Ghazi


                                                                



The moon of Hashim’s family is the epitome of loyalty. He took sacrifice to another level, a level that is above all levels. He is a true Ghazi, an embodiment of valour. Whenever anyone mentions bravery, faithfulness, restraint, self-discipline and strength, the name that comes to mind is that of Ghazi Abbas.



He is the gateway to God’s mercy. He is the door of fulfilment. He is the son of Creator of Wonders and he himself is a Creator of Wonders. The fourth infallible Imam called him Abdus Saleh – most sincerely pious servant of God. He guarded Imam Hussain the way Imam Ali guarded the Holy Prophet.



He is the only one in the whole universe who gives without hands. He sacrificed both his hands in the path of Truth. Handless, yet he is the fulfiller of needs and wants. The high and the mighty and the poor and the needy, all assemble at his doorstep to benefit from his generosity and largesse.     



In times of grief and affliction or when stuck in an impossible situation, call him. Say ‘O Remover of grief from the countenance of Hussain! Remove my grief for the sake of your brother Hussain.’ He always responds. He never disappoints. The Almighty Lord has bestowed upon him this miracle. That whoever asks in his name, the Good Lord never rejects. Through Abbas’s name, the plea never fails.



He is well-known for his courage and valour throughout the Arab world. Ibn Manzur - a Maghrebi Arab lexicographer – writes in one of his books that ‘Abbas was the lion that all other lions feared.’ The line that Abbas carved with his sword to keep the enemies at bay is a demarcation between Right and Wrong, between Truth and Falsehood, between Purity and Impurity.



When he arrived at the banks of the river Euphrates, alone, unarmed, with mashk in one hand and alam in the other, no one from the enemy camp dared to even move from their place. They remained rooted to the ground. The great warrior dismounted from his horse Uqab and stepped into the river. He collected the water in the confines of his palms and then disdainfully threw it back. He was the conqueror of not only the river but his thirst too. Then he filled the mashk and turned back towards the Hussaini camp.



The enemy troops who were frozen until now, suddenly thawed, and found life returning in them at the sight of the Ghazi’s back. They attacked the Lion of Haider with a vengeance. First his left hand was severed, then his right, but the gallant Abbas galloped on, shielding the mashk with his chest, and unmindful of his bruised and battered body. But when an arrow struck the mashk, Abbas’s determination trickled away with the water. A spear struck him on the head and unable to balance himself on the steed, the brave-hearted warrior fell down on the earth with no hands to support his fall.



The moon that the enemies thought they had eclipsed shines brightly on the firmament of Islam and will forever shine illuminating the path of glory and bravery.

-          NZ

8.9.2019

BN: 121

         

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