Urs sharif is on 18th Muharram 1439 Hirjri. This is approx Monday 9th October
Hazrat Syed Imam Zain ul Abideen Sayyidal-SajjadImam Abu al-Hasan Ali
Zain al-‘AbideenRadiAllahuTa’alaAnho
SayyidunaAbu al-Hasan Ali, Imam Zain al-‘Abideenis the fourth Imam and Shaykh of the Silsila Aaliyah Qaadiriyah Barakaatiyah Razviyah Nooriyah. He was one of the greatest Aabids of his era. Imam Zuhri (RadiAllahu Ta’ala Anho) says, (In my era) I have not seen any Quraysh more excellent than Imam Zain al-‘Abideen (RadiAllahu Ta’ala Anho).Hadrat Ibn Abbas (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anho) used to look at Imam Zain al-‘Abideen (Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anho) and refer to him as the Beloved of the Beloved.BIRTH:He was born on a Thursday the 5th ofShabaan38 Hijri in MadinahMunawwarah. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen, Vol. 1, Page 207]
NAME:
HadratImam Hussain kept most of his children names attached to the name Ali. This was due to his love for his fatherSayyidunaAli (RadiAllahuTa’alaAnho). He was thus also named Ali. He was also known as Abu Muhammad,AbulHassan,AbulQaasimand Abu Bakr. His titles wereSajjad, Zain al-‘Abideen, Sayyid ul Abideen, Zakkiand etc.
EDUCATION:
He spent two years with his grandfather Sayyiduna Ali (Radi ALLAHuTa’ala Anho), ten years with his uncle Sayyiduna Imam Hasan (Radi ALLAH uTa’ala Anho) and eleven years with his father,Hadrat Imam Hussain (Radi ALLAH uTa’ala Anho).
BLESSED MOTHER:
His mother was known as Umm-e-Wulad, and was also known asShaharBanuRadiAllahuTa’alaAnha. She was very pious and Allah fearing.
HIS FEATURES:
He was the image of his grandfatherSayyidunaAli (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho). He was tan in complexion and not very tall. He had a full beard on which he used henna (mehndi).
PREDICTIONS OF HIS BIRTH:
HadratJaabir(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) says, I was in the blessed court of the Prophet (SallallahoAlaihiwaAalihiwaSallam) and Imam Hussain (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) was in the blessed arms of the Prophet (SallallahoAlaihiwaAalihiwaSallam). The Prophet (SallallahoAlaihiwaAalihiwaSallam) said, OJaabir(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)! A son shall be born to him, whose name shall be Ali. Then he will have a child, whose name shall be Muhammad (ImamBaaqir). OJaabir! If you meet with him, then you should pass my salaams to him.
HIS CHARACTER:
HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) was blessed with beautiful character, which he definitely inherited from his illustrious forefathers. He was very eloquent and very respectful. He was always willing to assist those in need. Umar Abu Nasr writes that Imam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) purchased various slaves, and then set them free. He would be kind even to those who were his personal enemies. Once he heard that there was a certain person who always spoke ill of him.HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) went to him and treated him with such respect and kindness, that he repented from his bad behaviour and affiliated himself to the great Imam. Many great poets have written numerousQasidasin praise of his kindness and generosity. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen, Vol. 1, Page 208]
HIS EXCELLENCE:
AbuHaazimsays, I have not seen any Jurist more exalted than him.
ZahbiandAiniyahhave said, We have not seen anyQuraishmore exalted than him.
HadratImamMaalik(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) says, He is from the Men of Excellence
Ibn AbiShaibasays, In Hadith, the most exalted chain of transmission is that which is narrated from Imam Zain al-‘Abideen, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) where he narrates from his father Imam Hussain (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho). [Masaalikas-Saalikeen]
HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) was always prepared to sacrifice everything he had for Islam. He sacrificed all his wealth twice for Islam. He was a very generous person. He used to discreetly send money to the poor people living in MadinahShareefand none of them knew that the money was coming from him. The only time this became known to them, was after hiswisaal. [Tarikhal-Khulafa]
HIS PATIENCE :
He was a person with great patience. After the Battle of Karbala, HE was marched to Damascus in chains and in the time of Abdul Malik bin Marwan , he was arrested and chained. He was then forced to walk from Madinah to Syria in chains. With all this, he never complained or said one word about his condition in the Court of Allah . He instead remained patient and madeShukr(thanked Allah ) on every step. Imam Zain al-‘Abideen’smost loyal studentSayyidunaImamZuhricould not bear to see the Imam in this condition, so he went to Abdul Malik binMarwaan, and had the great Imam released. He then took him back to MadinahShareefwith great respect. [Khazinatal-Asfiyah, Vol.1, Page 31/32]
HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideenhad a very soft heart and always thought of the sacrifice that was given by his Father Imam Hussain and all the other Martyrs on the plains of Karbala.
Once, he was walking in the blessed streets of MadinahMunawwarah, when he saw a person placing a goat on the ground, and was sharpening the knife before making the animalzibah. On seeing this, he became very saddened and thought of the martyrdom of his father. He then began to weep bitterly and asked the man, “My dear Brother! Did you give the goat some food and water ornot?”Theman replied that he had fed and given water to the goat for the past three days and had also fed it water just before laying in down. On hearing this,HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideenlet out a sigh of pain and said, “It is sad, that the people ofKufadid not even care for him like (you care for) the goat. They starved him for three days and nights and then martyred him in this state.” [Masaalikas-Saalikeen]
He used to perform one thousandrakaatsofnafilsalaahevery night. One night whilst he was performing hisnafils, his house caught on fire. The people were rushing around trying to put of the fire, but he continued hisNamaazwith total sincerity. After he completed hissalaah, the people told him that his house had caught on fire and yet he continued reading hissalaat(Namaaz) without any showing any sign of panic. He said, “You were trying to extinguish this fire, and I was trying to extinguish the fire of the hereafter.”[Khazinatal-Asfiyah, Vol.1, Page 31]
A person once swore at Imam Zain al-Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) and made slanderous remarks to him.
In response, Imam Zain al-Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) said to him: ‘If the attributes, you accuse me of, are found in me then I repent to AllahAzzawajaland ask for forgiveness. If the attributes are not found in me then on your behalf I ask AllahAzzawajalfor forgiveness and repentance.’
The person saw Imam Zain al-Abideen’spatience and was overwhelmed by it. He stood up, kissed Imam Zain al-Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) on the forehead and said: ‘May my soul be sacrificed for you! Whatever I accused you of was wrong. I seek forgiveness from you and I request you to pray to AllahAzzawajalfor the acceptance of my repentance.’
Imam Zain al-Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) agreed to pray to AllahAzzawajalon his behalf.
HIS IBAADAT:
After theshahaadatof his blessed father Imam Hussain (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho), he completely divorced himself from the materialistic world. He spent all his time in the remembrance of Allah. He would pass his days and nights thinking of the tragedy of Karbala and weeping. WhenHadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) used to sit down to perform wudhu, then his face used to become pale, and when he stood inNamaaz, then his complexion would change to such an extent, that it would be difficult to recognise him. The people would ask, O Beloved of the Prophet (SallallahoAlaihiwaAalihiwaSallam)! What has happened toyou?andhe said, O People!Namaazis a time when you are present in the Court of Allah. Who is so naive as to smile and look happy, when he is standing before his Creator. [Awaarifal-Ma’arif, Page 475]
He used to perform one thousandrakaatsofnafilsalaahevery night. One night whilst he was performing hisnafils, his house caught on fire. The people were rushing around trying to put of the fire, but he continued hisNamaazwith total sincerity. After he completed hissalaah, the people told him that his house had caught on fire and yet he continued reading hisNamaazwithout any showing any sign of panic. He said, You were trying to extinguish this fire, and I was trying to extinguish the fire of the hereafter. [Khazinatal-Asfiyah, Vol.1, Page 31]
ImamTalhaShafi’i(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) writes that onceshaitaanappeared in the form of a snake whist the Imam was inSalaah. He caught the toe ofHadratImam Zain al-‘Abideenin his mouth, but the Imam did not even move or show sign of discomfort. After some time, he became disillusioned and stood a distance away from the Imam. Then, a voice was heard thrice, saying the following words, You are the Jewel of the Worshipper, You are the Chief of those who prostrate (to Allah).
HIS FEAR FOR ALLAH:
He was a personality who truly feared Allah. His heart flowed with the fear of Allah. Once during Hajj, he tied hisEhraambut did not say theLabbaik. The people asked him the reason for this, and he said, I fear the I will sayLabbaikand Allah will say, I do not accept your presence (Hajj). The people then told him that hisEhraamwould not be proper if he did not sayLabbaik. He then saidLabbaik, and began to tremble in the fear of Allah until he fell off his camel and became unconscious. This continued throughout the Hajj, every time that he saidLabbaik. [Khazinatal-Asfiyah]
RECITATION OF THE HOLY QUR’AN:
HadratImamJaafarSaadiq(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) says, When my grandfather,HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) used to recite the Quran, then the beauty of his recitation attracted the people towards him and all those listening to him would become so overwhelmed with the fear of Allah, that one did not know the condition of the other.
RETURN FROM THE BATTLE OF KARBALA:
When Imam Zain al-‘Abideenwas returning to Madinah after the Battle of Karbala, he said a few stanzas. A few stanzas are being presented for blessing.
“O Winds! If someday you pass by the sacred land, then pass my salaams
before theRawdaal-Aqdaswhere the most exaltedNabirests
The Sadness of separation from Madinah feels
like a sword stuck deep into my liver
How fortunate are the people of that city in
which is the Exalted and Beloved Prophet
ORahmatulilAalameen! Assist Zain al-‘Abideen.
Who is standing alone and in difficulty amongst the tyrants.”
Once a person asked Imam Zain al-‘Abideenabout who will be looked upon as pious and good on the last day and he said, “That person, who when he is happy, his happiness does not drive him towards wrong and that person, when he is angry, then his anger does not remove him from what is right.”
In other words, when you are happy, you should not let your happiness take you towards bad deeds and when you are angry, then you should not allow your anger to blind you from that which is right. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen]
MaqamSayyadunaImam Zain al-‘Abideenin Egypt
RESPECT FOR THE KHULAFA:
Once some people from Iraq, came to visit Imam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho). During their visit, they began to say disrespectful words concerningHadratAbu Bakr,HadratUmar andHadratUthman(RidwanullahiTa’aalAlaihimAjma’een).
When they had completed saying what they wished to, He said, Tell me, are you from amongst the firstMuhajireen, concerning whom Almighty Allah says, “Those who were driven out from their homes and their possessions seeking the grace of Allah and His Pleasure, and helping Allah and His Messenger. They are the truthful.” [SurahHashrverse 8]
They replied in the negative, by saying that the verse did not refer to them.HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) then asked if they were from amongst theAnsaar, concerning whom Almighty Allah says in the Quran, And those who had established their homes in this city, with faith, from inception, They, (who) show love to those, who migrated towards them, and who find no need in their hearts, for that which has been left, and they give preference to them over their lives, even though they are in great need.[SurahHashrverse 9]
Again, they answered in the negative. He then said, I swear, that you are not even worthy of this verse of the Quran wherein Allah says, And those who came after them say, O Allah! Pardon us and our brothers, who brought faith before us, And keep not in our hearts hostility towards those withImaan. O Our Lord, Verily you are most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
After saying this, he asked them to leave his presence. In other words, he showed them that they were not from amongst theMuhajireen, or theAnsaar, or even from amongst the believers. He therefore shunned them for being disrespectful to theKhulafa-e-Thalaasa.
KARAAMAT:
TheKaraamatsof Imam Zain al-‘Abideenare numerous, but a few are being quoted for attaining blessings.
Incident During Hajj:
Two peoplewheremakingtawaafof the Kaaba and came toHajr-e-Aswad. When they touched theHajr-e-Aswad, both their hands became stuck on it. People tried very hard to release their hands, but it was not possible.HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideenentered the Haram whilst this was happening. He saidBismillahhirrahmaannirrahimand then placed his hands on theHajr-e-Aswad. Immediately the two peoples hands were released. [Khazinatal-Asfiyah, Vol. 1, Page 34]
The Deer:
OnceHadrathad gone into the jungle with his companions. As they sat to eat, a deer passed by them. The Imam called to the deer and asked it to partake in the meal with them. The Deer immediately came to the Imam and partook in the meal provided. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen, Vol. 1, Page 11]
ADeersComplaint:
A deer once came toHadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho), whilst he was in a jungle. The animal fell to the ground and began to say something. Those with the Imam asked what had happened. The Imam said that the deer was complaining about a man who captured her child.HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) summoned the man. The man brought with him the child belonging to the deer. Imam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) asked him to release the deer, which he gladly did. After some time, the deer took its young, and said something and then left. Those present were amazed and asked the Imam what the deer said as she left. The Imam said, She said,JazakAllahufiDarainKhair. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen]
HIS CHILDREN:
Almighty Allah blessedHadratImam Zain al-‘Abideen(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) with fifteen children. Their blessed names are as follows :
Sons:
1.HadratMuhammad (ImamBaaqir), (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
2.HadratZaid, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
3.HadratImraan, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
4.HadratAbdullah, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
5.HadratHassan, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
6.HadratHussain, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
7.HadratHussainAsghar, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
8.HadratAbdurRahmaan, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
9.HadratSulaiman, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
10.Hadrat Ali, (RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho)
11. one more son whose name is not known.
Daughters:
1.HadratKhadija,
2.HadratFathima,
3.HadratAliyah,
4.HadratUmmeKulthoom(RidwanullahiTa’alaAlaihimAjma’een).
HadratImam Zain al-‘Abideens(RadiALLAHuTa’alaAnho) descendants are fromHadratImamBaqir,HadratZaid,HadratAbdullah,HadratHussainAshgar,HadratImraanandHadratAli (RidwanullahiTa’alaAlaihimAjma’een) All of them were blessed with numerous children. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen]
WISAAL SHARIF:
He was given poison by Waleed bin Abdul Malik and was thus madeshaheedon the 18th of Muharram and according to some narrations on the 12th or 22nd of Muharram at the age of 57 or 58. He passed away inMadinatul Munawwarah and his Mazaar Shareef is inJannatulBaqi. Few have said that hisMazarSharif is in Egypt and there is a Mosque and Shrine of Imam Zain al-‘Adideenin Cairo, Egypt as well but the majority have accepted his Mazar Sharif being in Baqee al Garqad, Madina Munawwarah. ALLAH & His Prophet Knows the Best!
After his wisaal, his camel placed its head on his mazaar shareef and cried.Hadrat Imam Baqir tried to move it away, but it refused. In the end, he said, “She will die in this exact place.” Eventually she did pass away at the Mazaar of Imam Zain al-‘Abideen. [Masaalikas-Saalikeen, Vol. 1, Page 207]