Sharaf

Sharaf (Arabic:شَراف) is a station on the way between Mecca and Kufa where Imam Hussain’s caravan stayed for one night and before continuing their journey, filled their water bag with water. When the caravan arrived in Dhu Husam, they gave that water to the thirsty army of Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi.

Naming

According to Mu’jam al-Buldan, it is named after a man named Sharaf who had dug a well there followed by many large and plentiful wells of sweet water. According to al-Tabari's Tarikh , when Sa’d Ibn Abu Waqqas was at Sharaf, al-Ash’ath Ibn Qays joined him with a hundred Yemenites. He left the throngs of men at Sharaf and took to Iraq.

Events

Al-Hussain left al-’Aqaba then set up his camp at Sharaf. In the pre-dawn, he ordered his servants to fill their water bags with water. At midday, he heard a man among his companions crying, “Allahu Akbar!” Al-Hussain asked him about the reason. “I did so upon seeing palm-trees,” said the man, but those who were in his company denied that there could be any palm-trees in such a place, and that what he saw could have been lances and horses' ears. Al-Hussain said, “I am of the same view,” then he asked them whether they could shelter themselves anywhere. They suggested a place called Dhu Hasam on their left side. Al-Hussain swiftly moved there and set up his camp.

Source

• Abd al Razzaq al-Muqarram, Maqtal al-Hussain: Martyrdom Epic of Imam al-Hussain