The fourth gem of
the Golden Chain of Imamate was the Infallible Imam Ali ibn-al Husayn (a.s.)
who was given the titles of
“Sayyid-as-Sajideen” and “Zayn-al-Abideen”. He was born in Madinah. His father was the King of Martyrs, and
his mother was Hazrat Shaher Banu. She
was the Princess of the last Persian King Yazdjurd. He was about 23 years
old at the time of the most tragic event of human race on the desert of Karbala
in Iraq. At Karbala, 72 warriors showed
exemplary determination representing the righteousness and fortitude against
the brutal hypocrites representing falsehood. The family of the Messenger of
Allah was opposite to descendants of Abu Sufiyan, the Polytheists.
Imam Zain
al-Abideen was sick in Karbala and hence the Divine Wisdom planned the continuation
of Imamate.
All the twelve
Infallible Imams were at the highest level of the basic ethical values of
wisdom, chastity, valor and justice.
WISDOM: The
Sahifa-e-Kamila, a collection of supplications, is a perfect example of the
Imam (a.s.)’s intellectual attainments, inner virtues and wisdom. Both Shiahs
and Sunni scholars call the book “The Psalms of Ale Muhammad”. Saeed bin
Musayyab said: “I have not found anyone more knowledgeable, pious and
God-fearing than Ali bin Husayn”
WORSHIP: When
the time of prayer, such a fear used to overcome the Imam (a.s.) that his color
of his face used to become out of fear of Allah (s.w.t.). He (a.s.) used to recite one thousand rak’ats of prayer in twenty four
hours and he used to tremble during
the prayers. He used to prostrate after
mentioning a bounty, got relief any difficulty, after reciting all Ayahs of
Sajdah whether obligatory or otherwise. The sign of excessive prostrations were
apparent on his forehead. That’s why he earned the title of Sajjad (one who
prostrate too much). Such was his sincerity and humility that once there was a
fire in his house, and he was in prostration. People began shouting fire, fire
but he did not raise his head from prostration. Someone asked him, “You did not
even notice that there was a fire? What made you so oblivious of everything?”
The Imam (a.s.) replied: The Fire of Hereafter” Once, the young Imam Muhammad
Baqir (a.s.) fell in the well and his mother screamed: “O son of Allah’s
Messenger! Our son has fallen in the well.” As usual, he was engrossed in his
prayers. After he finished his prayer, he came near the well, put his hand
inside it and pulled out Imam Baqir (a.s.). He used to subject his body to
utmost penance. One day, Imam Baqir (a.s.) asked him why he practiced such severe
penance. The Imam replied: “Don’t you like that I should obtain divine
proximity?”
VALOR: After
the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (a.s.), no ruler demanded oath of allegiance from
any of the Holy Imams. Therefore there was no occasion for them to perform Jihad
of the word. A poet has rightly said: “Zain
al-Abideen changed the meaning of
Jihad. The daring is the same but battlefields have changed.” From Imam
Zain al-Abideen to Imam Hasan Askari, there were numerous occasions when need
arose to exhibit valor of moral behavior. The Holy Imams were never awed by the
ruling powers to conceal the truth. They
never refrained from Amr bil Maroof (Enjoining Good) and Nahy anil Munkar
(Forbidding Evil). If the calamities that befell Imam Zain al-Abideen had
descended on mountains they would
have melted away like wax. However, he bore everything with the strength of
faith, and did not allow his ancestral valor to leave him for a moment. Yazid and Ibn Ziyad in their respective courts,
tried their utmost to over-awe Ahlul Bayt through a shameless display of their
power and tyranny, but Imam Zain al-Abideen rebutted their efforts through his
daring and irrefutable replies, such that they were humiliated beyond
description. The Imam also ascended the pulpit in the Damascus mosque in the
presence of Yazid, praised the Ahlul Bayt and denounced Bani Umayyad. Anyone
else would have found it difficult to even utter a word in these circumstances.
MIRACLES: There
are many miracles performed by the Imam (a.s.). A Shiah of the Imam used to
come for Hajj and visit the Imam in Madinah. He used to bring some gifts for
the Imam from his home town. His wife said: “You always take gifts for the Imam
but has he ever given you any gift?” When he visited the Imam next time, after
eating food with the Imam, he wanted to wash Imam’s hands. As he was washing Imam’s hands, the Imam asked him to look in the
water, he saw red gems, and when completed the washing of Imam’s hands, there
were many kinds of gems found in water. The Imam told him to give it to his
wife as she was complaining to her husband. The man was embarrassed and ashamed.
When returned home, he told the whole story to her. She wanted to meet the Imam
and next year accompanied her husband but died before seeing the Imam. The Shia
went and narrated what had transpired. The Imam prayed two rak’at salat and
prayed for her and told him the good news to him that she is alive. When he saw
her alive, he was very delighted and inquired from her about her experience.
She said that after her death, the angel was taking away her soul and met a
pious young man (resembling the Imam) to whom the angel of death greeted. The
Imam told him to return her soul back into her body as he had requested Allah
to extend her life for 30 years.
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