One of the important elements of life\nis water; all the creatures need water in order to continue their life. The\nAlmighty Allah (SWT) has said in the Holy Quran, \u201dWe have made of water\neverything living\u201d (1). This verse declares the vital role of water in the life\nof all creatures. Therefore, Allah (SWT) has given all the living things a\nright in regards with water, which is the right of living. Hence, if a stream\nhas a specific owner who has not given permission to others to use it; however,\nthe true owner of it, Allah (SWT), has permitted all to use it to quench their\nthirst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the importance of water in the\nliving of all creatures, providing water for the thirsty is highly valuable in\nthe eyes of Allah (SWT). Its importance gets to a level where Amir al-Mu\u2019minin\n(PBUH) has said, \u201dThe first good act that will be rewarded on the Day of\nJudgment is donating water\u201d (2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, the realm of quenching\nthe thirst of others is not restricted to human beings; in fact, this act is so\nimportant that giving water to the animals is also highly valuable in the eyes\nof Allah (SWT). It has been narrated from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) that\nhe said, \u201dOnce, a woman found a thirsty dog in a desert; so she entered a well,\nfilled her shoe with water, carried it with her mouth as she came out from the\nwell, and gave it to the thirsty dog. So Allah (SWT) forgave her because of\nthis act\u201d (3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, as the Ahl al-Bayt\n(PBUT) have taught us, even the incorrect beliefs or religion of a person does\nnot prevent us from offering him water when thirsty. One of the companions of\nImam Sadiq (PBUH) narrates that, \u201cOnce I was accompanying Imam Sadiq (PBUH) on\nhis way towards Mecca. I noticed a person lying under a tree far from us. Imam\nSadiq (PBUH) said to me, \u2018Go and see if he is suffering from thirst\u2019. I came\ndown from my ride and checked on him. Then, I said to the Imam (PBUH), \u2018O the\nson of the Messenger of Allah! He is a Christian who is overcome by thirst.\u2019\nImam Sadiq (PBUH) ordered me to offer some water to the man. Then he said,\n\u201dOffering water to any thirsty person has a reward\u201d (4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, if quenching the thirst of\nanimals or people who are not on the right path is such valuable in the eyes of\nAllah (SWT), then definitely quenching the thirst of a believer should be\nextremely valuable. Imam Sadiq (PBUH) has said in this regards, \u201dWhoever offers\nwater to a believer while that person (the believer) has access to water will\nbe rewarded for 70 good deeds for each draft, and if that believer does not\nhave access to water, he will get the reward of freeing ten slaves from the\nprogeny of Ishmael\u201d(5). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now imagine what would be status of a\nthirsty water-provider who sacrificed his life in order to quench the thirst of\nhis Imam and the family of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As it is understood from the history,\none of the main characteristics of Ab al-Fadl al-Abbas (PBUH) was that he paid\nutmost attention to providing water for the thirsty. According to the\nnarrations, he always carried a water container in the hot days in the Arabian\nPeninsula with him, and so he was referred to as the water-provider or the\nfather of the water container (Ab al-Qirbah). This issue was so important to\nhim that he eventually sacrificed not only his hands, but also his life in\norder to get a water container to the family and the companions of Imam Hussain\n(PBUH) on the day of Ashura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on what the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT)\nhave taught us about providing others with water, what is the status of Hadrat\nAb al-Fadl al-Abbas (PBUH) with Allah (SWT)? Indeed, love towards Ab al-Fadl\nal-Abbas (PBUH) is far beyond just a feeling; it roots in a true knowledge and\nunderstanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is a\nselection from \u201cAl-Khasaa\u2019is al-Abbasyyiah\u201d, by Ayatullah Kalbasi (with some\nchanges))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website congratulates all\nMuslims, especially you dear friend, upon 4th of Sha\u2019ban, the birthday\nanniversary of the water-provider of the thirsty, Hadrat Ab al-Fadl al-Abbas\n(PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The Holy\nQuran, (21:30)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Al-Kafi, vol.\n4, p. 57<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Ja\u2019faryiaat,\np. 142<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Wasaa\u2019il\nal-Shia, vol. 6, p. 330<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Waafi, the\nchapter of water<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the important elements of life is water; all the creatures need water in order to continue their life. The Almighty Allah (SWT) has said in the Holy Quran, \u201dWe have made of water everything living\u201d (1). This verse declares the vital role of water in the life of all creatures. Therefore, Allah (SWT) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28425,28503,28248],"tags":[24430,24429,17778,18465,24374,18131,18480,17890,18418,17943,21314,18953,19046],"class_list":["post-4815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abbas-ibn-ali-pbuh","category-birth-en-abbas-ibn-ali-pbuh","category-occasional-letters","tag-2010-07-16","tag-a-deep-affection","tag-allah","tag-good","tag-hadrat-abbas","tag-holy","tag-important","tag-life","tag-occasion-letters","tag-quran","tag-right","tag-role","tag-water"],"yoast_head":"\n