Imam Ali b. al-Husayn al-Sajjad (a): Difference between revisions

'''ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. ʾAbī Ṭālib''' (Arabic:{{iarabic| عَليّ بن الحُسَین بن علي بن أبي طالب}}) (b. [[38]]/658 – d. [[94]]/713) known as '''Imām al-Sajjād''' ({{iarabic|امام السجاد}}) and '''Zayn al-ʿAbidīn''' ({{iarabic|زين العابدين}}) is the fourth [[Imam]] of Shi'a. The period of his imamate was 34 years. He (a) was present in the [[event of Karbala]] but did not participate in the battle because of sickness and was not martyred. He (a) was taken captive to [[Kufa]] and [[Damascus]] together with other [[captives of Karbala]]. His speech at the presence of [[Umayyad caliph]]s created awareness among people about the position of the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]]. After being released, he (a) stayed in [[Medina]] until the end of his life. The [[event of Harra]], [[Tawwabun movement]] and the [[uprising of Mukhtar]] happened at his time, however there is no reliable report of his opinions about them.

He (a) was poisoned and martyred by the order of Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik. He (a) was buried in [[al-Baqi' cemetery]] beside his uncle [[Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a)]].

Imam al-Sajjad's (a) Kunyas were Abu al-Hasan, Abu al-Husayn, Abu Muhammad, and Abu 'Abd Allah.<ref>Al-Dhahabi, ''Siyar a'lam al-nubala'', vol. 4 p. 386; Kasrawi, ''Mawsu'a'', vol. 3 p. 64; Al-Razi, ''al-Jarh wa l-ta'dil'', vol. 6 p. 178; Al-Dulabi, ''al-Kuna wa l-asma' '', vol. 1 p. 147; Al-Suyuti, ''Tabaqat al-huffaz'', p. 37</ref>

His titles are Zayn al-'Abidin (adornment of the worshipers), Sayyid al-Sajidin (master of the prostrators), al-Sajjad (the frequently prostrating one), al-Hashimi, al-'Alawi, al-Madani, al-Qurashi, and 'Ali al-Akbar.<ref>Al-Dhahabi, ''Siyar a'lam al-nubala'', vol. 4 p. 386; Kasrawi, ''Mawsu'a'', vol. 3 p. 64; al-'Asqalani, ''Tahdhib'', vol. 7 p. 231; Ibn Khallikan, ''Wafayat'', vol. 3 p. 266</ref> Dhu al-Thafanat is another title of Imam al-Sajjad (a), since the skin of his prostration points of his body [knees, palms and forehead] had become hardened and there were calluses on them like the knees of camels due to praying a lot.<ref>Ibn Khallikan, ''Wafayat'', vol. 3 p. 274; Al-Mas'udi, ''Muruj al-dhahab'', vol. 3 p. 160; al-Tha'alabi, ''Thimar al-qulub'', p. 226; Ibn Abi l-Hadid, ''Sharh nahj al-balagha'', vol. 10 p. 79</ref>

According to the famous opinion, Imam al-Sajjad (a) was born in [[38]]/659; thus, he (a) has seen a part of [[Imam 'Ali (a)|Imam 'Ali's (a)]] life, the [[imamate]] of [[Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and [[Mu'awiya]]'s attempt in suppressing [[Shi'a]] in [[Iraq]] and elsewhere. However, in some reports, the age of Imam (a) is mentioned less than what is famous and have mentioned his time of birth about [[48]]/668.<ref>Al-Qadi al-Nu'man, ''Sharh al-akhbar'', vol. 3 p. 266</ref> Although, such reports have been mentioned in different sources, but there are evidences which do not let one believe them; such as the fact that famously historians and biographers have mentioned the birth time of Imam al-Sajjad (a) 38/659, which implies that his age in the [[event of Karbala]] was 23 years old.

In historical sources, the number of Imam al-Sajjad's (a) children have been counted as 15, 11 of whom were boys and 4 of them were girls.<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Irshad'', p. 380; Ibn Shahrashub, ''Manaqib'', vol. 4 p. 189; Ibn al-Jawzi, ''Tadhkirat al-khawas'', p. 332-333</ref>

According to references [[Shi'a]] [[hadith]] scholars have narrated in hadith references, Imam al-Sajjad (a) was the successor of his father [[al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a)]].<ref>Al-Kulayni, ''al-Kafi'', vol. 1 p. 188-189</ref> [[Al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] mentioned his superiority in knowledge and practice over others after his father as the proof for his imamate.<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Irshad'', vol. 2 p. 138</ref>

Also, hadiths narrated from [[the Prophet (s)]] about the names of Imams of Shi'a approve this.<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Ikhtisas'', p. 211; Al-Tabrisi, ''I'lam al-wara'', vol. 2 p. 181-182; Al-'Amili, ''Ithbat al-huda'', vol. 2 p. 285</ref>

== Event of Karbala and Captivity==

{{main|Event of Karbala|'Ashura}}

In the event of Karbala and on the day [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and [[Martyrs of Karbala|his companions]] were martyred, Imam al-Sajjad (a) was severely sick so that in some cases when they wanted to kill him, some said, "This sickness is enough for him."<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Irshad'', vol. 2 p. 113; Al-Tabrisi, ''I'lam al-wara'', vol. 1 p. 469 </ref>

Imam al-Sajjad (a) gave a speech in the mosque of Damascus and introduced himself, his father, and his grandfather to people and told the people of Damascus that what Yazid and his agents have propagated are not true. His father was not a rebel and did not want to disturb Muslim community and make mischief in Islamic lands. He (a) rose for truth and by invitation of Muslims to remove deviations brought up in religion and bring the simplicity and purity it had at the time of his great grandfather.<ref>Shadidi, ''Zindigani 'Ali b. al-Husayn'', p. 75</ref>

Imam al-Sajjad (a) lived 34 years after the [[event of Karbala]] and always made efforts to keep the memory of the [[martyrs of Karbala]] alive.

At the time of Imam al-Sajjad (a) after the [[event of Karbala]], different movements were made, most important ones of which were:

Some years after the event of Karbala, people of [[Medina]] organized the uprising of Harra against [[Umayyads]] in 63/683. People of the city gave alliance to [['Abd Allah b. Hanzala]] whose father was known as [[Ghasil al-Mala'ika]] and first besieged Umayyads who were about 1,000 people in the house of [[Marwan b. Hakam]] and then pushed them out of the city.<ref>Shadidi, ''Zindigani 'Ali b. al-Husayn'', p. 82-83</ref> Imam al-Sajjad (a) stepped away from the uprising since its beginning.<ref>Shadidi, ''Zindigani 'Ali b. al-Husayn'', p. 86</ref>

In the heat of the uprising of Harra, [[Marwan b. Hakam]] who was an enemy of the [[Ahl al-Bayt (s)]] went to [['Abd Allah b. 'Umar]] and asked him to guard his family with his, but 'Abd Allah did not accept. When Marwan became disappointed with his support, he went to Imam al-Sajjad (a). Imam (a) accepted his request with great benevolence and sent Marwan's family together his own family to [[Yanbu']] (a spring near [[Medina]] on the right side of [[Radwa mountain]]).<ref>Shadidi, ''Zindigani 'Ali b. al-Husayn'', p. 83</ref>

Tawwabun movement was another movement after the [[event of Karbala]], the leader of which was [[Sulayman b. Surad al-Khuza'i]] together with some other distinguished [[Shi'a]] personalities of [[Kufa]]. In general, Tawwabun were about to hand the leadership of the society to the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] in case they could win and obviously there was no one from the progeny of [[Lady Fatima (a)|Fatima (a)]] except Imam al-Sajjad (a). However, there was no political relationship between Imam al-Sajjad (a) and Tawwabun.<ref>Ja'fari, ''Tashayyu' dar masir tarikh'', p. 286</ref>

Mukhtar's uprising was the third important movement after the event of Karbala, about the relation of Imam al-Sajjad (a) and this movement there are some doubts. This relation not only has some political problems, but it also has some problems regarding ideological aspects (following [[Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya]]). It is said that after [[Mukhtar]] succeeded to attract Shi'a to himself in Kufa, he asked Imam al-Sajjad (a) for help but Imam (a) did not face him with open arms.<ref>Al-Kashshi, ''Rijal'', p. 126; Al-Tusi, ''Ikhtiyar'', p. 126</ref>

At night, he (a) put baskets of bread on his shoulder and went to the houses of the poor and said, "The charity made secretly appeases the wrath of God." Those baskets had left marks on his shoulders and when they were washing his body after he (a) passed away, they saw those marks.<ref>Al-Isfahani, ''Hilyat al-awliya' '', vol. 3 p. 136; Al-Irbili, ''Kashf al-ghumma'', vol. 2 p. 77; Ibn Shahrashub, ''Manaqib'', vol. 4 p. 154; Ibn al-Jawzi, ''Sifat al-safwa'', vol. 2 p. 54; Al-Saduq, ''al-Khisal'', p. 616; '' 'Ilal al-sharayi' '', p. 231</ref> Ibn Sa'd wrote, "When a poor person came to him, he (a) went and give the poor one what he wanted and said, 'before charity reaches the asking one, it reaches God's hand.'"<ref>Ibn Sa'd, ''Tabaqat'', vol. 5 p. 160</ref>

[[Al-Shaykh al-Mufid]] wrote, "Sunni scholars narrated many sciences from Imam al-Sajjad (a) and many [[supplication]]s, pieces of advice, [hadiths] in the merit of the [[Qur'an]], [[Halal]] [the permissible] and [[Haram]] [the forbidden], wars and days [of history] are left from him which are known to scholars."<ref>Al-Mufid, ''al-Irshad'', vol. 2 p. 153</ref>

''Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya'' is the collection of Imam al-Sajjad's (a) supplications and a mirror in which the picture of the society at that time, especially [[Medina]], can be seen in it: his aversion to bad behaviors and speech of people at that time and taking refuge to [[God]] from what he (a) saw and heard, and clarifying the right path under the guidance of religion and the [[Qur'an]] and purification of souls from pollutions; as if Imam (a) wanted as much as possible to disconnect people from [[Satan]] and connect them to God. ''Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya'' has been translated to several languages.

''Risalat al-Huquq'' is one of the works attributed to Imam al-Sajjad (a). In this treatise, 51 different rights (or 50 according to some versions) are listed. This treatise has been translated to English and other languages.

{{Event of Karbala}}