The sun of being of
Hazrat Ali Ibn Hossein- Zeynolabedin AlSajad (p.b.u.h.) from east side of
Iranian queen and the Arab bride, Shahrbanoo rose in the year: 38 Hijri, two
years before the martyrdom of his grand father, Amiralmomenin (p.b.u.h.) in
Kufa. His sacred name was Ali, originated from transcendence, given from the
name of his grandfather, having been originated from the name of Almighty God.
Shahrbanoo, daughter of
Yazdgerd, Iranian king, having enjoyed an excellent education and spiritual
goodness, peak of wisdom and knowledge, died as it is narrated, after Ali son
of Hossein (p.b.u.h.) was born, thus, a woman named Shahrbanoo who was among
the captives of Karbala, was not mother of Ali son of Hossein (p.b.u.h.), wife
of Seyed-Al Shohada, daughter of Yazdgerd.
Imam Zeynolabdin returned
Hajar Alasvad from Quaramites and installed it on sacred house at Mecca. The
paradise stone spoke to witness that Hazrat Sajad was Imam. Most of the
historians have registered the event. When there was a difference on Imamate
after Imam Hossein (p.b.u.h.) between the followers of Hazrat Zeynolabedin (p.b.u.h.)
and Mohammad son of Hanifeh, they stood against Hajar Alasvad and the stone
clearly confirmed Imamate of Hazrat Zeynolabedin Imam Sajad (p.b.u.h.) in
presence of many people.
One night, the fourth
Imam was praying when Satan appeared to him as an awesome dragon and stood
against him to abrupt him. The dragon kept a finger of Hazrat and pressed it.
Imam Zeynolabedin (p.b.u.h.) paid no attention like his great grandfather
Amiralmomenin (p.b.u.h.) and had a meditation with God, so he was named after
the event:
ZEYNOLABEDIN.
Imam Mohammad Bagher (p.b.u.h.)
stated:
"My father suggested to me not to company five types of the people: 1.
A lewd man who will sell you with an impure price. 2. A greedy man who will
far you from his needs. 3. A liar man who will like a mirage and will near
whatever is far and will far whatever is near. 5. A stupid man who can not
recognize your profit and your loss. 6. A man having no relationship with his
family, who is cursed three times in Quran."
Unfortunately, many
ignorant people call the fourth Imam as a patient Imam and by mentioning the
title, they think about a suffering, disable man, having a pale face and
oppressed soul, while it is not the truth. Because the fourth Imam was sick
only when the event of Karbala happened and thereafter he was recovered and
lived about 35 years like the other Imams, enjoying health.
Doubtless, his short term
sickness during the event was a God's will so that he would be exempted of
fighting to keep safe of Yazid and his mercenary, so that the line of Imamate
would not disconnect. If Imam was not sick at that time, he should fight with
Yazid and would be martyred like his father and the light of guidance would
turn off.
After the event of
Ashoura, the fourth Imam had a dilemma. He would oppose the ruling regime by
exciting the people, as he was able to do so, among those who believed in Imam
and his movement, to create a hilarious occurrence, which would of course be
removed like a flame due to lack of circumstances necessary for a deep action
and resistance to make the field of thought and policy empty, ready for
attacks of Bani Omayeh, or to control the surface sentiments by a proper
policy, and to prepare firstly the requirements necessary for the great
action.
A guiding thought and
some pure elements are needed for commencement of the main action- renewal of
being of Islam, recreation of the society and Islamic system. He should
protect the lives of his limited followers, so that they would not empty the
field for the enemy, as long as they were living and as long as they could be
concealed of the searching frightened looks of Bani Omayeh regime, keeping the
front- the front of construction of pious men, the front of education of
thought, continuing a hidden fight. He would let the Imam who would come after
him, to continue the same path, till reaching the destination, …. Doubtlessly,
the first path was that would be selected by those who would sacrifice
themselves. But a leader of a religion whose action's effects would cover not
only the limited circle of his time, but the whole life of the history, should
not suffice making sacrifices, but he shall enjoy deep thought and should be
patient and wise. Such conditions made Imam to select the second path. The
fourth Imam selected the second path to commence a series of guiding cultural,
educational programs and indirect resistance, without making the government
sensitive. The activities he made are as follows:
1. Keeping Alive the
Memory of Ashoura:
Since martyrdom of Imam
Hossein (p.b.u.h.) and his followers remained an impact on the public thought
which was dangerous for the Omavid governors, making the people doubtful of
legitimacy of such a government, Imam was crying for the martyrs not to allow
the fire extinguish and to keep the memory alive. He continued an opposition
by crying on the martyrs.
Indeed, reaction of Imam
Sajad (p.b.u.h.) had a political result. He was reminding the people
repeatedly of the event of Karbala, not letting the betray and crime of Omavid
be forgotten. Whenever he wanted to drink, whenever he saw water, he tore and
if he was asked the result of his tears, he would say, how can I help crying
when they let the animals have water in the deserts, but they did not my
father drink water?!
2. Guidance of the
Nation:
Since the fourth Imam was living in the era of strangulation, he could
not clearly express the definitions he considered, so he was preaching and
though his preaches, he was making the people familiar with true Islamic
thoughts and was reminding to the people the pure and original thoughts which
had been forgotten during the time due to negative advertisement of the evil
rulers. He was introducing to the people and to the Islamic society as much as
possible the realities of Islam.
A sample of one of the
statements of Imam (p.b.u.h.) was a detailed preach he made to
Abou Hamzeh
Samali- one of his best friends and closest followers.
3. Elaboration of
Cultures at Classes of Prayers:
Since at the time of the fourth Imam (p.b.u.h.)
there were stifling rulers, he had to express his goals and aims within
prayers. Collection of his prayers is known as Sahifeh Sajadieh, making a
valuable treasury of realities and divine instructions after Quran and
Nahjolbalagheh, so that it has been named by distinguished scientists as
Okht
Alquran,
Bible of Prophet's Family,
Testament of followers of Mohammad.
4. Encountering and
Fighting with Royal scientists:
One of the most sensational discussions about
lives of Imams is their encountering with improper thoughts and cultures in
the Islamic societies of their eras, i.e. the jurists, interpreters, scholars,
and royal judges. They were those who were guiding the beliefs of the people
for the benefit of the oppressive powers, making them get used to the
situation concerned by caliphs of Bani Omayeh and Bani Abbas, making them
obedient and submissive to the situation, creating for them fields of thought
and mind, so that they would accept their government.
5. Advertisement of
Decrees and Educational and Moral Effects:
One of the other
dimensions of fights of the fourth Imam with the evils and immorality of his
era was advertisement of Islamic decrees and elaboration of educational and
ethical discourses.
6. Helping the Needy:
One
of the bright dimensions of life of the fourth Imam (p.b.u.h.) was his social
services fulfilled during the dark era. He was taking as an stranger the bags
of bread and food to the needy. He stated: a hidden alms will extinguish the
fire of God's Fury."
7. Educational Center:
At
advent of Islam, slavery was common throughout the world, because such an
extended phenomenon could not be removed suddenly, Islamic paved the way for
gradual removal of slavery in different ways. Islam decreased the ways of
slavery and limited it on one part and announced compulsory releasing the
slaves as a gift to God to forgive many sins and this way made many slaves,
free.
The fourth Imam (p.b.u.h.)
considered it humanistic and educational to release the slaves. He was buying
the slaves, was instructing them and then was releasing them, so that they
would make cultural and educational activities as models of good men. None of
them stop their relationship with Imam after being released.
This program of Imam (p.b.u.h.)
is worth considering, taking into account the limitations he had in direct
guidance of society.