Description

LINEAGE

Hazrat Abd-Allah ibn al-Hussain (R.A), also known as Ali al-Asghar (R.A), was born in 680 AD. He was the son of Hazrat Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A). His father was the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). His grandfather was Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A) who was the cousin of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Abd-Allah (R.A) was the youngest son of Imam Hussain ibn Ali (R.A), the third Shia Imam. His mother Rubab (R.A) was the first wife of Imam Hussain (R.A) and the daughter of Imra’ al-Qais ibn Adi, a chief of the Banu Kalb tribe. Imam Hussain’s (R.A) kunya, Abu Abd-Allah, probably refers to this son.

LIFE

A young child, likely an infant, he was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, alongside his father, family members, and a small number of supporters, all of whom were massacred by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid, who first surrounded them for some days and cut off their access to the nearby river Euphrates.

Abd-Allah (R.A) was killed during the battle by an arrow, though the manner of his death is uncertain. According to some sources, Imam Hussain (R.A) then dug a small grave with his sword and buried the child. Some scholars claim that Imam Hussain (R.A) brought Abd-Allah (R.A) to the battlefield, held him up, and implored the enemy to have mercy on the thirsty children and allow them some water. The response was an arrow that killed Abd-Allah (R.A). Some report Abd-Allah (R.A) was killed in his mother’s arms.

Abd-Allah (R.A) was an innocent child who suffered unbearable thirst, described as “the quintessence of symbol of the innocent victim.” His death carries perhaps the heaviest emotional weight for Muslims.

LOCATION