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razzaghi

razzaghi
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

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| 02:34 AM Dec 15 2010

razzaghi

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Battle of Karbala
Abbas shrine, Karbala, main gate.Abbas showed his loyalty to Husayn at the Battle of Karbala. After succeeding his father to Muawiya ibn Abu Sufyan as Caliph, Yazid ibn Muawiyah required Husayn to pledge allegiance to him. Husayn refused to do so, saying: “I am the grandson of the messenger of Allah and Yazid is a drunkard, womanizer who is unfit for leadership. A person like me does not pay allegiance to a person like him”. In 60 AH (680 CE), Husayn left Medina, with a small group of his companions and family, to travel to Kufa. The people of Kufa said that they would support Husayn if he claimed the Caliphate. On the way, Husayn and his group were intercepted. They were forced into a detour and arrived in Karbala on the 2nd of Muharram, 61 AH. Husayn’s camp was surrounded and cut off from the Euphrates river. The camp ran out of water on the 7th of Muharram.[8]
On 8 and 9 Muharram, Husayn refused to send Abbas to fight for water. Abbas was extremely eager to fight. Husayn asked Abbas to dig a well. Abbas and some of the Banu Hashim men began digging. But there was no success.[9][9][10][11]
[edit] Death
The Euphrates river was occupied by Yazid’s Army to prevent the camp of Hussien from getting water. Shias believe that Abbas, because of his skill and bravery, could have attacked Yazid’s army, occupied the river, and retrieved water for the camp alone. However, Abbas was not allowed to fight. He was only allowed to get water. Thus, he went to the river to get water for Husayn’s 4 year old daughter Sakina bint Husayn.[10] Sakina was very attached to Abbas, who was her uncle. To her, Abbas was the only hope for getting water. Abbas could not see her thirsty and crying “Al-Atash” (the thirst).[6] When Abbas entered the battlefield, he only had a spear, and a bag for water in his hands. He was also given the authority to hold the standard (liwa’) in the battle. Once he had made it to the river, he started filling the bag with water. Shias emphasize that Abbas’s loyalty to Husayn was so great, that Abbas did not drink any water because he could not bear the thought that Sakina was thirsty (The essence of this event was to illustrate that Abbas conquered the Euphrates river, held it with his mighty hands, yet still did not drink. They claim that until this very day the water from Euphrates river circles the grave of Abbas) . After gathering the water, Abbas rode back towards the camp. On his way back, he was struck from behind and one of his arms was amputated. Then, he was stuck from behind again, amputating his other arm. Abbas was now carrying the water-bag in his mouth. The army of Yazid ibn Muawiyah started shooting arrows at him. One arrow hit the bag and water poured out of it. At that moment, Abbas lost all hope. One of Yazid’s men hit his head with a mace and Abbas fell off his horse without the support of his arms. As he was falling, he called, “Ya Akkha” (“Oh master”). According to Shia tradition, Abbas fell first onto his face before he let the standard fall.
He was killed on Friday, 10 Muharram 61 Hijri on the banks of the river Euphrates). Hence, he is called Hero of Al-Qamah (another name for the river Euphrates). His death is generally mourned on the 8th night of Muharram. Shia Muslims mourn the death of all martyrs of Islam associated with Husayn in the month of Muharram, the first of the Islamic calendar, mainly in the first ten days (see Remembrance of Muharram). Fadl ibn Abbas and Qasim ibn Abbas also laid down their lives at Karbala. Ubaydullah ibn Abbas lived to continue the lineage of Abbas with five sons of his own.
Al-‘Abbās Mosque, minaret and entrance Karbala, Iraq.‘Abbās was buried at that ground where he fell from his horse in Karbalā, Iraq. The Al-‘Abbās Mosque was built around his grave, to which millions of pilgrims visit and pay homage every year.[12]
/> [edit] Horse of Abbas
Abbas was given a horse named “Uqab” (Eagle).[13] Shia claim that this horse was used by Muhammad and Ali and that this horse was presented to Muhammad by the King of Yemen, Saif ibn Zee Yazni, through Abdul Muttalib. The king considered the horse to be very important and its superiority over other horses was evident by the fact that its genealogical tree was also maintained. It was initially named as “Murtajis”. The name “Murtajis” comes from Arabic name “Rijis” which means thunder (lightning).

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