The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
Chapter2
The Historians
point
As for the historians, despite their different thoughts and inclinations, they unanimously agreed that the Imam was a great man who possessed many abilities and talents which raised him to the height of honor to which his great fathers reached. The following are some of their words concerning him:
1. Ibn ‘Asakir
Al-Hafiz Abu’ al-Qasim, ‘Ali b. al-Hasan al-Shafi‘i, known as bin ‘Asakir, said in the biography of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was trustworthy and trusted. He had many traditions and was high, lofty, and pious. [4] ” These are the most valuable qualities in the world of Islam.
--------------------
[5]: Safinat al-Bihar, vol. 1, p. 571.
[6]: Al-Mufeed al-Amali, p. 117.
[7]: Al-Himyari, Divan, p. 362.
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, PP. 3-4. A similar narration has been mentioned in the book ‘Muhadarat al-Udaba’’ by al-Raghib al-Asfahani, vol. 1, p. 166.
[2]: Al-Ya‘qu`bi, Tarikh, vol. 3, 48.
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 75.
[2]: Al-Mubrrad, al-Kamil, vol. 2, p. 467. Al-‘Aqd al-Farid, vol. 5, p. 310
[1]: Al-Himyari, Divan, p. 36.
[2]: Al-Basawi, al-Ma‘rifa wa al-Tarikh, vol. 1, p. 360.
[3]: Ibid.
[4]: Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 36, p. 142.
2. Ibn Sa‘d
Muhammad b. Sa‘d said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was trustworthy and trusted. He had many traditions and was high, lofty, and pious. [5] ” Ibn ‘Asakir greed with b. Sa‘d on giving these outstanding qualities to Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him.
3. Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani
Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn, Zayn al-‘Abidin, b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib was trustworthy, trusted, a worshiper, jurist, and meritorious. Ibn ‘Ayyina reported on the authority of al-Zuhri, who said: ‘I have never seen a Qarashi more meritorious than him. ’ [6] ”
4. Ibn Hajar al-Haythami
Shahab al-Din Ahmed b. Hajar al-Haythami
said: “It was Zayn al-‘Abidin who inherited knowledge, asceticism, and worshipping from his father. He was great in forgiveness, pardon, and tolerance. [1] ” Zayn al-‘Abidin was the successor of his father, so he inherited his father’s valuable qualities such as knowledge, asceticism, worship, forgiveness, pardon, and tolerance toward those who mistreated him.
5. Al-Dhahabi
Muhammad b. Ahmed b. ‘Uthman al-Dhahabi said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) had wonderful majesty. He was appropriate for the greatest Imamate because of his honor, righteousness, knowledge, reverential fear, and perfect intellect. [2] ”
Al-Dhahabi confessed that the Imam, peace be on him, possessed brilliant qualities, that he was worthy of the greatest Imamate of this community, the spiritual and temporal leadership which is the highest and most important position in Islam.
6. Abu’ al-Fath
Abu’ al-Fath b. Sadaqa said: “Imam ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, known as Zayn al-‘Abidin, b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them, was one of the twelve Imams and among the chiefs of the next generation. [3] ”
7. Abu’ Na‘eem
Al-Hafiz Abu’ Na‘eem said: “Ali b. al-Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin and Manar al-Qanitin (the signpost of the Allah-fearing) b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, was a sincere, munificent worshipper. [4] ” Abu’ Na‘eem talked about some outstanding qualities of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, such as worship, sincerity, and generosity.
8. Al-Ya‘qu’bi
Ahmed b. Abi Ya‘qu’b said: “He (Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin) was the most meritorious of all the people in worshipping. He was called Zayn al- ‘Abidin (the ornament of the worshippers). He was also called Dhu’ al-Thafanat (the one with calluses) because there were marks of prostration on his forehead. [5] ”
Imam Zayn
al-‘Abidin was the most meritorious of all the people in worshipping and obeying Allah.
9. Al-Waqidi
Al-Waqidi said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) was the most pious of all the people and the most obedient of them to Allah. When he walked, he did not brandish his hands. [1] ” Al-Waqidi mentioned the Imam outstanding traits such as piety, worship, reverential fear, and humbleness. Because of these qualities he was the most meritorious of all the people and the greatest of them.
10. Safi al-Din
Safi al-Din said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was (a person) with great guidance and a righteous way. In his (book) al-Jami‘, al-Khatib reported on the authority of b. ‘Abbas, on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, who said: ‘Guidance, righteousness, and moderation are parts of twenty-five parts of prophethood. [2] ”
11. Al-Nawawi
Al-Nawawi said: “They (the historians) unanimously agreed on his (Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s) greatness in everything. [3] ”
The Muslims have unanimously agreed on glorifying and admiring the Imam because he was endowed with excellent qualities of which all the Muslims boast.
12. ‘Imad al-Din
‘Imad al-Din Idris al-Qarashi said: “Imam ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, Zayn al-‘Abidin, was the most meritorious of all the Household of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, the noblest of them after al-Hasan and al-Husayn, peace be on them, and the best of them in piety, asceticism, and worshipping. [4] ”
13. Ibn ‘Anba
Ibn ‘Anba, a famous genealogist, said: “His (Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s) outstanding merits are more than to be counted or to be encompassed by a description. [5] ” Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s laudable deeds and outstanding merits are countless, and no
one can describe them, for they were a natural extension to the conduct of his grandfathers, who enlightened this world with their laudable deeds and outstanding merits.
14. Shaykh al-Mufeed
Shaykh al-Mufeed Said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was the most meritorious of Allah’s creatures after his father in knowledge and action. Non-Shi‘a jurists (‘ama) report countless traditions in the religious sciences on his authority. Sermons, prayers (details of) the merits of the Qur’an, accounts of the laws of what is permitted and forbidden, and the raids (maghazi) and battles (ayyam) (during the time of the Prophet) have been recorded on his authority. He was famous among the religious scholars. [1] ”
15. Al-Jahiz
Abu’ ‘Uthman ‘Umar b. Bahr al-Jahiz said: “The Kharijites, the Shi‘ites, the Mu‘tazilites, and non-Shi‘a have unanimously agreed that ‘Ali b. al- Husayn was meritorious and superior (to others). [2] ” This means that all the Muslims, despite of their different thoughts and inclinations, have unanimously agreed that the Imam was great and meritorious, so they loved and followed him.
16. Al-Sharawi
Al-Sharawi said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) , may Allah be pleased with him, was a devoted worshiper, ascetic, pious, humble, and polite. [3] ”
It was these qualities that raised the Imam to the zenith of glory and made the people adore and obey him.
17. Al-Qulaybi
Ahmed Al-Qulaybi al-Shafi‘i said: “His (Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s) outstanding merits are more than to be counted or to be encompassed by a description. [4] ”
--------------------
[5]: Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 5, p. 222.
[6]: Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb, vol. 2, p. 35.
[1]: Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa, vol. 119.
[2]: Siyar ‘Alam al-Nubala’, vol. 4, p. 240.
[3]: Durarr al-Abkar, p. 70.
[4]: Hulyat al-Awliya’, vol. 3, p. 133.
[5]: Al-Ya‘qu`bi, Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 104.
[1]: Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, vol. 9, p. 104.
[2]: Wasilat al-Mal fi ‘Add Manaqib al-Al, p. 208.
[3]: Tahdhib al-Lughat wa al-Asma’, Q1/343.
[4]: ‘Uyyu`n al-Akhbar wa Funu`n al-Athar, p. 144.
[5]: ‘Umdat al-Talib, p. 193.
[1]: Al-Mufeed, al-Irshad.
[2]: ‘Umdat al-Talib, pp. 193-194.
[3]: Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p. 49.
[4]: Tuhfat al-Raghib, p. 13.
18. Ibn Taymiya
Ibn Taymiya, though he deviated from the Household and showed enmity toward them, acknowledged the Imam’s outstanding merits and high position. He said: “As for ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, he was
among the leading figures of the next generation in knowledge and religion. He had humility, secret alms, and other qualities. He was famous. [1] ”
19. Al-Shaykhani
Al-Shaykhani al-Qadiri said: “As for our lord Zayn al-‘Abidin, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, his hands (generosity) and laudable deeds were famous. His beauties were well-known. He possessed a great rank and was good-hearted. He had apparent miracles which the eyes have seen and authentic traditions established. [2] ”
The passengers talked about Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s outstanding merits and laudable deeds. His virtues and miracles were famous among the people. Allah endowed him with qualities with which He endowed His sincere servants.
20. Ibn Khullakan
Ibn Khullakan said: “H (Zayn al-‘Abidin) was one of the twelve Imams and among the leading figures of the next generation. Al-Zuhri said: ‘I have never seen a Qarashi more meritorious than him. ’ [3] ”
21. Ibn Shaddqam
Ibn Shaddqam said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn, Zayn al-‘Abidin, was an ascetic religious scholar. [4] ”
22. Al-Manofi
Al-Sayyid al-Manofi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was worshipping, sincere, generous, and pure. When he walked, his hand did not exceed his thigh. [5] ”
23. Abu’ al-Futu’h
Abu’ al-Futu’h al-Husayni said: “The immortal reputation was for the middle ‘Ali, Zayn al-‘Abidin. He was the first son of al-Huysayn’s sons, the fourth infallible (Imam) according to the view of the twelve Imam (Shi‘ites) , and an ascetic (person) according to the view of other than them. [6] ”
24. Al-Manawi
Al-Manawi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was a firm Imam. His hands (generosity) and noble deeds were famous. His outstanding merits well-known. He had a great position. He was good hearted. He was the head of the body of
presidency. He was the expected one for policy and ruling the subjects. [1] ”
The Imam, peace be on him, was distinguished by great characteristics which qualified him, according to the consensus of all the Muslims, for undertaking the Imamate and general leadership and managing the affairs of the Muslims, for there was no person during his time more meritorious than him in good inclinations and great talents.
25. Muhammad bin Tallha
Kamal al-Din Muhammad bin Tallha al-Qarashi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was the example of those who renounced the worldly pleasures, lord of the Allah-fearing, and Imam of the believers. His outstanding qualities bear witness that he was among the progeny of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. His appearance shows his proximity to Allah. His calluses record his prayers and spending the night in prayer. His renouncing the worldly pleasures indicates his asceticism in this world. The morals of devoutness streamed for him, so he surpassed them. The lights of perpetuation shined for him, so he followed them. The litanies of worship associated him, so he was intimate with them. The works of obedience allied with him, so he adorned himself with their ornament. He took night as a mount to cover the road to the next world. The thirst of the midday heat was his guide through which he sought the right way to the lighthouse. He had the miracles which the eyes saw and authentic traditions established. He is among the kings of the hereafter. [2] ”
26. Muhammad bin Sa‘id
Muhammad bin Sa‘id said: “He (Imam Zayn
al-‘Abidin) was trustworthy, trusted, high, lofty, pious, and had many traditions. [1] ”
27. Al-Sayyid ‘Abbas
Al-Sayyid ‘Abbas al-Mu’sawi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was the best of the people in face, the sweetest of them in perfume, the noblest of the in soul, the highest of them in lineage, and the greatest of them in honor. [2] ”
28. Al-Sayyid Mohsin
Al-Sayyid Mohsin al-Amin al-‘Amili said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) was the most meritorious of the people of his time in knowledge, jurisprudence, piety, worship, generosity, clemency, patience, eloquence, high moral standards, alms, kindness to the poor, and loyalty to the Muslims. The relatives, the people, the friends, and the enemies glorified him. Yazid b. Mu‘awiya commanded the people of Medina to Pledge allegiance to him as slaves except Zayn al-‘Abidin. He commanded him to pledge allegiance to him as his brother and cousin. [3] ”
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin was distinguished by all the great qualities. All the outstanding qualities by which man is distinguished and through which he becomes noble were part of the Imam’s outstanding qualities and merits. So he was as it was said:
You were created free from all defects
as if that you were created as you wished.
29. Al-Nuwayri
Shahab al-Din Ahmed b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab Al-Nuwayri said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was reliable, pious, trusted, and had many traditions. He was the most meritorious of the members of his family and the best of them in obedience. [4] ”
30. Al-Shafi‘i
Imam Al-Shafi‘i said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was the most meritorious of all the people of Medina in jurisprudence. [5] ”
31. ‘Ali bin ‘Isa al-Arbali
Abu’ al-Hasan ‘Ali bin ‘Isa b. Abi al-Fath al-Arbali said: “The outstanding qualities of
‘Ali b. al-Husayn are more than the stars. The one who describes them goes to a boundless place. They appear in the sky of outstanding qualities as the stars appear for those who seek guidance through them. How is that not? He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) surpasses all the world’s inhabitants with the exception of ‘Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, al-Husayn. (Of course, this rhymed prose has been advanced, so do not be hesitant. ) When you give the intellect its right, you will find whatever you want of glory and rightness, for he is a divine Imam, luminous temple, the substitute of the substitutes, the ascetic of the ascetics, the pole of the poles, the worshipper of the worshippers, the light of the lamp of the Message, the center of the circle of the Imamate, Ibn al-Khiyaratayn (the son of the best two) , the one with two generous sides (father and mother) , the peace of the heart, and the delight of the eye. ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, and what will make you comprehend what ‘Ali b. al-Husayn is? (He was) repentant, the one who wept very much, the one who put into effect the Sunna and the Book, said right words, devoted himself to the mihrab, preferred (people) to himself, and became high through the degrees of knowledge.
His day surpassed his yesterday. He was unique in knowledge. He was the best of all creatures in inherited and newly acquired (qualities). He resorted to honor, so he ascended to its top and became important in
all its affairs. He defeated (all the people) through what he had such as good birthplace, noble origin, and pure descent. The tongues of those who describe him are unable to depict him. He was unique in his privacy during his whispered prayers. So the angels admired his attitudes. His fear of his Lord made his tears flow. So he exceeded the heavy, pouring rain. So, may Allah support you, carefully consider his traditions, take into consideration his signs, think about his asceticism, his worship, his humility, his night prayers, his punctual prayers, his preferring (people to himself) , his alms, his gifts, his pleading (to Allah) , his purity, and his eloquence which indicate his humility to his Lord, his standing as the standing of the disobedient in spite of his firm obedience, his confessing the sins in spite of his innocence, his weeping, his wailing, the beating of his heart out of the fear of Allah, his shaking all over, and his standing (for prayer).
When it got dark, he whispered to his Lord, may His names be holy, addressed Him, the Exalted, cleaved to the Door of Him, the Great and Almighty, imagined that he was before Him, turned away from everything (other than Him) , devoted himself to Him, he separated (himself) from this mean world, and was free from the human corpse. So his body prostrated on the earth while his soul was clinging to the world of angels. He fidgeted when he passed by a threatening verse
as if the verse concerned him, while he was far from it. Thus, you find wonderful affairs, strange conditions, and a soul close to Allah, the Glorified, and you know with the knowledge of the one for whom the curtain was disclosed and the doors were open that this fruit is from that tree, as one is part of ten, this fresh drop from that noble fountain, this new one from that old one, this pearl from that abundant sea, this star from that bright moon, this growing branch from that firm origin, and this result from that premise. So this one (Zayn al-‘Abidin) whose origin was pure was the successor of Muhammad, ‘Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and Fatima, the honored, the glorified. [1] ”
Al-Arbali, a scholar and researcher, has mentioned the most prominent qualities of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, which are among the places of pride for every Muslim, for his qualities are a natural extension to the qualities and inclinations of his fathers, who changed the course of human history and enlightened man’s way and guided him to signposts of the truth when he had been straying in the remote mysterious fields of this world.
Description cannot encompass the outstanding merits and laudable deeds of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, nor can explanation meet them, for he was a branch of the tree of prophethood and of the large tree of the Imamate in which Allah has put absolute perfection in order to be a signpost for
the truth in the earth.
--------------------
[1]: Minhajj al-Sunna, vol. 2, p. 123, first edition.
[2]: Al-Sirat al-Sawi, p. 19.
[3]: Wafayat al-‘Ayan, vol. 2, p. 429.
[4]: Zahrat al-Maqu`l, p. 6.
[5]: Jammharat al-Awliya’ wa A‘lam Ahl al-Tasawwif, vol. 2, p. 71.
[6]: Al-Nafha al-‘Anbariya.
[1]: Al-Kawakib al-Durriya, vol. 2, p. 139.
[2]: Matalib al-Sa’u`l, vol. 2, p. 41.
[1]: Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, vol. 9, p. 104.
[2]: Nazhat al-Jalees, vol. 2, p. 24.
[3]: A‘yan al-Shi‘a, 4/Q1/308.
[4]: Nihayat al-Irab fi Funu`n al-Adab, vol. 21, p. 324.
[5]: Rasa’il al-Jahiz, p. 106. Nahjj al-Balagha, vol. 15, p. 274.
[1]: Kashf al-Ghumma, the Biography of ‘Ali b. al-Husayn.
32. Al-Bustani
Al-Bustani said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin is Abu’ al-Hasan, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. He was given the nick-name of Zayn al-‘Abidin because of his plentiful worship. He was also given the nick-name of Sayyid al-‘Abidin (the Lord of worshippers) , the pure, the trusted one, and the one with calluses. [1] ”
33. Wajjdi
Muhammad Fareed Wajjdi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin is Abu’ al-Hasan, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, better known as Zayn al-‘Abidin. He was also called al-Asghar (the younger). Al-Husayn b. ‘Ali had no descendants except from the children of Zayn al-‘Abidin. He (Zayn al- ‘Abidin) is one of the twelve Imams according to the doctrine of the Imami Shi‘ites, and he was also among the lords and chiefs of the next generation. [2] ”
34. Agha Buzurg
The Chief of the researchers, Muhammad Hasan, better known as Agha Buzurg al-Tahrani, said: “Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, the lord of those who prostrated themselves in prayer, Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be on them, is the fourth Imam of the Imami Shi‘ites. The Muslim historians have unanimously agreed that he was the most meritorious of all the people in piety, asceticism, and worshipping. [3] ”
35. Ibn al-Jawzi
Ibn al-Jawzi said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin (the ornament of the worshippers) , is a model for the ascetics, and lord of the Allah-fearing. His outstanding merits bear witness that he was from among the progeny of Allah’s Apostle, his righteousness proves that he has nearness to Allah, his calluses record for him that he prayed very much and that he spent
the night in praying, and his renouncing the worldly pleasures denotes his asceticism. [1] ”
36. Tajj al-Din
Tajj al-Din b. Muhammad b. Hamza al-Husayni, the Chief of Halab, said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn was the lord of the Hashimites, the place of their knowledge, and the most meritorious one of them. [2] ”
37. ‘Arif Tamir
‘Arif Tamir said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) was famous for asceticism, and worship. None was similar to him in these qualities, so he was given the nick-name of Zayn al-‘Abidin and al-Sajjad (the one who prostrates himself very much in prayer). [3] ”
38. Al-Zarkali
Khayr al-Din Al-Zarkali said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib al-Hashimi, al-Qarashi, Abu’ al-Hasan, the one whose nick-name is Zayn al-‘Abidin, is the fourth Imam of the Shi‘ites. He was one of those who were examples for clemency and piety. He was called ‘Ali al-Asghar (the younger) to distinguish him from his brother ‘Ali al-Akkbar (the elder). [4] ”
--------------------
[1]: Al-Bustani, Da’irat al-Ma‘arif, vol. 9, p. 355.
[2]: Da’irat Ma‘arif al-Qarn al-‘Ishreen, vol. 4, p. 793.
[3]: Al-Dhree‘a, vol. 13, p. 345.
[1]: Tadhkirat al-Khawas.
[2]: Ghayat al-Ikhtisar, p. 106.
[3]: Al-Imama fi al-Islam, p. 116.
[4]: Al-A‘lam, vol. 1, p. 86.
39. Ahmed Mahmu’d Subhi
Dr. Ahmed Mahmu’d Subhi said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn inherited his Imamate through his lineage to Fatima, the chaste. He drew for the Shi‘ites the way of the spiritual Imamate, impressed Shiism with the impression of everlasting sadness and continuous weeping over al-Husayn, and dedicated himself to worshipping, so he was given the nick-name of al-Sajjad and the Kunya of Zayn al-‘Abidin. He descended from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and from Kasra, so he was known as Ibn al-Khiyaratayn (the son of the best two). [5] ”
Dr. Ahmed Subhi mentioned that Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, inherited the Imamate through his descending from his grandmother, Fatima
the chaste, mistress of the women of the world. It is necessary for us to discuss this matter with the Doctor. As for this claim, it is untrue, for the Imamate does not depend on inheritance; rather it depends on text (tradition) , and it is in the hand of Allah, the Exalted, Who chooses for it those who have good inclinations and outstanding merits. This is what the Shi‘ites believe in, and it is proven in their books of theology. It was not Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, who impressed Shiism with the impression of sadness for Imam al-Husayn, lord of the youth of Heaven; rather it was the tragedy of Karbala’, whose terrors melt the hearts, which impressed Shiism with the world of sorrow and sadness. Zayn al- ‘Abidin was in the foremost of who were affected by it, for he saw all its sorrowful stages.
40. Ahmed Fahmi
Shaykh Ahmed Fahmi said: “He (Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin) was the most meritorious of the people of his time in knowledge, jurisprudence, piety, worship, generosity, clemency, eloquence, and noble lineage. He helped the poor and the weak. [1] ”
41. Husayn ‘Ali Mahfu’z
Dr. Husayn ‘Ali Mahfu’z said: “Zayn al-‘Abidin was the best of Allah’s creatures in knowledge and action. He was the most similar of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, to the Commander of the faithful in the manner of clothing, knowledge, and worship. [2] ”
Important Points
The words of the contemporaries concerning the Imam and of the historians are full of important points. The following are some
of them:
1. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, was the most knowledge of the people of his time in the affairs of the Islamic law and precepts of religion.
2. He was the best of all the Hashimites and the Qarashis of his time, this is because he was endowed with outstanding qualities and ideals with which no one was endowed except his grandfathers.
3. He was the best of the people of his time and the greatest of the them in importance and position, this is because of his noble lineage, he was Ibn al-Khiyaratayn (the son of the best two) in addition to his genius and great talents.
4. He was the most ascetic of all the people in turning away from the worldly pleasures.
5. He was the best of all the people in piety, reverential fear, and clinging to the religion.
6. He was the lamp of this world and beauty of Islam [1] , this is because his outstanding conduct was among the qualities of the Prophet and the Imams.
7. He was the best of the people in manners, the sweetest of them in perfume, the most generous of them in soul, and the greatest of them in honor.
8. He was the most eloquent of all the people, for his supplications, his preaching, and his wise sayings are among the sources of Arab literature and among the most valuable and cultural provisions in the world of Islam.
9. He was the kindest of all the people to the poor and the most
merciful of them to the miserable and the deprived.
10. The was the best of all the people in worship and obedience to Allah, for there was no one like him in worship and obedience to Allah except his grandfathers.
11. He was the best of all the people in morals, for he was similar to his grandfather, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, in high moral standards.
12. He was appropriate for presidency, the spiritual and temporal leadership of the community.
13. The Muslims unanimously agreed that he was great and virtuous, and that none of his opponents was able to defame him.
These are some points concerning the words of the contemporaries to the Imam and of the historians, despite their different inclinations and doctrines. They establish the most sublime view of the Shi‘ites who are of the opinion that it is necessary for the Imam to be the most righteous and the most knowledgeable of the people of his time.
--------------------
[5]: Nazariyat al-Imama, p. 307.
[1]: Al-Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, p. 65.
[2]: Al-Balagh Magazine, no. 7, first year, p. 54.
[1]: ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz described him with that.
Chapter 7: The Tragedies Of Karbala’
point
The Umayyad government determined to destroy Islam and to annihilate its foundations and forces. Then it decided to degrade the Muslims, to paralyze their physical and mental activities, and to prevent them from practicing the principles of their great religion. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, witnessed this severe ordeal as his father, Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, witnessed it during the days of the government of Mu‘awiya and Yazid. He shared his father’s pain and sorrow.
Imam al-Husayn was unable to carry out his great
p: 157
- Page157 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
revolt during the days of Mu‘awiya because he understood that his revolt would fail, and that he would be unable to change the situations standing in the country. Because Mu‘awiya used strong policy and ruled with wisdom, it was impossible for Imam al-Husayn to overcome him and abort his plans. When this tyrannical person (Mu‘awiya) died and Yazid took the reins of government, Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, decided to accomplish his religious duty. He determined to resist Yazid and to overthrow his government.
Accordingly, he would be able to preserve the Muslims’ interests and rights. Moreover he would be loyal to the fundamentals of the religion of his grandfather. So he, peace be on him, declared his great revolt through which Allah made the Book clear, and which He made a lesson for the wise. Hence we will briefly mention some sides of this great revolt, which showed terrible events to Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. Although he was ill, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin was able to understand all the stages of this tragedy through his sensitive feelings and his careful sentiment. That is as follows:
On the Plateau of Karbala’
The pure family of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, adopted the rights of the oppressed and the persecuted, so they head for Iraq. When they arrived at the Plateau of Karbala’, they were afflicted by ordeals, misfortunes, and disasters, so they were sure of the destructive catastrophe. This occurred when they found themselves surrounded by the wicked forces who intended to shed
p: 158
- Page158 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
their blood and to force them to yield to abasement, but Allah refused to accept that for them.
Imam al-Husayn looked at the young men from among the members of his family, they were in the bloom of youth, so he burst into tears and began saying: “O Allah, we are the Household of Your Prophet, Muhammad, peace be on him. We have been banished from the Scared City of our grandfather, and the Umayyads have transgressed against us, so, O Allah, take our right from them, and grant us victory over the oppressive people. ”
Then he addressed the heroes from among his Household and his companions, saying: “The people are the slaves of this world, and the religion is licking on their tongues. They encompass it (the religion) as long as their livelihoods stream, but when they are tested by tribulation, they are a few in following the religion. [1] ”
These brilliant words show the practical reality of the life of the people throughout the stages of history, so they are the slaves of this world at every place and time. As for the religion, it has no shade in their inner selves. When disasters befall them, they deny it and turn away from it, so, indeed, it is licking on their tongues.
Then Imam al-Husayn turned to his companions and said to them: “Then after, you have seen what has befallen us, and the world has changed and neglected (us) , its kindness has turned away (from us) , and nothing has remained of it
p: 159
- Page159 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
except a rest like the rest of the container and a mean life which is like an unhealthy food. Don’t you see that the (people) do not put the truth into effect and do not prevent each other from (doing) falsehood? Indeed, the believer is desirous of meeting Allah. So, indeed, I see that death is (nothing) except happiness, and that life with the oppressive is (nothing) except boredom. [1] ”
In this speech, Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, showed that all kinds of ordeals and tribulations befell them, and that the thinking of the world toward them changed, for fate brought to them tiresome misfortunes, but the grandson of the great Prophet was brave enough to face them, for he saw that the people did not put the truth into effect and did not prevent each other from doing falsehood, and that life became abominable and martyrdom in the way of Allah was happiness.
When Imam al-Husayn finished his speech, all his companions rushed toward death to give people the most wonderful examples of sacrifice for establishing justice and fairness. Each one of them spoke with the words of sincerity, so the Imam thanked and lauded them for that.
Imam al-Husayn announced his Death
On the night of Muharram 10th, Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, was sure of death, so he entered his own tent, prepared his own sword, and said:
Time, shame on you as friend! At the day’s
dawning and the sun’s setting!
How many a companion or seeker will be
a corpse! Time will not be satisfied
p: 160
- Page160 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
with any
substitute.
The matter will rest with the Almighty one,
and every living creature will have to journey
along my path.
In these lines of poetry, the Imam announced his death. He was in the tent of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin and of the granddaughter of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, Zaynab, daughter of Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. When Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin heard these lines, he understood what his father wanted, so tears choked him, and he kept silent and knew that tribulation had come upon them, as he said: “As for my aunt, Zaynab, she felt that her brother and the rest of her Household had determined to meet death and to attain martyrdom. She could not control herself; she jumped up, tearing at her clothes, sighing and went to him. ” “Then I will lose a brother,” Zaynab said to him, “Would death deprived me of life, (for) my mother Fatima, is dead, and my father, ‘Ali, and my brother, al-Husayn, peace be on them (all). ”
“O sister,” al-Husayn said to her as he looked at her with his eyes full of tears, “don’t let Satan take away your forbearance. ”
However, Zaynab became pale, and sorrow tore up her gentle, tortured heart, so she lamented to her brother al-Husayn: “O my grief, your life will be violently wrenched from you and that is more wounding to my heart and harsher to my soul. ”
When she was sure that her brother would be killed, she could not
p: 161
- Page161 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
control her forbearance, so she tore her garment, struck at her face, and then she fell down in a faint. Then the granddaughters of the Prophet shared that severe ordeal with her. Among them was Umm Kulthu’m, who lamented: “Oh Muhammad! Oh ‘Ali! Oh Imam! Oh Husayn! We will be lost after you! ”
That distressing sight had a great effect on the soul of Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him. Sorrow and sighs melted his heart, so he walked towards the granddaughters of the Prophet and ordered them to cling to forbearance and to bear the burdens of this severe ordeal, saying: “O sister, O Umm Kulthu’m, O Fatima, O Rabab, when I am killed, you must not tear your clothes, nor scratch your faces, nor cry out with grief and loss! [1] ”
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, ordered his womenfolk to cling to forbearance during those severe ordeals that had come upon them, and he ordered them not to say obscene words.
The Day of ‘Asura’
There was no event in history similar to the event that came upon Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, on the Day of ‘Asura’ because all the ordeals of the world came upon the plant of sweet basil of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, talked about that tragic day which is immortal in the world of sorrows. He said: “No day was more difficult for Allah’s Messenger than the Day (Battle) of Uhud in which his uncle Hamza b.
p: 162
- Page162 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
‘Abd al-Muttalib, the lion of Allah and the lion of His Messenger, was killed, and after it was the Day (Battle) of Mu’ta in which his cousin Ja‘far b. Abi Talib was killed. ” Then he (Zayn al-‘Abidin) said: “There was no day like the Day of al-Husayn, when thirty thousand men advanced against him (while) they claimed that they belonged to this community, and that they (wanted) to seek proximity to Allah, the Great and Almighty, through (shedding) his blood. He (al-Husayn) reminded them of Allah, but they did not learn (from him) till they killed him out of (their) oppression and aggression. [1] ”
In the world of Islam, throughout history, there is no day more difficult than that of al-Husayn, for this great Imam revolted (against Yazid) to establish for all the peoples of the East an honorable life, freedom, welfare, security, and tranquillity. However, those wicked people rose against him and shed his blood in a savage way in which history has never seen. They committed these crimes to live under the yoke of slavery, oppression, and injustice.
--------------------
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 97.
[1]: Al-Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam. Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh, vol. 13, p. 74.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 1, pp. 172 - 173.
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 9, p. 147.
Imam al-Husayn’s Sermon
Before the fire of the battle broke out, Imam al-Husayn thought that he had to establish proof for those corrupt people, to refute their justifications, and to make them understand clearly their affairs, so he, peace be on him, ordered his horse to be brought to him. He rode it and walked toward them in a highly impressive manner which was similar to that of his grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him
p: 163
- Page163 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
and his family. He delivered among them his historical sermon, which is the purest and most eloquent one in Arabic literature. He called them at the top of his voice to make them all hear his words.
He said to them: “People, listen to my words and do not hurry (to attack me) so that I may remind you of the duties you have towards me and so that (by telling you the true circumstances) I may free myself from any blame in (your attacking me). If you give me justice, you will become happier through that. If you do not give me justice of your own accord (as individuals) , then agree upon your affairs (and your associates) ; let not your affairs be in darkness to you. Then carry (it) out against me and do not reflect (any further). Indeed my guardian is Allah, Who sent down the Book; He takes care of the righteous. ”
The air carried Imam al-Husayn’s words to the womenfolk of the Prophet and they lamented loudly, so the Imam sent to them his brother al- ‘Abbas and his son ‘Ali and said to them: “Calm them. By my life, their weeping will be very much. ” When they became quiet, he went on delivering his sermon. He praised and glorified Allah, and he called down blessings upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and said concerning that countless words. No speaker has ever been heard before or after him more eloquent in his speech than
p: 164
- Page164 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
he was [1] . He continued: “People, indeed Allah, the Most High, created this world and made it the abode of annihilation and vanishing. It changes its inhabitants from state to state, so the conceited one is he whom it deludes, and the miserable one is he whom it charms. So let not this world delude you because it cuts off the hope of him who has confidence in it and despairs the greediness of him who desires for it. I see that you have unanimously agreed on an affair through which you have made Allah angry with you, turn his Holy Face away from you, and send down his vengeance upon you. So the best lord is our Lord, and you are the worst slaves! You acknowledged obedience (to Allah) and believed in the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, and then you have crept against his progeny and his family, you want to kill them. Satan has wholly engaged you, so he has made you forget the remembrance of Allah, the Almighty. So woe to you and to what you want! To Allah we belong and to Him is our return. These are people who have disbelieved (in Allah) after their belief (in Him). So away with the oppressive people! ”
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, preached to the people with these words. He warned them against the delusion of this world and gave them proofs for its unsuccessful final results and prevented them from killing the family
p: 165
- Page165 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
of their Prophet, for they would disbelieve in Islam and be worthy of Allah’s punishment and vengeance. Then the great Imam continued: “People, trace back my lineage and consider who I am. Then look back at yourselves and remonstrate with yourselves. Consider whether it is right for you to kill me and to violate the honor of my womenfolk. Am I not the son of the daughter of your Prophet, of his testamentary trustee (wasi) and his cousin, the first of the believers in Allah and the man who (first) believed in what His Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, brought from his Lord? Was not Hamza, the lord of the martyrs, my uncle? Was not Ja‘far, the one who flies in Heaven, my uncle? Have you not heard the words of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family, concerning myself and my brother: ‘These are the two lords of the youths of the inhabitants of heaven’? Whether you believe what I am saying- and it is the truth, for by Allah I have never told a lie since I learnt that Allah hated people (who told) them- or whether you regard me as a liar, there are among you those, if you asked them, would tell you: Ask Ja‘far b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari, Abu’ Sa‘id al-Khudari, Sahl b. Sa‘ad al-Sa‘idi, Zayd b. Arqam, and Anas b. Malik to tell you that they heard these words from the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless
p: 166
- Page166 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
him and his family, concerning myself and my brother. Is there not (sufficient) in this to prevent you from shedding my blood? ”
It was appropriate for this sermon to change the views of the units of that army and to make a military revolt among their ranks. Through this sermon Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, summoned them to return to their intellects, to consider carefully his affair, for he was the grandson of their Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, the son of his trustee, his womb relative, the lord of the youths of the inhabitants of heaven. All these factors were enough to prevent them from shedding al-Husayn’s blood and violating the honor of his womenfolk, but that army did not understand such excellent preaching, so it was inclined to crime and drowned in error.
However, the wicked sinner, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan interrupted Imam al-Husayn, saying: “If I understand what you are saying, then I only worship Allah (very shakily) on the edge. ”
Habeeb b. Muzahir, an excellent Muslim believer, answered Shimr, saying: “I think that you worship Allah (very shakily) on seventy edges, for I testify you are right. You do not understand what he is saying, for Allah has impressed (ignorance) upon your heart. ”
Then the great Imam (al-Husayn) continued: “If you are in doubt about these words, you are in doubt that I am the son of the daughter of your Prophet. By Allah there is no son of a prophet other than me among you
p: 167
- Page167 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
and among the peoples from the East to the West. Shame on you, are you seeking retribution from me for one of your dead whom I have killed, or for property of yours which I expropriated, or for a wound which I have inflicted? ”
These words shook the ground under their feet. They became perplexed, not knowing what to say. Then Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, called the commanders of the army, who wrote letters to him to come to their city, saying: “Shibth b. Rib‘i, Hajjar b. Abjar, Qays b. al-Ash‘th, Yazid b. al-Harth, didn’t you write: ‘The fruit has ripened; the dates have grown green; come to an army which has been gathered for you’? ”
But those wicked sinners did not feel shame in betraying a promise and breaking a covenant; they all unanimously agreed on telling lies, saying: “We didn’t do (that). ”
The Imam was astonished at their answer, so he said: “Glory belongs to Allah! Yes, by Allah, you did it. ”
Thus, the Imam turned his face away from them and addressed the units of the army, saying to them: “People, if you hated me, then let me go to a safe place in the land. ”
However, Qays b. al-Ash‘ath, a wicked sinner in Kufa who belonged to a corrupt family, interrupted him, saying: “Submit to the authority of your kinsmen (the Umayyads). They have never treated you with anything but what you liked. ”
“By Allah, I will never give you my hand like a man who has been humiliated; nor
p: 168
- Page168 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
will I flee like a slave,” said al-Husayn, peace be on him. Then he called out: “O Servants of Allah, I take refuge in my Lord and your Lord from your stoning. I take refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every haughty man who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning. ”
Unfortunately, this excellent sermon did not penetrate their hearts, for ignorance had been impressed upon them, so they were like the cattle, rather they were more straying (than them) in way.
- Page168 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol. 6, p. 242.
The Battle
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, took numerous measures to preserve peace and to avoid shedding blood, but ‘Umar b. Sa‘d declared public war against him, for he advanced toward the Imam’s camp, took an arrow, threw it at the Imam, and said: “Bear witness for me with the Governor that I was the first to throw (an arrow) at al-Husayn’s camp. ”
This aggressive, mean person (‘Umar b. Sa‘d) asked his army to bear witness for him with his governor, b. Marjana (i. e. , ‘Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad) that he was the first to throw an arrow at the Camp of the truth, dignity, and honor. Then his bowmen showered arrows upon al-Husayn and his companions and hit them all, so the Imam turned to his companions and said to them: “Noble men, stand up! These are the messengers of the people for you! ”
Thus, the vanguards of the truth from among the companions of the Imam headed for the battlefield. With that, the battle started between the two armies;
p: 169
- Page169 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
it was the most violent battle that ever occurred on the earth.
The Martyrdom of the Righteous
The army of the truth met the army of misguidance and falsehood. The companions of Imam al-Husayn eagerly competed with the male members of his House for death to attain Paradise. With that they led the movement of faith. None of their spirits became weak, so, with their unique sacrifice, they gave a proof of the greatness of Islam, which granted them such a steadfast spirit through which they, though few in number, were able to meet that savage army and cause it heavy casualties.
The companions of al-Husayn and the male members of his Household proved themselves brave, especially as it concerns Aba al-Fadl al- ‘Abbas, peace be on him, who sacrificed his life for his brother al-Husayn. Throughout the history of humanity, there is no brotherhood more truthful, nobler, and more sincere than that of al-‘Abbas, so Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, lauded and praised it when he said: “May Allah have mercy on my uncle al-‘Abbas, for he preferred (his brother to himself) , showed extreme courage, and sacrificed his life for his brother to the extent that his hands were cut off, so Allah, the Great and Almighty, gave him two wings to fly with the angels in Heaven, as He had given Ja‘far b. Abi Talib. Al-‘Abbas has a great position with Allah, the Exalted, so all the martyrs will envy it on the Day of Judgment. [1] ”
Aba al-Fadl al-‘Abbas was the last brother of al-Husayn
p: 170
- Page170 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
to be killed. The Imam, peace be on him, stood beside al-‘Abbas’s holy corpse and said with great sorrow: “My back has just broken and my strength become little. ”
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, felt loneliness and loss when he lost his brother, who was kind and obedient to him. In our book ‘Hayat al- Imam’ al-Husayn (the Life of Imam al-Husayn) , We have spoken in detail about his martyrdom and the attitude of al-Husayn toward him.
Imam al-Husayn sought Help
Imam al-Husayn, who was afflicted with disaster, looked with great sadness and sorrow at the members of his family and his companions. He saw them slaughtered like sheep on the sand of Karbala’ under the heat of the sun’s rays, and he heard his womenfolk weeping and lamenting over their martyred ones. He did not know what would happened to them after his martyrdom. That tragic sight had a great effect on him, so he sought help to protect the womenfolk of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, saying: “Is there anyone to protect the womenfolk of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family? Is there any monotheist to fear Allah through us? Is there any helper who seeks hope from Allah through helping us? [1] ”
When Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin heard his father asking those people for helped, he left his bed and leant on a stick because of his severe illness. When al-Husayn saw him, he called his sister Umm Kulthu’m, saying: “Hold him back lest the earth should be void
p: 171
- Page171 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
of the descendants of the family of Muhammad! ” So his aunt brought him back to his bed, and he suffered psychological pain more than he suffered from his illness. Ordeals and misfortunes filled his mind when he saw that brilliant group of his brothers and cousins martyred on the ground, their sincere companions slaughtered like sheep, his father was surrounded by the enemies of Allah, and the womenfolk of the Prophet shaking with fear. Nevertheless he faced those tragedies with forbearance and entrusted his affair to Allah.
Martyrdom of the great Imam
Those savage criminals surrounded the plant of the sweet basil of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, stabbing him with their swords and spears and hitting him with stones. Bleeding sapped his strength, so the wicked criminal, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan hurried to behead him. The narrators said: “On the lips of Imam al-Husayn, there was the smile of pleasure and of immortal victory which he gained. ”
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, sacrificed his life to establish the state of Truth in the regions of this East, to destroy oppression and injustice, to divide the bounties of Allah among the deprived and the persecuted, and to save the community from the government of the Umayyads who denied human rights and turned the Muslim countries into a farm and took from it whatever they wanted.
Setting the Tents to Fire
The rude and roguish Umayyads set fire to the tents of Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, paying no attention to the Prophet’s womenfolk and children who were
p: 172
- Page172 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
in them. They carried firebrands in their hands and cried out: “Set fire to the houses of the oppressors! ”
These people thought that the tents of al-Husayn were the houses of oppression while the houses of the Umayyads and of their agents were the houses of justice. They forgot that the Umayyads had drowned the Muslim countries in oppression and tyranny.
When they set the tents to fire, the women of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, escaped to the desert while the fire was following them. As for the orphans, they cried and ran away towards the desert asking the people for help, but nobody helped or aided them. That was the most tragic sight which Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin saw. He did not forget it throughout his lifetime. After the martyrdom of his father, he always said: “By Allah, when I look at my aunts and my sisters, tears choke me because I remember the day of al-Taff when they escaped from tent to tent and the caller of the people was calling: ‘Set fire to the houses of the oppressors! ’ [1] ”
The Attack against Zayn al-‘Abidin
The rude unbelievers attacked Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin whose strength was sapped by illness, and whose heart was torn by the terrible tragedies. The wicked criminal, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan wanted to kill him, but Hameed b. Muslim scolded him, saying: “Glory belongs to Allah! Do you really kill children? He is only a sick lad! ”
But Shimr paid no attention to Hameed, so his aunt, the wise lady Zaynab,
p: 173
- Page173 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
hurried to him and cling to him, saying: “You will not kill him before killing me first. [1] ” So, the mean ones left him alone
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin became Impatient
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin felt greatly grieved and worried. He wished that he left life. This is because he witnessed the horrible tragedies which befell the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. He was about to die when he saw the corpse of his father, the corpses of the male members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , and of his companions exposed to the wind. When his aunt, the wise lady Zaynab, saw him, she consoled him, saying: “Why do I see you pleading for death, O the legacy of my grandfather, of my father and brothers?
By Allah, this is something which Allah had divulged to your grandfather and to your father. Allah took a covenant from the people whom you do not know, the mighty ones on this land, and who are known to the people of the heavens, that they would gather these severed parts and wounded corpses and bury them, then shall they set up on his Taff a banner for the grave of your father, the lord of martyrs, the traces of which shall never be obliterated, nor shall it ever be wiped out so long as there is day and night. The leaders of apostasy and the promoters of misguidance shall try their best to obliterate and efface it, yet it shall become more and more lofty instead. [2] ”
His Burying the Pure Corpses
The rude and
p: 174
- Page174 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
mean ones from among the Kufans buried the corpses of their dead and left on the hot sand of Karbala’ the corpse of the plant of the sweet basil of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, (i. e. , al-Husayn) , the corpses of the male members of his family, and of their companions. So some of the Banu Asad, who did not take part in the battle, dug graves for those pure corpses. They were perplexed because they could not identify the corpses especially since the killers had separated the heads from the bodies. While they were perplexed, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, according to the Shi‘ite sources, came and informed them of the names of the martyrs from among the male members of the House, and of their companions. The Imam himself carried the corpse of his father and buried it in its final resting place while he was shedding bitter tears and saying: “Congratulations to the land that contains your pure body, for the world after you is dark whereas the hereafter in your light shall shine. As for the night, it is the harbinger of sleep, while grief remains forever, for Allah shall choose for the members of your House your abode wherein you shall abide. From me to you is greeting, O son of the Apostle of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and his blessings. ”
On the holy grave he wrote these words: “This is the grave of al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, the one whom
p: 175
- Page175 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
they killed even as he was a thirsty stranger. Beside the legs of Imam al-Husayn, he buried his son ‘Ali al-Akkbar. He buried the martyrs from among the Hashimites and other than them in one grave. Then he went with the Banu Asad to the river of al-‘Alqami, where he ordered a grave to be dug and in it he buried Qamar Banu Hashim (the Moon of the Hashimites) , Abu’ al-Fadl al-‘Abbas b. ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. Then he burst into bitter tears and said: “May the world after you be obliterated, O Moon of Banu Hashim, and greetings from me to you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. [1] ”
--------------------
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 9, p. 147.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 274.
[1]: Ibid. , p. 3.
[1]: Al-Qarmani, Tarikh, p. 108.
[2]: Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 261.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, pp. 324 - 325.
Those pure graves have become a symbol for the dignity of humanity, for every sacrifice stands on honor, justice, and the truth. They have become the holiest center for worship in Islam.
The Captives of the Household taken to Kufa
The wise ladies of Revelation and the Message were taken prisoners to Kufa, so the Umayyad army blew its trumpets and raised its banners to show its victory over the plant of the sweet basil of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and lord of the youths of the heaven. Muslim al-Jassas described that sight, saying: “Ibn Ziyad summoned me to repair the House of the Governor in Kufa. While I was plastering the doors, I heard cries coming from everywhere in Kufa, so I went to the servant of the palace and asked him: “Why is Kufa noisy? ”
“This hour,
p: 176
- Page176 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
they will bring the head of a rebel (kharijite) who revolted against Yazid,” answered the servant.
“Who is this rebel? ” I asked.
“Al-Husayn b. ‘Ali,” was the answer.
He (Muslim al-Jassas) said: “So I left the servant, struck at my face to the extent that I feared that I would become blind, washed my hands from plaster, left the palace, and went to al-Kanas. While I was with the people waiting for the arrival of the captives and the heads, forty camels came carrying women and children, and ‘Ali b. al-Husayn came riding a camel without saddle. Both sides of his neck were bleeding. He was weeping and repeating these verses:
O community of evil, may your region be not
watered,
O community that never respected in our regard
our grandfather,
on bare camels of burden have you transported
us as if we never put up a creed for you! [1]
Jadhlam b. Bashir said: “When I came to Kufa in the year 61 A. H. , ‘Ali b. al-Husayn along with the womenfolk came from Karbala’ to Kufa surrounded by soldiers. They were (riding) bare camels. The people came out to look at them, so the women of Kufa wept and lamented over them. I saw that ‘Ali b. al-Husayn was sapped by illness, chains were placed on his neck and he was handcuffed. [2] He was saying with a weak voice: ‘They are weeping and lamenting over us! So who has killed us? ’ [3] ”
- Page176 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Ibid. , p. 333.
[2]: Shaykh al-Mufeed, al-Amali, p. 143.
[3]: ‘Abd Allah, Maqqtal al-Husayn.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin delivers a Speech
The Kufans surrounded Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, so he thought that he had to address
p: 177
- Page177 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
them to make them know the sin of what they committed against themselves and the community. He, peace be on him, lauded and praised Allah, and then he said: “O men, whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not, let me tell him that I am ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. I am the son of the man whose sanctity has been violated, whose wealth has been plundered, whose children have been seized. I am the son of the one who has been slaughtered by the Euphrates neither on blood revenge nor on account of inheritance. I am the son of the one killed in the worst manner. This suffices me to be proud.
“O men, I plead to you in the Name of Allah: Do you not know that you wrote my father then deceived him? Did you not grant him your covenant, your promise, and your allegiance, then you fought him? May you be ruined for what you have committed against your own souls, and out of your corrupt views! Through what eyes will you look at the Messenger of Allah when he says to you: ‘You killed my progeny, violated my sanctity, so you do not belong to my community’? ”
Those slaves who blackened the face of history wept loudly and lamented, and they said to each other: “You have perished, yet you are not aware of it. ”
The Imam continued his speech, saying: “May Allah have mercy on anyone who acts upon my advice, who
p: 178
- Page178 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
safeguards my legacy with regard to Allah, His Apostle, and his Household, for we have in the Apostle of Allah a good example of conduct to emulate. ”
So they all said with one tongue: “We, son of the Apostle of Allah, listen and obey, and we shall safeguard your trust. We shall not turn away from you, nor shall we disobey you; so, order us, may Allah have mercy on you, for we shall fight when you fight, and we shall make peace when you do so; we dissociate ourselves from whoever oppressed you and dealt unjustly with you. ”
In response to this false obedience, the Imam said: “Far, far away it is from you to do so, people of treachery and conniving! You are separated from what you desire. Do you want to come to me as you did to my father? No, by the Lord of those (angels) that ascend and descend, the wound is yet to heal. My father was killed only yesterday, and so were his Household, and the loss inflicted upon the Apostle of Allah, upon my father, and upon my family is yet to be forgotten. Its pain, by Allah, is between both of these (sides) and its bitterness is between my throat and palate. Its choke is resting in my very chest. [1] ” Then the Imam refrained from speech, turning away from those treacherous conniving people who were the mark of disgrace against mankind. It was they who killed the plant of the sweet basil of
p: 179
- Page179 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, (I. e. , al-Husayn) , who came to free them and to save them from the oppression and tyranny of the Umayyads. After that, they repented and wept over him.
The Tyrant with Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin
The captives of the Household of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, were caused to enter the palace of the Governor of Kufa, b. Marjana (i. e. , ‘Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad). When the tyrant, b. Marjana, saw Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, who was sapped by illness, he asked him: “Who are you? ”
“I am ‘Ali b. al-Husayn,” answered the Imam.
“Did not Allah kill ‘Ali b. al-Husayn? ” Ibn Ziyad asked the Imam.
The Imam carefully replied: “I used to have an older brother also named ‘Ali whom you killed. He will request you on the Day of Judgment. ”
Ibn Ziyad burst with anger and shouted at the Imam: “Allah killed him! ”
The Imam answered him with bravery and steadfastness: “Allah takes the souls away at the time of their death; none dies except with Allah’s permission. ”
Ibn Marjana was perplexed, not knowing what to answer this young captive who defeated him through giving proofs and quotations from the Qur’an, so he shouted at him, saying: “How dare you answer me like that! ”
The wicked sinner, b. Marjana, ordered one of his swordsmen, saying: “Take this lad and behead him! ”
The wise lady Zaynab, granddaughter of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, put her hands around the Imam and bravely said to b. Marjana:
p: 180
- Page180 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
“O Ibn Ziyad, it suffices you what you have shed of our blood! Have you really spared anyone other than this? If you want to kill him, kill me with him as well! ”
The tyrant admired her and said to the swordsman with astonishment: “Leave him for her! Amazing is their tie of kinship; she wishes to be killed with him! ”
Were it not for this heroic attitude of the wise lady Zaynab, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin would have been killed and the rest of the progeny of Imam al- Husayn, peace be on him, who was the source of good and honor in the earth, would have been destroyed. In his book ‘al-Rasa’il’, al-Jahiz reported that b. Marjana said to his companions concerning ‘Ali b. al-Husayn: “Let me kill him, for he is the rest of this progeny (i. e. , the progeny of al-Husayn) , so through him I will sever this horn, deaden this disease, and cut off this material. ”
However, they advised him to refrain from killing him, for they thought that the Imam would be destroyed by his illness. [1] ”
A Kufan Kidnaps the Imam
A Kufan Kidnapped the Imam, hid him in his house, entertained and treated him kindly. When he saw the Imam, he burst into tears. The Imam thought that the Kufan was trustworthy. A short time later, the caller of b. Ziyad announced: “Whoever finds ‘Ali b. al-Husayn and brings him will have three hundred dirhams. ” When the Kufan heard the caller, he put a rope around the Imam’s neck, tied his hands with the
p: 181
- Page181 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
robe, and took the dirhams. [1] This initiative, if correct, gives a picture of the Kufans who spared no effort to get money.
The Captives of the Household taken to Damascus
The womenfolk and the children of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, were taken as prisoners to Damascus. They were in a condition the sight of which would cause anyone’s soul to melt. All the Kufans went out to see the captives of their Prophet off. The men and the women wept for them. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, wondered at their attitude and said: “They killed us and are weeping over us! [2] ”
The wicked sinner, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan, ordered a rope to be put around Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s neck. [3] The historians said: “Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin did not say even a word to the rude people who accompanied him, nor did he ask them for a thing throughout the journey, for he knew that they were wicked and ignoble, and that they would not respond to any of his requests.
The caravan of the captives arrived at a place near Damascus and stopped there because the Umayyads wanted to decorate the city to show their rejoicing and the victory which the grandson of Abi Sufyan gained over the grandson of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family.
When Damascus was fully decorated, the captives of the Household of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, were caused to enter it.
A Syrian with Zayn al-‘Abidin
An elderly Syrian, who was misled by the false rumors, came near Imam
p: 182
- Page182 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, and said to him: “Praise belongs to Allah Who annihilated you and Who granted the governor the upper hand over you. ”
The Imam looked at the elderly Syrian. He understood that the elderly Syrian misunderstood the truth and was deceived by the false Umayyad mass media, so he asked him: “Shaykh, have you read the Qur’an? ”
“Yes,” answered the man.
“Have you read,” continued the Imam, “the verse saying: ‘ Say: I do not ask you for a reward for it except that you treat my kinsfolk with kindness,’ the verse saying: ‘ and give the (Prophet’s) kinsfolk their due rights,’ and the verse saying: ‘and be informed that whatever you earn by way of booty, for Allah belongs the fifth thereof and for the Messenger (of Allah) and for the (Prophet’s) kinsfolk’? ”
The elderly Syrian admired the Imam and said to him with a faint voice: “Yes, I have read all of them. ”
The Imam said to him: “We, by Allah, are the kinsfolk referred to in all these verses. ” Then the Imam asked him: “Shaykh, have you read these words of Him, the exalted: ‘Allah only desires to take away uncleanness from you, O Household (of the Prophet) and purify thoroughly’? ”
“Yes,” was the answer.
“We are the Household (of the Prophet) whom Allah singled out with the Verse of Purification. ”
The elderly Syrian shook all over. He wished that the earth had swallowed him up before saying his words. Then he asked the Imam: “I ask you
p: 183
- Page183 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
in the Name of Allah, are you really them? ”
“By our grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, we are, without any doubt,” replied the Imam.
It was then that the elderly Syrian fell on Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s hands kissing them. His tears flowed down his cheeks, and he said: “I dissociate myself before Allah from those who killed you! ”
The elderly Syrian sought repentance from the Imam from whatever rude remarks he had made earlier. So he, peace be on him, forgave him. [1] - Page184 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Ibn Nama, Muthir al-Ahzan.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Yusayn, vol. 3, pp. 345 - 347.
[1]: Mir’at al-Zaman fi Tawarikh al-A‘yan, p. 98. Ibn al-Jawzi, vol. 5. Ibn Sa‘d, Tabaqat.
[2]: Mir’at al-Zaman fi Tawarikh al-A‘yan, p. 99.
[3]: Ansab al-Ashraf, Q1/vol. 1.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 371.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin in the Assembly of Yazid
The police men of Yazid tied with ropes the wise women of Revelation and the children of Imam al-Husayn, as sheep are tied. The beginning of the rope was around the neck of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, then around the neck of his aunt Zaynab, up to all the daughters of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. Whenever they relaxed in their walking, they (the police men of Yazid) whipped them. They brought them in this condition whose terror cracked the mountains and made them stop before Yazid. So Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin turned to him and asked him: “What do you think the reaction of our grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, might have been had he seen us looking like this? ”
The tyrant, Yazid, collapsed. All those who were in his assembly wept. Yazid felt pain of that tragic sight, so he said: “May Allah detest b. Marjana the ugly. If there had been (any bond of) kinship between him
p: 184
- Page184 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
and you, he would not have done this to you; he would not have sent you in this state. ” Then the tyrannical one, Yazid, ordered the ropes to be cut off, turned to Zayn al-‘Abidin and said him: “How did you, ‘Ali, see what Allah did to your father al-Husayn? ”
Al-Husayn’s brave son (Zayn al-‘Abidin) answered with calmness and tranquillity: “Whatever misfortune befalls the earth or your own selves is already in a Book even before we cause it to happen; this is easy for Allah, so that you may not grieve about what you missed nor feel elated on account of what you receive. And Allah does not love those who are haughty and proud. ”
The tyrant, Yazid, burst in anger, his elation went away, and recited these words of Him, the Exalted: “Whatever misfortune befalls you is due to what your hands commit. ” The Imam answered him, saying: “This (verse) concerns those who do wrong, not those who are wronged. ” Then he turned his face away from him to disdain him and his position. [1]
- Page184 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Ibid. , p. 376.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin delivers a Sermon
Yazid permitted all the people to come to his palace, so the hall of his palace became full of people who came and congratulated him on the false victory. He was pleased and happy, because the world yielded to him, and the kingdom belonged to him only. So he ordered the orator to ascend the pulpit and to defame al-Husayn and his father, Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. The orator ascended
p: 185
- Page185 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
the pulpit and went too far in slandering the pure family (of the Prophet) , and then he lauded in a false way Yazid and his father Mu‘awiya. Thus, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, interrupted him, saying: “Woe unto you, orator! You have traded the pleasure of the creature for the wrath of the Creator, so take your place in the fire (of Hell). ”
Then the Imam turned to Yazid and asked him, saying: “Do you permit me to ascend this pulpit to deliver a speech that will please Allah, the Almighty, and that will bring good rewards for these folks? ”
The attendants were astonished at this sick lad, who interrupted the orator and the governor while he was a captive. Yazid refused, but the people begged him. He said to them: “If he ascends the pulpit, he will not descends (from it) till he expose me and the family of Abi Sufyan. ”
The people asked him: “What will this sick lad do? ”
The people did not know the Imam. They thought that he was like the other people, but the tyrant, Yazid, knew him, so he said to them: “These are people who have been spoon-fed with knowledge. ”
They kept pressuring him till he agreed. So the Imam ascended the pulpit and delivered the most wonderful speech in history in eloquence. He made the people weep. The folks were confused because the Imam’s speech controlled their hearts and feelings. The following is some of what he said: “O people, we were granted six
p: 186
- Page186 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
things and favored with seven: We were granted knowledge, clemency, leniency, fluency, courage, and love for us in the hearts of the believers. We were favored by the fact that from among us came the chosen Prophet, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, al-siddiq (the very truthful one) , al-Tayyar (the one who flies in the heaven) , the Lion of Allah and of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, the mistress of the women of the world Fatima the chaste, and both lords of the youths of Heaven from among this nation”
Having introduced his family, the Imam continued his speech explaining their outstanding merits, saying: “Whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not recognize, let me tell him who I am and to what family I belong: I am the son of Mecca and Mina; I am the son of Zamzam and al-Safa; I am the son of the one who carried Zakat in the ends of the mantle; I am the son of the best man who ever put on a loincloth and clothes; I am the son of the best man who ever put on sandals and walked barefooted; I am the son of the best man who ever made tawaf (the procession round the Kaaba) and Sa‘i (ceremony of running seven times between Safa and Marwa) ; I am the son of the best man who ever offered the hajj and pronounced talbiya (Here I am at your service) ; I am the son
p: 187
- Page187 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
of the one who was transported on the buraq in the air; I am the son of the one who was made to travel from the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Mosque, so glory belongs to Him Who made (His Servant) travel; I am the son of the one who was taken by Gabriel to sidrat al-muntaha; I am the son of the one who drew near (his Lord) and suspended, so he was the measure of two bows or closer still; I am the son of the one who led the angels of the heavens in prayer; I am the son of the one to whom the Almighty revealed what He revealed; I am the son of Muhammad al- Mustafa; I am the son of ‘Ali al-Murtada; I am the son of the one who fought against the creatures till they said: There is no god but Allah. I am the son of the one who struck (the enemies) with two swords before Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and stabbed (them) with two spears, emigrated twice, pledged allegiance twice (to the Prophet) , prayed in the two qiblas, and fought (against the unbelievers) at Badr and Hunayn and never disbelieved in Allah not even as much as the twinkling of an eye. I am the son of the best of the believers, the heir of the prophets, the destroyer of the unbelievers, the Commander of the Muslims, the light of the mujahidin, the ornament of the worshippers,
p: 188
- Page188 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
the crown of the weepers, the most patient of the patient, and the best of the steadfast from among the family of Yasin, and the Messenger of the Lord of the world’s inhabitants. I am the son of the one who was backed by Gabriel, supported by Mikael.
I am the son of the one who defended the Muslims, killed the oath breakers of allegiance and the unjust and the renegades, struggled against his tiring enemies, the most excellent one of those who walked (to war) from among Quraysh, the first to respond to Allah from among the believers, the prior to all the previous ones, the breaker of the aggressors, the destroyer of the atheists, an arrow from among the shooting-places of Allah against the hypocrites, the tongue of the wisdom of worshippers, the supporter of the religion of Allah, the protector of the affair of Allah, the garden of the wisdom of Allah, the container of the knowledge of Allah, tolerant, generous, benevolent, pure, Abtahi, satisfied, easily satisfied, intrepid, gallant, patient, fasting, refined, steadfast, courageous, honored, the severer of the backbones, the scatterer of the allies, the calmest of them, the best of them in giving free rein (to his horse) , the boldest of them in tongue, the firmest of them in determination, the most powerful of them, a lion, brave, pouring rain, the one who destroyed them at the battles and dispersed them in the wind, the lion of al-Hijaz, the possessor of the miracle, the ram
p: 189
- Page189 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
of Iraq, the Imam through the text and worthiness, Makki, Madani, Abtahi, Tuhami, Khay‘ani, ‘Uqbi, Badri, Uhdi, Shajari, Muhajiri, the Lord of the Arabs, the Lion of war, the inheritor of al-Mash‘arayn, the father of the two grandsons (of the Prophet) al-Hasan and al-Husayn, the one who manifested miracles, the one who scattered the phalanxes, the piercing meteor, the following light, the victorious Lion of Allah, the request of every seeker, the victorious over every victorious, such is my grandfather, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib. I am the son of Fatima, the chaste. I am the son of the mistress of women. I am the son of the purified, virgin (lady). I am the son of the part of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family. [1] I am the son of the one who was covered with blood. I am the son of the one who was slaughtered at Karbala’. I am the son of the one for whom the Jinns wept in the dark and for whom the birds in the air cried. [2] ”
The Imam continued saying ‘I am.... ’ until the people wailed. Yazid thought that a discord would occur, for the Imam made a cultural revolt through his speech when he introduced himself to the Syrians and made them know what they did not know, so Yazid ordered the muadhdhin to say the adhan and he said: “Allahu Akbar! ”
The Imam turned to him and said: “You have made great the Great One who cannot be measured and cannot
p: 190
- Page190 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
be perceived by senses, there is nothing greater than Allah. ”
The muadhdhin said: “Ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah! ”
‘Ali b. al-Husayn said: “My hair, my skin, my flesh, my blood, my brain, and my bones bear witness that there is no god but Allah. ”
The muadhdhin said: “Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool Allah! ”
The Imam turned to Yazid and asked him: “Yazid, is Muhammad your grandfather or mine? If you say that he is yours, then you are a liar, and if you say that he is mine, then why did you kill his family? [1] ”
Yazid became silent and was unable to answer, for the great Prophet was Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s grandfather. As for Yazid’s grandfather, he was Abu’ Sufyan, who was the mortal enemy of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. The Syrians understood that they were drowning in sin, and that the Umayyad government spared no effort to delude and mislead them.
The Imam confined his speech to introducing the Prophet’s Household to the Syrians. He indicated to them that the Prophet’s Household had a great position with Allah, that they waged jihad against the enemies of Islam, and that they suffered persecutions. The Imam mentioned nothing other than these matters. I (the author) think that this confinement to these matters is among the most wonderful considerations and among the most exact type of eloquence. This is because the Syrians knew nothing about the Prophet’s Household except what the pseudo clergy men fabricated against them; the authority and its mercenaries fed
p: 191
- Page191 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
the Syrians on enmity toward the Prophet’s Household and on obedience to the Umayyads.
Anyhow, the Imam’s speech had a great effect on the Syrians, who secretly told each other about the Umayyad false mass media, and about the disappointment and loss at which they reached, so their attitudes toward Yazid changed [1] and they looked at him with disdain.
- Page191 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Ibid. , p. 387.
[2]: Nafs al-Mahmu`m, p. 242.
[1]: Al-Khawarizmi, Maqqtal al-Husayn, vol. 2, p. 242.
[1]: Jawhart al-Kalam fi Maddh al-Sada al-‘Alam, p. 128.
The Imam with al-Minhal
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, met al-Minhal b. ‘Amr and he asked him: “How have you received the evening, O son of the Apostle of Allah? ”
The Imam looked at him and said to him: “We received the evening like the Israelites among the people of Pharaoh: they kill their sons and take their women captive. The Arabs brag before the non-Arabs saying that Muhammad was one of them, while Quraysh boasts before the rest of the Arabs of Muhammad belonging to it. We, his Household, are now homeless; so, to Allah we belong and to Him is our return. [2] ”
The greatest Prophet was the original source for the honor of the Arab community. It was he who planned the honorable life for it and established for it the strongest state in the world, but Quraysh, who boasted before the rest of the Arabs of Muhammad belonging to it, killed his children and took his womenfolk as captives.
The Tyrannical apologizes to the Imam
When the Syrians became indignant with Yazid because of his killing the plant of sweet basil of Allah’s Apostle, he (Yazid) summoned Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, apologized to him, and regarded b. Marjana
p: 192
- Page192 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
(‘Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad) responsible for killing al-Husayn, saying: “May Allah curse b. Marjana! By Allah, if I had been with him (al-Husayn) , he would never have asked me for a favor without me granting him it; I would have protected him from death with all my power even through destroying some of my sons. But Allah has decreed what you have seen. My little son, write to me and everything that you need is yours. [1] Affairs will occur among your people, so do not take part in them. [2] ”
However, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin turned away from him and said nothing to him, for he knew that the reason for his apology was an escape from the crime he committed.
A Scholar asks about the Imam
A Jewish scholar was in the assembly of Yazid. He admired Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, so he asked Yazid: “Who is that lad? ”
“‘Ali b. al-Husayn,” replied Yazid.
“Who is al-Husayn? ” asked the Jewish scholar.
“Son of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib,” answered Yazid.
“Who is his mother? ” asked the Jewish scholar.
“Muhammad’s daughter,” replied Yazid.
“Glory belongs to Allah,” explained the Jewish scholar, “this is the son of the daughter of your Prophet, (why did) you kill him? You opposed him by doing evil to his blood relations. By Allah, if our Prophet, Mu’sa b. ‘Umran, had left a grandson among us, we would have worshipped him instead of Allah. Your Prophet left you yesterday; nevertheless you revolted against his grandson and killed him. How bad a community you are! ”
The tyrannical one, Yazid, became angry and
p: 193
- Page193 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
ordered the Jewish scholar to be hit on the mouth, still the Jewish scholar said: “Kill me if you want to. I have found in the Torah that whoever kills the progeny of a prophet will be cursed as long as he remains (living). When he dies, Allah will cause him to enter the fire of Hell. [1] ”
The Imam with Yazid
The tyrannical one, Yazid, met Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin and asked him to ask his needs, so the Imam, peace be on him, said: “I want you to show me my father’s face, and bring back to the women what had been taken from them, for among it is the inheritances of fathers and mothers. If you want to kill me, send with the family someone to guide them to Medina. ”
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, asked Yazid to show him his father’s head to bid the final farewell to it or to bury it with the holy corpse, but the tyrannical one (Yazid) refused to give him the head because he intended to show it around the country to spread fear among the people and to be a lesson for those who might revolt against him.
He also asked him to bring back what was taken from the women on Muharram 10th. With this the Imam did not mean the ornaments, rather he meant the dear things he inherited from his grandfather, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, such as his turban, his breastplate, and his sword.
Yazid, the tyrannical, bowed his
p: 194
- Page194 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
head. He thought about the Imam’s requests. Then he raised his head and said: “As for the face of your father, you will never see it. As for what was taken from you, it will be brought back to you. As for the women, no one will repatriate them except you. As for you, I will not kill you. [1] ”
The Journey to Medina
Yazid ordered al-Nu‘man b. Bashir to escort the womenfolk of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and to send them back to Medina. [2] He ordered him to take them out at night because he feared dissension and repercussions. [3] The caravan walked and began covering the desert. The Alid women asked al-Nu‘man b. Bashir to take them to Karbala’ to renew their covenant with the grave of the Lord of martyrs, peace be on him.
Having reached Karbala’, the Alid women hurried to the grave of Imam Abi ‘Abd Allah, peace be on him, weeping and wailing. They stayed there mourning al-Husayn for three days to the extent that their voices became hoarse and their hearts became broken. Some sources mentioned that Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari, a great companion of the Prophet, visited the grave of al-Husayn, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, met him and told him about the tragedies which the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, faced, and then they left Karbala’ and headed for Medina.
Bishr announced the Death of Imam al-Husayn
When Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, came close to Medina, he alighted, set up
p: 195
- Page195 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
a tent where he lodged his aunts and his sisters, turned to Bishr b. Hadhlam and said to him: “O Bishr, may Allah have mercy on your father, who was a poet! Can you compose any of it at all? ” “Yes, O son of Allah’s Apostle,” replied Bishr. So the Imam ordered him to enter Medina and to announce the death of Imam al-Husayn among its people. Hence, Bishr set off towards Medina. When he came near the Mosque of the Prophet, he cried loudly and recited these verses:
O people of Yathrib! May you never stay
therein!
Al-Husayn was killed, so my tears now rain,
His body is in Karbala’ covered with blood
While his head is on spear displayed.
The people went in a hurry to the Mosque of the Prophet weeping loudly for the Imam, peace be on him. They gathered around Bishr, who was weeping, asking him for more information of al-Husayn, so he said to them: “Here is ‘Ali b. al-Husayn accompanied by his aunts and sisters; they have all returned to you. I am his messenger to you to inform you of his place. [1] ”
The people went out to receive Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin all weeping and wailing. The historians said that that day was like the day when Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, passed away. [2] They surrounded the Imam to offer him their condolences.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin delivers a Speech
The Imam, peace be on him, thought that he had to tell the people about the tragedies which they were subjected to. The Imam
p: 196
- Page196 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
was unable to stand up to deliver a speech, for he was sapped by illness and overcome by grief, so a chair was brought for him. He sat in the chair and said: “Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the King of the Day of Judgment, Creator of all creation, Who is the Exalted in the high heavens, Who is so near, He hears even the silent speech. We praise Him on the grave events, on time’s tragedies, on the pain inflicted by such tragedies, on the crushing of calamities, on the greatness of our catastrophe, on our great, monstrous, magnanimous and afflicting hardships.
“O People, Allah, the Most Exalted One, praise belong to Him, has tried us with great trials and tribulations, with a tremendous loss suffered by the religion of Islam. Abu’ ‘Abd Allah, al-Husayn, and his family have been killed, and his womenfolk and children taken captives. They displayed his head in every land from the top of a spear. Such is the catastrophe similar to which there is none at all.
“O people, which men among you are happy after him, or which heart is not grieved on his account? Which eye among you withholds its tears and is too miser with its tears? The seven great heavens wept over his killing; the seas wept with their waves, and so did the heavens with their corners and the earth with its expanse; so did the trees with their branches
p: 197
- Page197 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
and the fish in the depths of the seas. So did the angels who are close to their Lord. So did all those in the heavens.
“O People, which heart is not grieved with his killing? Which heart does not yearn for him? Which hearing hears such a calamity that has befallen Islam without becoming deaf.
“O people, we have become homeless, exiles, outcasts, shunned, distanced from all countries as though we were the offspring of the Turks or of Kabul without having committed a crime, nor an abomination, nor afflicted a calamity on Islam! Never did we ever hear such a thing from our - Page198 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[2]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 291.
[1]: Ibn al-Athir, Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 300.
[2]: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 157.
[1]: Al-Hada’iq al-Wardiya, vol. 1, p. 131. Al-Futu`h, vol. 5, p. 246.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 414.
[2]: Jawhart al-Kalam fi Maddh al-Sada al-‘Alam, p. 128.
[3]: Tafsir al-Matalib fi Amali Abi Talib, p. 93. Al-Hada’iq al-Wardiya, vol. 1, p. 133.
[1]: Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 423.
[2]: Al-Luhu`f, p. 116.
fathers of old. This is something new. By Allah, had the Prophet required them to fight us just as he had required them to be good to us, they would not have done to us any more than what they already have. So we belong to Allah and to Him is our return from this calamity, and what a great, painful, hard, cruel, and catastrophic calamity it is! To Allah do we complain from what has happened to us, from the sufferings we have endured, for He is the Omnipotent, the Vengeful. ”
Sa‘sa‘a, an invalid who could barely walk on his feet, stood up and apologized to the Imam for not rushing to help his family due to his handicap. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, responded to him by accepting his excuse, telling him that he thought well of him, thanked him and asked Allah to
p: 198
- Page198 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
have mercy on his father. Then the Imam walked accompanied by his aunts and sisters. The people surrounded him weeping and wailing until they reached the Mosque of the Prophet. There Zaynab, the wise lady of the family of Abi Talib, took both knobs of the door of the mosque and cried out and addressed her grandfather, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, saying: “O my grandfather, I mourn to you my brother al-Husayn! [1] ”
The wise ladies who were born and grew up in the lap of the Prophet held a mourning ceremony for the Lord of the martyrs. They put on the most coarse clothes and shrouded themselves in black and continued weeping and wailing.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s Grief
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, kept weeping day and night over his father and the members of his Household. Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: “My grandfather, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, wept over his father for twenty years. When food was put before him, he wept. [2] ” One of his retainers blamed him, saying: “I fear for you lest you should perish. ”
So the Imam kindly said to him: “I only convey my complaints and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah what you all do not know. Ya‘qu’b (Jacob) was a prophet from whom Allah caused one of his sons to be separated. He had twelve sons, and he knew that his son (Joseph) was still alive, he wept over him till he lost his eye sight. I looked at
p: 199
- Page199 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
my father, my brothers, my uncles, and my companions (and saw them) slain all around me, so how can my grief end? Whenever I remember how Fatima’s children were slaughtered, tears choke me. Whenever I look at my aunts and sisters, I remember how they were fleeing from one tent to another. [1] ”
When the Imam looked at water, his weeping increased, and his pain doubled. This is because water reminded him of the thirst of his father and the members of his Household. The narrators said: “When he took some water to drink, he wept. So he was asked about that, and he answered: ‘How do I not weep (while) my father was prevented from drinking the water which was free for beasts and wild animals? ’ [2] ”
The Imam always wept over his father, and it was said to him: “You always weep, even if you kill yourself, you will increase (nothing) with this. ” So he said: “I have killed my soul, and over it I weep. [3] ”
A group of his retainers and the members of his Household felt pity for him because of his abundant weeping, so one of them asked him: “Has n’t your grief end yet? ”
The Imam answered him, saying: “Woe unto you! Ya‘qu’b (Jacob) was a prophet from whom Allah caused one of his sons to be separated. He had twelve sons, and he knew that his son (Joseph) was still alive in the world, he wept over him till he lost his eye sight. I looked at my father,
p: 200
- Page200 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
my brother, my uncle, and seventeen (persons) from the members of my Household (and saw them) slain all around me, so how can my grief end? [1] ”
His heart melt with pity for his father, his Household, and his friends whose heads the swords of aggression severed in a cruel manner.
His Paying the Debts which his Father owed
Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, was indebted to a group of people for more than seventy thousand dinars, so Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, took great care of paying them to the extent that he prevented himself from having food and water. When he prepared this sum (of money) , he hurried to pay every debt to the person to whom it was owed, and thus he could free his father from such an obligation. [2]
- Page200 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Al-Muqrim, Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 472.
[2]: Ahmed Fahmi, al-Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, p. 31.
[1]: Al-Muqrim, Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 47. A narration similar to this has been reported in Hulyat al-Awliya’, vol. 3, p. 138.
[2]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 108.
[3]: Ibid, p. 109.
[1]: Ibid, p. 108.
[2]: Sir al-Silsila al-‘Alawiya, p. 32.
His Kindness to the Family of ‘Aqil
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, was very kind to the Family of ‘Aqil. He preferred them to his cousins and the members of his family, for they had an outstanding attitude during the Battle of Karbala’. That was when the sons and the honorable grandsons of ‘Aqil sacrificed their souls for Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him, while they were still young. They competed with each other for martyrdom, so they were all killed at that battle, and thus they sacrificed their lives for the religion of Allah.
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, had mercy on them and preferred them to the surviving members of his family. He was asked about that, and he, peace be on him, replied: “I remember their day
p: 201
- Page201 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
with Abu ‘Abd Allah (al-Husayn) , so I feel pity for them. [1] ” An example of his kindness to the family of ‘Aqil was that al-Mukhtar b. Yousif, a great revolutionist, gave him a lot of money, and he built with it houses for them, but the Umayyad government ordered the houses to be demolished. [2]
His Staying in Medina
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, stayed in Medina and did not leave it except for performing the hajj to the Sacred House of Allah. The narrators said: “He traveled to Iraq to visit the grave of Imam (‘Ali) the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. [3] ” It is certain that he visited the grave of his father, Imam al-Husayn, peace be on him. With this we will end our talk about the tragedies of Karbala’, and the oppression and persecution to which Imam’ al-Husayn was subjected.
- Page202 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 107.
[2]: Ghayat al-Ikhtisar, p. 160.
[3]: Ibid.
Chapter 8: His Worship
point
The Muslims unanimously agreed that Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, was the most worshipful of all the people, and the most obedient of them to Allah, the Exalted. The people never saw a person like him in great turn to Allah in repentance and worship. The pious and the righteous admired him, and it is sufficient for him that only he was given the nick-name of Zayn al-‘Abidin (the ornament of the worshippers) and Sayyid al-Sajjidin (the lord of those who prostrate themselves in prayer).
As for his worship, it was not traditional; rather it resulted from his firm faith in Allah, the Most High, and his
p: 202
- Page202 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
perfect knowledge of Him. He worshipped Allah not due to desire of His garden, nor did he worshipped him out of fear of His fire; rather he found Him worthy of worshipping, Hence he worshipped Him. He was similar to his grandfather, Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, the Lord of the knowers, and the Imam of the Allah-fearing, who worshipped Allah with the worship of the free, Hence his grandson, Zayn al- ‘Abidin, peace be on him, followed him when he said: “I hate to worship Allah and I have no objective except His reward; therefore I will be like the desirous servant, who works when he is desirous; otherwise he does not work. I hate to worship Him because of fear of His torment, Hence I will be like the bad servant, who works when he is afraid. ”
One of those who were sitting interrupted him and said to him: “How do you worship Allah? ”
The Imam answered him faithfully: “I worship Allah through his bounties and blessings (toward me) , Hence He is worthy of (worship). [1] ”
The Imam’s worship resulted from his knowledge which was void of doubts and imaginations. It did come out of desire or fear; rather it issued from firm faith (in Allah). He, peace be on him, talked about the kinds of worship, saying: “If people worship Allah, the Great and Almighty, because of fear (of Him) , their worship is (similar to that) of slaves. If they worship Him because of desire, their worship (similar to that)
p: 203
- Page203 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
of traders, and if they worship Him to show gratefulness toward him, their worship is that of the free. [1] ” These are the kinds of worship and obedience; the heaviest of them in scale and the most lovable of them for Allah is the worship of the free, which is gratefulness to the Almighty Benefactor, not because of craving for His reward nor because of fear of His punishment. The Imam, peace be on him, underlined this in another tradition of his, saying: “The worship of the free is thankfulness to Allah, not because of fear and desire. [2] ”
The Imam’s love for Allah was firm in his heart and sentiments, Hence it was among his qualities. The narrators said: “He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) always worshipped Allah and obeyed him. ” A slave girl of his was asked about his worship and she answered: “Shall I elaborate (on it) or shall I (talk about it) briefly? ”
“Briefly,” was the answer.
“I did not bring him food by day nor did I spread for him bed by night,” the slave girl answered. [3]
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, spent most his lifetime fasting by day and praying by night. He was busy praying or giving charity in secret. It is certain that there is no person in the history of the ascetics and worshippers like ‘Ali b. al-Husayn in loyalty and obedience to Allah. Now, we will mention some acts of his worship:
His Ritual Ablution
As for ablution, it is light and purity from sins and is the first act
p: 204
- Page204 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
for prayer. The Imam, peace be on him, always performed the ritual ablution. The narrators talked about his humility to Allah during his ablution, saying: “When he used to perform ritual ablutions, his skin would turn yellow. Hence his family asked him: ‘What is it that has afflicted you? ’”
He answered them with fear of Allah, saying: “Don’t you know Whom I am preparing to stand before? [1] ”
He took great care of his ablution to the extent that no one helped him with it. He himself brought water for his ritual ablutions and prepared it before he slept. When he got up at night, he started with tooth cleanser (siwak) , and then he performed his ablution. Having finished it, he began praying. [2]
His Prayer
point
As for prayer, it is the journey of every believer (to the seven heavens) and is the sacrifice of every pious one, as it is in the tradition. Prayer was among the most important desires of the Imam, peace be on him. Through it he communicate with Allah, the Creator of the universe and Giver of life. He shook all over when he wanted to pray, Hence he was asked about that, and he replied: “Don’t you know Whom I am preparing to stand before and to Whom I am going to whisper (in prayer)? [3] ” We will mention some of his affairs during his prayers and perfuming himself:
Perfuming his Garments
When the Imam wanted to pray, he perfumed himself from a bottle which he put in the room of his prayers [4] , which was
p: 205
- Page205 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
full of musk.
His Garments during his Prayer
When the Imam wanted to pray, he wore coarse woolen garments [1] in order to behave humbly before the Almighty Creator.
His Humbleness during his Prayer
As for the prayer of the Imam, peace be on him, it represented full devotion to Allah, the Exalted, and freedom from the material world. He did not feel the things around him; rather he did not feel even himself, for his heart clung to Allah. The narrators described him during the time of his prayer, saying: “When he stood to perform the ritual prayer, his skin would turn yellow, and he shook all over because of fear of Allah. He stood during his prayer as the abased slave who stood before a great king. He prayed with the prayer of the one who would leave (the world). He thought that he would never pray again. ” Imam al-Baqir talked about the humbleness of his father during his prayer, saying: “When ‘Ali b. al- Husayn stood to perform his ritual prayers, he was like the trunk of a tree. Nothing of him moved except that which the wind moved. [2] ”
Aban b. Taghlub related to Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, the prayer of his grandfather, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, saying: “When ‘Ali b. al-Husayn stood to perform the ritual prayers, his skin would turn yellow. ” Hence Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, admired his grandfather and said: “By Allah, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn knew Him before Whom he stood. [3] ” Yes, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin completely knew the mightiness of the
p: 206
- Page206 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
Wise Creator, Hence he worshipped Him due to knowledge and obeyed Him because of faith.
Among the aspects of his humbleness during his prayer was that when he prostrated, he did not raise his head until he oozed sweat [1] as if he sank in water, for he wept abundantly. [2] The narrators reported on the authority of Abu’ Hamza al-Thumali, who said: “I saw the Imam praying and his clock falling off one of his shoulders. He did not set it right, Hence I asked him, and he answered me: ‘Woe unto you! Didn’t you know before Whom I had been? (Allah) does not accept the servant’s prayer unless his heart clings to Him. [3] ”
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin clung to Allah to the extent that one of his sons fell into a well, and the people of Medina hurried to him and saved him from the well, while the Imam was standing in prayer in his mihrab and did not know that. When he had finished his prayer, he was told about that, and he said: “I did not feel that, for I was whispering to the Almighty Lord. [4]
A fire occurred in the Imam’s house, but he paid no attention to the fire, for he was busy praying. When he had finished his prayer, he was asked about that, and he replied: “The greatest fire (in the hereafter) distracted me from this fire! [5] ” ‘Abd al-Karim al-Qushayri explained this wonderful aspect, which accompanied the Imam during his prayer, saying: “The heart sometimes becomes heedless of
p: 207
- Page207 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
knowing the affairs of creatures, for it is busy pondering that which comes to it. It becomes inattentive of feeling itself or other than it when it remembers a reward or a punishment. [1] ”
A one thousand Ruk‘a Prayer
The biographers unanimously agreed that Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, prayed one thousand Ruk‘as by day and night [2] , and that he had five hundred date-palms, Hence he said two ruk‘as by each date-palm. [3] As he prayed abundantly, he had calluses like those of the camel on the places of his prostration. Some calluses fell off every year, and he put them into a bag. When he passed away, they were buried with him. [4]
His Performing the Superfluous Prayer (nawafil)
No superfluous prayer escaped the Imam throughout his life. He performed at night the prayers that escaped him by day. He advised his children to perform such prayers and said to them: “My children, these (prayers) are not obligatory for you, but I want you to habituate yourselves to them. [5] ”
- Page207 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Al-‘Askari, Taffsir, p. 132.
[1]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 1, p. 53. Shadharat al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 105. Hulyat al-Awliya’, vol. 3, p. 134. Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, vol. 9, p. 105. Durrar al-Abkar, p. 70.
[2]: Al-Kawakib al-Durriya, vol. 2, p. 139.
[3]: Al-Khisal, p. 488.
[1]: Durrar al-Abkar, p. 70. Nihayat al-Irab, vol. 21, p. 326. Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, vol. 4, p. 238. Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p. 49. Akhbar al-Diwal, p. 109. Hulyat al-Awliya’, vol. 3, p. 132. Al-‘Aqdd al-Farid, vol. 3, p. 103.
[2]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 52. Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, vol. 4, p. 38.
[3]: Wasilat al-Mal, p. 207. Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’, vol. 4, p. 38. Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 52.
[4]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 58.
[1]: Ibid. , p. 108.
[2]: Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 685.
[3]: Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 2, p. 286. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 79.
[1]: Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 2, p. 286. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 79.
[2]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 108.
[3]: ‘Ilal al-Sharai‘, p. 88. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 61. Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 688.
[4]: Akhbar al-Diwal, p. 110. 3. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 99.
[5]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 52. Al-Muntazam, vol. 6, p. 141. Nihayat al-Irab, vol. 21, p. 325. Siyar ‘Alam al-Nubala’, vol. 4, p. 238.
[1]: Al-Risala al-Qushayriya, vol. 1, p. 214.
[2]: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 7, p. 306. Nu`r al-Abbsar, p. 136. Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p. 49. Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, vol. 1, p. 71. Shadharat al-Dhahab, vol. 1, p. 141. Al-Fusu`l al-Muhimma, p. 188. Akhbar al-Diwal, p. 110. Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 36, p. 151. Al-Sirat al-Sawi, p. 193. Iqamat al-Hujja, p. 171. Al-‘Ibar fi Khabar men Ghabar, vol. 1, p. 111. Al-Bustani, Da’irat al-Ma‘arif, vol. 9, p. 355. Al-Ya‘qu`bi, Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 45. Al-Muntazam, vol. 6, p. 143. Al-Dhahabi, Tarikh al-Islam. Al-Kawakib al-Durriya, vol. 2, p. 131. Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, vol. 9, p. 105.
[3]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 61. Al-Khisal, p. 487.
[4]: Al-Khisal, p. 487.
[5]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 53.
His Abundant Prostration (in prayer)
The servant is close to his Lord when he is in the state of prostration, as it is in the tradition. Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, prostrated himself abundantly for his Lord to show submission to Him and lowliness before Him. The narrators said: “One day, he (Zayn al-‘Abidin) went to the desert, and a retainer of his followed him. The retainer found him prostrating on a coarse stone and heard him saying one thousand times: There is no god but Allah in all certainty! There is no god but Allah in worship
p: 208
- Page208 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
and slavery! There is no god but Allah in faith and truth! [1] ” He performed the prostration of thanks and said during it one hundred times: “Praise belongs to Allah, thanks (be to Allah)! ” After that he said: “O Possessor of favor which never ceases, and which none other than Him can count! O Possessor of kindness which never comes to an end! O Generous! O Generous! ” Then he prayed humbly (to Allah) and mentioned his need. [2]
His Abundant Glorification
The Imam was always busy mentioning, glorifying, and praising Allah. He glorified Allah with these brilliant words: “Glory be to Him whose light illumines every darkness. Glory be to Him Who predetermines every power through His power. Glory be to Him Who has concealed Himself from the servants through the ways of their souls, Hence there is nothing to conceal Him. Glory and praise belong to Allah. [3] ”
His Performing the Night Prayer frequently
Among the superfluous prayers (nawafil) which Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, performed was the night prayer. He frequently performed it during travel and at home [4] until he met the Highest Comrade (Allah).
- Page208 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
--------------------
[1]: Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 4, p. 981.
[2]: Ibid. , p. 1079.
[3]: Al-Quttb al-Rawandi, Da‘awat, p. 34.
[4]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 53. Kashf al-Ghumma, vol. 2, p. 263.
His Supplication after the Night Prayer
When he, peace be on him, had finished the night prayer, he supplicated with this holy supplication, which is among the outstanding supplications of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. It is as follows:
“O Allah, O Possessor of kingdom perpetual in everlastingness, authority invincible without armies or helpers, might abiding through aeons past, years gone by, times and days elapsed! Your authority is mighty with a might that knows no
p: 209
- Page209 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
bound by being first nor utmost end by being last! Your kingdom towers high with a towering before which all things fall down without reaching its term; the least of it which You have kept to Yourself is not reached by the furthest description of the descripers!
Attributes go astray in You, descriptions fall apart below You the subtlest of imaginations are bewildered by Your magnificence! Hence are You, Allah, the first in Your firstness, and Hence are You everlastingly. You do not pass away. However, I am the slave feeble in works, immense in hopes. Your tying links are outside my hand, except what is tied by Your mercy; the bounds of hopes have been cut away from me, except the pardon to which I hold fast. Little on my part is the obedience toward You upon which I count, and great against me the disobedience toward You to which I have reverted. However, pardoning Your slave will not constrain You, even if he be bad, Hence pardon me! ”
This paragraph of his supplication contains glorifying Allah, professing belief in His unity, and mentioning some of His exalted attributes such as kingdom perpetual in everlastingness and authority invincible without armies or helpers, Hence attributes and descriptions are unable to depict Allah, the Most High.
Then the Imam goes on showing absolute humility, submission, and slavery to Allah, the Exalted, saying:
“O Allah, You commanded me, and I refrained, You prohibited me, and I committed. Evil thoughts tempted me to offend, and I was
p: 210
- Page210 - The Life of Imam Zayn al -Abidin
negligent. I cannot call upon daytime to witness my fasting, nor can I seek sanctuary in night because of my vigil; no sunna praises me for keeping it alive, only Your obligations, he who neglects which has perished. I cannot seek access to You through the excellence of a supererogatory work, given the many duties of Your obligations of which I have been heedless and the stations of Your bounds which I have transgressed, thereby violating sacred things and committing great sins, though You have given my safety from their disgraces as a covering. This is the station of him who is ashamed of himself before You, angry with himself, and satisfied with You. He meets You with a humble soul, a neck bent down, a back heavy with offenses, hesitating between longing for You and fear of You. You are the most worthy of those in whom he might hope, the most deserving for him to dread and fear. Hence give me, my Lord, what I hope for, make me secure against what frightens me, and act kindly toward me with the kindly act of mercy! Surely You are the most generous of those from whom are asked! ”
The Imam, the monk of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, showed his humility and submission before Allah. He thought that all his good deeds such as spending night in prayer, day in fasting, performing all the superfluous prayer (nawafil) , desirable deeds (mustahabbat) , enlivening the Islamic laws,
and other countless good deeds were insufficient for performing the rights of Allah against him. Hence which turn to Allah in repentance better than this turn? Which devotion to Him is better than this devotion? Indeed, this Imam was a unique example in the world of the pious and the righteous.
Now, let’s listen to another part of this supplication: “O Allah, since You have covered me with Your pardon and shielded me with Your bounty in the abode of annihilation and the presence of equals, grant me sanctuary from the disgraces of the Abode of Subsistence at the standing places of the Witnesses (the angels brought nigh, the messengers honored, the martyrs, the righteous) before the neighbor from whom I have hidden my evil deeds and the womb relative before whom I feel ashamed in my secret thoughts! I trust them not, my Lord, to cover me over, but I trust You, my Lord, to forgive me!
“O Allah, Your knowledge watches over hidden works, every covered thing is exposed before Your awareness, the intricacies of things are not concealed from You, and unseen mysteries slip not away from You. But over me Your enemy has gained mastery: He asked a delay from You to lead me astray, and You gave him the delay! He asked a respite from You until the Day of Doom to misguide me, and You gave him the respite! Hence he threw me down, though I had fled to You from small, ruinous and great, deadly
works, until, when I had yielded to disobeying You and merited Your anger through my bad efforts, he turned the bridle of his treachery away from me, met me with the word of his ingratitude, undertook to be quit of me, turned his back to flee from me, threw me to the desert of Your wrath alone, and sent me as an outcast into the courtyard of Your vengeance. There is no intercessor to intercede for me with You, no protector to make me feel secure against You, no fortress to veil me from You, no shelter in which to seek asylum apart from You! This is the station of him who takes refuge with You, the place of the confessor to You: Let not Your bounty be too narrow for me, let not Your pardon fall short of me! Let me not be the most disappointed of Your repentant servants, nor the most despairing of those who come to You with expectations! Forgive me, surely You are the best of the forgivers! ”
In these paragraphs the Imam, peace be on him, talks about the weakness of man’s soul before desires and its inability to resist stoned Satan, who employs it through wicked inclinations such as greediness and haughtiness. Satan controls man’s feelings and sentiments, employs him in the fields of sins and offenses, and drives him away from seeking nearness to Allah.
The Imam continued supplicating: “I trust them not, my Lord, to cover me over [1] , but I trust You my
Lord, to forgive me! You are the most worthy of those in whom confidence is had, the most giving of those who are besought, and the most clement of those from whom mercy is asked. ”
In this paragraph the Imam, peace be on him, expresses his great confidence in Allah and his hope in Allah’s forgiveness and favors. He asks Allah to forgive him and to be pleased with him in the hereafter. He, peace be on him, mentions that Allah covers over His disobedient servants. Moreover, he asks Allah to grant him sanctuary from the disgraces of the Abode of Subsistence at the standing places of the Witnesses, the angels brought nigh, the messengers honored, the martyrs, and the righteous. In this manner, he, peace be on him, urges the disobedient to turn to Allah in repentance and to do good deeds, that they may attain Allah’s good pleasure and mercy, which embraces all things. Now, let’s return to consider another part of this holy supplication:
“O Allah, You caused me to descend as mean water from loins of narrow bones and tight passages into a constricted womb which You had covered with veils; You turned me about from state to state until You took me to the completion of the form and fixed within me the bodily parts, as You have described in Your Book [1]: a drop, then a clot, then a tissue, then bones, then You garmented the bones with flesh, then You produced me as another creature as
You willed. Then, when I needed Your provision, and could not do without the aid of Your bounty, You appointed for me a nourishment from the bounty of the food and drink which You bestowed upon Your handmaid in whose belly You gave me to rest and in lodging of whose womb You deposited me. Had You entrusted me in those states, my Lord, to my own force, or driven me to have recourse to my own strength, force would have removed from me and strength taken far away. Hence You have fed me through Your bounty with the food of the Good, the Gentle; You have done that for me in graciousness toward me up to this present point. I do not lack Your goodness, nor does Your benefaction keep me waiting. Yet with all that, my trust has not become firm enough that I might free myself for that which is more favored by You. Satan has taken possession of my reins through my distrust and frail certainty. I complain of his evil neighborhood with me and my soul’s obedience toward him! I ask You to preserve me against his domination, and I plead with You to turn his trickery away from me! I ask You to make the path to my provision easy, since to You belongs praise for Your beginning with immense favors and Your inspiring gratitude for beneficence and bestowing favor! Bless Muhammad and his Household, and make the way to my provision easy for
me! (I ask You) to make me content with your ordainment for me, to make me satisfied with me lot in that which You have apportioned for me and to place what has gone of my body and my life-span into the path of Your obedience! Surely You are the Best of providers! ”
In this paragraph there are some reliable proofs of the existence of the Great Creator. They are as follows: Allah, the Most High, created man from mean water, put him into a narrow womb, turned him from state to state until he took him to the completion of the form. Man is the greatest creature of Allah. He has wonderful organs such as brain, eye, ear, and they all indicate the existence of the Wise Creator. The Imam, peace be on him, derived his views from the Holy Qur’an, which talked in detail about the creation of man. It is worth mentioning that the Qur’an has accurately showed how the embryo is formed, Hence it supplies man with this wonderful reality. Sayyid Qutub said: “Man stands astonished before the reality which the Qur’an has displayed concerning the form of fetus. (This reality) was discovered when embryology developed. This is because the cells of bones are different from those of flesh. It has been established that the cells of bones are formed in embryo before those of flesh. None of the cells of flesh is seen unless those of bones appear, and the skeleton of fetus is complete. The
Qur’anic text has mentioned this reality. [1] ”
Anyhow, when the Imam, peace be on him, had mentioned the greatest blessings of Allah, he asked Allah to save him from the trickery and delusions of Satan, who is the first enemy of man. Now, let’s read on the last paragraphs of this supplication:
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the Fire through which You are harsh toward him who disobeys You and by which You have threatened him who turns away from Your good pleasure; from the Fire whose light is darkness, whose ease is pain, and whose far is near; from the Fire parts of which devour parts and parts of which leap upon parts; from the Fire which leaves bones decayed and lets its people drink boiling water; from the Fire which does not spare him who pleads to it, has no mercy on him who seeks sympathy from it, and has no power to relieve him who humbles himself before it and yields himself to it; it meets its inhabitants with the hottest that it possesses: painful punishment and intense noxiousness. I seek refuge in You from its gaping-jawed scorpions, its scraping-toothed serpents and its drinks, which tear apart the intestines and hearts of its inhabitants and root out their marrows. I ask guidance from You to that which will keep far from it and make it retreat!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, grant me sanctuary from it through the bounty of Your mercy, release me from my
stumbles through Your good releasing, and abandon me not, O Best of the sanctuary-granters. O Allah, You protect from the disliked, give the good, do what You will, and You are powerful over everything.
--------------------
[1]: He, peace be on him, meant that he did not trust those whom he knew, for they disclosed the secret when they knew it.
[1]: He, peace be on him, referred to the holy verse: “And certainly We created man of an extract of clay, then We made him a small life-germ in a firm resting-place, then We made the life-germ a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, Hence blessed be Allah, the best of the creators. ”
[1]: Fi Zilal al-Qur’an, vol. 17, p. 16.
“ O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household when the pious are mentioned and bless Muhammad and his Household as long as night and day come and go with a blessing whose replenishment is never cut off and whose number cannot be counted, a blessing that will fill up the air and crowd the earth and the heaven! Allah bless him until he is well pleased and Allah bless him and his Household after good pleasure with a blessing that has neither bound nor utmost limit! O Most Merciful of the merciful! [1] ”
These paragraphs contain fearful descriptions of the Fire of Hell, which Allah has prepared for the sinful and tyrannical ones from among his creatures, who spread oppression and corruption in the earth, Hence they will suffer various kinds of indescribable terrible torture in the Fire of Hell, may Allah protect us from it.
With this we will end our talk about this holy supplication, which the Imam used to recite after the night prayer, and which is among the outstanding supplications of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them.
--------------------
[1]: Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, Supplication no. 32.
His Frailty and Weakness
point
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, became frail because of his many prayers, for worship strained him very much, and he was Hence weak that the wind would bend (his body) to left and
right like an ear of corn. [1] This is because he had no power to stand. His son ‘Abd Allah reported: “My father used to pray at night. When he had finished (praying) , he crept to his bed. [2] ” This means that he had no power to stand because of tiredness, weakness and faintness.
His family and those who loved him felt pity for him because of the intense weakness resulted from his many prayers. They feared that he would die, Hence they talked with him about that, but he refused to answer them, and he went on performing his prayers until he met his fathers. The following is some of those who talked with him:
1. One of his Sons
One of his sons feared for his safety, Hence he asked him with regret and fear: “Father, how long will you continue (praying)? ”
The Imam answered him with kindness and affection: “Do you make me love my Lord? [3] ”
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, loved his Lord and drew near to Him through all ways. There is no one in the world of the pious and the righteous like him in turning to Allah in repentance and intense clinging to Him.
2. Jabir al-Ansari
The great companion (of the Prophet) , Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari, felt pity for the Imam, peace be on him, and asked him to reduce his prayers and not to strain himself. Imam al-Baqir, peace be on him, reported his tradition, saying: [When Fatima, daughter of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, saw that her nephew,
‘Ali b. al-Husayn, strained himself with prayer, she went to Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari and said to him: ]
“O Companion of Allah’s Apostle, we have rights against you. Among our rights against you is that when you see one of us strain himself (with prayer) , you must remind him of Allah and to ask him to spare his life. This is ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, the surviving one of his father al-Husayn, has carried out in worship (to the extent that) his nose has been squashed; his forehead has been bruised; his legs and feet have been swollen. ”
Hence Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari went to Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, and found him in his mihrab exerted by worship and obedience (to Allah). When the Imam saw Jabir, he received him and sat him beside him and asked him very much about his conditions, Hence Jabir turned to him and said to him: “O Son of Allah’s Apostle, didn’t you know that Allah has created Heaven for you and for those who love you, and He has created the Fire for those who hate you and show enmity toward you, Hence why have you strained yourself (in worship)? ”
The Imam kindly and gently answered him: “O Companion of Allah’s Apostle, didn’t you know that Allah forgave my grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, his previous and next sins? Yet, he did not leave exertion (in worship) , may my father and mother be ransom for him, to
the extent that his legs and feet were swollen, Hence he was asked: ‘Do you do this, while Allah has forgiven you your previous and next sins? ’ Hence he replied: ‘Shall I not be a grateful servant? ’”
When Jabir knew that it was difficult for him to convince the Imam to leave exertion in worship, he said to him: “O Son of Allah’s Apostle, spare your life, for you are from among the family through whom tribulation is driven away, through whom cures are discovered, and through whom the sky is asked to rain. ”
The Imam answered him with a faint voice: “I will continue the method of my fathers until I meet them. ”
Hence Jabir admired the Imam, turned to those who around him, and said to them: “None of the sons of the prophets was like ‘Ali b. al-Husayn except Yousif b. Ya‘qu’b. By Allah, the progeny of al-Husayn is better than the progeny of Yousif b. Ya‘qu’b. Surely one of them will fill the earth with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny. [1] ”
Yes, by Allah, no one of the sons of the prophets was like ‘Ali b. al-Husayn in piety, Allah-fearingness, and all other ideals that raised him to the zenith which the great figures from among his fathers reached. Jabir declared that the progeny of al-Husayn was better than the progeny of Yousif b. Ya‘qu’b, for among them is the great reformer, the Qa’im of the family of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his
family, of whom the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, gave good news, and who will fill the earth with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, that will occur during the days of his government and authority.
‘Abd al-Malik
‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan was among those who pitied for Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him. That was when the Imam went to him to intercede with him for some Muslims whom the authority had arrested. When ‘Abd al-Malik saw him, he admired the marks of prostration between his eyes, Hence he said to him: “The exertion (in worship) has appeared on your face, while Allah has already promised you good, you are part of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, your lineage is close (to him) , your relation (with him) is certain, you are the most meritorious of the family of your House and the people of your time, you have been given merits, knowledge, religion, piety of which none before or after you has been given. ”
‘Abd al-Malik flattered the Imam, reminded him of his merits and laudable deeds. When he ended his talk, the Imam said to him: “All what you have mentioned is attained through the bounty, support, and success of Allah, the Glorified. Hence where is our gratefulness to Him for what He has bestowed (upon us)? Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, stood in pray to the extent that his feet were swollen and became
thirsty during fast to the extent that his mouth became dried, Hence he was asked: ‘O Allah’s Apostle, didn’t Allah forgive you your past and next sins? ’ Hence he, may Allah bless him and his family, replied: ‘Shall I not be a grateful servant? ’
“Praise belongs to Allah for what He has rendered and tested, and praise belongs to Him for here and the hereafter. By Allah, even if my limbs are severed, and my tears flow onto my chest, I will be unable to give thanks to Allah, the Great and Almighty, for the tenth of the tenth of one blessing of all His blessings which calculators cannot count, and no one can attain a blessing of them through all the praise of the praisers. No, by Allah, doesn’t Allah see that nothing distract me from thanking Him and remembering Him by day and night, secretly and openly? Were it not for that my family had right against me, and that people in private and in general had rights against me, I would look at the sky with my eye and at Allah with my heart, and then I would not prevent them (from that) , until Allah made me die, and He is the Best of judges. ”
The Imam bitterly wept. His words and his painful sight had a great effect on ‘Abd al-Malik, the tyrannical caliph, who said with admiration: “There is a great difference between a servant who seeks the hereafter and a servant who seeks this world. ”
Then ‘Abd
al-Malik yielded to the Imam and released the persons for whom he interceded. [1]
These are some of those who felt pitied for the Imam because of his many prayers and abundant worship and asked him frequently to decrease them and to have a rest, but the Imam did not respond them for that, for he found in prayers a unique, psychological rest.
His Fast
The Imam spent most his lifetime fasting. When his slave-girl was asked about his worship, she said: “I never brought him food by day. ” He loved fast and urged (people) to fast. Hence he said: “Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, entrusted the fasting to His angels. [2] ” He, peace be on him, did not break his fast except on the day of the two ‘Īds and other than them when he had an excuse. We will talk briefly about some of his affairs in the blessed month of Ramadhan, which is the month of Allah and of obedience (to Him).
In the Month of Ramadhan
point
The Imam had special affairs in the blessed month of Ramadhan. In it he did all things that drew him near to Allah. The narrators said: “He did all kinds of charity and good. He never said any word except saying: ‘Glory belongs to Allah, I ask Allah’s forgiveness, and Allah is Great. ’ When he broke his fast, he said: ‘O Allah, if You will do, You do. ’ [3] ”
--------------------
[1]: Al-Mufeed, al-Irshad, p. 272. Roudat al-Wa‘izin, vol. 1, p. 237.
[2]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 99.
[3]: Ibid. , p. 91.
[1]: Ibn Shahrashu`b, al-Manaqib. Hayat al-Imam Mohammed al-Baqir.
[1]: AL-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 65.
[2]: Al-Rawandi, Da‘awat, p. 4.
[3]: Furu`‘ al-Kafi, vol. 4, p. 88.
His Supplication for seeing the Crescent of the Month Ramadhan
He, peace be on him, received the month of Ramadhan with eagerness and desire, for it is the spring of the obedient. When he saw
its crescent, he supplicated with this holy supplication, which represents the spirituality of Islam and the guidance of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. This supplication is as follows:
“Praise belongs to Allah Who guided us to His praise and placed us among the people of his praise, that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence and that He might recompense us for that with the recompense of the good-doers! And praise belongs to Allah Who showed favor to us through His religion, singled us out for His creed, and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence, in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them to His good pleasure, a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us! And praise belongs to Allah Who appointed among those roads His month, the month of Ramadhan, the month of fasting, the month of submission, the month of purity [1] , the month of putting to test, the month of standing in prayer, in which the Qur’an was sent down as guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator!
He clarified its excellence over other months by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies which He placed therein, for He made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others to magnify it, He prohibited foods and drinks in it to honor it, and He appointed for it a clear time
which He (majestic and mighty is He) allows not to be set forward and accepts not to be placed behind. Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months and named it the Night of Decree; in it the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace constant in blessings until the rising of the dawn upon whomever He will of His servants according to the decision He has made firm. ”‘
These brilliant words contain magnifying and honoring the month of Ramadhan and depicting it with the best qualities of which is the following:
1. It is the month of Islam, Hence whoever fasts in it enters the frame of Islam; whoever does not fast in it with knowledge and deliberation does not belong to Islam.
2. It is the month of purity, for therein is the purity of the soul from sins and offenses.
3. It is the month of test; in it the Muslims are tested; in it the obedient are distinguished from the disobedient.
4. It is the month of standing in prayer; this month is the spring of the obedient and the good, for they spend its nights in worship and obedience to Allah.
5. Among the characteristics of this month is that the Holy Qur’an was sent down in it, for It was sent down on the Night of Decree, which is the greatest of all its nights, and in which the angels and the Spirit descend by
the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace until the rising of the dawn.
6. Among the characteristics of this holy month is that Allah, the Most High, makes it prohibited for the fasting to have foods and drinks to magnify and honor it. Now, let’s listen to another part of this supplication:
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what You have forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward You and our employing them in that which pleases You, Hence that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion, we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what You have made lawful and our tongues speak only what You have exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Your reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Your punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with You or seek therein any object of desire but You! ”
The Imam, peace be on him, presented the precepts which the fasting should follow in this great month. They are as follows: The fasting should restrain their limbs from what Allah has made unlawful, such
as holding back their tongues from lying, backbiting, and slander; holding back their ears from idle talk and falsehood; preventing their hands from theft, aggression against people, and the prohibited. He, peace be on him, also mentioned that the fasting should do good to please Allah, and that their acts should be free from hypocrisy and seeking fame among people, for such acts lead to nothing except the punishment of Allah. After this, let’s listen to another part of this holy supplication:
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, in it make us attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers within the bounds You have set, the obligations You have decreed, the duties You have assigned, and the times You have specified; and in the prayers make us alight in the station of the keepers of their stations, the guardians of their pillars, their performers in their times, as Your servant and Your messenger set down in his Sunna (Your blessings be upon him and his Household) in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their excellent acts, with the most complete and ample ritual purity and the most evident and intense humility! Give us success in this month to tighten our bonds of kin with devotion and gifts, attend to our neighbors with bestowal and giving, rid our possessions from claims, purify them through paying the alms, go back to him who has gone far from us, treat justly him who has wronged us, make peace with him who
shows enmity toward us (except him who is regarded as an enemy in You and for You, for he is the enemy whom we will not befriend, the party whom we will not hold dear) , and seek nearness to You through blameless works which will purify us from sins and preserve us from renewing faults, Hence that none of Your angels will bring for You the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness-seeking unless they be less than what we bring! ”
This paragraph presents important affairs which the fasting should follow:
1. They should attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers, which are the pillar of the religion, within the bounds Allah has set, accompanied by what the greatest Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, practiced such as manners, invocations of Allah in their bowing and prostration; rather in all their affairs. In other word they should perform the five prayers in complete manners such as humility and submission to Allah, the Exalted, only.
2. They should tighten their bonds of kin with devotion and gifts, for this is one the best acts of obedience to Allah.
3. They should attend to their neighbors with bestowal and giving.
4. They should purify their possessions through paying Kums (one-fifth) and Zakat (the alms) , which are obligatory.
5. They should go back to him who has gone far from them, from among their friends and brothers.
6. They should treat justly him who has wronged them and should not aggress against him with word or
action, for this is among the noble moral traits.
7. They should make peace with him who shows enmity toward them (except him who is regarded as an enemy in Allah and for Him, for he is the enemy whom they will not befriend, the party whom they will not hold dear.
8. They should seek nearness to Allah through blameless works which are certainly desirable in the blessed month of Ramadhan.
After this, let’s listen to the last paragraphs of this holy supplication:
“O Allah, I ask You by the right of this month and by the right of him who worships You within it from its beginning to the time of its passing, whether angel You have brought nigh to You, prophet You have sent, or righteous servant You have singled out, that You bless Muhammad and his Household, make us worthy of the generosity You have promised Your friends, make incumbent for us what You have made incumbent for those who go to great lengths in obeying You, and place us in the ranks of those who deserve through Your mercy the highest elevation!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, turn us aside from deviation in professing Your Unity, falling short in magnifying You, in Your religion, blindness toward Your path, heedlessness of Your inviolability, and being deceived by Your enemy, the accursed Satan!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and when in every night of this month’s nights You have necks which Your pardon will release and Your forgiveness disregard,
place our necks among those necks and place us among the best folk and companions of this our month!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, efface our sins along with the effacing of its crescent moon, and make us pass forth from the ill effects of our acts with the passing of its days, until it leaves us behind, while within it You have purified us of offenses and rid us of evil deeds!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and should we go off to one side in this month, set us aright; should we swerve, point us straight; and should Your enemy Satan enwrap us, rescue us from him!
“O Allah, fill this month with our worship of You, adorn its time with our obedience toward You, help us during its daytime with its fast, and in its night with prayer and pleading toward You, humility toward You, and lowliness before You, Hence that its daytime may not bear witness against our heedlessness, nor its night against our neglect!
“O Allah, make us like this in the other months and days as long as You give us life, and place us among Your righteous servants, those who shall inherit Paradise, therein dwelling forever, those who are given what they give, while their hearts quake, that they are returning to their Lord, those who vie in good works, outracing to them!
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household in every time, in all moments, and in every state, to the number that
You have blessed whomever You have blessed and to multiples of all that, through multiples which none can count but You! Surely You are Accomplisher of what You desire. [1] ”
Indeed, the supplications of the Imam are a school for religious awareness, for they are full of faith in Allah and sincerity to Him. These brilliant paragraphs of his supplication contain the following:
--------------------
[1]: By the month of purity he, peace be on him, meant that the fasting one is pure from sins in this blessed month.
[1]: Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, Supplication no. 44.
He asked Allah by the right of the month of Ramadhan and by the right of him who worshipped within it from among His righteous servants:
1. To place him among those who were worthy of the high position with Him.
2. To make his good deeds for the pleasure of Him, the Exalted; to make them free from hypocrisy and others which corrupt works.
3. To turn him aside from doubt and corrupt imaginations in the affairs of the religion.
4. To help him not to follow a way other than the way He has made lawful and to help him not to be heedless of the things He has made unlawful.
5. To help him not to follow the way of the accursed Satan.
6. To do him a favor through placing him among those whom He released in this great month.
7. To grant him a success in this month to worship Him and to show obedience, pleading, humility, and lowliness toward Him, the Exalted.
These are some important matters which these words of his supplication contain.
His good Acts in the Month of Ramadhan
point
He, peace be on him, did many good acts in the Month of Ramadhan. The following is some of
them:
A. Giving Food
Islam urges (Muslims) to give food to the fasting and makes it desirable for them. Every day in the Month of Ramadhan, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin ordered a sheep to be slaughtered and cooked. When the food was ready, he said: “Bring the bowls. ” He ordered the food to be divided among the poor, the widows, and the orphans to the extent that there was nothing left for him, Hence he broke his fast with bread and dates. [1]
B. His Freeing Salves
Among his good deeds in the blessed month of Ramadhan was that he freed many of his slaves. It is worth mentioning that he respected his slaves, treated them as he treated his children, and forgave them when they misbehaved toward him. The narrators said: “‘Ali b. al-Husayn did not punish a female slave nor did he punish a male salve when they committed a sin; rather he recorded the day when they committed sins. When the month of Ramadhan was about to end, he gathered them and brought the book where he had written their sins and said to them: Raise your voices and say: O ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, your Lord has counted against you all what you have done, as you have counted against us all what we have done. He has a book which speaks the truth and does not leave a small one nor a great one of what you have done, but numbers them all, and you will find present with Him all what you had done, as we
have found present with you all what we had done.
Hence pardon and forgive (us) , as you want the most powerful King (Allah) to pardon and forgive you. Hence forgive us, and He will forgive you and have mercy on you, and Your Lord never wrongs anyone. As you have a book which speaks the truth against us and does not leave a small one nor a great one, but numbers them all against us, Hence ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, remember the abasement of your standing place before your Lord, the Just King, Who does not wrong (anyone) to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and Allah is sufficient to take account and to be a witness. Hence pardon and forgive (us) , and the most Powerful King will pardon and forgive you, for He says: They should pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? [1] ”
He (Zayn al-‘Abidin) dictated to them these words which represent his absolute devotion and clinging to Allah. He stood, wept and said: “Our Lord, You have commanded us to pardon him who wrongs us. We have pardoned him who has wronged us, as You have commanded, Hence pardon us, for You are worthier of that than us and the commanded ones. You have commanded us not to dismiss any beggar from our doors. Now, we have come to You as beggars and miserable. We have sat at Your courtyard and Your door seeking bounty and favor and giving, Hence
do us a favor through it and disappoint us not, for You are more worthier of that than us and the commanded ones.
“My Lord, I have entertained (Your servants) , Hence entertain me if I am of Your beggars. I have done (Your servants) a lot of good, Hence place me among the people of Your giving, O Generous! ”
Then he turned his holy face, which became wet with the tears of his eyes, to his slaves and said to them with kindness and affection:
“I have forgiven you! Have you forgiven me my evil (acts)? I am full of evil, meanness, and oppression! I am the slave of the One Who is Powerful, Generous, Just, Beneficent, and Good-doer! ”
What an angelic this soul is! Indeed, it represented the spirituality, beauties, qualities, and morals of the prophets!
The slaves interrupted him, saying: “We have pardoned you, O Our master! ”
Hence he said to them: “Say: O Allah, pardon ‘Ali b. al-Husayn as he has pardoned us! Release him from the Fire, as he has released our necks from slavery! ”
They said that, and he said after them: “Amen, O Allah, Lord of the world’s inhabitants! Go, surely I have pardoned you and released your necks, asking (Allah) to pardon me and release my neck! ” When the day of ‘Īd al-Fitr came, he gave them excellent gifts to make them in no need of what was in the people’s hands. [1]
In the world of the pious there is no person like Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, in
piety, loyalty, and obedience to Allah, for he filled his holy heart with faith and knowledge of Allah.
Anyhow, in the month of Ramadhan, the Imam, peace be on him, did a lot of good to the weak, entertained the miserable refreshed the deprived, freed slaves, and other good deeds that brought him near to Allah.
His Supplication in the Early Morning
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, whispered to his Lord and prayed Him humbly and sincerely on every night in the Month of Ramadhan with this great supplication, which is better known as the Supplication of Abi Hamza al-Thumali, for it was he who reported it on the Imam’s authority. The supplication is among the outstanding supplications of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. It represents the absolute return and devotion to Allah. It contains exhortations that prevent the soul from clinging to haughtiness and desires and, in addition, it is distinguished by beautiful style, wonderful words, and eloquent performance. Moreover, it displays lowliness, humility, and submission to Allah, the Glorified. The other supplications do not contain such matters. We will quote some brilliant paragraphs of it, for it is well-known and widespread in supplication books
Before mentioning some paragraphs of this supplication, we’d like to say that this supplication has occupied an important position in the hearts of the good and the righteous from among the Muslims, Hence they recite it in the early morning of every night in the month of Ramadhan, to the extent that they have memorized
it by heart. The following is some paragraphs of it:
“My Allah, educate me not with Your punishment, and scheme not against me with Your power! How can I find good, My Lord, and it cannot be found but through You? How can I find salvation, and it cannot be found but through You? Good-doers cannot do without Your help and Your mercy, nor can evil-doers! Those who misbehave before You, show audaciousness toward and, do not make You Pleased are unable to dissent from Your power! O my Lord, through You I have recognized You. It was You who guided me to Yourself and summoned me to Yourself! Were it not for You, I would not know what You were. ”
Have you noticed how the Monk of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, whispered to his Lord, pleaded to Him, and argued with Him in this manner full of faith and knowledge? Let’s listen to another part of this holy supplication: “O Lover of him who loves You, O Delight of the eye of him who seeks refuge in You and devotes himself to You! You are the Benefactor, and we are the evil-doers! Hence, my Lord, forgive us our ugly acts through the beautiful things You have! Which ignorance, my Lord, Your magnificence does not embrace? Which time is longer than Your slowness? What is the worth of our deeds in comparison with Your favors? How can we regard our works as may and compare
them to Your generosity? How do the sinners regard Your ample mercy as narrow? O All-forgiving! O All-merciful! Hence, by Your might, if You rebuked me, I would not leave Your door, nor would I refrain from praising You because I have knowledge of Your magnificence and generosity! ”
In this manner the Imam, peace be on him, continued praising and pleading to the Great Creator, asking Him for forgiveness and good pleasure. Listen how he whispers to Him:
“O Allah, whenever I say: I have prepared myself, worn the cloak, stood in prayer before You, and whispered to You, You make me sleepy when I pray, and deprive me of whispering to You when I whisper (to You)! Why whenever I say: I have set right my inner self and my assembly has come close to the assembly of the repenters, a tribulation befalls me, slip my foot, and prevents me from serving You? My Master, You may have dismissed me from Your door and put me aside from serving You, or You may have seen me disdaining Your Sacredness, Hence You have removed me, or You may have seen me turning back on You, Hence You have detested me, or You may have found me in the standing place of the liars, Hence You have rejected me, or You may have seen that I am ungrateful (to You) for Your favors, Hence You have deprived me (of them) , or You may have missed me among the assemblies, Hence You have
deserted me, or You may have seen me among the heedless, Hence You have disappointed me of Your mercy, or You may have seen that I get along with the assemblies of the unemployed, Hence You have placed me among them, or You may do not like listening to my supplication, Hence You have driven me away from You, or You may have punished me because of my sin and crime, or You may have punished me on account of my little modesty! Hence if You pardon (me) , my Lord, You have often pardoned those sinners before me, for Your generosity, my Lord, is far above punishing the neglectful! ”
The Imam, peace be on him, presented those affairs which prevent man from clinging to Allah during his prayers and whispered prayers. The following is some of them:
1. Disdaining Allah’s rights, that is when man makes little of them.
2. Turning away from Allah.
3. Telling lies which is the junction of vices and grave sins.
4. Ungratefulness for graces which Allah bestows upon His servant.
5. Turning away from sitting with the true religious scholars who remind men of the hereafter and urge them to do good deeds.
6. Forgetting the remembrance of Allah and of death lead man to misery and ruin.
--------------------
[1]: Al-Mahasin, p. 396. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 72.
[1]: Qur’an, 24, 22.
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, pp. 103-104.
7. Sitting with the unemployed who spend their times in playing and lose their life spans in trivial affairs, Hence sitting with them leads to turning away from Allah.
These are some affairs which send man far from Allah and turn him away from doing
good, may Allah protect us from them. Now, let’s listen to another paragraph of this supplication: “O My Allah and my Master! If You demanded my sins, I would demand Your pardon! If You demanded my meanness, I would demand Your generosity! If You made me enter the Fire, I would tell the people of the Fire about my love for You! O My Allah and my Master! If You forgive only Your friends and those who obey You, then to whom shall the sinners go? If You show generosity only to those who are sincere to You, then whom the evildoers seek for help! My Allah! If You made me enter the Fire, then Your enemy (the accursed Satan) would be pleased with this! If You made me enter the Garden, then this would please Your Prophet! I, by Allah, know that the pleasure of Your Prophet is more lovable for You than that of Your enemy! [1] ”
The Master of the pious and Imam of the knowers (Zayn al-‘Abidin) , peace be on him, asked the sympathy of the Great Creator, whose mercy embraces all things. He asked Him to pardon His disobedient servants and to show good pleasure toward them, for His munificence is not confined to the believers and the obedient. With these little paragraphs we will end our speech about the supplication of the Imam in the early morning of the blessed month of Ramadhan.
His Supplication in Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadhan
point
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, felt pain when the days of the
Month of Ramadhan came to an end, for this month is the spring of the obedient, and he used to recite this great supplication:
“O Allah, O He who desires no repayment! O He who shows no remorse at bestowal! O He who rewards not His servant tit for tat! Your kindness is a new beginning, Your pardon gratuitous bounty, Your punishment justice, Your decree a choice for the best! If You bestow, You stain not Your bestowal with obligation, and if you withhold, You withhold not in transgression. You show gratitude to him who thanks You while You have inspired him to thank You. You reward him who praises You while though You have taught him Your praise. You cover him whom, if You willed, You would expose, and You are generous toward him from whom, if You willed, You would withhold. Both are worth of Your exposure and with holding, but You have founded Your acts upon gratuitous bounty, channeled Your power into forbearance, received him who disobeyed You with clemency, and disregarded him who intended wrongdoing against himself. You await their turning back without haste and refrain from rushing them toward repentance, Hence that the perisher among them may not perish because of You and the wretched may not wretched through Your favor, but only after Your prolonged excusing him and successive arguments against him, as an act of generosity through Your pardon, O Generous, and an act of kindliness through Your tenderness, O Clement! ”
It is necessary for
us to considered carefully this brilliant paragraph of the supplication of the Imam, peace be on him. It contains the following:
1. The Generosity of Allah
As for the generosity and munificence of Allah, toward servants, as the Imam mentioned it, it is distinguished by the following:
A. Allah, the Most High, bestows on His creatures while He does not desire any repayment, for He, the Exalted, is in no need of His servants, who are in need of Him.
B. When He, the Exalted, bestows a grace upon a servant, He does not show any remorse at his bestowal, as the creatures show remorse at their bestowals when they get no benefit from them.
C. Allah does not stain his bestowal with obligation, for He, the Most High, bestows gratuitously.
D. It is He, the Exalted, who starts His servants with kindness and generosity.
2. The Pardon and Punishment of Allah
As for the pardon of Allah toward the sinners is gratuitous bounty, and as for His punishment toward them is justice, for He punishes them according to their sins.
3. The Decree of Allah
As for the decree of Allah and issuing the acts from Him, they are choice for the best, and He is not forced to issue them, as some philosophers said.
4. His Gratitude to those who thank Him
Indeed, Allah, the Glorified, show gratitude to those who thank Him, that is when He increases His favors and blessings to them. He, the Most High reward those who praise Him and increases His favors and blessings to them.
--------------------
[1]: Al-Tu`si, al-Misbah. Al-Kaf‘ami, al-Misbah.
5. His Covering the Servants
Among the favors of Allah for the servant is that He covers him when he commits sins. If he willed, he
would expose him and make the people degrade him. Also among His favors for the sinner is that He is generous toward him. If He willed, He would withhold him His livelihood and make him die of hunger. However, He channeled His power and will into forbearance, received those who disobeyed Him with clemency, and disregarded those who intended wrongdoing against themselves. He awaits their turning back without haste and refrain from rushing them toward repentance, Hence that the perisher among them may not perish because of Him and the wretched may not be wretched through His favor, but only after His prolonged excusing them and successive arguments against them, as an act of generosity through His pardon. Now, let’s listen to another paragraph of this holy supplication:
“It is You who have opened for Your servants a door to Your pardon, which You have named ‘repentance’. You have placed upon that door a pointer from Your revelation, lest they stray from it: You have said (blessed are Your names) , Repent toward Allah with unswerving repentance! It may be that your Lord will acquit you of your evil deeds and will admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow, upon the day when Allah will not degrade the Prophet and those who have faith along with him, their light running before them and on their right hands, and they say: ‘Our Lord, complete for us our light, and forgive us! Surely You are powerful over everything. ’ [1] What is the excuse of
him who remain heedless of entering that house after the opening of the door and the setting up of the pointer? It is You who have raised the price against Yourself to the advantage of Your servants, desiring their profit in their trade with You, their triumph through reaching You, and their increase on account of You, for You have said (blessed is Your Name and high are You exalted) , those brings a good deed shall have ten the like of it, and whosoever brings an evil deed shall only be recompensed the like of it. [1] You have said, the likeness of those who expend their wealth in the way of Allah is as the likeness of a grain of corn that sprouts seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains; Hence Allah multiplies unto whom He wills. [2]
You have said, Who is he that will lend to Allah a good loan, and He will multiply it for him manifold [3] , and You have send down in the Qur’an similar verses on the multiplying of good deeds. It is You who have pointed them through Your speech from Your unseen and Your encouragement in which lies their good fortune toward that which -had You cover it from them- their eyes would not have perceived, their ears would not have heard, and their imaginations would not have grasped, for You have said, Remember me and I will remember you, be thankful to Me and be you not thankless towards Me! [4] You have
said, If you are thankful, surely I will increase you, but if you are thankless, My chastisement is surely terrible. [1] And You have said, Supplicate Me and I will respond to you; surely those who wax too proud to worship Me shall enter Gehennam utterly abject. [2]
Hence You have named supplicating You ‘worship’ and refraining from it ‘waxing proud’, and You have threatened that the refraining from it would lead entrance into Gehannam in utter abjection. Hence they remember You for Your kindness, they thank You for Your bounty, they supplicate You by Your command, and they donate for You in order to seek Your increase; in all this lies their deliverance from Your wrath and their triumph through Your good pleasure. Were any creature himself to direct another creature to the like of that to which You Yourself have directed Your servants, he would be described by beneficence, qualified by kindness, and praised by every tongue. Hence to You belong Praise as long as there is found a way to praise You and as long as there remains for praising words by which You may be praised and meanings which may be spent in praise.
O He who shows Himself praiseworthy to His servants through beneficence and bounty, flooding them with kindness and graciousness! How much Your favor has been spread about among us, Your kindness lavished upon us, and Your goodness singled out for us! You have guided us to Your religion which You have chosen, Your creed with
which You art pleased, and Your path which You have made smooth, and You have shown us proximity to You and arrival at Your generosity! ”
In this paragraph the Imam talked about the great kindness of Allah to the disobedient from among His creatures when He opened for them the door of repentance and of asking forgiveness Hence that He may save them from ruin and misery in the next world. Repentance erases sins and save man from the awful situations provided that he should show remorse at the sins he has committed, and that he should not commit a sin again.
The Imam, peace be on him, talked about one of Allah’s favors toward His servants, that was when He (Allah) urged them to be kind to people, to do good for them, and to give alms to the poor and the weak. In the meantime He promised to reward them in the Abode of Subsistence and Perpetuity, Hence that they would be successful and happy there. Hence what ample are His blessings! What great is His bounty toward His servants!
In his speech, the Imam, peace be on him, dealt with gratitude to Allah for His graces, for such gratitude would lead to an increase in graces. He also dealt with supplication to Allah and pleading to Him, for He has named supplicating Him ‘worship’ and refraining from it ‘waxing proud’, as the Holy Qur’an has stated. After this, let’s listen to another paragraph of this supplication:
“O Allah, among the choicest
of those duties and the most special of those obligations You have appointed the month of Ramadhan, which You have singled out from other months, chosen from among all periods and eras, and preferred over all times of the year through the Qur’an and the Light which You sent down within it, the faith which You multiplied by means of it, the fasting which You obligated therein, the standing in prayer which You encouraged at its time, and the Night of Decree which You magnified therein, the night which is better than a thousand months. Through it You have preferred us over the other communities and through its excellence You have chosen us to the exclusion of the people of the creeds. We fasted by Your command in its daylight, we stood in prayer with Your help in its night, presenting ourselves by its fasting and its standing to the mercy which You have held up before us, and we found through it the means to Your reward. And You are full of what is sought from You, munificent what is asked of Your bounty, and near to him who strives for Your nearness. This month stood among us in a standing place of praise, accompanied us with the companionship of one approved, and profited us with the most excellent profit of the world’s creatures. Then it parted from us at the completion of its time, the end of its term, and the fulfillment of its number. Hence we bid
farewell to it with the farewell of one whose parting pains us, whose leaving fills us with gloom and loneliness, and to whom we have come to owe a safeguarded claim, an observed inviolability, and a discharged right. ”
In these words, the Imam, peace be on him, praised the bounty of the blessed month of Ramadhan, which Allah singled out from other months, and endowed it with ample bounty when He obligated the fasting in it and multiplied the reward of the good deeds in it. He also singled it out with the Night of Decree, which is better than a thousand months. Through it He preferred the Muslims over the other communities Hence that they might attain the highest degrees and the most honorable position with Him. Then the Imam, peace be on him, mentioned his grief for leaving this great month when he gained rewards through doing a lot of good deeds that brought him near to Allah. Now, let’s listen to another part of this blessed month:
“Hence we say: Peace be upon you, O greatest month of Allah! O festival of His friends! Peace be upon you, O most noble of accompanying times! O best of months in days and hours! Peace be upon you, month in which expectations come near and good works are scattered about! Peace be upon you, comrade who is great in worth when found and who torments through absence when lost, anticipated friend whose parting gives pain! Peace be upon you, familiar who
brought comfort in coming, thus making happy, who left loneliness in going, thus giving anguish! Peace be upon you, neighbor in whom hearts became tender and sins became few! Peace be upon you, helper who aided against Satan, companion who made easy the paths of good-doing! Peace be upon you-How many became freedmen of Allah within you! How happy those who observed the respect due to you! Peace be upon you-How many the sins you erased! How many the kinds of faults you covered over! Peace be upon you-How drawn out were you for the sinners! How awesome were you in the hearts of the faithful! Peace be upon you, month with which no days compete! Peace be upon you, month which is peace in all affairs! Peace be upon you, you whose companionship is not disliked, you whose friendly mixing is not blamed! Peace be upon you, just as you have entered upon us with blessings and cleansed us of the defilement of offenses! Peace be upon you. You are not bid farewell in annoyance nor is your fasting in weariness! Peace be upon you, object of seeking before your time, object of sorrow before your passing! Peace be upon you- How much evil was turned away from us through you! How much good flowed upon us because of you! Peace be upon you and upon the Night of Decree which is better than a thousand months! Peace be upon you- How much we craved you yesterday! How intensely
we shall yearn for you tomorrow! Peace be upon you and upon the bounty which has now been made unlawful to us and upon your blessings gone by which have now been stripped away from us! ”
The Imam, peace be on him, bid farewell to the blessed month of Ramadhan with these warm greetings accompanied by bitterness and sorrow for parting it, for it was a field for his good works that brought him near to Allah, the Exalted. He, peace be on him, mentioned the qualities of this great month and explained its excellencies over the other months. Now, let’s listen to another part of this great supplication:
“O Allah, we are the people of this month. Through it You have ennobled us and given us success because of Your kindness, while the wretched are ignorant of its time. Made unlawful to them is its bounty because of their wretchedness. You are the patron of the knowledge of it by which You have preferred us, and its prescribed practices to which You have guided us. We have undertaken, through Your giving success, its fasting and its standing in prayer, but with shortcomings, and we have performed little of much.
“O Allah, Hence to You belongs praise, in admission of evil doing and confession of negligence, [1] and to You belongs remorse firmly knitted in our hearts and seeking of pardon sincerely uttered by our tongues. Reward us, in spite of the neglect that befell us in this month, with a reward through which
we may reach the bounty desired from it and win the varieties of its craved stores! [1] Make incumbent upon us Your pardon for our falling short of Your right in this month and make our lives which lie before us reach the coming month of Ramadhan! Once You have made us reach it, help us perform the worship of which You are worth, cause us to undertake the obedience which You deserve, and grant us righteous works that we may fulfill Your right in these two months [2] of the months of time.
“O Allah, as for the small and large sins which we have committed in this our month, the misdeeds into which we have fallen, and the offenses which we have earned purposefully or in forgetfulness wronging ourselves thereby or violating the respect due to others, bless Muhammad and his Household, cover us over with Your covering, pardon us thorough Your pardoning, place us not before the eyes of the gloaters because of that, stretch not toward us the tongues of the defamers, and employ us in that which will alleviate and expiate whatever You disapprove from us within it through Your clemency which does not run out. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, redress our being afflicted by our moth, bless us in this day of our festival and our fast - breaking, make it one of the best of days that have passed over us, the greatest in attracting Your pardon, and the most effacing toward sins,
and forgive us our sins, both the concealed and the public. ”
Have you noticed this submission and humility before the Great Creator? The Imam asked Allah for pardon and forgiveness. He confessed before Him his falling short of performing worship and the acts of obedience in the blessed month of Ramadhan. This is Zayn al-‘Abidin, who is the greatest summoner to Allah! Now, let’s read on the last paragraphs of this supplication:
“O Allah, with the passing of this month, make us pass forth from our offenses, with its departure make us depart from our evil deeds, and appoint us thereby among its most felicitous people, the most plentiful of them in portion, and the fullest of them in share! O Allah, when any person observes this month as it should be observed, safeguards its inviolability as it should be safeguarded, attends to its bounds as they should be attended to, fears its misdeeds as they should be feared, or seeks nearness to You with any act of nearness-seeking which makes incumbent upon him Your good pleasure and bends toward him Your mercy, give to us the like (of that) from Your wealth and bestow it upon us in multiples through Your bounty, for Your bounty does not diminish, Your treasuries do not decrease but overflow, the mines of Your beneficence are not exhausted, and Your bestowal is the bestowal full of delight.
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and write for us the like of the wages of him who fasted
in it or worshipped You within it until the Day of Resurrection! O Allah, we repent to You in our day of fast-breaking, which You have appointed for the faithful a festival and a joy and for the people of Your creed a time of assembly and gathering, from every misdeed we did, ill work we sent ahead, or evil thought we secretly conceived, the repentance of one who does not harbor a return to sin and who afterwards will not go back to offense, an unswerving repentance rid of doubt and wavering. Hence accept it from us, and fix us within it!
“O Allah, provide us with fear of the threatened punishment and yearning for the promised reward, Hence that we may find the pleasure of that for which we supplicate You and the sorrow of that from which we seek sanctuary in You! And place us with among the repenters, those upon whom You have made Your love obligatory and from whom You have accepted the return to obeying You! O Most Just of the just! O Allah, show forbearance toward our fathers and our mothers and all the people of our religion, those who have gone and those who will pass by, until the Day of Resurrection! O Allah, bless our prophet Muhammad and his Household, as You have blessed Your angels brought nigh, bless him and his Household, as You have blessed Your prophets sent out, bless him and his Household, as You have blessed Your righteous
servants-and better than that, O Lord of the worlds! - a blessing whose benediction will reach us, whose benefit will attain to us, and through which our supplication may be granted! You are the most generous of those who are beseeched, the most sufficient of those in whom confidence is had, the most bestowing of those from whom bounty is asked, and You are powerful over everything! [1] ”
This holy supplication; rather all the supplications of the Imam, peace be on him, urge man to cling to Allah-fearingness and faith in Him, they also urge him to show remorse at his neglect before Allah in this month.
--------------------
[1]: Qur’an, 66, 8.
[1]: Ibid. , 6, 110.
[2]: Ibid. , 2, 261
[3]: Ibid. , 57, 11.
[4]: Ibid. , 2, 152.
[1]: Ibid. , 14, 7.
[2]: Ibid. , 40, 60.
[1]: He, peace be on him, meant that he neglected this month because he did not take care of works therein.
[1]: By the varieties of its craved stores, he meant the reward which Allah has stored for His believing servants.
[2]: By the these two months, he meant the past and the next months of Ramadhan.
[1]: Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, Supplication no. 45.
On the Day of Fast-Breaking
Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, received the Day of Fast-Breaking with supplication to Allah, asking Him to accept his fast, his acts of worship, and his good works in the month of Ramadhan, and to grant him pardon and good pleasure. In the early morning, he gave on his behalf and of his family the Zakat of al-Fitra (alms of fast-breaking). He also performed the prayer of the ‘Id. When he had finished his prayer, he faced the qibla (the direction of Kaaba) and supplicated Allah with this great supplication:
“O He who has mercy upon him toward whom the servants show no mercy! O He who accepts him whom the cities will not accept! O He who looks not down upon those who have need of Him! O He who disappoints not those who implore Him! O He who slaps not the brow of the
people of boldness toward Him with rejection! O He who collects the little that is given to Him and He shows gratitude for the paltry that is done for Him! O He who shows gratitude for the small and rewards with the great! O He who comes close to him who comes close to Him! O He who invites to Himself him who turns his back on Him! O He who changes not favor and rushes not to vengeance! O He who causes the good deed to bear fruit Hence that he may make it grow, and overlooks the evil deed Hence that he may efface it! Hopes turn back with needs fulfilled short of the extent of Your generosity, the cups of requests fill up with the overflow of Your munificence, and attributes fall apart without reaching Your description. For to You belongs the highest highness above everything high, and the most glorious majesty beyond every majesty! Every majestic before You is small everything eminent beside Your eminence vile! Those who reach other than You are disappointed, those who present themselves to other than You have lost, those who stay with other than You have perished, and those who retreat -except those who retreat to Your bounty- are desolate! Your door is open to the beseechers, Your munificence free to the askers, Your help near to the help-seeker! The expectant are not disappointed by You, those who present themselves despair not of Your bestowal, the forgiveness-seekers become not wretched
through Your vengeance! Your provision is spread among those who disobey You, Your clemency presents itself to those hostile toward You, Your habit is beneficence toward the evildoers, and Your wont is to spare the transgressors, Hence much Hence that Your lack of haste deludes them from returning, and Your disregard bars them from desisting! You act without haste toward them Hence that they will come back to Your command and You disregard them confident in the permanence of Your kingdom, Hence You seal him who is worthy of it with felicity, and You abandon him who is worthy of it to wretchedness! ”
The greatest Imam, peace be on him, presented in this masterpiece Allah’s kindness to His servants, for He is Compassionate and Merciful to him toward whom the servants show no mercy. His mercy also includes him whom the governments chase and he escapes to unknown places because of fear. An example of the kindness of Him, the Exalted, is that He does not look down upon those who have need of Him. An example of the mercy of Him, the Exalted, is that He does not disappoint those who implore Him. An example of the great bounty and ample mercy of Him, the Most High, is that He shows gratitude for the small and rewards with the great. He shows affection to His servants, Hence He comes close to those who come close to Him and invites to Himself those who turn back on Him Hence that He
may grant them the highest position in the next world and save them from ruin. An example of the favor of Allah, the Glorified, to His servants is that He does not change the blessing which He bestows upon them until they change what is there in themselves. He, the Exalted, also makes the good deed grow for its owner in the Next Abode. Indeed the generosity and munificence of Allah cannot be limited. Attributes fall short of describing Him, for to Him belongs the highest highness above everything high, and the most glorious majesty beyond every majesty.
The Imam, peace be on him, blamed in his supplication those who presented themselves to other than Allah, Hence they lost good and expectations, while those who presented themselves to Allah attained a great success. Then the Imam, peace be on him, mentioned the clemency of Allah, the Exalted, and His disregard toward the aggressors; He did not hurry to punish them Hence that they would come back to His command and understand the truth. These are some affairs which this part of the supplication of the Imam, peace be on him, contains. Now, let’s read on the last paragraphs of this supplication:
“All of them come home to Your decree, their affairs revert to Your command; Your authority grows not feeble through their drawn out term, Your proof is not refuted by the failure to hurry after them. Your argument is established, never refuted, Your authority fixed, never removed. Permanent woe belongs to
him who inclines away from You, forsaking disappointment to him who is disappointed by You, and the most wretched wretchedness to him who is deluded about You! How much he will move about in Your chastisement! How long he will frequent Your punishment! How far his utmost end from relief! How he will despair of an easy exit! (All of this) as justice from Your decree (You are not unjust in it! ) , and equity from Your judgment (You do not act wrongfully against him! ). You supported the arguments, tested the excuses, began with threats, showed gentleness with encouragement, struck similitudes, made long the respite, delayed, while You are able to hurry, and acted without haste, while You are full of quick accomplishment!
“Not because of incapacity is Your slowness, feebleness Your giving respite, heedlessness Your showing restraint, dissemblance Your waiting! But that Your argument be more conclusive, Your generosity more perfect, Your beneficence more exhaustive, Your favor more complete! All of this has been and always was, is and ever will be. Your argument is greater than that its totality be described, Your glory more elevated than it be limited in its core, Your favor more abundant than that its entirety be counted, Your beneficence more abundant than that thanks be given for its least amount! Speechlessness has made me fall short of praising You, restraint has made me powerless to glorify You, and the most I can do is admit to inability, not out of desire, my Allah, but out
of incapacity. Hence here I am: I repair to You by coming forward, and I ask from You good support. Hence bless Muhammad and his Household, hear my whispered words, grant my supplication, seal not my day with disappointment, slap not my brow by rejecting my request, and make noble my coming from You and going back to You! Surely You are not constrained by what You desire, nor incapable of what You are asked! You are powerful over everything, and there is no force and no strength save in Allah, the All-high, the All-mighty! [1] ”
In these words, the Imam, peace be on him, has mentioned all the creatures, whether believers or sinners, monotheists or atheists; they are all in the hand of Allah, the Most High, subjected to His decree, coming home to His command. Only the disobedient are stubborn; they continue aggression, mutiny, and disobedience. With this, they are unable to make feeble the authority of Allah. Woe unto them from His permanent punishment and His everlasting chastisement. Allah gives them respite in this world and does not hurry to punish them because of His mercy and gentleness toward them, Hence that they will come back to the truth and turn to Allah in repentance. With this the generosity of Allah, the Exalted, is ample and His favor for His servants is perfect.
With this we will end our speech about the fast of the Imam, peace be on him, in the month of Ramadhan, which was full of all
acts of worship, good works, and acts of obedience.
--------------------
[1]: Ibid. , Supplication no. 46.
His Hajj
point
As for the hajj to the Sacred House of Allah, the Imam, peace be on him, clung to it, for he found in its standing places refreshment for his soul which was melted by the tragedies of Karbala’. He, peace be on him, urged (the Muslims) to perform the hajj and the ‘Umra (a certain kind of hajj to the Kaaba) , for they would result in great benefits. Hence he said: “ (When) you perform the hajj and the ‘Umra, your bodies become sound, your daily bread becomes ample, your faith becomes righteous, and you are sufficient for the provisions of the people and of your families. [1] ” He, peace be on him, said: “The hajji (pilgrim) is forgiven, the Garden is surely for him, the work is resumed through him, his family and his possessions are preserved. [2] ” He, peace be on him, said: “The angels intercede for the one who runs between al-Safa and al-Marwa (with Allah). [3] ” He also urged (the Muslims) to honor and magnify the pilgrims when they returned from the Sacred House of Allah, Hence he said: “Show happiness when the pilgrims return (from Mecca) , shake hands with them, and magnify them. (Hence) , you take a share in their reward before you mix with them in sin. [4] ” Now, we will briefly present some affairs of his hajj.
His Hajj on Foot
The Imam, peace be on him, performed the hajj on foot more than one time, as his father and his uncle, al-Hasan, peace be
on them, did. It took him twenty days to perform the hajj to the House (of Allah). [1] ”
His Hajj Riding
He, peace be on him, performed the hajj on the (back of) his she-camel twenty times, and he took great care of it. The historians said: “He never whipped it. [2] ” Ibrahim b. ‘Ali said: “I performed the hajj with ‘Ali b. al-Husayn. His she-camel was moving slowly, Hence he pointed to it with the stick, and then he withdrew it and said: ‘Woe if there was on retaliation (in the next world)! ’ Again it moved slowly among the Mountains of Radawa, Hence he showed it the stick and said (to it): ‘You should walk; otherwise I will do! ’ Then he mounted it, and it walked. [3] ” His soul exalted to this level of mercy, pity, and gentleness to animal, Hence he never whipped and frightened his she-camel. He thought that aggression against animal would result in punishment and reckoning in the Next Abode.
The Reciters accompany Him
When he intended to perform the hajj to the Sacred House of Allah, the reciters (of the Qur’an) and the religious scholars would accompany him, for they acquired from him sciences, knowledge, wise sayings, and good manners. Sa‘id b. al-Musayyab said: “The reciters (of the Qur’an) did not go out of Mecca until ‘Ali b. al-Husayn went out, Hence he went out and a thousand riders went out with him. [4] They learnt from him the problems of the hajj, the rules of the religion, and all the affairs of Islamic law, for
there was no one in his time, according to the consensus of the historians and narrators, more knowledgeable than him in the precepts of the Book and Sunna. ”
His Food for the Hajj
The Imam, peace be on him, took good and perfect preparations for performing the hajj and the ‘Umra. He supplied himself with the best food such as almonds, sugar, soured and sugared fine flour. [1] His pure sister, Sukayna, made him and excellent food on which she spent thousands of dirhams, but when he arrived at al-Hurrah, he ordered the food to be divided among the poor and the needy. [2]
His Disorder during Ritual Consecration
When the Imam arrived at one of the places appointed for the ritual consecration such as Masjid al-Shajara (the Mosque of the Tree) , the place appointed for the people of Medina and those who passed by it he began performing the rules of ritual consecration such as ablution. When he wanted to say the talbiya (Here I am at your service) , his skin would turn yellow, and he disordered and was unable to say the talbiya. He was asked: “Why don’t you say the talbiya? ”
He trembled with fear of Allah and said: “I fear that I say: labbayk (Here I am at Your service) , and it will be said to me: ‘la labbayk’ (You are not at My service).
When he said the talbiya, he fainted because of his abundant fear of Allah, and fell off his she-camel. This state attacked him several times until he finished his hajj. [3] Malik reported: “When Zayn al-‘Abidin wanted to say the
talbiya, he fainted, fell off his she-camel, and broke (one of his bones). [1] ” The Imam thoroughly knew of Allah, adored Him, was afraid of His punishment, and tended to Him with all his feelings and sentiments, as his fathers, who were the lords of the Allah-fearing and of those who turned to Allah in repentance, did.
His Supplication by the Black Stone
When he finished his going around (the Kaaba) and arrived at the Black Stone, he looked at the sky and said: “O Allah, make me enter Heaven through Your mercy-while he was looking at the mizab (Spout) - grant me sanctuary from the Fire through Your mercy, heal me of illness, allow me to attain my provision through lawful means, and drive away from me the wickedness of the sinners from among the jinn and men, and the wickedness of the sinners from among the Arabs and non-Arabs. [2] ”
His Prayer under the mizab
When the Imam, peace be on him, had finished his rituals (of hajj) such as going around the Kaaba and running between al-Safa and al-Marwa, he came to pray under the Spout of Mercy (mizab al-Rahma). Tawu’s al-Yamani saw him at that Holy Place standing in prayer, supplicating Allah, and weeping because of fear of Allah. When he finished his prayers, Tawus interrupted him, saying: “I have seen you in this state of humility while you have three qualities. I hope that they will make you safe from fear. One of them is that you are the (grand) son of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his
family, the second is the intercession of your grandfather, and the third is Allah’s mercy. ”
The Imam gently answered Tawus: “O Tawus, as for that I am the (grand) son of Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, it will not safe me (from fear) , and you have heard Allah, the Exalted, say: There shall be no ties of relationship between them, nor shall they ask of each other. [1] As for the intercession of my grandfather, it will not safe me (from fear) , for Allah, the Most High, says: They do not intercede except for him who He approves. [2] As for Allah’s mercy, Allah says: Allah’s mercy is close to the benefactors, and I don’t think that I am a benefactor. [3] ”
Have you noticed this humility and self-negation before Allah, the Exalted? Indeed, this Imam was a unique copy among mankind except his great fathers.
--------------------
[1]: Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 8, p. 5.
[2]: Men la Yahdarahu` al-Faqih, p. 156. Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, vol. 8, p. 5.
[3]: Men la Yahdarahu` al-Faqih, p. 159.
[4]: Ibid. , p. 155.
[1]: Al-Bihar. In al-‘Aqdd al-Farid, vol. 3, p. 103, it has been mentioned: “He performed the hajj on foot twenty-five times. ”
[2]: Hulyat al-Awliya’, vol. 3, p. 133.
[3]: Al-Fusu`l al-Muhimma, p. 189.
[4]: Hayat al-Imam Mohammed al-Baqir, vol. 1, p. 138.
[1]: Al-Bihar, vol. 46, p. 71.
[2]: Saffwat al-Saffwa, vol. 2, p. 54.
[3]: Nihayat al-Irab, vol. 21, p. 326. Khulasat Tahdhib al-Kamal, p. 131. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 7, 306.
[1]: Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 7, 306.
[2]: Furu`‘ al-Kafi, vol. 4, 407.
[1]: Qur’an, 23, 101.
[2]: Ibid. , 21, 28.
[3]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 101.
With Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik
Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik, accompanied by the police, made the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah. The mercenaries and the prominent persons from among the Syrians surrounded him. He did his best to catch the Black Stone, but he could not, because the place was full of pilgrims who pushed each other in order to kiss the Black Stone. Hence the pilgrims paid no attention to Hisham and made no room to him, for there were no differences in that Great House. A pulpit was installed for him and he sat on it. He looked at the people who were going around the Kaaba. In
the meantime Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, came to perform going around the Kaaba. A pilgrim saw him and recognized him, Hence he called out at the top of his voice: “That is the remaining one of Allah in His earth! That is the remaining one of Prophethood! That is the Imam of the Allah-fearing and lord of the worshippers! ”
The Imam’s solemnity, to which the faces and foreheads yielded, and which was similar to that of his grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, overwhelmed the pilgrims. The pilgrims shouted loudly everywhere in the Mosque: “There is no god but Allah! Allah is Great! ” Then they made room for the Imam. Blessed was the one who kissed his hand or touched his garments of ritual consecration. The Mosque was full of saying: “Allah is Great! ” The Syrians were astonished at that fearful sight, for they thought that there was no one worthy of honor and magnification except the Umayyads who were, according to the Umayyad mass media, the inheritors of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and close to him in lineage! Hence the Syrians hurried to Hisham and asked him: “Who is that person whom the people has respected with this respect? ”
Hisham burst into anger, and his crossed eye appeared [1] , and he shouted at them: “I don’t recognize him! ”
Hisham denied recognizing the Imam, for he feared that the Syrians would incline to him and desert the Umayyads. Al-Farazdaq, the Arab great
poet, was present there. He understood the truth, shook all over, rushed toward the Syrians with enthusiasm and said to: “I know him! ”
“Who is he, Abu’ Firas? ” asked the Syrians.
Hisham became frightened and lost his mind, for he feared that al-Farazdaq would introduce the Imam to the Syrians, Hence he shouted at him: “I don’t know him! ”
Condemning Hisham, al-Farazdaq said at the top of his voice: “Yes, you know him! ”
Then he turned to the Syrians and said to them: “Syrians, whoever wants to recognize this man, let him come (here)! ”
Hence the Syrians and others hurried to the Arab great poet and fully listened. Al-Farazdaq was eager for supporting the truth. Hence he improvised this poem called al-‘Asma’, which represents truthful words and beautiful style, and in which he said:
This is the descendant of Husayn and son of Fatim,
daughter of the Messenger through whom darkness
scattered.
This is he whose ability the valley (of Mecca) , recognizes,
and whom the (Sacred) House recognizes (as do) the
sanctuary and the area outside the sanctuary (al-hill).
This is the son of the best of all Allah’s servants.
This is the pure pious man, the pure eminent man.
When Quraysh saw him, their spokesman said: Generosity
leads to the noble qualities of this (man).
He belongs to the zenith of glory which the Arabs of Islam
When he comes to touch the corner of the wall of the
Kaaba, it almost grasps the palm of his hand.
He lowers (his eyes) because of modesty and (eyes are)
lowered due to his solemnity. Hence (none) speaks with
him
but when he smiles.
In his hand there is a cane whose smell is fragrant because
of the hand of the one who is wonderful and noble.
The prophets are indebted to the outstanding merits of his
grandfather, and the nations are indebted to the
excellencies of his nation.
The light of guidance comes out of the light of his forehead
(which) is like the sun whose rising scatters the dark.
His plant (origin) is derived from the Messenger of Allah.
Its elements, nature, and qualities are good.
This is the son of Fatima, if you do not recognize him, the
prophets of Allah were sealed through his grandfather.
Allah had already honored him, and his excellencies
occurred through that in the tablet of the pen.
Your words ‘who is this’ do not harm, the Arabs and non-
Arabs recognize him whom you deny.
Both his hands are relief; their profit is general; they are
equal hands; deprivation does not befall them.
He is the carrier of the burdens of the peoples when they
are overburdened. His merits are pretty; ‘yes’ is pleasant
with him.
He does not break promise; blessed is his soul; his
courtyard is ample; he is brilliant when he determines.
(He is) from the people whose love is religion; whose hate
is unbelief; nearness to them is refuge and protection.
If the Allah-fearing are numbered, they are their Imams, or
(if) it is said, who is the best of the world’s inhabitants? , it
is said, they are.
None of the generous can (access) their far-fetched
objectives, nor can people vie with them (in generosity)
even if they are generous.
They are rain when a crisis is
intense and lions, the lions of
a forest, when war is violent.
Poverty does not decrease their munificence.
It is the same for them whether they are rich or poor.
Evil and tribulation are pushed away through love for
them, and through it kindness and blessings are regained.
Their remembrance is advanced in every affair after the
remembrance of Allah, and words are sealed through it.
(Their) noble natures and their hands full of liberality do
not allow abasement to occur in their courtyard.
Which creature is excluded from the priority and favors of
this (Imam)?
Whoever thanks Allah thanks the priority of this (Imam in
belief in Allah) , for nations have attained religion from the
House of this (Imam). [1]
This poem, called al-‘Asma’, is distinguished from the rest of the Arab poetry by immortality throughout history, for it was a revolt against falsehood and support for the truth. It was mentioned in the time in which mouths were muzzled and tongues were prevented from mentioning the laudable deeds of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. The Umayyad tyrannical authorities executed all those who
--------------------
[1]: In his book al-Rasa’il, p. 89, al-Jahiz mentioned that Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik was called al-Ahwal al-Sarraq (the cross-eyed one, the one who steals very much). Abu` al-Najam al-‘Ajali recited him his poem in which he said: “Praise belongs to Allah, the All-giving.... ” Hence he (Hisham) clapped his hands as a sign of approval of the poem. When he (Abu` al-Najam al-‘Ajali) came to mentioning the sun, he said: “And the sun in the earth is like the eye of the cross-eyed one. ” Hence Hisham ordered him to be taken out. Commenting on that, al-Jahiz said: “This is an intense weakness and great ignorance. ”
[1]: Nihayat al-Irab, vol. 21, pp. 331. Some or all this poem has been mentioned in many books of literature, history, and biographies. The following is some of them: Zahr al-Adab, vol. 1, p. 103. Ibn Nabbata, Sarah al-‘Uyyu`n, p. 390. Ibn al-Sabbagh, al-Fusu`l al-Muhimma, p. 193. Al-Ithaf bi Hub al-Ashraf, p. 51. Al-Qirmani, Akhbar al-Diwal, p. 110. Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 36. p. 161. Roudat al-Wa‘izin, vol. 1, p. 239. Al-Bustani, Da’irat al-Ma‘arif, vol. 9, p. 356. Anwar al-Rabi‘, vol. 4, p. 35. It is worth mentioning that the order of the lines of this poem is different in these books.
mentioned their laudable deeds or their outstanding merits. They employed all their organs to efface the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, from the map of existence.
In his poem, al-Farazdaq lauded the great Imam, the Imam of the Syrians and other than them from among all the pilgrims, Hence his praise was a painful blow against the Umayyad policy. Commenting on this poem, al-Bustani said: “They said: This poem is sufficient for
al-Farazdaq to enter the Garden. [1] ”
This poem contains wonderful truthfulness, support of the truth, and pretty coherence of lines. Al-Sayyid ‘Ali al-Madani said: “As for the coherence of this poem, it is an unattainable objective and unpossessable mind. He (al-Farazdaq) avoided (mentioning) explanatory remarks in it, and mentioned wonderful coherence in it. He who notices the poetry of al-Farazdaq and notices this poem, he will admire it, for there is no relation between this poem of al-Farazdaq and all his sayings in cause, praise, and satire. This means that he composed it spontaneously. Without doubt Allah, the Glorified, supported him when he composed it, and pointed him the right way when he improvised it. [2] ”
--------------------
[1]: Al-Bustani, Da’irat al-Ma‘arif, vol. 9, p. 356.
[2]: Anwar al-Rabi‘, vol. 4, p. 35.
Abu’ al-Farajj doubts the Poem
Abu’ al-Farajj al-Asfahani doubted that this poem did not belong to al-Farazdaq. He thought that al-Farazdaq’s style in poetry was different from his style in this poem. He claimed that al-Farazdaq used difficult styles, words, and imaginations. [3] Commenting on this view of Abu’ al- Farajj, shaykh Muhammad, Abu’ Zahra, said:
“I do not think that this doubt is acceptable or agrees with the sound method of studying narrations, for the following reasons:
“First, all the narrators have unanimously agreed that this poem is ascribed to al-Farazdaq, but al-Asfahani tried to accuse them of lying.
“Second, al-Asfahani did not mention with proof the poet, from among the poets of the Household (of the Prophet) , to whom he attributed this poem. Hence he has no right to abolish the ascription of a poem to its poet, or to leave it in an unknown attribution,
or to ascribe it (to someone) without any proof.
“The poet sometimes uses difficult words and sometimes uses nice words according to the situation in which he composes (his poem). If the poet composes (his poem) according to his situation, if he describes desert and what within it, he will use difficult (words). If he speaks about morals and qualities, he will without doubt use soft (words). When the poet is good, he chooses suitable (words) for every situation.
“Imru’ al-Quays, a pre-Islamic poet, composed soft poetry in the end of his lifetime. This was when some misfortunes befell him. We do not intend to give accounts about literature, that we may tell you about his description of his illness and what befell him. Al-A‘sha and Ka‘ab b. Zuhair also composed nice poems. When they praised the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, their poetry became soft to the extent that it agreed with his qualities and miracles. Al-Farazdaq’s words in this poem are soft, so there is no need to denying and doubt.
“Here, we must say that al-Farazdaq firmly inclined to the members of the House (Al al-Bayt) , though he did not compose abundant poetry about them, for he did not want to expose himself to the persecutions of the Umayyads. [1] ”
Al-Farazdaq was one of Imam ‘Ali’s followers, Hence he praised Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him. Al-Sharif al-Murtada said: “Al- Farazdaq was a Shi‘ite inclining to the Hashimites. In the end of his lifetime, he gave up transgression and
slander. He followed the way of the religion, but he had not neglected the religion before, nor had he neglected its affairs. [1] ” Anyhow, the attribution of this poem called al-‘Asma’ is among the definite affairs, for all the narrators have unanimously agreed on it.
Al-Farazdaq is arrested
When Hisham b. ‘Abd al-Malik heard this poem, he became excited and wished that the ground would have swallowed him. This is because the poem included all the outstanding qualities of the great Imam and introduced him to the Syrians who had no knowledge of him and his grandfathers. Al-Farazdaq praised the position of the Imam. He indicated that following the Imam was inseparable part of Islam, and that the Imam was the best person in the world at that time.
Hisham ordered al-Farazdaq to be arrested. Hence, he was arrested and imprisoned in the prison of ‘Asfan, a place between Mecca and Medina. When Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, heard of this, he sent al-Farazdaq twelve thousand dirhams, but the latter refused to accept it, saying: “I composed (these words) concerning you to show my anger for Allah and His Messenger only. ” The Imam sent back the money to al- Farazdaq, and he accepted it. Hence al-Farazdaq began satirizing Hisham. Among the lines with which he satirized him is the following:
Will he imprison me between (‘Asfan) and Medina, to
which the hearts of the people incline?
He turns a head which is not the head of a chief, and he has
a cross eye with apparent defects. [2]
--------------------
[3]: Al-Aghani.
[1]: Imam Zayd, pp. 28-29.
[1]: Sarh al-‘Uyyu`n, p. 390.
[2]: Nihayat al-Irab, vol. 21, p. 331.
His Whispered Prayers in the Sacred House
Many whispered prayers
in the Sacred House of Allah were related from Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him. He used to recite them before his Lord in the darkness. The following is some of them:
1. Muhammad b. Abi Hamza reported: [I saw ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on him, praying in the courtyard of the Kaaba. He lengthened standing in prayer to the extent that he sometimes leant on his right leg and sometimes on his left leg. Then I heard him weeping loudly and whispering to his Lord: ]
“O my Master, will You chastise me (while) Your love is in my heart? By Your might, You shall not gather me with the people toward whom I have shown enmity for You! [1] ”
In this short whispered prayer, the Imam, peace be on him, expressed his absolute devotion and pleading to Allah, asking Him for pardon and good pleasure.
2. Al-Asma‘i narrated: [While I was going around the Kaaba, I saw a young man clinging to its curtains and saying sad words: ]
“The eyes have slept, and the stars have become high, and You are the King, the Living, the Self-subsistent. The kings have closed their gates, and their guards have stood by them, but Your gate is still open for the askers. I have come to You to, that You may look at me through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful. ”
[Then he composed: ]
“O He who responds in the darkness to the supplication of
the distressed!
O He who removes affliction, tribulation, and illness!
All those have come
to You have slept around the House,
and only You, O Self-subsistent, do not sleep!
I supplicate You, my Lord, with a supplication which You
have commanded!
Hence have mercy on my weeping, by the right of the House
and the Sanctuary!
If the immoderate do not expect Your pardon, then who
will bestows favor lavishly upon the disobedient! ”
Al-Asma‘i said: “I followed his traces, suddenly he was Zayn al-‘Abidin. [1] I kissed him and said to him: You are ‘Ali b. al-Husayn; your father is the martyr of Karbala’; your grandfather is ‘Ali al-Murtada; your (grand) mother is Fatima, the chaste; your grandmother is Khadija al-Kubra (the greatest one) ; your great grandfather is Muhammad al-Mustafa (the chosen one) , Hence why do you say such words? ”
The Imam softly and kindly answered him: “Have you not read these words of Him, the Exalted: Hence when the trumpet is blown, there shall be no ties of relationship between them on that day, nor shall they ask of each other? [2] Have you not heard the words of my grandfather: The Garden has been created for the obedient even if they are from Ethiopia; the Fire has been created for the disobedient even if they are from Quraysh? [3] ”
This great Imam clung to Allah, the Exalted, devoted himself to him, obeyed him, and worshipped him because of knowledge, faith, and sincerity.
3. Tawus al-Yamani narrated: [I passed by the (Black) Stone. Suddenly, (I saw) a person bowing and prostrating. I carefully considered him, and I could realized that he was ‘Ali b. al-Husayn, Hence I
said to myself: He is a righteous man from among the Household of the Prophet. By Allah, I will wait until he finishes his prayers, that I may make use of his supplication. Then he raised his hands and began addressing Allah, saying: ]
“O Allah, my Master, my Master! I have stretched out my hands full of sins toward You and looked (at You) with hope. The right of him who humbly supplicates you with regret is that You generously respond to him!
“My Master, have you created me as one of the miserable, Hence I will lengthen my weeping? Or have you created me as one of the happy, Hence I will be happy with my hope?
“My Master, have you created my limbs to be hit with whips (of iron)? Or have you created my bowels for drinking the boiling water (in the Fire)?
“My Master, if a servant was able to escape from his master, I would be the first of those who escaped from their master, but I know that I cannot escape from You!
“My Master, if I knew that my chastisement would increase Your kingdom, I would ask You for patience against it, but I know that the obedience of the obedient does not increase Your kingdom, nor does the disobedience of the disobedient decrease it.
“My Master, Here I am! What is my importance? Pardon me through your bounty! Cover me over with Your cover! Forgive me my scolding through the generosity of Your face!
“My Allah and my Master,
have mercy on me when I will be dead on my bed, (and when) the hands of my lovers turn me! Have mercy on me when I will be placed in the wash room, (and when) my righteous neighbors wash me! Have mercy on me when I will be carried, (and when) my relatives carry the ends of my coffin! Have mercy on my exile and my lonesomeness in that dark house! ”
When Tawus heard these sad whispered prayers, he burst into tears, Hence the Imam turned to him and asked him:
“O Yamani, what makes you weep? Isn’t this the standing place of the sinners? ”
Tawus interrupted the Imam with submission and admiration, saying: “Your right against Allah is that He should respond to you. [1] ”
The Imam, peace be on him, loved the world of angels, clung to it, and devoted his life to it.
4. The narrators reported on the authority of al-Hasan al-Basri, who said: “I saw ‘Ali b. al-Husayn in the Kaaba pleading to Allah and supplicating Him in repentance, Hence I came nearer to him and heard him reciting these soft lines:
O He who is expected for (fulfilling) every need!
I complained to You of affliction, Hence have mercy on my
complaint!
O He who is my hope! Your are the Remover of my
distress, Hence forgive me every sin I have committed and
fulfill my request!
To You belong aim in every request! You are the Helper of
the askers and my goal!
I have made ugly acts the like of which none of the
creatures has made!
My
provision is little; I do not think that it is enough!
Shall I weep for my provision or for my distant road!
Will You muster me along with the oppressive in the
standing places?
Therefore, where is my circumambulation, then where are
my visitations?
Will you burn me with the Fire, O Goal of hopes?
Therefore, where is my expectation, then where is my fear?
My Master, oblige me with repentance, for You, my Lord,
know my words!
These lines had a great effect on the soul of al-Hasan al-Basri, Hence he hurried to kiss the feet of the Imam and say:
“O grandson of the Prophet, why are you saying these whispered prayers and weeping? Are you not from among the Prophet’s Household concerning whom Allah said: ‘To take away the uncleanness from you and to purify thoroughly. ’? ”
The Imam explained to al-Hasan al-Basri the true Islam, which adopted good deeds and paid no attention to lineage, saying: “Leave this! The Garden has been created for him who obeys Allah even if he is from Ethiopia; the Fire has been created for him who disobeys Him even if he is from Quraysh. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, said: ‘Bring me your acts, not your lineage. ’ [1] ”
Some writers thought that this narration was incorrect. This is because the narration contains weak lines of poetry. Besides it shows that al- Husayn al-Basri kissed the Imam’s foot. They said that this action did not agree with the position of al-Basri, and that the Imam did not accepted it. [2] This view is weak
--------------------
[1]: Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 579.
[1]: Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46, p. 80. Kashf al-Ghumma, vol. 4, pp. 150-151.
[2]: Qur’an, 23, p. 101.
[3]: Roudat al-Jannat, vol. 5, p. 161. He (the author of this book) commented on these words of al-Asma‘i, saying: “This is the whole of the tradition which is strange, for it contradicts the class of al-Asma‘i, the mentioned, the famous one, whose birth occurred many (years) after the death of al-Sajjad (Zayn al-‘Abidin) except that al-Asma‘i was another man from among the old people who belonged to his ancestor Asma‘
[1]: Roudat al-Wa‘izin, vol. 1, p. 237.
[1]: Roudat al-Jannat, vol. 3, p. 29.
[2]: Al-Sila bayna al-Tasawuf wa al-Tashayya‘, vol. 1, p. 161.