This action has attracted sympathy and affection and led...

This action has attracted sympathy and affection and led human hearts towards Imam al-Husayn (as). It has drawn people to initiate uprisings against Yazid and others like him. Thirdly, Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas knew very well that he and his brother, the Holy Imam al-Husayn (as), were going to get killed, whether he took the opportunity to drink water or not. He knew that he was not going to leave this battlefield safe, sound and alive.

He knew that the enemies were determined and bent on killing all the household of Bani Hashim at all costs. Therefore, was it not better to attain martyrdom and return to his Lord with thirsty lips? What bears witness to this is that man drinks water whenever he knows with certainty that drinking water will save his life, but Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas had no hope of living after this war. He knew with certainty that he was going to be martyred.

Fourthly, Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas believed that drinking water when Imam al-Husayn (as) and his household were thirsty amounted to treachery in some way. The rules of proper Islamic conduct did not allow him as a follower to satiate his thirst when his holy leader was thirsty. Fifthly, generosity and self sacrifice are among the morals and gracious virtues of the (as).

Abu al-Fadl al-‘Abbas sacrificed in the same way that his father Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), Fatimah al-Zahra (as), al-Hasan and al-Husayn (as) had sacrificed generously and given the food they so badly needed to break their fast with in the holy mounth of Ramadan to the poor, orphans and the captives for three days in a row while they themselves were forced to remain hungry all this time. [^1]: Muqarram, Maqtal al-Husayn (as), p. 267. Previous…