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Imam Ali Zain al-Abideen (a) was
only two years of age when his
grandfather, Imam Ali (a) was
killed during prayers in the
month of Ramadan in the main
mosque of Najaf (near Kufa).
He was a youth of fourteen years
when he saw the life and the
painful death of his uncle Imam
Hasan (a). He was about
twenty-three years of age when
he accompanied his father, Imam
Husain (a) and witnessed the
events of the tragedy of
Karbala. Before he finally
left his camp, Imam Husain (a)
came to the bedside of his sick
son Ali, and bestowed the
onerous duty of Imamate on him.
Imam Ali ibn al-Husain (a)
survived the massacre only
because he was physically unable
to go out to the battlefield due
to his sickness. However,
on the next day after the blood
bath of his family and friends,
he was hand tied and put in
shackles, and marched on foot
from the battlefield, first to
Kula and then to Damascus.
On this journey of painful
suffering, his aunt Zaina binte
Ali ibne Abi Tallb, the sister
of Imam Husain and other
surviving widows and children,
accompanied him.
After Karbala, he lived for
another thirty-four years under
the tyrannical rule of several
Marwanid caliphs who took
personal gratification in
inflicting abuse and torture to
him and his followers.
THE JOURNEY OF THE CAPTIVES OF
KARBALA
The hand-tied captives were not
tongue-tied. Despite the
recent inflections of the loss
of loved ones in the
battlefield, lack of
recuperation from the torturous
thirst and starvation of women
and children, the rag tag
caravan manifested tremendous
courage by defying their
physical difficulties and
continuing to preach the truth
to the on-lookers who had
gathered to line up the caravan
route.
The apparent victors were pleased
with their achievement of the
decimation of the Imam's carnp.
During their passage through the
streets and bazaars of Kufa, the
eloquent speeches made by the
captive sister of Imam Husain,
and his son Imam All Zain al-Abideen
told their painful story to the
onlookers who had come to line
up the caravan route. When
they learned and realized who
the captives were, they cried
out aloud and openly rebuked the
killers of the family of the
Prophet of Islam. From
then on, the caravan was led to
Damascus via an unfrequented
route to prevent possible
reprisals.
The retelling of the story by the
captives continued every inch of
the way to the palace of Yazid.
This rendered an extremely
valuable service to the cause of
Imam Husain and made the victors
look aggressors thirsty for the
blood of the Imam and his
family. They were then
thrown in prison for a period of
over one-year. Many
children and the weak succumbed
to fatigue and grief throughout
the caravan route as well as
within the prison.
RETURN OF THE CAPTIVES TO
MADINAH
When the caravan of the survivors
arrived in Madinah, the family
and friends of the Imam met and
told the events of the previous
year to each other. Some
devotees were so overwhelmed
with grief that they took a trip
to Damascus in 63 AH to protest
against Yazid and his deeds.
This infuriated the tyrant
caliph. He unleashed his
Syrian army on to Madinah under
a most ruthless Umayyad
commander named Muslim bin Uqba.
There was a bloody battle at
Harrah al-Waqim, a small town
just north of Madinah.
Thousands of Madinan
Muslims perished along with many
learned and respectable elders.
After the battle the soldiers
ravaged the city for three full
days, burning property, and
looting freely homes and
businesses. They drank
without any inhibition and
thronged the streets throwing
obscenities on the surviving
residents.
Horrible was the havoc the
Syrians played on life and limb
and chaste womanhood. It
is said that when they departed,
they left many families and the
city in utter ruins.
After the sack of Madinah, Muslim bin
Uqba proceeded to Makkah to
subdue and arrest the separatist
Abd Allah bin Zubayr.
However, on the way Muslim died
near the town of Jaffa, and the
command passed over to Haseen
bin Numayr al-Sakooni.
Approaching Makkah, they
occupied the surrounding hills,
and laid siege to the city for
sixty-four days. They
threw projectiles of fire and
rock on the city causing ruinous
damage to the holy sanctuary.
It was at this time that the
news of the death of Yazid was
received and the siege of Makkah
was lifted. The tyrant
Umayyad captain withdrew to
Damascus. This gave the
much-needed reprieve to the
self-proclaimed caliph of
Makkah, Abd Allah bin Zubayr.
He started to rebuild the holy
mosque and to repair the damages
caused by the Umayyad army.
There was not even a single day in
the life of the Imam after
Karbala that he was seen without
tears in his eyes. He used
to pray to Allah with such
intensity and devotion that he
earned the names of Syed
u's-Sajad,
al-Abid and Zain al-Abideen.
THE LIFE OF IMAM ZAIN AL-ABIDEEN
DURING OTHER UMAYYAD CALIPHS OF
HIS TIME
The tragedy of Karbala brought a wave
of turmoil in the heartland of
the Muslim world as well as to
the house of Abu Sufyan.
After the death of Yazid bin Muawiyah
in 64 AH, the succession to the
throne came to his son Muawiyah
bin Yazid. However, he
declined it. He considered
the Caliphate to have been
usurped by his family, and
refused to have any thing to do
with it. For forty days,
he did not leave his quarters in
the palace. It is said
that he died there with the
cause of death unknown.
Marwan bin Hakam, who had been
managing the govenunent during
this period of lull, declared
himself the next caliph.
However, the caliphate of Marwan
was only short lived. He
died in the year 65 AH and his
son Abd al-Malik became the
Caliph.
After Karbala, there was a faction of
the believers who felt penitent
over their betrayal of Imam
Husain, and having the Umayyads
butcher the innocent members of
his family. This is known
as the Tawwabun movement.
They mustered a force of 16,000
strong under Sulayman bin Surad
and marched towards Syria.
The Umayyad force met them at
Ain ul-Wada on the Euphrates.
The Tawwabun charged with
desperate passion, but perished
at the hands of the superior
Syrian army. Only a few
returned to tell the story of
the disaster.
There were others who were confused
over why Imam Ali Zain al Abideen
was not taking up arms against
the tyranny of the Umayyads.
They converged towards Muhammade
Hanafia, the pious uncle of the
Imam and wanted him to lead them
against the tyrants.
However, the question over the
rightful successor to Imamate
was settled in favor of Imam Ali
Zain al Abideen the two met for
Haj in Makkah. The
separatists were not satisfied
as the Imam refused to take up
arms against the ruler or to
participate in any political
ambition.
The death of Yazid did bring a new
wave of revolution in the
province of Hijaz. Abd
Allah bin Zubayr became more
active in Makkah in pursuit of
his campaign for a separatist
movement which he had started in
64 AH. He was able to
gather support for his claim
from Hijaz, as well as the
provinces of Iraq and Yemen.
After establishing his rule in
these provinces, he started his
own campaign of revenge against
the friends and the family of
Imam Ali on account of the
disposition of his father who
had joined the army of Ayesha in
the battle of The Carnel.
The veterans like the pious
Muhammad Hanafia and Ibne Abbas,
among others, were arrested for
execution. However, they
were salvaged by the short rule
of Muk-htar that had just been
established in Kufa in 64 AH.
After the disaster of Ain ul-Wada,
the Kufans rose again under
Mukhtar bin Abu Ubaid al-Thaqafi.
They sacked the governor of Abd
Allah bin Zubayr and installed
Muk-htar as their caliph.
Muk-htar approached Imam Ali
Zain al-Abideen to endorse his
political venture against the
Umayyad tyrants, and to lead his
followers. The Imam
declined his invitation.
However, Mukhtar then turned to
Muhammade Hanafia and was able
to enlist him to be his patron.
Thereafter, in the year 66 AH,
in a series of successful
battles, his forces rounded up
the captains of the Umayyad army
who were responsible for the
massacre of Karbala and the sack
of the holy cities of Madinah
and Makkah, and had them
beheaded for their despicable
crimes.
In 67 AH, Abd Allah bin Zubayr
regained control of the province
of Iraq and sent his own brother
Mus'ab bin Zubayr against
Mukhtar. The city of Kufa
was besieged and taken.
Muk-htar was defeated and killed
in battle.
When Abd al-Malik became the caliph,
Abd Allah bin Zubayr was fairly
established in Hijaz and Iraq.
He decided to reclaim Hijaz and
Iraq under the Umayyad rule.
He chose Hujaj bin Yusuf as his
right hand commander and
dispatched him to Iraq to subdue
the rebel provinces. To
this end, the caliph and his
governor together earned for
themselves the title of the most
cruel and tyrannical rulers in
the history of Islam.
Hujaj achieved his goals by a
whole sale massacre of all those
who claimed any connection with
Imam Ali or his progeny.
The holy city of Makkah was
ransacked once again, and
slaughtered the separatist Abd
Allah bin Zubayr in Makkah in 73
AH. His head was hung over
the main road leading in and out
of the city. Most Aliyyids
and their followers ran for
their lives and escaped to the
relative safety of lands on the
outer periphery of the kingdom.
With the elimination of Mukhtar
in Iraq, and Abd Allah in Hijaz,
the entire Muslim world once
again came under the rule of a
single Umayyad Caliph. New
conquests started at the Far
West and Far East of the
Caliphate, and the Caliph was
able to attend to the
consolidation of the internal
affairs as well.
However, in the same vein as his
predecessors regarding the
Hashimite clan, the Caliph Abd
al-Malik also kept a watch eye
on the Imam and his family.
He used to call the Imam
periodically to his court in
Damascus. When
Abd'al-Malik died in 86 AH, his
son Walid succeeded him to the
throne.
Walid was also a tyrant 'in his own
ways. For the next ten
years of his rule, he maintained
the tradition of his
predecessors and did not spare
the Imam from his abuse.
When he decreed that the
Prophefs mosque at Madinah be
enlarged the contiguous grounds
were obtained by evicting the
Hashimites from their homes
without compensation.
The few devout believers that
survived the relentless
persecution of the rules of the
time were grieved at the amount
of abuse thrown at the Imam.
Once some one taunted the Imam
while he was heading to Makkah
for Haj, and said, "You have
chosen the relative ease of the
Haj in favor of the difficulty
of Jihad." The Imam replied,
"Only if I had true believers
behind me, I would change my Haj
to Jihad."
Despite the difficult times faced by
the Imam, he continued his
service to Islam and to all
those who sought from him the
interpretation of al-Qur'an or
the Sunnah of the Prophet.
He managed to convey the lessons
of the belief and the practice
of Islam by a unique medium.
He did this through prayers and
supplications. These have
been collected in the form of a
book popularly known as
SAHIFAHAS-SAJJADIYYA. An
elegant English translation of
this book is now available.
THE MARTYRDOM OF IMAM ALI IBN
Al-HUSAIN
Even the very existence of the pious
Imam was considered a threat by
the rulers of his time.
Hisham, a brother of Abd al-Malik,
poisoned the Imam who died in
Madinah in the year 95 AH, at
the age of 57 years. He
was buried in the graveyard of
Jannat ul-Baqic. Before
his death, the Imam called his
son Muhammad and entrusted the
responsibility of the Imamate to
him.
Although his son Muhammad al-Baqir
fulfilled the needs of the
believers by carrying out the
functions of his assignment with
spectacular brilliance, the
painful death of his father left
a void in the lives of his
companions. People
remembered the Imam for his,
forbearance, piety, patience,
and knowledge, and for the
sufferings he had to endure
throughout his life.
His aunt Zainab, the sister of Imam
Husain, shared the life and
suffering of the Imam.
Together they had turned the
tide of aggression into a
lasting lesson for humanity.
Whereas Imam Husain had laid
down his own life along with
that of his beloved family and
friends in the desert of
Karbala, Imam Ali ibn al-Husain
and his aunt Zainab binte Ali
ibne Abi Talib completed the
vital mission of disseminating
the Truth to the ignorant and
confused nation of the Muslims
and their rulers.
AS-SAHIFAHAS-SAJJAIYYA
The Book of as-Saijad
Imam Zain ul-Abideen is also known
as-Sajad. Both names
denote to his constant
prostration in prayers.
This book has another popular
name as-Sahifah al-Kamila as-Sajjadia
(Me Complete or Perfect Book of
as-Sajad).
The book contains fifty-four
supplications (and fourteen
addenda), and fifteen munajat
(whispered prayers). Many
supplications were handed down
from the Imam and carried by
oral tradition from generation
to generation. These were
collected in later times by
researchers and added to the
written works. They are
called the Second Sahifa,
through to the Fifth Sahifa.
Only the authoritative chain of
traditions was used for the
addenda in' the subsequent
Sahifas. The first addenda
were appended to the Sahifa by
ash-Shaheed alAwwal (the first
martyr) Shams ud-Din Muhammad
ibne Makki (d. 786 AH).
The fifteen munajat were
appended by Allama Muhammad
Baqir Majlisi (d.II10 AH).
The Sahifa was updated with
addenda by various authorities
in the same era as Allama
Majlisi.
In Islam, supplications have a
pivotal role in all forms of
prayers.
The supplicant first offers his
prayer to Allah, and then
spreads his hands to seek His
bounty and benevolence.
The supplications have the
several names of Allah
describing His various
qualities. The supplicant
glorifies Allah and begs for His
forgiveness and mercy. It
elevates the humble human from
his prayer mat to the ethereal
heights of spirituality.
Imam Ali ibn al-Husain used this
method to reach out to his
followers and preach them on the
Oneness of Allah and His role as
the Creator of all things.
He focused on the role of man in
the universe and his duties to
Allah and his fellow human
beings. He gives lessons
on obedience to Allah and to
fine human behavior in society.
Many devotees of Ahle Bait used to
attend majalis (religious
gatherings) held by the Imam.
Much of the collection of his
lectures quotations and
teachings are owed to these
devotees who leamt them by
heart, or wrote them down for
safe keeping and for future
reference.
RISALE-E HUQOOQ
The Testament of Rights
One extremely valuable treatise
has been passed down to the
devotees of Ahle Bait directly
from Imam Zain al-Abideen.
This epistle describes the
rights of man in society.
It accounts for over fifty
circumstance by which the
believer is obligated to observe
the rights of others.
To mention just a few, it starts
with:
-the rights of man toward Allah,
-the rights of prayers,
-the rights of self and the
rights of the parts of one's own
body.
It goes on to enlist:
-The rights of women towards
men,
-the rights of men toward women.
It reminds one towards:
-The rights of children to
their parents and elders,
-the rights of parents and
elders to their children.
Further:
-The rights of students towards
their teachers,
-the rights of the teachers
towards their students.
Further:
-The rights of neighbors,
-the rights of friends
-the rights of adversaries and
foes!
It is evident that this epistle
contains such wealth of ethical
conduct that if followed, it
would make any ordinary human
being into a saint. Even
if one does not aspire to become
a saint, it would certainly
foster tolerance and harinony
with the self and the society.
(Taken from Dr. Syed Haider
Hussain Shamsi's book " The
Message Continues... the Lives
of the Twelve Imams of Ahlul
Bait ". It can be read online on
this website's " Book Section "
)
Nasir Shamsi
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