Seerah

On 25th of the Islamic month of Moharram in 95 AH, Imam Ali Zain al-Abedin (AS), the 4th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), attained martyrdom at the age of 57 as a result of a fatal dose of poison administered on the orders of Waleed I, the 6th self-styled caliph of the usurper Omayyad regime. The 4th Imam, who was born in Medina in 38 AH, was the son of the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS). His mother was Princess Shahrbano of Iran, the daughter of the last Sassanid Emperor, Yazdgerd III.

Following the tragedy of Karbala, the 23-year old Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) was made a prisoner along with the womenfolk and children of the Prophet’s blessed household, and taken to the courts of the tyrants in Kufa and Damascus. He waged a unique jihad in this state of captivity and despite being in chain and fetters, rocked the court of Yazid through his eloquent sermons that exposed the hypocrisy and Godlessness of the Omayyads.

During the 34 years of his imamate or divinely-decreed authority, the he revived the genuine teachings of Islam and groomed a large number of scholars at the fledgling academy of Medina which was to blossom under his son, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS), and later under his grandson, Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), at whose feet 4,000 scholars used to study various branches of science.

The 4th Imam who was also known as “Seyyed os-Sajedin” or simply “Sajjad”, because of his long hours of prostration to God Almighty. Among his immortal legacy is the Treatise on Rights, which is more perfect than the UN Charter of Human Rights. He also bequeathed to humanity the brilliant collection of supplications known as “Sahifat as-Sajjadiyah” that not only covers morals and fundamentals of faith, but also scientific issues, including the weight of light.