Wiladat of Hazrat Abbas-e-Alamdar A.S Mubarak

[Hussaini Sms]

SALAM YA GHAZI ABBAS (AS)

  Wiladat-Baa-Sa'adat of Sarkar-e-Wafa, Qamare-Bani-Hashim Babul-Hawaij , Hazrat Abbas-e-Alamdar A.S
Mubarak to all momeneen & momenaat all around the world !!!   
4th - Sha'abān al Moazam   Our heartiest greetings and felicitations to Holy Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w.), Amir al-Mu'minin Imām ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib (a.s.) Hazrat Fāṭimah (s.a.), Ahl-e-Bait (a.s.), Imam-e-Zamana (a.s.) & all lovers of Ahl-e-Bait (a.s.) on this auspicious occasion of Birth Anniversary of the Standard Bearer of Imām Husayn (A.S.), Hazrat ‘Abbās ibn ‘Ali (A.S)


Imām `Ali ibn Husayn (A.S.) said: 

"Surely Abbas (ibne. Ali) has a special stature in front of Allāh. He will be the subject of envy of every martyr on the Day of Judgment."  
[Reference : Bihar al-Anwaar vol44 page 298; Al-Khesaal vol 1 page 68]
Name: Abbas
Title: Qamare-Bani-Hashim,
Saqqa , Babul-Hawaij etc.

Kunyat: Abul-Fazl , Abul-Qurba

Father’s name: Hazrat Ali Ibne Abi-Talib A.S

Mother’s name: Janabe Fatema Kalabiya

Born: 4th Shabaan 26 A.H

Shahadat: Yaum-e-Ashura 61 A.H

Buried: In Karbala (Iraq)
The holy son of Hazrat Imam Ali A.S and the younger brother of Hazrat Imam Husain A.S was born in Madina on the 4th of Shabaan in 26th A.H. The revered mother of Hazrat Abbas A.S was Janabe Ummul-Baneen , Hazrat Fatema Kalabiya and His holy father was the Leader of the Pious Hazrat Imam Ali A.S. The birth of Hazrat Abbas A.S is so special as the history behind his birth tells us the beautiful story when Hazrat Ali A.S after the martyrdom of Janabe Fatema Zehra S.A came to his brother Hazrat Aqeel and opened His heart's desire of marrying a girl from the bravest tribe. His wish was that the child born through her would be courageous as his father and be similar in the true love , devotion and respect for Imam Husain A.S just as Hazrat Ali A.S were a true devotee of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa S.A.W. Imam Ali A.S was also aware of the Tragedy of Karbala in the future and knew that His son Husain would be in need of an affectionate supporter like Hazrat Abbas A.S. When Hazrat Ali A.S married to Janabe Fatema Kalabiya He was granted with four sons: 1. Abbas Ibne-Ali 2. Abdullah Ibne-Ali 3. Uthman Ibne-Ali and 4. Jafar Ibne-Ali . Janabe Fatema was then titled as Ummul-Baneen (The mother of sons). All her sons were sacrificed for Imam Husain A.S in Karbala. ]
When Hazrat Abbas A.S was born everyone was very cheerful on this joyful occasion and when Janabe Zainab saw her newborn brother she hurried to take him in her arms and whispered something in his ear. When she was asked about what she had whispered to the baby she said : " I only conveyed the salutation of my holy mother." Janabe Fatema Zehra S.A before her departure from this world had told her daughter that : "O' Zainab when your brother is born don't forget to send my salam to my son Abbas." As the years passed by Janabe Zainab longed for the birthday of her brother Abbas so that she could fulfil her promise and finally on the 4th of Shabaan she was able to convey the message of her holy mother which she had kept in her heart for so long. The holy brother of Hazrat Husain A.S was named Abbas , meaning "the Lion of the Jungle" and of course what other name would suit the son of the Lion of God. His exquisite titles are : Qamare-Bani Hashim (The moon of the Hashimites) , he was endowed this title because of his beauty and elegance , other titles are Abdus-Saleh , Al-Fadi , Alamdare Dashte-Karbala , Saqqa-e-Sakina , Babul-Hawaij , Hamil-ul-Lawa , and many more.

Everytime we hear the name of Hazrat Abbas A.S we recall his sacrifice for Imam Husain A.S and his promise of fetching water for his beloved niece Janabe Sakina and the most important of all he is indeed the most famous standard bearer in the history of Islam. Speaking of the standard and its bearers in the history of Islam I would like to present and translate an article written by my father (Maulana Maqbool Ahmed) as follows below.

ALAM aur ALAMDAR

(Standard and the Standard bearer)

" Alam , Rayat and Lawa are arabic words carrying the same meaning and their translation would be , symbol , banner or flag. The history of the standard have a connection to the history of mankind when its origin take us back in time to the days of Hazrat Adam A.S. When Qabeel had killed his brother Habeel due to his jealousy towards him this story was followed by the first war on the earth between Hazrat Sheeth A.S and Qabeel. During this dreadful fight Hazrat Sheeth A.S wore a white dress which was sent by Allah and the angels had descended from heaven to be the standard bearers in this first holy war carrying white coloured banners. When the war was over Qabeel had failed and was taken a prisoner by the angels who carried him away to the place of Ayn-ush-Shams where he finally died. His children became the servants of Hazrat Sheeth A.S who was the successor of his father , Hazrat Adam A.S.(taken from Manaqib Ibne Shahr-Ashaub)

In certain history writings there is mentioned that the flag has its roots in Egypt, and in one hadith it is written that the first banner was made during the lifetime of Hazrat Ibrahim A.S. It all began when Hazrat Ibrahim A.S confronted Rome in a battle with His high-flown flag when He liberated Hazrat Loot A.S from the prison of the Romans. Since then the holy standard of Islam have always been in the hands of the offspring of Hazrat Ibrahim A.S and it was always they who raised it whenever it was needed. At the Age of Ignorance (Jaheliyyah) it still was a custom that every group of one creed or tribe had their particular standard by which it was easy to recognize or distinguish their seed or religion. During a war the both sides appeared behind their flying flags.

One thing is certain and all the writers of the Islamic history agree to the fact that the banner of the tribe of Quraish had always been the property of Qasi Bin-Kalab thereafter it was handed over to Bani-Hashim. After the day of Mab'ath the Islamic flag was presented and given to Hazrat Ameer-ul-Momeneen A.S by the Holy Prophet S.A.W. Which battle of Islam should be mentioned without informing that the standard bearer during these battles had always been Hazrat Ali A.S who was always seen headed forward bravely with His white coloured flag. Later when Islam continued to spread quickly and there were different independent Islamic territories led of course to different various types of banners each with seperate colours like green or black flags. The tribe of Bani Abbas not only carried a black flag but their costumes at war were also black coloured. The tribe of Bani Umayya chose a red standard and the noble , spiritual and pious ones favored a white flag. But later the group of the pious changed the colour of their standard from white to green and then it was never shifted to another shade.

This colour became so popular and wanted that when Hazrat Ali Raza A.S was offered the heirship Mamoon announced to his people that the colour of their flag should also be shifted from black to green. After that no one carried a black banner as they did before. This shifting of the colour was a favour of Imam Ali Raza A.S upon the tribe of Bani Abbas who declared and changed their standard colour to green which connects to peace and harmony. All over the world a green flag is considered as a pure and peaceful banner but on the contrary a red banner relates to be a sign of war. The history of the passed shows that the standard bearers of a red flag were they who wanted to spill the blood of the progeny of the Holy Prophet S.A.W while the standard bearers of a green banner could sacrifice their arms and life for peace. The writings of the Islamic history declares 3 noble standard bearers who sacrificed their arms before being martyred , 1. In the battle of Uhud - Janabe Mus'ab bin Umair 2. In the battle of Mauta - Janabe Jafar Ibne Abi-Talib and 3. In Karbala - Hazrat Abbas Ibne-Abi-Talib A.S.

Mostly it is known that continuosly in all battles that were fought in Islam its banner was honoured to fall into the hands of Hazrat Ali A.S. The symbol , banner or flag during a war was always seen holded by the chosen among the army and by the looks of the standard the tribes were predicted just like today when we can tell by the flag to which country it belongs. If the banner during a fight slightly declined then it was the sign of failure therefore a standard used to be given in the hands of the bravest , tallest and strongest in the army. A flag is not just an ordinary flag but it carries the respect and dignity of to whom it belongs. If any standard is disrespected or humiliated it means the humiliation and disgrace of its entire nation. And when it's respected and honoured then its country is held in veneration and the standard bearer's respect is also exalted as it's he who protects it and represent the caretaking of the flag of his nation.

How shameful it would be for everyone if the bearer during a fight throw away the flag to save his life? And on the other side if the bearer stands firm and sacrifice his life for its protection then he will be honoured forever. Therefore our Noble Messenger S.A.W chose his brother Hazrat Ali A.S as the ultimate standard bearer of Islam after the holy Prophet S.A.W had said : "The truth is with Ali" and "O'Allah turn truth with Ali wherever He turns". It is significant for a muslim standard bearer to be a lover of the Final Apostle of Allah and His offspring beacuse when the Islamic flag is raised the value and dignity of Islam is exalted. In the battle of Khaybar Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa S.A.W said something that gave us something to think about. When He handed over the standard of Islam to Hazrat Ali A.S , He said: " Today the warrior of this battle will be the one who will raise the standard of Islam with its respect and truly he will hold it the way it should be carried."

Hazrat Ali A.S lived his whole life caring for the banner of Islam and wished to hand over this standard to someone like Him who could continue to raise and protect the flag of Islam after his martyrdom . This was also a desire in his heart when He had prayed to the Lord before the birth of Hazrat Abbas A.S to be granted with a brave son like Him who would respect, honour and protect the flag of Islam even if he had to give his life for it and the prayer of Hazrat Ali A.S was answered by the Lord Almighty. Hazrat Abbas A.S was born with all the good qualities and inherited the bravery of His holy father. Hazrat Abbas A.S was so beautiful that he was titled as the moon of the Hashimites , so tall that when he mounted his horse his feet touched the ground , so pious that a sign of his prostrations had been marked on his forehead and protected and loved his Master so much that His devotion for Imam Husain A.S is mentioned and remembered everywhere and will proceed till the end of this world and we will call him by the name of "Abbas-e-Ba-Wafa". He was also chosen to be the standard bearer because this was something that was succeeded in this holy family. Imam Husain A.S honoured and selected His brother Abbas to raise , care and protect the green flag of Islam in Karbala.

It is difficult to say if the position of Hazrat Abbas A.S was exalted due to his protection of the flag in Karbala or if Hazrat Abbas A.S elevated the status of the standard. Just like Hazrat Ali A.S devoted his life to protect and support the Noble Messenger S.A.W so did His son Abbas in Karbala. The rank of Hazrat Abbas being the standard bearer of Islam is also exalted even more of the fact that he was also chosen to be the "Saqqa-e-Haram" the one who would fetch water in Karbala. When Hazrat Abbas A.S was martyred he did not emerge in the battlefield to fight the enemies but to bring water for his thirsty children. If Hazrat Abbas A.S had really been given the chance to fight , the tragedy of Karbala would have never occured in the history. But Imam Husain A.S gave him only permission to fetch water when He passed him the leather bag , "Mashq" . The Alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S still carries the sign of his peaceful act and his love for his niece as the mashq is always hanged on the alam. Hazrat Abbas A.S protected the standard so long his arms were not sacrificed but continued to save the mashq of Janabe Sakina from being hit by the arrows even after his arms were cut off. His martyrdom is unique in the history of the Martyrs of Islam. What we see hanging on the alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S is not the mashq but the arms of Janabe Sakina embracing her uncle.

Hazrat Abbas A.S had insured his niece to bring water but was martyred before he reached the camp. That was why it was the will of Hazrat Abbas A.S that his martyred body shouldn't be carried to the camp and why instead only the alam was brought back. But the standard of Islam was immediately raised again in Karbala at the spot where it had falled. The Alam of Husain was at first carried by Hazrat Abbas A.S and now Imam Husain A.S was bringing back the alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S. Imam-e-Mazloom was the first who lifted his brother's standard and now till the end of the world this alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S will always stand high up. There have been various flags throughout the history of mankind but the flags of great leaders and kings have vanished and been wiped out as their possessors have perished. If some still remains they are locked up in a museum but the alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S has been given an eternal life and the bearers of this alam will continously be born to be honoured to lift this holy standard to show the world that our islamic banner is the tallest. The martyrs of Karbala are still alive and the alam shows us this sign. So many years have passed by but the lovers of Imam Husain A.S will never quit to remember the tragedy of Karbala. The first juloos ceremony was performed in Karbala when Imam Husain A.S carried the alam of His brother and little children followed him saying : "Al-Atash , Al-Atash".

About the structure of an alam marhoom Maulana Murtaza Husain Fazil Lakhnawi have explained that :

" Alam is an arabic word which means a symbol of the army but in our home countries it is reminded of to be the symbol of the army of Imam Husain A.S and these alams are placed beautifully in our Imambargahs , in courts of azadari and also at home of the Shias. These alams are made of silver, copper or brass etc. and the top of the alam is marked with a panja (a hand-formed plate). This is an Iraqi art and has nothing to do with the real history of the banner. In some narrations it is found that these alam-styles were brought to India from Najaf (Iraq). This religious standard is made by a wooden tall pole threaded with a textile fabric. They are decorated with a sword , arrow and mashq and some of the alams are also decorated by valuable jewels and diamonds.The alam of Hazrat Abbas A.S is always carried in the front of the Taaziya (the copy of the shrine or minaret of Imam Husain A.S) in the juloos-ceremony. The Taaziya is linked to Imam Husain A.S and the Alam is the sign of Hazrat Abbas A.S."

Today the juloos-ceremony is performed all over the world as the lovers of Imam Husain A.S recall the tragedy of Karbala every year. When a great leader or a king pass away he is tributed with an organised burial ceremony and the flags which sometimes are black are at half-mast but all this trouble and arrangements are lasted only for few days. The mourning for Imam Husain A.S the King of the Martyrs is reminisced every year by His followers. An Alam and an Alamdar will always exist in Islam and this is not said related to this world but also to the Hereafter. Hazrat Ali A.S will raise the standard of Islam in the Hereafter and proceed towards Heaven and behind him all the Prophets , the holy martyrs and His followers will march to enter the Paradise and His enemies will be thrown in Hell."

I hope this detailed article gave all an insight into the history of the standard of Islam. We are grateful to be the servants and followers of the Ahlul-Bayt A.S. We raise our hands in supplication in hope that may Allah S.W.T forgive our sins and keep guiding us on the right path. Ameen. We extend our greetings to all momeneen and momenaat and to our awaited Living Imam A.S I would like to end this article with a poem by Nayab Hallori :

" Abbas tera thani dunya me kahan momkin

Dunya ko jo deta hai usne tujhe manga hai "

Written and translated by :
Sughra Khatoon daughter of Maulana Maqbool Ahmed Saheb source:-http://www.mushkilkusha.com/

Ashaar

Khatm hai duniya ki tareekh-e-wafa Abbas(AS) par,

Ibtida jis se bhi ho, haan inteha Abbas(AS) par.

Saari duniya ko nuseri k Khuda par naaz hai,

Naaz karta hai nuseri ka Khuda, Abbas(AS) Par.

Please Visit: 

 

Shabaan Quiz: http://www.seratonline.com/quiz/

 

Duas & A'amal for Sha'abān al Moazam: http://www.duas.org/shaban.htm

 

Ziarat of Hazrat ‘Abbās ibn ‘Ali (A.S) - http://www.ziaraat.org/iraq/abbas.php

ILTEMASE DUA

Riyaz Mehdi