lam al-Huda, Published 1390 AH, p. 203.
  6. ↑ Dehkhoda, Dehkhoda Dictionary, Published 1377 SH (1998 CE), Vol. 11, p. 17037.
  7. ↑ Muzaffar, Musuat Batil al-Alqami, Published 1429 AH, Vol. 2, p. 12.

Battle in Karbala

Sayyid Ibn Tawus narrates from Abu Mikhnaf that on the afternoon of Ashura, Abbas fought many enemies while seeking water for the Ahl al-Bayt. After his right hand and then his left hand were cut off, he held the water skin in his mouth and continued fighting until he was killed by Zayd ibn Warqa al-Hanafi and Hakim ibn Tufayl al-Sinani. Hussein Wa'iz Kashafi considers him the sixty-eighth martyr of Karbala in Rawdat al-Shuhada. The son of Umm al-Banin's nephew, named Abdullah ibn Abi Mahal ibn Hizam, brought a letter of amnesty from Ibn Ziyad for Abbas, which he rejected. Shaykh Mufid writes: Abbas went with Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) towards the Euphrates to get water, but the army of Umar ibn Sa'd prevented them. Then they surrounded him and separated him from Hussein. Abbas fought alone until he fell to the ground. At this time, due to his wounds, he could not move, and Zayd and Hakim killed him. Baladhuri considers Harmala the killer of Abbas and Hakim as the one who separated Abbas's clothes from his body. He was 34 years old at the time of his death[1].

His shrine is located in the northeast of the shrine of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), and Shiites call the space between his shrine and Hussein ibn Ali "Bayn al-Haramayn". The expansion and reconstruction of his shrine took place during the time of Shah Tahmasp Safavi and then Nader Shah. After the Wahhabis attack on Karbala, it was reconstructed again by Fath-Ali Shah[2].

Abbas ibn Ali (peace be upon him)

In artistic works

As one of the central characters present in Karbala, Abbas ibn Ali is widely honoured in Muharram mourning ceremonies. In Ta'ziyeh ceremonies, on the night of Ashura, a full round is dedicated to his life and actions from birth to martyrdom. The statue of Abbas ibn Ali is drawn in many wooden works, pen-and-ink works, curtain-holding, etc. The memory of Abbas, in addition to Iran, is honoured in other places such as Azerbaijan, Indian subcontinent and wherever Ashura ceremonies are held. Ali Rabani Khalkhali writes: Abbas ibn Ali is considered a spiritual and very distinguished personality among Shiites and even many other followers of religions, and enjoys great respect[3]. "The Moon in the Narrative of Sigh", written by Abolfazl Zaroui Nasrabadi, is the title of a book that describes the life and personality of Abbas ibn Ali. The author has tried in this book to express untold stories from before and after the killing of the standard-bearer of Karbala through the voice of twelve narrators, with trustworthiness, adherence to historical and narrative documents, and avoidance of exaggeration. This author, who was introduced as the winner of the Ashura Book of the Year Literary Award, dedicated the Best Work Statue Award to Sayyid Mehdi Shuja'i by writing a note.


Standard-bearing

Based on Urdubadi's research, Isfahani in Maqatil al-Talibiyyin[4][5], has explicitly stated that Imam Hussein gave the flag of his army to Abbas on the morning of the day of Ashura[6], Baladhuri in Ansab al-Ashraf[7] and Abu Nasr Bukhari in Sirr al-Silsila al-Alawiyya[8], have also explicitly stated the standard-bearing of Lord Abbas.


Water Supply

According to historical sources, when Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, on the 7th of Muharram, ordered Umar ibn Sa'd not to allow Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions to use the water of the Euphrates, Imam Hussein called Abbas and accompanied him with thirty cavalry and twenty infantry to fill the water skins and bring them to the camp. Abbas was able to break the enemy's siege and bring the water to the camp. In this attack, none of the companions and friends of Imam Hussein were martyred, but individuals from the army of Umar ibn Sa'd were killed[9].


Refusal of Amnesty Letters

As stated in the book al-Futuh by Ibn A'tham al-Kufi and Maqtal Khwarizmi, two people sent letters of amnesty for Abbas and his brothers in Karbala, which both Abbas and his brothers rejected; the first amnesty letter was brought by Abdullah ibn Abi al-Mahal ibn Hizam al-Amiri, who was the nephew of Umm al-Banin, the mother of Abbas. He was able to obtain a letter of amnesty from Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad for his cousins and send it to them through his servant. When Abbas and his brothers read this letter of amnesty, they said that we are in the protection of God and have no need for such a disgraceful letter of amnesty[10].

The second letter of amnesty was offered by Shimir ibn Dhi al-Jawshan on the afternoon of Ashura to Abbas and his brothers and he called him "son of aunt", but received no answer. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) told them although he is a sinner, answer him. Shimir promised them amnesty on condition of surrender and obedience to Yazid. Lord Abbas cursed him and his letter of amnesty and said: "O enemy of God! Death upon you who calls us to obedience to disbelief and abandoning the companionship of my brother Hussein"[11].


See also


Notes

  1. ↑ Jafarian, Rasul (2007 CE). A Reflection on the Ashura Movement.
  2. ↑ Musawi al-Muqarram, Sayyid Abd al-Razzaq. The Commander of Karbala, p. 253.
  3. ↑ Maqtal al-Husayn; Khwarizmi, Vol 1, pp. 348-349; al-Futuh; Ibn A'tham al-Kufi, Vol 5, p. 93.
  4. ↑ Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, 1408 AH, p. 90.
  5. ↑ Shaykh Mufid in al-Irshad, Mufid, al-Irshad, 1413 AH, Vol 2, p. 95.
  6. ↑ Urdubadi, Hayat Abi al-Fadl al-Abbas, 1436 AH, pp. 188-189.
  7. ↑ Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf, 1417 AH, Vol 3, p. 187.
  8. ↑ Bukhari, Sirr al-Silsila al-Alawiyya, 1382 AH, pp. 88-89.
  9. ↑ Bukhari, Sirr al-Silsila al-Alawiyya, 1382 AH, pp. 88-89.
  10. ↑ Khwarizmi, Maqtal al-Husayn, 1423 AH, Vol 1, pp. 348-349; Ibn A'tham al-Kufi, al-Futuh, 1411 AH, Vol 5, p. 93.
  11. ↑ Ibn Athir, al-Kamil, 1992 CE, Vol 11, p. 162.


References

  • See: Book Maqatil al-Talibiyyin written by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani.
  • See: Book Ansab al-Ashraf written by Baladhuri.
  • See: Book al-Futuh written by Ibn A'tham al-Kufi.
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