Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Fourth Imam, ‘Ali Ibn Al Husayn, Zainul Abedeen (as)

When the young ‘Ali took the mantle of Imamate, times were hard on the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet. His is the saddest story of all time. On the 10th of Muharram at the time of Asr Prayers, when his father Husayn (as) was alone in the battlefield ready to do battle, he withdrew to the camp of his ailing son, came beside his bed, woke him and told him that the story of Karbala’ was over, that he was about to go to sacrifice his own life for the cause of Islam.

It was at that time that the father transferred the mantle of Imamate, the spiritual guidance, to his son to lead the Muslim Ummah towards the Right Path.

He was born in Madina some 22 years ago, on 5th Shabaan 38 year of Hijra. In some history books his date of birth is shown as 15th Jamadiul Awwal 38 AH. His mother was Shahr Bano the daughter of Yazdjurd II, the last of the Persian Kings before Islam.

She was taken prisoner when Muslim armies conquered Persia. When she was brought in Madina Imam ‘Ali (as) spoke to her and she embraced Islam and was married to his 2nd son Imam Husayn. (as) She had died after giving birth to her only son. He was only two years old when his grandfather ‘Ali (as) was martyred in the Mosque at Kufa. After that the whole family of the Prophet returned to live in Madina.

For the next 10 years under Imam Hasan (as) as Imam and after his martyrdom, his father Imam Husayn (as) as the Imam, the young ‘Ali was growing in their shadow and watching the workings of the Imamate without the worldly authority. People knew they were the grand sons of the Holy Prophet and followed them by their hearts but outwardly because of the fear of the Ummayad ruler in Damascus, there was very little following of the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet.

In 60 Hijri when his father Imam Husayn (as) had to leave Madina for Makka and then for Karbala’, he was with him all the time. In Karbala’ all male children of ‘Ali (as) and Husayn (as) were killed except ‘Ali Ibn el Husayn who with providence became so ill that he was unable to participate in the Jihad with his father and survived the massacre.

His life and with that the line of descendants of Husayn (as) survived because the Imamate had to go on. He became the 4th Imam on the 10th of Muharram 61 Hijri. He was taken captive and was brought to Kufa and then to Damascus in chains.

In spite of his illness and humiliating position in front of Yazid the Ummayad ruler, when Yazid addressed him in an insulting manner saying that his father wasted his life by refusing to give the oath of allegiance to Yazid, Imam replied, it was to save Islam. They were wondering how Islam was saved. When time for Azan came and the Moazzin screamed from the minaret” I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, Imam shouted to Yazid, this is the way Islam was saved.

People would have forgotten the name of Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah if his grandson would not have shown the world that you were a ruler by default. Yazid ordered his swordsman to kill this young man, but by

the intervention of his aunt Zainab his life was spared. He remained in prison for one year with the whole family.

There was turmoil in all parts of the Islamic empire on this brutal killing. In the end Yazid was afraid that if he kept the family of the Prophet in prison any longer, he will lose his kingdom. So he sent orders to bring the family before him and told him that he was releasing them. He also asked what they wish to do now.

In reply to this His aunt Zainab said that they would wish to hold a gathering in Damascus so that she can tell the people what happened in Karbala’. Yazid agreed and the first Majlis was held in Damascus. In this Majlis most of the women of Damascus took part who were secretly following the path of Ahlul Bayt which included Yazid’s wife Hind.

Then they all returned to Karbala’ to pay homage over the graves of their beloved father, uncles and brothers. It was on the 20th of the month of Safar 62 Hijri that they arrived back in Karbala’. The first Majlis of Arbaeen was held in Karbala’ in which his aunt Zainab and all the surviving family attended.

It was at that time that one of the companions of the Prophet Jabir Ibn Abullah Ansari visited the grave of Husayn (as) who later narrated the whole story of Karbala’ to many of his listeners in Madina and many other towns he visited. The message of Husayn (as) was spreading from town to town and from country to country.

The whole family then returned to Madina except the wife of Imam Husayn (as) Her name was Umme Rabab. She said that she would not return back home, for her home was here where her husband lay buried. She stayed in Karbala’ until she died a few years later. A small town flourished for the up keep of pilgrims who began to visit the grave of Husayn (as) and all the martyrs of Karbala’.

Having being released from confinement in Damascus, Imam came to live in Madina with his family and to lead a quiet life. But the city was in revolt against the cruel regime of Yazid. Many tried to persuade the Imam to join them, but Imam knew their unreliability and he declined. So when Yazid’s army invaded Madina, they left the Imam’s family alone.

Yet he was greatly shocked to see how for three days the invading army led by Muslim Ibn Aqaba who was charged with invading Madina, tied their horses in the Prophet’s mosque, turning the sacred place into a filthy stable, killing hundreds of innocent people and playing havoc with chaste women.

For three continuous days these beasts from Damascus ravaged the city and destroyed it. Imam had so much control over his emotions that he kept quiet. When different revolutionary parties rose to avenge the blood of Imam Husayn, he wisely kept aloof from them whose uprisings he deemed untimely.

No doubt Sulaiman Ibn Surad al-Khuzai and Mukhtar ibn Obaidah ath-Thaqafi avenged Imam’s precious blood. Imam Zainul Abedeen had compassion for them; he prayed for them and for their success and often enquired about those who were captured and executed by Yazid’s cruel regime. Certainly Mukhtar relieved the Imam’s wounded heart by punishing the culprits.

But the Imam was so cautious that his outward appearance gave the impression that he was indifferent, so much so that the cruel Government could not implicate him of any subversion.

Times were hard in Madina for the family of the Prophet. Imam ‘Ali Ibn el Husayn(Sajjad became his title because of his intense prostrations in prayers) lived for another 35 years after the event of Karbala’.

He was the Imam of the time and it was his duty to spread guidance to the people. But how he would do that when a single word in favor of the Ahlul Bayt would have meant certain death. No one dared to say that he followed the family of the Prophet.

The Imam survived with the sheer will power and providence. He used to go to the mosque of the Prophet and sometimes prayed there all night. These were special prayers in the shape of supplications with great significance than mere ritual. These prayers were memorized by his companions, written down by his two sons, Mohammad and Zaid.

Mohammad became the 5th Imam after the death of his father while Zaid rose against the rulers of his time and was martyred in Kufa. All these supplications were later collected by his companions in the shape of a book which was named “Al Saheefa el Sajjadiya”. Several copies of the book were made and distributed among the followers.

Normal teachings of the Qur’an by the family of the Prophet were not allowed. With these supplications Imam taught his followers the relationship between God and the people. In ordinary language it is not possible to enhance the knowledge of God.

But in the language of prayer, when one bows down before the creator, one realizes one’s own meager self, in comparison with the immensity of the universe. All vanity or ego disappears. All thoughts of self indulgence vanish. He relates himself with his creator in all humility and sublime self.

His true self awakens which only exists to help others for they are all creatures of God. Emotions that were attached to his own Self disappear. He feels alone in the wide world. His only hope rests with his creator.

God alone gives him hope and meaning of existence on earth. Side by side these supplications also gave the human race their Rights and duties with each other. In the name of “Risalat- el- Huqooq” which was an addition to Saheefa, completed the meaning of Islam as a Deen of deeper spiritual understanding as well as the ways and means of lion this planet earth with other people.

Imam’s whole life was spent in helping all the people in the city of Madina. He was seen going during the darkness of the night with a sack full of bread for the hungry people of the city.

They never knew the identity of the person who gave them food night after night, but Imam’s own companions knew the fact and they passed it on to the later generation to know and to learn. It was after his death that those hungry souls came to know the identity of their benefactor.

Imam performed thirty pilgrimages in all after the event of Karbala’. Sometimes he would go for Hajj on the back of a camel, but sometimes on foot for 250 miles to Makka. Once he was travelling with a companion.

When they reached the outskirts of Makka, the crowd of pilgrims going towards Makka was enormous.

His companions shouted, "There is a lot of crowd for Hajj this year." Imam replied, "There is only you and me and this camel, the rest are animals. " He was again teaching the meaning of Hajj which was to reach out for God with all your heart and do not just regard it as another ritual.

An incident occurred that is said to have provoked the jealousy of Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik who was heir apparent to his father and arrived in Makka with great pomp and a retinue of servants. But in spite of this, he was not able to reach for the Black Stone in the Ka’aba. In pilgrims garb Hisham was unrecognizable.

He sat down on a high place waiting for the crowd to move so that he could also kiss the black stone. While he was waiting he saw an old man arrive and watched the crowd give way for him. He reached the Black stone , kissed it and returned back to his place. Hisham, being the son of the caliph was astonished and enquired about the identity of the person.

Farazdaq the famous poet was standing right there. He composed a Qaseeda in praise of the Imam to introduce him to the Heir apparent of the throne. He said,  “He is who that the whole Makka knows him, Every stone in the Ka’aba knows him. He is the son of the grandson of Fatimah and ‘Ali and of the Holy Prophet. Hisham, in his arrogance of power, imprisoned the poet who died in prison some years later.

In another incident while the Imam was about to begin his prayers a man came round and began to use abusive language against him. Imam ignored the man first. But when he repeated the abusive language pointing to him directly, Imam said to him, "what you are saying about me, if it is true then I ask God’s forgiveness, but if it is not true, then only God can forgive you.”

The man was thoroughly ashamed of his behavior and apologized. Later on he became a great devotee of the Imam.

Some people say that the Imam spent his life after Karbala’ in weeping and crying for the atrocities committed to his family. Indeed it was true that he wept profusely and that sometimes the glass of water he drank would soil with tears so that he would not be able to drink that water. And when people said why you weep so much, for martyrdom is the inheritance of the Ahlul Bayt.

He would say, "Yes indeed, I do not weep for the killing of my family, but for the humiliation we the whole family faced on the way to Damascus which was beyond description. I weep for that disgrace of women and children." He would then call the people around and tell them the story of Karbala’ and the plight of the captives after Karbala’.

People would also weep and cry loudly. The message spread. This was the means to tell the people otherwise people would not want to know. Through tragedy the message reached the hearts of the people and that message is still alive after 1400 years. And with this the line of demarcation drawn in Karbala’ between truth and falsehood is still visible.

Imam’s aunt Hazrat Zainab was organizing gatherings in the city of Madina to tell the assembled ladies in the majlis the events of Karbala’ and

these participants spread the message to all corners of the town and in Makka and other cities of the province of Hejaz.

This method was so successful that the Governor of Madina wrote to Yazid about it and on the orders from Yazid, Hazrat Zainab was escorted back to Damascus. She lived there for a while then she was moved to Egypt on the orders of the monarch because even in Damascus her speeches in private gatherings were successful in spreading the story of Karbala’.

Hazrat Zainab stayed in Egypt for few years but then she was brought back to Damascus where she was martyred. Her mausoleum is in Damascus, just outside the City and pilgrims visit the place all the time. Many many miracles have appeared at this place and people suffering from incurable diseases have come to pray on her grave and have found good health.

Imam (as) in Madina through his silent teachings left many pupils, the most prominent of them was Abu Hamza-e-Thumali, who remained to spread the teachings of Ahlul Bayt in the Islamic world. Abu Mikhnuf was also one famous pupil of the Imam who later on the instructions of the fifth Imam wrote the story of Karbala’ in the narrative form which became the part of the Majlis all over the world.

The calm and peaceful life of the Imam was not to be tolerated by the Ummayad’s cruel regime. They realized that the Imam was succeeding in his mission of spreading the message of his father Husayn (as) The Syrian monarch Walid Ibn Abdul Malik had him poisoned. He died in Madina on the 25th of Muharram 95 Hijri. His eldest son Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali al Baqir arranged the burial and laid him to rest in the grave yard of Jannatul Baqii beside his uncle Imam Hasan. (as)

The Fifth Imam, Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir (as)

Born in Madina on Ist Rajab 57 Hijri, died in Madina on 7th Zilhijja 114 Hijri (31.1.733AD) at the age of 57 years. Period of Imamate 19 years.

On the evidence of the most authentic Hadith narrated by Sunni and Shia historians, one of the companions of the Holy Prophet Jabir Ibn Abdallah Ansari was in the presence of the Holy Prophet. He asked the Prophet about the names of descendants from his daughter Hazrat Fatima and ‘Ali (as) The Prophet told him,

“O Jabir, you will have a long life, and although you will go blind, but you will meet the 5th in line of my descendants whose name will be my name, who will walk like me and who will be the 5th Imam of the time. When you will meet him, give my salaams to him”.

As predicted by the Holy Prophet Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari had a long life and became blind in his old age. But he devoutly waited for the time when he would meet the 5th Imam. Each morning he would come out from his house, sit by the road side and wait for the sound of the footsteps to recognize the 5th Imam.

One such day while he was waiting in the street of Madina, he heard someone walking towards him, the sound of footsteps reminded him of the way Holy Prophet used to walk. Jabir stood up, stopped the man and asked his name. He replied, “Muhammad”, Jabir asked, whose son?, he replied “‘Ali Ibnul Husayn”.

Jabir immediately recognized the man he was talking to was the 5th Imam. He kissed his and told him the message from the Holy Prophet and that the Prophet sent his salaams to him. Imam took him to his home, asked his friends to gather as many people as they can. When they all assembled in his house, the Imam asked Jabir to tell the whole story again.

Jabir narrated the story, they all cried and attested in unison of the Imamate of the Fifth Imam and also the names of the other Seven Imams in his line up to the Twelfth Imam.

After the death of the 4th Imam in 95 Hijri, the caliphs in Damascus were so preoccupied with their conquests of foreign lands that they did not have time to worry about the people in Madina, their loyalties or their hostilities.

They were also satisfied that the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt would not divulge in any rebellion against them due to the most peaceful and quite life of the 4th Imam Zainul Abedeen (as) They left the people of Madina to their activities in some peace. This was the time Imams of Ahlul Bayt were waiting for. Our 5th Imam opened a school to teach Qur’an and Hadith as it was taught by the Holy Prophet and Imam ‘Ali AS).

Imam Muhammad el Baqir was said to have been high esteemed for his learning and eloquence as well as on account of his noble birth. According to Ibn Khalikan, the Imam received the title of Baqir (Splitter of knowledge) due to his ample knowledge of Deen and his enthusiasm to teach to other people.

Many historians like Yakubi asserts that the Imam split open knowledge, that is scrutinized it and examined the depths of it so that it can be spread to all people truly and correctly.

In his life of respectable and scholarly retirement at Madina, the Imam was frequently called upon to explain particular teachings in regard to Imamate. A synopsis of his teaching in the Ma’athirul-Baqir is given in Cannon Sell’s Ithna Ashariya, an interesting part of which may well be quoted, as it shows the emphasis at this early period on the intellectual and spiritual character of the Imamate.

A man one day said to the Imam, “Was the Prophet heir to all the knowledge of the Prophets?" He replied, “Yes” then he was asked whether he had inherited it. He said he had. He was then asked if he could raise the dead to life, restore sight to the blind, and cleanse the leper.

He said yes, by valor of God, the most high. He therefore put his hand on the blind eyes of a man sitting next to him and prayed. The next moment the blind man’s eyesight was restored. Many more such stories were told by various historians of the time.

The Imam discoursed fully on many topics such as the nature of the soul and Nafs, the nature and attributes of God, the qualities of the Ulemas. He discouraged arguments about the divine nature, saying that it was not possible for men to understand it.

One day a mu’tazili leader Wasil bin Ata asked the Imam what the anger of God meant. He said, it was simply punishment, but that this anger was not to be compared to the anger of men. God’s nature did not change. He defined a Rasul as a prophet who hears the voice of the angel(of revelation) and sees the angel in a bodily form.

A Nabi, he said, is a Prophet who also hears the voice of the angel under the same conditions, but does not see him, and the Imam’s condition is like that of the Nabi but not like that of the Rasul. He said that the Imams were pure and that the Ahlul Bayt were free from sin.

The Imam Baqir (as) in defending his claims to the Imamate before the caliph Hisham quoted this verse, “This day have I perfected your religion unto you and fulfilled my mercy upon you and accepted Islam to be your Deen.” (Qur’an,S.5 V5) He went on to say that the open revelation being thus perfect, the Prophet had made known other secret matters to ‘Ali (as) .

From amongst men of the Ahlul Bayt ‘Ali (as) had appointed a special person as his confidant, to whom this heritage of knowledge of secret things came down. Hisham replied that as God allowed no partner in the matter of knowing the secret things, how could ‘Ali (as) make such claims?

In reply the Imam quoted many sayings of the Prophet showing a mutual relationship between him and the high position accorded to ‘Ali (as) On hearing all this Hisham was silent and then permitted the Imam and his companions to return home .Neither the pomp nor the power of the caliph influenced the Imam, who boldly and without fear answered all the questions put to him.

As counselor to the Government of the day, to rule and to administer the Muslim world was certainly the right of the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet, but as common people who had no such right succumbed to the temporal power, The Imams had to lead calm and quiet lives. As such, they could have refused to give any advice or counsel to the Government of the day.

But the moral height of these noble Imams rose above the standards of commoners. Like Imam ‘Ali (as) who cooperated with the contemporary caliphs and offered sound advice concerning the affairs of the Muslims, all the Imams followed the same example and never hesitated to give well balanced pieces of advice to their contemporary rulers. Imam Baqir (as) was no exception.

The Ummayad Government had till then no currency of its own. The Byzantine currency of the Eastern Roman Empire was valid tender in Damascus as well. But during the reign of Walid Ibn Abdul Malik, there rose a rift between him and the byzantine ruler when the later decided to stamp a new currency with the phrase which was considered derogatory to the Holy Prophet.

This created suspense among the Muslim Ummah. Walid convened a committee in which prominent Muslim scholars participated. Imam Baqir (as) expressed his opinion that the Government ought to strike its own currency on one side of which it should stamp the statement “La Ilaha Illallah and on the other side “Muhammad Rasul Allah”.

The opinion of the Imam was unanimously approved and for the first time an Islamic coin was minted. Some of these coins were exhibited at the British Museum in 1988 at the event of the Islamic Art exhibition in London and a note shown that these coins were minted at the time of Walid Ibn Abdul Malik on the advice of the 5th Imam of Ahlul Bayt.

It was during the caliphate of Umer Ibn Abdul Aziz the Ummayad caliph, that the Prophets’ descendants enjoyed a brief period of peace which lasted for only two years and five months which is the period of his Government.

He lifted from them a great deal of atrocities and prohibited the cursing of Imam ‘Ali (as) on the pulpit on Friday, substituting it with this verse from the Holy Qur’an;

“God commands justice, the doing of good and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”

When the Imam met the caliph Umer Ibn Abdul Aziz, he found him weeping for the injustice inflicted by his predecessors upon the Ahlul Bayt. The Imam admonished him with pieces of wisdom till the caliph sobbed, knelt down and begged for more. Then the Imam asked Umer Ibn Abdul Aziz what wrong doing he was brought here to rectify?

It was none other than fadak which the messenger of God gave to his daughter Fatimah as a gift and to her descendants. As quoted in Biharul Anwar, v.4, “Umer took some writing pad and pen and wrote,’ In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is what Umer Ibn Abdul Aziz had handed back to Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali to rectify the wrong doing with regard to Fadak.”

After this event the land of “Fadak” was handed back to the Ahlul Bayt. It was from the income from these lands and orchards that Schools were opened in Madina by the Fifth Imam where thousands of students came to learn the Qur’an and its true meanings. Hundreds of narrators of Hadith came out of these schools, experts in the art of Hadith and Islamic Law.

Harassed by the Ummayad Government.

Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik succeeded Umer Ibn Abdul Aziz. He was a stone hearted, immoral person and racist. His prejudice against non- Arab Muslims caused him to double the taxes they had to pay, and his reign was a replay of the bloody days of Yazid Ibn Moawiya and Hajjaj Ibn Yousuf Thaqafi. It was then that the revolution of Zaid Ibn ‘Ali bout as a continuation of the revolution of Imam Husayn (as) and Imam ‘Ali AS).

Imam Baqir (as) never expressed any interest nor participated in political matters except when the ruler invited him. Since his peaceful living was devoted to people’s spiritual guidance, he was not tolerated by the Government. Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik wrote to his Governor of Madina instructing him to send Imam Baqir and his son Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) to Damascus intending to humiliate them in front of an audience.

When they reached Damascus, he kept them waiting for three days. On the fourth day he called them in his presence. He sat on a throne surrounded by his armed guards. In the center of the courtyard, a target was set on which the elite were shooting arrows. Immediately the Imam entered, Hisham bluntly asked him to shoot arrows with others.

Imam Baqir tried to evade Hisham’s order, but the latter kept insisting and he planned to ridicule the Imam. Since the Imam led a secluded life, Hisham thought he might not have any connection with martial arts.

He did not know that each descendant of the Prophet had inherited the might of Imam ‘Ali (as) and the courage of Imam Hu (as) He could not realize that their calm and quiet life was lived in fulfillment of the demands of Divine Providence.

Compelled by Hisham, Imam Baqir (as) took the bow, handling it skillfully, he shot a few arrows continuously, all sitting straight in the very heart of the center spot. A shout of praise burst from the throats of astonished elites standing right and left of the caliph. Hisham outwitted, began to discuss the problems of the Imamate and the virtues of Ahlul Bayt.

He clearly saw that the Imams stay in Damascus might lead to popular respect for Ahlul Bayt. So he permitted them to return home to Madinah. Inwardly his enmity of the Prophet’s family had increased,

While in Madinah Imam Baqir (as) continued with the progress of the schools of theology opened up on his advice and with the support of the companions of Ahlul Bayt. It is noted by many historians that until the death of our 5th Imam there were 25000 students in these schools learning Fiqh, Theology and Islamic science. It was at this time that 400 books of Hadith were compiled by the students of these school under the guidance of Imam Baqir (as)

Now was the time to bring out books on Hadith, true sayings of the Prophet and also to show people in practical terms how duties were performed by the Prophet himself. It was because of this deeper and truer spread of knowledge that he became known as Baqir.

The 400 books of Hadith that were written and later confirmed by his son Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) when he became Imam after the death of his father, that Kulaini compiled his monumental books of Traditions named Al-Kafi, during the period of the Twelfth Imam.

As mentioned earlier the Ummayad Caliph Hisham ibn Abdul Malik was not happy with the progress our 5th Imam was making in reaching out to the people of not only Madinah but throughout the Muslim Lands. This spiritual influence would change into political influence and this would jeopardize the Caliphs own position as head of the state.

The more the Ummayad Government learnt about Imam’s prestige and popularity, the more intolerable his existence became. At last they resorted to the same soundless weapon, poison which used to be applied by the cunning monarchs quite often to eliminate their opponents or suspects.

A saddle was presented to the Imam in which poison was applied most skillfully. When he mounted on it the poison affected his whole body. After few days in pain the Imam expired on 7th of Zilhijja 114 Hijri.

According to his Will he was shrouded in three pieces of cloth. These included a Yamani sheet which he used to put on Friday prayers and a shirt which he always wore. He was laid to rest underneath the same dome in Jannatul Baqii where Imam Hasan and Imam Zainul Abedeen were buried.

Some sayings of the Imam:

Imam said,“Our followers are of three kinds, one who follows us but depends on others, one who is like a glass involved in his own reflections, but the best are those who are like gold, the more they suffer the more they shine.”

Another famous saying of the Imam is,“I admonish you regarding five things; if you are wronged, do not commit wrong doing to others, if you are betrayed, do not betray anyone, if you are called a liar, do not be furious, if you are praised, do not be jubilant, if you are criticized do not fret and think of what is said in criticism, if you find in yourself what is criticized about you, then you are falling down in the eyes of God; when you are furious about the truth, it is much greater calamity then your falling down in the eyes of the people. And if you are opposite of what is said (in criticism) about you, then it is a merit you acquired without having to tire yourself in obtaining it.”

Our 5th Imam was succeeded by his son Ja’far Ibn Muhammad el- Sadiq (as) as the 6th Imam.