The Office of the Supreme Leader

Spending Money Collected in the Name of ʻAbbās ibn ʻAlī

question| What is the proper use for a sum of money donated by believers in the name of Imām Ḥusayn’s brother, ʻAbbās ibn ʻAlī?
answer| If the donors do not specify a particular use or condition, it is permissible to use the collected money for any generally beneficial purpose, such as charity to the needy, financial assistance to pilgrims in need, and construction of mosques, bridges, and other such public projects, the intention in all these deeds being that the rewards garnered thereby be bestowed upon the holy soul of ʻAbbās ibn ʻAlī.

ʻAbbās ibn ʻAlī, often referred to as abū al-faḍl, was Imām Ḥusayn’s loyal half-brother, who fought bravely on the Day of Ashura and was brutally slain by the forces of Yazīd’s army as he was fighting to carry water back to the parched camp of Imām Ḥusayn, where the thirsty children waited anxiously to be given a drink of water. His shrine stands a few hundred yards away from that of his brother in the present-day city of Karbala.
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