The Martyrdom of the Righteous

The Martyrdom of the Righteous
The army of the truth met the army of misguidance and falsehood. The companions of Ima`m al-Husayn eagerly competed with the male members of his House for death to attain Paradise. With that they led the movement of faith. None of their spirits became weak, so, with their unique sacrifice, they gave a proof of the greatness of Islam, which granted them such a steadfast spirit through which they, though few in number, were able to meet that savage army and cause it heavy casualties.
The companions of al-Husayn and the male members of his Household proved themselves brave, especially as it concerns Aba` al-Fadl al-'Abba`s, peace be on him, who sacrificed his life for his brother al-Husayn.
Throughout the history of humanity, there is no brotherhood more truthful, nobler, and more sincere than that of al-'Abba`s, so Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, lauded and praised it when he said:
"May Allah have mercy on my uncle al-'Abba`s, for he preferred (his brother to himself), showed extreme courage, and sacrificed his life for his brother to the extent that his hands were cut off, so Allah, the Great and Almighty, gave him two wings to fly with the angels in Heaven, as He had given Ja'far b. Abi Ta`lib. Al-'Abba`s has a great position with Allah, the Exalted, so all the martyrs will envy it on the Day of Judgment.(Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 9, p. 147).
Aba` al-Fadl al-'Abba`s was the last brother of al-Husayn to be killed. The Ima`m, peace be on him, stood beside al-'Abba`s's holy corpse and said with great sorrow: "My back has just broken and my strength become little."
Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, felt loneliness and loss when he lost his brother, who was kind and obedient to him. In our book 'Haya`t al-Ima`m' al-Husayn (the Life of Ima`m al-Husayn), We have spoken in detail about his martyrdom and the attitude of al-Husayn toward him.
Imam al-Husayn(A.S.) sought Help
Ima`m al-Husayn, who was afflicted with disaster, looked with great sadness and sorrow at the members of his family and his companions. He saw them slaughtered like sheep on the sand of Karbala`' under the heat of the sun's rays, and he heard his womenfolk weeping and lamenting over their martyred ones. He did not know what would happened to them after his martyrdom.
That tragic sight had a great effect on him, so he sought help to protect the womenfolk of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, saying: "Is there anyone to protect the womenfolk of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family? Is there any monotheist to fear Allah through us? Is there any helper who seeks hope from Allah through helping us?(Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 274).
When Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin heard his father asking those people for helped, he left his bed and leant on a stick because of his severe illness. When al-Husayn saw him, he called his sister Umm Kulthu`m, saying: "Hold him back lest the earth should be void of the descendants of the family of Mohammed!"
So his aunt brought him back to his bed, and he suffered psychological pain more than he suffered from his illness. Ordeals and misfortunes filled his mind when he saw that brilliant group of his brothers and cousins martyred on the ground, their sincere companions slaughtered like sheep, his father was surrounded by the enemies of Allah, and the womenfolk of the Prophet shaking with fear. Nevertheless he faced those tragedies with forbearance and entrusted his affair to Allah.