The historical background of Al-’Abbas

Who was Al-’Abbas? Al-’Abbas has a full-dimensional history of ancestry, honorable lineage, knowledge, clemency, courage, munificence, adoration, and asceticism as well as all nobilities and virtues. Al-’Abbas is the son of the sinless Imam Amir ul-Mu’minin ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib. Al-’Abbas is the brother of the two Imams al-Hasan and al- Husayn the grandsons of Prophet Muhammad (saww). Al-’Abbas is the uncle of nine Imams - ‘Ali Zayn ul-Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir, Jaffar as- Sadiq, Musa al-Kadhim, ‘Ali ar- Ridha, Muhammad al-Jawad, ‘Ali al-Hadi, al-Hasan al-Askari, and al-Mahdi. Al-’Abbas was a good student of the best four immaculate teachers - his father, his two brothers, and his nephew. How great the teachers were and how great their student was! About him, Imam ‘Ali (a) predicted: “Choose for me a woman who is the descendant of the Arab heroes so that I will marry her and she will give birth to a horseman.” To him, Imam al-Husayn (a) addressed Al-’Abbas: “Ride on, may I be your sacrifice.” About him, Imam Zayn ul-Abidin (a) said: “Allah may have mercy upon my uncle, al-’Abbas. He preferred his brother to himself, did well, and sacrificed himself for his brother until he lost his two hands for sake of such.” About him, Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: “My uncle al-’Abbas was clear-sighted, steadfastly faithful… etc.” About him, Imam al-Mahdi (a) said: “Salaam be upon Abul-Fadhl al-’Abbas, son of Amir ul- Muminin. He preferred his brother to himself, supplied himself with (opportunities of) today for (rewards of) tomorrow, sacrificed himself for his brother, protected him, hurried for fetching him water, and his two hands were cut (for such).” Al-’Abbas, after all, was the righteous servant of God and the epitome of heroism. The Pure Lineage Al-’Abbas Undoubtedly the family relation with the great personalities is an honor and dignity, especially when such a great personality is the choice of God and the seal of the prophets. Al-’Abbas ibn ‘Ali enjoyed a close relation with Prophet Muhammad (S) since he was the son of ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib who was an independent source of honor and dignity. About ‘Ali (a), the Prophet (S) and his family, said: “My brother ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib enjoys innumerable merits. Neither jinn nor can human beings count them.” Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafii, the founder of the Shafiite school of law answered those who asked him to say his opinion about ‘Ali: “What can we say about a person whose partisans have had to hide his merits because of fear, and enemies have hidden his merits out of envy? Nevertheless between these two, his merits that have become widely known are too numerous to be counted” Ibn Abi’-Hadid, the Mutazilite, says: “The merits of ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib are too great and familiar to be mentioned or detailed. Even his enemies and rivalries could do nothing but confess the unmatched virtue of this man whose eminence is unconcealed and excellences are unrestrained. Everybody knows that when the Umayyads held the reins of the Islamic world, they spared no single effort for extinguishing the light of Imam ‘Ali and inventing flaws against him. Moreover, they issued the decisions of cursing him openly from the mimbars of their mosques and sentenced to death anyone who would mention any of his incalculable merits. They also prevented people from reporting any narration that might refer to any of his excellences. Finally, they even prevented people from calling their newborns by his name. Nevertheless, all these endeavours exalted ‘Ali’s reputation and took him to further elevated levels. He was like musk whose perfume spreads when it is screened, and like the sun that cannot be screened by one’s palm, and like daylight that is seen by many eyes even if one eye is closed against it.” Thus was the father of al-’Abbas who had every right to be taken pride in and gain learning from his morals, ethics and excellences. The Immaculate Womb From the maternal side, al-’Abbas was the son of a great lady namely Umm-ul-Banin, who enjoyed excellent lineage and personality. In addition to her high moral standards, she was well known for her loyalty to the Ahlul Bayt and her devoutness. Therefore, she occupied an elevated position in the sight of the Ahlul Bayt who praised her on many occasions and showed her great respect. Because of such remarkable care that Umm-ul-Banin took of Imam ‘Ali’s sons and daughters, God has given her an exclusive position and made her a means to reach Him and a way through which the supplicants’ most complex problems are solved. Umm-ul-Banin was brought up by her noble parents on righteous moralities and the highest ethical standards, so that she became fit to be the wife of Imam ‘Ali (a) and a compassionate mother for the chiefs of the youth of Paradise. This great lady gave birth to four courageous sons, the eldest among whom was Abul-Fadhl al-’Abbas. He, as well as his full brothers, acquired the qualities of courage and bravery from their mother whose ancestors were the most courageous among the Arabs. Umm-u- -Banin then, contributed towards forming the personalities of her four sons who showed unmatched courage on the day of Ashura and sacrificed themselves for their religion and its representative - Imam al-Husayn (a). Series of Fathers Ancestry plays a considerable role in the formation of personalities. It has a great influence on self-discipline and behavior. On that account, genealogy, which is the branch of knowledge that deals with the investigation of the details of ancestry, occupies a significant position in the society. It is so because the influence of heredity has been proven through many scientific researches, on the structure of both individuals and communities. In addition, many Islamic laws have depended mainly on genealogy, especially in fields of inheritance, taxes, regard of relatives, and blood money for unintentional killings etc. A genealogist, like any other specialist to whom matters relating to his special domain are referred to, enjoys a substantial position in the religious, social, and ethical affairs. ‘Aqil ibn Abi-Talib was the most celebrated in this field. In addition to his being the descendant of that unparalleled pedigree, he was the reference to whom people submitted their queries to in fields of genealogy. He could discern the sources of glory, distinguish the Arab tribes, and tell between the deep-rooted ones and the disreputable. ‘Aqil used to be surrounded by those who were interested in genealogy as well as the history and origins of the Arab tribes in the center of the Prophet’s Masjid; they gathered to listen to him carefully and trust whatever he would tell. Historians have reported uninterruptedly that Imam ‘Ali (a) summoned his brother ‘Aqil and asked: “Choose for me a woman who is the descendant of the Arab heroes so that I will marry her and she will give birth to a horseman.” ‘Aqil answered his brother: “Marry Umm-ul-Banin, from the tribe of Kelab, for no Arab individual is more courageous than her fathers and forefathers.”