العباس بن علي
Caravan of Husayn
Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Ali (a)
Standard-bearer · brother of Husayn
He would not drink while the camp went thirsty.
Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Ali (a) was the half-brother of Imam al-Husayn (a), renowned for his courage, loyalty, and striking presence. He carried the standard of the Imam's small camp.
On Ashura, with the children dying of thirst, he rode to the Euphrates to fetch water. He filled a waterskin but would not drink while the camp went without. Ambushed on his return, his arms were severed and the water lost; he fell still trying to bring it home.
He is remembered as the moon of the Hashimites and the very emblem of devotion.