Brief Biography of Imam
Ali Sajad (A.S.)
(From Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic
Library Project)
Name: Ali.
Title: Zain-Ul-Abedin, As-Sadjad.
Agnomen: Abu-Mohammad.
Father's name: Imam Al-Hussein (AS).
Mother's name: Shahr Bano (SA).
Birth: Sha'ban 5, 38 A.H.
Death: 25th Muharram, 94 or 95 A.H.
AS-SAHIFA AL-KAMILAH AL-SAJJADIYYA
When the young Ali took the mantle of
Imamat, times were hard on the Ahlulbayt 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 Hussain(AS) was alone in the battlefield ready
to do battle, he withdrew to the camp of his ailing son, came beside
hibed, woke him and told him that the story of Kerbala 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 Imamat, 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 Hussain.(AS) She had died after giving
birth to her only son. He was only two years old when his grand father
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
Hussain(AS) as the Imam, the young Ali was growing in their shadow and
watching the workings of the Imamat without the wordly 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 Ahlulbayt of the
Prophet. In 60 Hijri when his father Imam Hussain(AS) had to leave
Madina for Makka and then for Kerbala, he was with him all the time. In
Kerbala all male children of Ali(AS) and Hussain(AS) were killed except
Ali Ibn el Hussain 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 descendents of Hussain(AS) survived
because the Imamat 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 grand son 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 loose 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 Kerbala. 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 Ahlulbayt
which included Yazid’s wife Hind. Then they all returned to Kerbala 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 Kerbala. The first Majlis of Arbaeen was held in Kerbala 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 Hussain(AS) who later narrated the whole story of
Kerbala to many of his listeners in Madina and many other towns he
visited. The message of Hussain(AS) was spreading from town to town and
from country to country.
The whole family then returned to
Madina except the wife of Imam Hussain(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 Kerbala until she died a few years
later. A small town flourished for the up keep of pilgrims who began to
visit the grave of Hussain(AS) and all the martyrs of Kerbala.
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 Hussain, 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 Hussain(Sajjad became his title
because of his intense prostrations in prayers) lived for another 35
years after the event of Kerbala. 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 favour of the Ahlulbayt 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 some times prayed there all night. These were
special prayers in the shape of supplications with great significance
than mere ritual. These prayers were memorised 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 followe.
Normal teachings of the Qur’an by the
family of the Prophet was 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 realises ones own meagre 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 Kerbala. 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
unrecognisable. 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 grand son 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 behaviour and apologised. Later on he became a
great devotee of the Imam.
Some people say that the Imam spent his
life after Kerbala in weeping and crying for the atrocities committed to
his family. Indeed it was true that he wept profusely and that some
times 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 do you weep so
much, for martyrdom is the inheritance of the Ahlulbayt. 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 Kerbala and
the plight of the captives after Kerbala. 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 Kerbala
between truth and falsehood is still visible.
Imam’s aunt Hazrat Zainab was
organising gatherings in the city of Madina to tell the assembled ladies
in the majlis the events of Kerbala 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 Kerbala. 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 Ahlulbayt 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 Kerbala
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 realised
that the Imam was succeeding in his mission of spreading the message of
his father Hussain(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). |