Dedication and Altruism 7 (Imam Hussain and Karbala)

On Muharram 10th, also called Ashura, Husain ibn Ali completed the morning prayers with his companions. He appointed Zuhayr ibn Qayn to command the right flank of his army, Habib ibn Muzahir to command the left flank and his half-brother Abbas ibn Ali as the standard bearer. There is controversy regarding the date for the day of Ashura in the Gregorian Calender. October 10 is a calculated date through calculators. These calculators however, are not always correct. According to book Maqtal al Husain Muharram 9th is October 12, 680, so it appears that the date was October 12, 680 A.D. Husain ibn Ali's companions numbered 32 horsemen and 40 infantrymen. Husain rode on his horse Zuljenah. Husain ibn Ali called the people around him to join him for the sake of Allah and to defend Muhammad's family. His speech affected Hurr ibn Yazid Al-Riyahi, the commander of the Tamim and Hamdan tribes who had stopped Husain from his journey. He abandoned Umar ibn Sa'ad and joined Husain's small band of followers. On the other side, Yazid had sent Shimir (his chief commander) to replace Umar ibn Sa'ad as the commander.

Abbas ibn Ali advanced toward Euphrates branch along a dyke. Abbas ibn Ali continued his advance into the heart of ibn Sa'ad's army.[54] He was under heavy shower of arrows but was able to penetrate them and get to the branch leaving heavy casualties from the enemy. He immediately started filling the water skin. In a remarkable and immortal gesture of loyalty to his brother and Muhammad's grandson he did not drink any water despite being severely thirsty. He put the water skin on his right shoulder and started riding back toward their tents. Umar ibn Sa'ad ordered an outright assault on Abbas ibn Ali saying that if Abbas ibn Ali succeeds in taking water back to his camp, we will not be able to defeat them till the end of time. A massive enemy army blocked his way and surrounded him. He was ambushed from behind a bush and his right arm was cut off. Abbas ibn Ali put the water skin on his left shoulder and continued his way but his left arm was also cut off. Abbas ibn Ali now held the water skin with his teeth. The army of ibn Sa'ad started shooting arrows at him, one arrow hit the water skin and water poured out of it, now he turned his horse back towards the army and charge towards them but one arrow hit his eyes and someone hit a gurz on his head and he fell off the horse.In his last moments when Abbas ibn Ali was wiping the blood in his eyes to enable him to see Husain's face, Abbas ibn Ali said not to take his body back to the camps because he had promised to bring back water but could not and so could not face Bibi Sakinah, the daughter of Husain ibn Ali. Then he call Imam Husain, "brother" for the first time in his life. Before the death of Abbas Imam Hussein was noted to have said "Abbas your death is like the breaking of my back"