Al-Huda
the Message
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THE LIFE OF ALI
(Zain al-Abideen) IBN Al-HUSAIN(A)
by the late Dr. Syed
Haider Hussain Shamsi
(Excerpt from his book, " And the Message Continues ... the
Lives of the Twelve Imams of Ahlul Bait. )
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