"Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pledge [with their lives], others are waiting [their turn]. They have never changed [their commitment] in the least." - Holy Qur'an (33:23)

Ya Hussain.

End of the thread.

‏اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ ٱلْحُسَيْنِ
‏وَعَلَىٰ عَلِيِّ بْنِ ٱلْحُسَيْنِ
‏وَعَلَىٰ أَوْلاَدِ ٱلْحُسَيْنِ
‏وَعَلَىٰ أَصْحَابِ ٱلْحُسَيْنِ

I also can't help but see parallels between Abbas' (ع) story & today.

‎Kids crying from extreme thirst; vile, vicious killers; some people trying to convince us to abandon our religion/values for "safety" & "prosperity."

‎Not too many differences between his Yazid (ل) & present-day Yazids (ل).

Alhamdulillah, I had the honour of visiting my hero Abbas (ع) in late 2023/early 2024.

‎His loyalty to his Imam (ع), his valour in the face of a seemingly insurmountable challenge, his soft heart when it came to children — I pray to God that he gives me even a bit of what Abbas (ع) had.

Abbas' (ع) head was later severed & brought to Yazid (ل) in Damascus. He was later buried in the spot he died, northeast of where his half-brother Husayn (ع) was later killed.

‎A tomb & mosque were later erected above his burial place, & it's visited by millions of people every year.

When Husayn (ع) came to comfort Abbas (ع), he exclaimed, "Now, my back has been broken."

‎He tried to bring Abbas (ع) back to the camp, but Abbas (ع) refused because he was ashamed to return without fulfilling his promise to Sakina.

‎Abbas (ع) passed away in that spot.

Now, Abbas (ع) stopped. He didn't know what to do. He had no water to bring back to the camp & no arms to fill his waterskin with.

‎As Abbas (ع) contemplated his next move, another arrow pierced his eye. An opponent then hit him with an iron rod & knocked him off his horse.

At this point, all Abbas (ع) cared about was delivering the water to the dehydrated camp. It didn't matter if he got there dead or alive, as long as his loved ones' thirst was quenched.

‎So imagine the pain he felt when an arrow pierced his waterskin & emptied it of its contents.

Abbas (ع) was ambushed again, this time on his left — & his left arm was cut off.

‎Still, Abbas (ع) rode his horse with conviction. The armless warrior said, "O soul, do not fear the disbelievers! And rejoice in the mercy of the Almighty."

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But as Abbas (ع) rode his horse in the camp's direction, an opponent attacked him by surprise & completely severed his right arm.

‎Unfazed, Abbas erupted in poetry: "By God, if you cut off my right arm, I will forever defend my faith & the Imam."

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Abbas (ع) felt it wasn't right to quench his thirst while the children, his niece & his Imam/half-brother were thirsty.

‎Reciting these lines of poetry, he threw the water back into the Euphrates, filled his waterskin & set off to return to Husayn (ع).

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With thirst overtaking him, he cupped his hands & brought some water to his mouth.

‎But before he could take a sip, he remembered the cries of the kids in the camp. He remembered the promise he made to Sakina. He remembered Husayn's (ع) extreme thirst. He remembered his mission.

Charging at the blockade, Abbas (ع) recited the lines of poetry in the first tweet, about not fearing death.

‎Channelling his father Ali's (ع) spirit from previous battles, Abbas (ع) single-handedly broke through the army's ranks & reached the riverbank.

Tormented by their cries, Abbas (ع) finally convinced Husayn (ع) to let him enter the battlefield, on the condition that he was only to bring water to the camp.

‎As he got ready to embark, he promised Sakina, Husayn's (ع) young daughter, that he would soon return with water.

Abbas (ع) accepted Husayn's (ع) refusal for a while. But he soon became anguished by the loud cries of the thirsty children in Husayn's (ع) camp.

‎The children — and Husayn's (ع) camp — had been cut off from the Euphrates, & extreme thirst was taking a very severe toll on them.

Abbas (ع) was the last warrior in Husayn's (ع) resistance of about 72 men, which had been slaughtered by Yazid's (ل) army of thousands.

‎Abbas (ع) was a fearless soldier who was like Ali (ع) in battle, but Husayn (ع) had refused to let him fight in Karbala lest he lose him too.

"يا نفس لا تخشي من الكفار،
‏وأبشري برحمة الجبار."

‏⁧‫#العباس‬⁩

"والله إن قطعتم يميني،
‏إني أحامي أبدا عن ديني،
‏وعن إمام صادق اليقين،
‏نجل النبي الطاهر الأمين."

‏⁧‫#العباس‬⁩

"يا نفس من بعد الحسين هوني،
‏وبعده لا كنت أن تكوني،
‏هذا حسين وارد المنون،
‏وتشربين بارد المعين،
‏هيهات ماهذا فعال ديني،
‏ولا فعال صادق اليقين."

‏⁧‫#العباس‬⁩