Outrider

Concealed behind his half-brother al-Husayn, elusive and enigmatic, as though reluctant to draw attention to himself, Abū al-Fadl al-ʿAbbās would eventually be propelled into pre-eminence by history, revered by millions as ‘the water bearer’, ‘the father of excellence’, and ‘the moon of the Hashemites’. A silently valiant man who rarely speaks although, when necessary, is the first to do so, Abū a...