Al Abbas A.S.

Al Abbas A.S.

Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (26-61 AH), known as Abu al-Fadl, was the fifth son of Imam Ali (AS) and the first son of Umm al-Bayni. The most important milestone in his life was his presence in the Karbala incident and his martyrdom on the day of Ashura. There is not much information about his life and circumstances before the month of Muharram 61 AH, except that according to some reports, he was present in the Battle of Siffin. He was the commander and standard-bearer of Imam Hussein's (AS) army in the Karbala incident and brought water from the Euphrates for the companions of Imam Hussein (AS). Abbas and his brothers rejected two letters of protection from Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad and fought in the army of Imam Hussein (AS) and were martyred. According to some books of the Maqtal, he was martyred on the day of Ashura with both his hands cut off and an iron mace falling on his head. Some have reported that Imam Hussein (AS) cried at his bedside. Some sources have described him as having a very tall stature and a beautiful face. Shiite imams have stated in hadiths that Hazrat Abbas has a high status in heaven, and many miracles have been narrated about him, including fulfilling the needs of people, even non-Shiites and non-Muslims. The Shiites consider Hazrat Abbas to have a high spiritual status; they call him Bab al-Hawaij and turn to him. The shrine of Hazrat Abbas (AS), near the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS), is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Shiites. Shiites also refer to him as the "Watering Man of Karbala" and mourn for Hazrat Abbas on the day of Tasu'a, the ninth of Muharram.