It is narrated that a some sons of Imam Hasan (a.s.) had accompanied
Imam Husain (a.s.) on the journey of Kerbala. One of them was
Qasim. Also, Imam Hasan’s (a.s.) youngest son, Abdullah was present in
Kerbala; he was only ten years old. He was only a few months old when
Imam Hasan (a.s.) was martyred. Imam Husain (a.s.) had brought him
up. Imam Husain (a.s.) loved his nephews very much. Perhaps he loved
his nephews more than his sons since they were orphans. Abdullah too
loved Imam Husain (a.s.) very much. Imam Husain (a.s.) had handed him
over to his sister, Zainab (s.a.) on the Ashura day and asked her to take
special care of him. Lady Zainab (s.a.) was keeping a continuous watch on
the children. Suddenly, Abdullah ran out of the tent. Lady Zainab (s.a.)
ran after him to catch him but he said, “I swear by Allah, I would not leave
my uncle alone.”7 Saying this, the child ran towards the battlefield and
threw himself in the bosom of Imam Husain (a.s.), whereas the Imam
was himself in a bad condition. At that moment, an oppressor moved
forward with a sword to behead the Imam. As soon as he raised his
sword, Abdullah shouted, “O son of an adulteress! Do you want to kill my
uncle?”
No sooner did the oppressor attack with his sword than the child put
forth his hands to shield the Imam but they got cut off as a result. The
child started crying, “O uncle! Look what the oppressors have done to my
hands.”
Irshad, Shaykh Mufeed, Pg. 241; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 45, Pg. 53.