اللهم صل علی محمد وآل محمد و عجل فرجهم
السلام علیک یا ابوالفضل العباس ع ابن امیر المومنین ع
The 7th of Muharram is associated with Hazrat Abbas (as), the brother of Imam Hussain (as).
He's known as the Ghazi, Alamdar, Qamr-e-Bani Hashim, Bab-ul-Hawaij, Shehehshah-e-Wafa, and Sakka-e-Sakina.
The masaib of Abbas (as) have several aspects to it. I don't have the emotional strength or even the ability to fully comprehend the tragedy that was the martyrdom of Abbas (as). From Zainab (sa) to Kulsoom (sa) , from Sakina (sa) to Hussain (as), he (as) was the single most staunch beacon of hope for every person in the Hussaini camp. I'll only be able to narrate bits from his farewell.
Imam Hussain (as) never gave Abbas (as) permission to fight. When he (as) did go to the battlefield, it was only to fetch water from river Furaat. When Bibi Zainab (sa) heard he's about to ride for Furaat, she (sa) looked at him and said, "I had heard from my grandfather (saww) about the things that will happen to us in and after Karbala. I knew that if he's said it, it must be true. But I used to wonder, how could it all happen to someone who has a brother like Abbas (as)?But now I'm sure of it. Now I know that our chaadars will be snatched. Now I know our tents will be burned. We'll be taken as prisoners and paraded from city to city. Now I can see it all happening."
When he (as) left, Bibi Sakina (sa) - Imam's daughter, called all the children in the camp to the curtain of her tent. She (sa) told them to bring their cups, her uncle (as) has gone to bring them water. Standing at the camp, she (sa) saw him reach Furaat. She (sa) saw him kneel and fill his mashk (vessel) with water. She (sa) kept telling the children, look, look my uncle (as) is bringing us water. Look.
As Abbas (as) returned from Furaat, the enemy decided to attack him from the back. They had to stop the water from reaching the camp at all costs. Someone struck a sword from behind him and cut off his right arm. Abbas (as) balanced the alam and the mashk on his left arm. He (as) was struck again, and his left arm was cut off.
Sakina (sa) was watching all of this from her tent. She (sa) saw the alam lean towards the right, then lean towards the left. She dropped her cup on the ground, and told the children to lift their hands in prayer.
"I don't want water. I am not thirsty anymore. Just bring my uncle (as) back to me safely,"
she (sa) cried.
Abbas (as) continued to ride towards the camp, despite both arms being cut off. He (as) was now holding the mashk between his teeth. The Yazidi army realized that in this moment, all of Abbas's strength is in that mashk. As long as there's even a drop of water in it, nothing can stop Abbas (as).Someone fired an arrow towards him and it pierced the vessel.
When every other rider fell from their horses on the plains of Karbala, they used their hands to shield them from the fall. Abbas's arms had been cut off. You can only imagine the manner he (as) would've fallen.
He (as) is known as Bab-ul-Hawaij, the door to your desires. We're instructed to use him as a waseela for our needs, and they will be granted. When he was holding the mashk between his teeth, he looked towards the sky and prayed that he (as) be granted just enough life for him to deliver the vessel to Sakina (sa).
This honor of being Bab-ul-Hawaij was given to him by God in return for that unanswered prayer.
Today, we carry Alams, tall and proud, in remembrance of the Alam Abbas (as) carried. And as a symbol of being the flag-bearers of the cause of Imam Hussain (as) . Every Alam has a mashkeeza tied to it in remembrance of the bond between Sakina (sa) and Abbas (as).
