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A son of Ali and one of the martyrs of Karbala; he is known by the epithet al-Saqqa ("the water-carrier") because he brought water to the Family of the Prophet. His mother was Umm al-Banin bint Hizam.
The sources contain no information about Abbas's life before the events of Karbala; what is known of him gathers entirely around those few days.
According to Sunni and Shi'i sources, which relate it in near-complete agreement, Abbas b. Ali was at Karbala together with Husayn. When the thirst of Husayn and those with him became unbearable, he was charged with finding water and carried out the task successfully one night; from this comes the epithet al-Saqqa.
On 9 Muharram 61 (9 October 680) he negotiated with the soldiers from Kufa on Husayn's behalf, without result. When Husayn, expecting the Kufans to attack the next day, asked those with him to leave him, Abbas objected vehemently, saying: "May God never let us see such a thing."
The following day, while protecting Husayn during the tragedy of Karbala, he was martyred after his brothers Abdullah, Ja'far and Uthman. His head was sent to Damascus with those of the other martyrs of Karbala; his body was buried where he fell by the Banu Asad, inhabitants of the village of Ghadiriyya. Later his present tomb was built at Karbala, on the northern side of the tomb of Husayn.
His Circle of Influence — During the Muharram observances the young vie with one another, in imitation of him, to supply water to those taking part, voicing their feelings with the cry "Ya Hazrat-i Abbas!" Towards the later Abbasid period Abbas b. Ali became renowned with these same attributes among futuwwa and Sufi circles in Iran, Azerbaijan and India as well.
Differing Scholarly Views
What the sources differ on is not the event but the emphasis — His presence at Karbala, the fetching of water and his martyrdom are related by Sunni and Shi'i sources in near-complete agreement; the atlas records no dispute on this point. The divergence lies in the estimation: the Shi'i tradition accords Abbas b. Ali an exceptional standing among those present at Karbala, and remembers and exalts him always as a figure of devotional narrative. The atlas stands at equal distance from both traditions and does not substitute one for the other.
Where the source is silent — The sources contain nothing of his life before Karbala. The atlas does not fill this gap; it records the unknown as unknown.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) · entry “Abbas b. Ali”
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) — TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi · vol. 1, p. 21, entry “ABBAS b. ALİ b. EBÛ TÂLİB”
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