Ashura’ Encyclopedia

A - Aabis Ibn Abi Shabib Al-Shakiry

One of the bravest and most loyal men in the army of Imam Husayn in Karbala. Aabis was so old that he had to tie a piece of cloth around his forehead just to keep his eyebrows from falling on top of his eyes.

He was Muslim Ibn Aqeel's messenger to Imam Husayn telling him that the people of Kufa had agreed to fight with Imam Husayn. His story is well known on the day of Ashura’, when nobody would dare to fight him. When Aabis realized that no one was going to come out to fight, he removed all his armour until a man cried to him: "Have you gone mad?" Aabis replied: "Yes, the love of Husayn has made me go mad". Finally, ‘Umar Ibn Sa'ad shouted at his army saying: "What is the matter with you all, throw stones at him".