Zayn al-Abidin
| ‘Alī Zayn al-‘Ābidīn Imams of Shi'a Islam |
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|---|---|
| Rank | Fourth Twelver/Zaydi/Musta‘lī Imām, Third Nizārī Imām |
| Name | `Alī ibn Husayn |
| Kunya | Abu al-Hasan |
| Birth | 5th Sha‘bān 38 AH[1] ≈ 659 C.E. |
| Death | 25th Muharram 95 AH ≈ 712 C.E. |
| Birthplace | Madīnah[2][3] or Kūfah[4] |
| Buried | Jannatul Baqī‘, Madīnah |
| Life Duration |
Before Imamate: 23 years (61 - 95 AH) |
| Titles | |
| Spouse(s) | Fātimah bint al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī |
| Father | Husayn ibn ‘Alī |
| Mother | Shahrbānū[3][6][10] |
| Children | Muhammad al-Bāqir, Zayd, Umar[11][12][13][14][15][16] |
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‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn (Arabic: علي بن حسين زين العابدين) (approximately 6 January 659 - 20 October 712)[2] is a great-grandson of Muhammad as well as the fourth Shī‘ah Imām (the third Imām according to the Ṭayyibī [Bohra] Ismā‘ilī). His mother was Shahrbānū and his father was Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī. His brothers include ‘Alī al-Aṣghar ibn Ḥusayn and ‘Alī al-Akbar ibn Ḥusayn. He is known as Zayn al-Abidīn "Beauty/Best of the Worshippers". He is also referred to as Imām al-Sajjad "the Prostrating Imām" and Sayyid as-Sājjadīna wa r-Rāki‘īn "Leader of Those who Prostrate and Bow".
Contents |
Birth and family life
‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn was born on 15th Jamadiulawwal or 5th Shabaan 38 AH (654) in Medina. His father, Husayn ibn ‘Alī, was a grandson of Prophet Muhammad. His brothers were Ali Akbar ibn Hussain and Ali Asghar ibn Hussain. His sisters were Sakinah(Fatema Kubra) bint Husayn and Fatema Sugra bint Husayn and Ruqayyah.
Learning
He dedicated his life to learning and became an authority on prophetic traditions and Sharia. He is regarded as the source of the third holiest book in Shī‘ah Islam after the Qur'ān and the Nahj al Balagha: the Saḥīfa al-Sadjadiyya, commonly referred to as the Psalms of the Household of Muhammad. ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn had many supporters such as Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr.
He was beside his father right from the moment of his migration towards Karbala and followed his father. Hussain ibn Ali step by step so that, when his father asked for help on ‘Āshūrā got up to extend help to his father. Zaynab bint ‘Alī stopped him and said,
You are the only memorial remnant of this family and the Imam after Hussain ibn Ali and you are the guardian of all of us. Your divine mission is to convey the message of the martyrs to the people.Although a segment of the people who are unaware consider Ali ibn Hussain to be a sick, invalid, handicapped, and a weak person. But they are seriously mistaken because the illness of Ali ibn Hussain was an expedience and policy of Allah, so that he may remain safe from the harm of the enemy's sword, and become the living history of Karbala. Therefore, after the death of Hussain ibn Ali and his companions, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawsha came into the encampment of the Ahl Al-Bayt along with a group of his soldiers so that he may kill the remaining ones of the camp of Hussain ibn Ali. Since he was ill, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawsha's companions objected upon him and Umar ibn Sa'ad came after them and reprimanded Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawsha regarding this decision and turned him out of the encampment and said, "Ali ibn Hussain is an ill man and because of that he cannot do a thing, leave him alone."
One of his sons' name was Umer (Nasab-e-Quresh by Musaab Zuberi P-61)
His contribution to Islam
Yazid I had given the Imam his freedom to return to his home in Medina not out of love but out of fear. The Imam, therefore, was still not out of danger. The Imam, therefore, had to find out a way to preach the true message of Allah without appearing to be working against the government.
To save his crown, Yazid I turned to using force. He decided to kill anyone who opposed him. The Imam had to place himself in such a position that no one could say that he was also amongst those plotting to overthrow Yezid. Otherwise, the Imam would not be able to complete the mission of saving Islam from its enemies. He would either be imprisoned again or even be killed. Who would then be there to serve Islam the way Allah wished it to be served?
When martyrdom was necessary to keep Islam alive, Imam Husain (A.S) publicly opposed Yazid I and gave. his life. When silence became necessary to keep Islam alive, Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) retired in his house to serve Islam in the best way possible.
He held regular mourning session in his house. Those who attended these sessions would then be served with food in the name of his father, Imam Husain (A.S) Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) through such mourning sessions let the world know the reason why it was necessary for Imam Husain (A.S) to sacrifice his life but not accept Yezid as the rightful ruler of the Muslims.
The one most important thing that the Imam did after returning from Damascus was to spend a lot of his time praying to Allah. His prayers were not only in the form of "Namaz" but also in the way of "Duas" or supplications.With the help of these 'Duas', Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) taught Muslims not only how to pray to Allah but also what is the essence of Islam.These ideas, if preached in any other form, would without and doubt, invite the government of Bani Umayyah to put the Imam in trouble. But who would complain if the Imam addressed his creator, Allah using "Duas"?
The plot of Yezid and his family of Bani Umayyah to destroy Islam was brought out in the open through the Imam's weeping for his father.
In this way through mourning for his father and praying to Allah, Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) kept the true message of Allah alive from the evil-minded Bani Umayyah.
The greatest result of the Imam's decision to lead a quiet life was: the government became sure that he was not going to be dangerous to them. They, therefore, left him alone.
What the government failed to understand was that Imam Zainul Abidin (A.S) was establishing the foundations of truth which would, in future, provide strong basis of Islam which would live for ever.
By being left on his own, not only did Imam (A.S) widened the horizons of Islam, but also found a place for himself to let the Muslims community see for themselves who truly was the representative of the Prophet. This was a very important job to be done by the Imam.
The effect of the teaching and the pure life-style of the Imam was such that he came to be regarded as an excellent person and an authority of the religion of Islam.
By the time the Bani Umayyah realised the wisdom of Imam Zainul Abidin's approach to establish Islam through the memory of his father and prayers of Allah, it was too late. Without the knowledge of the government the Imam had raised his position in the Muslims community so high that none of the rulers could reach, with all their wealth and power.
Piety
One of the special features of Ali ibn Hussain character was his piety and abstinence. The Shī‘ah Imām Ja‘far aṣ-Ṣādiq said,
Ali ibn Hussain resembled most of all the sons of Bani Hashim, with Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Muhammad al-Baqir (the son of Ali ibn Hussain and the fifth Shi’ah Imam) said,
One day I happened to see my father, I saw him (completely) immersed and (thoroughly pre occupied) in the prayers and with all the attention towards Allah. His color was faded and his eyes were sore and red due to weeping, his feet were swollen by (prostration) and legs, and knees had developed corns. I said humbly "Oh father, why do you lose your self control during the prayers and put yourself in such an inconvenience and discomfort. My father wept and said, "Oh son however and whatsoever amount of prayers I perform even then it is meager and very little as compared to the prayers of your grandfather, Ali ibn Abi Talib.Taous Yamni says, I saw Ali ibn Hussain lying in prostration saying, "Oh God your servant, needy towards you, is in your house waiting for your blessing, forgiveness and favor".
Attention to the life and training of people
‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, like his grandfather, cultivated land and palm date orchards. All the human qualities and attributes were collectively present in his personality. He was the complete specimen of tolerance, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. During the prayers he would get himself so absorbed that he did not have any attention towards anything except God. He traveled to Mecca, on foot, twenty times and continuously guided and conducted people through the attractive melody of the Qur'anic verses.
As the son of Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī, he was under great scrutiny and could not directly guide those who secretly followed the household of Muhammad. But he conveyed his understanding of the relationship between human and God by the prayers and supplications that he offered God during his extensive nighttime vigils in the mosque of the Prophet in Medina. These prayers and supplications were written down and then disseminated by his sons and the subsequent generations. Among them is the Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as the Psalms of Islam.
He looked after and administrated hundreds of houses of the poor and hunger stricken. Daily a number of goats were slaughtered in his house and he distributed all their meat among the afflicted. He dressed the naked and the destitute ones and paid their debts and loans. But he himself took simple meals and put on simple dress.
When the nights would become dark and all the people went to sleep, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn would get up put the food in a sack and on his shoulder. He covered his face so that he is not recognized. Then he took that food to the houses of the inflicted and have-nots and gave it to them.
He administrated and looked after nearly a hundred guardians-less family in Medina; most of them comprised indigent, helpless and crippled, handicapped and paralytic ones. None of these families knew that ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn was the one who managed and run their lives. But after his death, when the aids were discontinued they came to know that Ali ibn Husayn was their helper and friend.
A person came to ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn and started addressing him with filthy and abusive language. ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn turned his face towards him without the slightest anger and quarrel or strife and said,
Oh brother, if what you say is right and correct and these vices are present in me then Allah may pardon and forgive my sin. And if you are telling a lie then Allah may forgive you and pardon your sin.
The man was very much ashamed and asked ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn to pardon him.
Abu Hamza ath-Thumali, who was one of the friends of ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, asked his servant to briefly define the character and morals of Ali ibn Hussain. He said: "I am at his service for so many years. Whatever I saw was righteousness, piety and purity. My lord helps and assists the people and solves their problems, with all the difficulties worries and preoccupations that he himself faces." Zaid ibn Usama was lying on the deathbed. Ali ibn Hussain visited him, Zaid was weeping. When Ali ibn Husayn asked him the reason of his weeping he said, "I have to pay fifteen thousand Dinars as my loan and debt and my wealth is not so much as to pay off the debt." Ali ibn Husayn said, "Do not weep and be contented, I will pay your entire loan."
The Day of Ashura
- See also: The Sermon of Ali ibn Husayn in Damascus.
At the Battle of Karbala on the day of Ashura, Hussain ibn Ali and most of his family were killed. Ali ibn Hussain survived because he was too sick to fight, and was bedridden. Afterwards, he was taken prisoner by the Umayyad forces and transported to Damascus where he was made a prisoner of the Caliph, Yazid I. After some years, he was freed, and returned to Medina where he lived a quiet life as a scholar and a teacher.
It is said that for forty years, whenever food or water was placed before him, he would weep. One day, a servant said to him, "O son of Allah's Messenger! Is it not time for your sorrow to come to an end?" He replied, "Woe upon you! Jacob the prophet had twelve sons, and God made one of them disappear. His eyes turned white from constant weeping, his head turned grey out of sorrow, and his back became bent in gloom, though his son was alive in this world. But I watched while my father, my brother, my uncle, and seventeen members of my family were slaughtered all around me. How should my sorrow come to an end?"
‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, along with the left behind families of the fallen, was besieged by the enemy, came out on the morning of 11 Muharram, 61 AH. They had chained his hands and feet with a set of chains called al-Jameaa "الجامعة" and placed the heads of the dead in front of him so that his sorrow and grief was increased, and those chains made big scars and marks on his body; and it was seen by his sons when they were washing him before burial; and they saw these scars and marks - how painful it was and how it was marked.
The family of ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, as against the concept of a group who think they were defeated, where ever they set foot, they would announce the success of their revolution and the defeat of Yazid. It was Damscus where he buried his youngest sister Ruqayyah bint Hussain.
Death
‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn resided in Medina until his death on 25th of Muharram, 95 AH (approximately 23 October 23, 712).When the Bani Umayyah rulers realised the wisdom of Imam Zainul Abidin's approach to establish Islam through the memory of his father and prayers of Allah and their mistake, they decided to kill the Imam. By the instructions of Walid Bin Merwan, the governor of Medina, The Imam (A.S) was poisoned by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. He was buried in Jannatul Baqee', the cemetery in Madinah where other important figures of Islamic history are buried. The period of his Imaamat is 33 years.
Table of Imams along with Caliphate
Table showing all ismaili imam with earlier islam along with caliphate of time and present follower :
| Abdul Mutallib + Fatema(wife | ABU QUHAFAH | AFFAN | BANU UMAYYAH | [ABDUL MUTALLIB+ MUTAYATA(WIFE)] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABU TALIB | ABDULLAH | |||||||||||
| MOHAMMAD 632 | ABU SUFYAN | AL ABBAS | ||||||||||
| <SHIA | I- | -M- | -A- | -MA- | -T-> | <CHALI- | -F- | -A- | -T> | |||
| Ali (Imamat 632-661, Caliphate-656-661) | + wife Fatima | ABU BAKAR 632–634 | ||||||||||
| ^ | OMMAR | |||||||||||
| ^ | USMAN 644–656 | |||||||||||
| HASAN(only IMAM , Caliphate taken away by Muawia with agreement) | MUAWWIYAH (Damascus) UMAYYAD | |||||||||||
| HUSAYN 669–680 | ^ | |||||||||||
| ALI ZAYNUL ABIDIN | MARWAN -I 684–685 | |||||||||||
| MUHAMMAD AL-BAQIR | Zayd ibn Ali (Zaidi/Fiver, separated from brother Baqir) ] | ^ | ||||||||||
| JA'FAR AL-SADIQ 731–765 | ^ | |||||||||||
ISMAIL
[ Ismaili Imam ] |
MUSA AL KAZIM , separated from brother Ismail | ^ | MARWAN-II 744–750 | SAFFAH 750–754,ABBASID BAGHDAD | ||||||||
| MOHAMMAD | SEVENER(follow upto Ismail, than separated) | TWELVER IMAM | ^ | Harun-al- Rashid(d.809) | ||||||||
| ABDULLAH | ^ | ^ | ^ | MA'MUN (d.833) | ||||||||
| AHMAD | ^ | ^ | ^ | MU'TASIM (d.842) | ||||||||
| HUSAYN | ^ | ^ | ^ | MUTAWAKIL 847–861, Mutadid, Muktafi (Muqtadar d.908) | ||||||||
| Imamat+FatimidChaliphat | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| ABDULLAH 909– 934 (ifriqiya) | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL QAIM (d.946) | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL MANSUR | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL-MU'IZ (EGYPT) (d.975) | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL-AZIZ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL-HAAKIM | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||||
| AL-ZAHIR | Druze | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | |||||||
| AL-MUSTANSIR (d.1094) | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | |||||||
| [MUSTALI (d.1101) | NIZAR, separated from brother Mustali ] | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | |||||||
| AMIR- (d.1130) | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||
| TAYYIB, Hurrat al-Malaika / Dai-al-Mutlaq ,Yemen | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | HAFIZ- 1130,Cairo separated from Tayyib ], SALAHUDDIN AYYUBID- 1170 | AL-ZAHIR ,Al Mutasim 1258,Abbasid Baghdad | |||||
| Dai-al-Mutlaq ,Yemen | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | Zaydi (Imam +Caliphate ), Yemen | EGYPTIAN ABBASID (Mustansir 1261,...Mutawakil III 1517) | ||||||
| Dai-al-Mutlaq, Bohra ,India | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||||
| Bohras / Dawoodi Bohra | AGHA KHANI | Druze | Sevener (almost extinct) | Ithna ashari / Twelwer | Zaydi/Fiver | Hafizi (no trace,extincted) | ||||||
Time line
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Banu Hashim
Clan of the Banu Quraish
Born: 5th Sha‘bān 38 AH ≈659 CE Died: 25th Muharram 95 AH ≈712 CE |
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| Shī‘a Islam titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Husayn ibn Ali |
4th Imam of Shi'a Islam 669 – 680 |
Succeeded by Muhammad al-Baqir |
| Succeeded by Zayd ibn Ali Zaidi successor |
||
See also
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- Hashemites
- Ahl Al-Bayt
- Nahj al Balagha
- Aban ibn abi-Ayyash
- Azadari
External links
- Ali ibn Husayn by Wilferd Madelung, an article in Encyclopedia Iranica
References
- ↑ 1. Kitab Al Irshad, Shaykh Mufid. 2. Ibn al-Sabbagh, al-Fusul al-Muhimma, p. 212.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shaykh al-Mufid. "The Infallibles - Taken from Kitab al Irshad". http://www.al-islam.org/masoom/bios/4thimam2.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. 2004. p. 111.
- ↑ al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. "2". The life of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. Qum: Ansariyan Publications. pp. 14.
- ↑ al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. The life of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. Ansariyan Publications. p. 17.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 ibn Khallikan. Ibn Khallikan's biographical dictionary. 2. p. 209.
- ↑ A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles. Ansariyan Publications. p. 112.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. The life of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. Ansariyan Publications. p. 18.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 al-Qurashi, Baqir Shareef. The life of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin. Ansariyan Publications. p. 19.
- ↑ Tabataba'i, Muhammad Husayn (1979). Shi'ite Islam. State University of New York Press. p. 201.
- ↑ al-Irshaad, by Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid, pg.261
- ↑ Kashf ul-Ghumma, by al-Urbilee, vol.2, pg.105
- ↑ Muntahul-‘Amal, by Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi, vol.2, pg.43 (printed in An-Nashr-ul-Islamiyyah, Qum, Iran, 1415 AH)
- ↑ al-Fusool al-Muhimmah fee Ma’rifatul-A’immah, by Ibn as-Sabagh, pg.209
- ↑ Umdat ut-Taalib, pg.194
- ↑ Mystics, monarchs, and messiahs: cultural landscapes of early modern Iran, by Kathryn Babayan, pg.284
- ↑ http://home.swipnet.se/islam/imamsajjad.htm/ A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ALI BIN HUSSEIN (A.S.),BY M. M. DUNGERSI, Ph.D.
- ↑ LIFE OF IMAM HASSAN BIN ALI (A.S),Provided by Zahid Abbas Jaffery,(www.shianews.com) http://syd.dubaijamaat.com/imam_hassan.htm
Shi'a references
- al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
- Ketab Al Irshad, By Sheikh Mufid
- Imam Sajjad
- Ali ibn Al-Husayn
- The Fourth Imam
- The Fourth Imam
- The life of Imām Zayn al ‘Abidin by Bāqir Sharif al-Qarashi.