Martyrdom of Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH)

Heartfelt condolences to you all on a very poignant occasion. Today the 25th of the month of Moharram is the anniversary of the day on which in the year 95 AH, the blessed household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) suffered another blow with the martyrdom of the Survivor of the heartrending tragedy of Karbala, Imam Ali Zain al-Abedin (AS).

He was the great-grandson and the 4^th Infallible Heir of the Prophet, and it was because of this reason, the self-styled caliph of that time, the Godless Waleed ibn Abdul-Malik of the spiteful Omayyad clan, poisoned the Imam at the age of 57 years. Nonetheless, as the Chosen of God, the 4^th Imam left a lasting legacy that alive and vibrant till this day all over the world, and guides the seekers of truth to the path of the Lord Most High. Please stay with us for an exclusive feature on the teachings of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS).

"To see your enemy plunging in acts of disobedience to God because of you is a sufficient victory from God to you."

This is how the Victorious Survivor of the bloodcurdling tragedy of Karbala, summed up the self-inflicted misery of the wretched enemies of truth and reality, who by turning away from guidance, plunge deeper and deeper into sins, and thus damn themselves perpetually. Imam Zain al-Abedin left the world, 34 years after his father, Imam Husain (AS), achieved the greatest ever victory in martyrdom when the ungodly Shimr Ziljowshan savagely severed his while he was still alive. These bestial acts of disobedience of God by their dastardly enemies are undoubtedly the most glorious victories for the Prophet's Ahl al-Bayt. True to the promise of God, the Chosen of God are triumphant in every sphere of life as their devilish opponents damn themselves to perfidy by indulging in the most inhuman acts against them. On the late afternoon of the 10^th Muharram, 61 AH, when the bed-ridden Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), awoke to the ghastly sight of his father's head mounted on a lance, he immediately saluted the Martyr of Karbala with tearful eyes and a choking voice. This was indeed a victory for the Ahl al-Bayt for having successfully passed the divine test of martyrdom.

The evening of Ashura with all its heartrending scenes of the burning of the encampment of the Prophet's Household by the Omayyad hordes and their looting of whatever meagre worldly things the noble children and womenfolk possessed, was sufficient success in the tests ordained by God for the then 23-year old Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS). The next morning brought more success to him and his equally patient aunt, Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her), as the cowardly enemies plunged deeper and deeper into the abyss of the inferno by chaining and fettering the Prophet's great-grandson and the rest of survivors of the tragedy, for presentation at the court of the despicable governor of Kufa, Obaydollah ibn Ziyad. The sermons in Damascus, of the aunt and the nephew, who vanquished the tyrant Yazid by exposing him and his sires in their true heathen colours, are outside the scope of this brief radio programme, in which we will try to present glimpses of the life of the 4^th Imam who continues to be a role model for the faithful, on how to be patient and forbearing even in the most adverse circumstances of life.

Following his return to the outskirts of Medina, for the next 34 years of his life, the 4^th Imam witnessed triumph after greater triumph in spreading the Word of God through aphorisms, prayers, supplications, admonitions, and definition of social and individual rights, including the rights of our own bodily parts upon us. These are embodied in two of the most brilliant books that are preserved for humanity. The first is the "Sahifat-as-Sajjadiyya" which is rightly called the Psalms of the Household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The second is the "Risalat al-Hoqouq", which has been translated into English as Treatise of Rights, and is a more perfect description of all kinds of rights that the imagination of the world's greatest thinkers put together. At the same time, Imam Zain al-Abedin, silently and patiently suffered the suffocating atmosphere, as caliph after caliph of the evil Omayyad regime plunged into the fires of hell, by indulging in the most abominable sins. For instance, over a year after the tragedy of Karbala, the tyrant Yazid ordered his forces to commit yet another heinous crime against humanity by attacking Medina, massacring at least 10,000 men including several hundred companions of the Prophet, looting their property and raping the women. The devilish Yazid then sent his army to storming the holy city of Mecca and storm the holy Ka'ba with fire and brimstone.

Next, the 4^th Imam had to witness the almost decade long terrorizing of the Muslim ummah by the despicable Abdullah ibn Zubayr, who coveted the caliphate although he had no right to it like all others who aspired before him or after him, since it is only God Almighty Who determines as to who should be the true successor of the Prophet, and there was no doubt for the faithful that the rightful heir was none other than the most excellent and pious person of his times, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS). Ibn Zubayr resorted to pressures and threats against the noble members of the Prophet's Household, and had almost succeeded in burning alive the male members of the Bani Hashem, when God rescued them through the timely detachment sent from Iraq to Hijaz by Mokhtar ibn Abu Obaidah, who had risen for the sake of God to avenge the innocent blood of Imam Husain (AS) by punishing the perpetrators of history's most gruesome tragedy. In 73 AH, Abdullah Ibn Zubayr died an ignominious death near the holy Ka'ba which was again attacked by the Godless Omayyads and this time completely burned down by the infidel Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. When the Omayyads had left and the holy Ka'ba was rebuilt, none could place the Hajar al-Aswad or the Sacred Black Stone in its proper place, except for Imam Zain al-Abedin, regarding whose leadership this seemingly inanimate object, miraculously gave testimony to the amazement of all onlookers.

Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) had to endure more trampling of the shari'ah of his ancestor the Prophet, as Arab armies swept towards the Atlantic coast of Africa and into Spain in the west, while in the east, they burst with savagery on Sindh and the lands beyond the Jaxartes River in Central Asia. They plundered the cities and gathered wealth, but at the same time banned the conquered people from becoming Muslim, so that the Omayyad regime will not be deprived of jizya or tax levied on the non-Muslims to keep its coffers overflowing from ill-gained money. Could there be a greater violation of the letter and spirit of the holy Qur'an? The Imam patiently continued his mission by imparting to the ummah the genuine teachings and practice of the Prophet. He was so gracious, even to his enemies, that when the beliefs of the Muslims were being undermined by the policies of the regime, which was importing coins from the Christian Byzantine Empire, stamped with the trinity, he advised the rulers in Damascus to set up a mint in the Islamic world to produce the needed currency for circulation, so as to save the drain of the bullion to the non-Muslims as well as to safeguard the monotheistic beliefs of Muslims. He even sent his son and successor, Imam Mohammad Baqer (AS) to Syria to practically implement this wonderful plan.

The ruthless regime, however, instead of feeling grateful for the guidance of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS) became more jealous of him, because it knew that he was the righteous successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), while they themselves were usurpers. Thus, on this day in the year 95 AH, the spiteful Waleed, afraid of doing open bodily harm to the 4^th Imam, had him poisoned, as a result of which the Survivor of the Tragedy of Karbala also attained martyrdom. In other words, he left the in a state of victory at the age of 57, but not before ensuring that the genuine teachings of the Book of God and the Sunnah of the Prophet would be carried on triumphantly after him by Imam Muhammad al-Baqer (AS), who in turn would bequeath this salvaging legacy to his son, Imam Ja'far Sadeq (AS), who at the time of the departure from the mortal world of his peerless grandfather was 12 years old. We once again offer our heartfelt condolences to all listeners, with a prayer to God to speed up the reappearance of the 12^th and Last Infallible Successor of the Prophet, who will rise in the end times as Qa'em al-Mahdi (AS) to herald the grand victory of truth and Islam by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.

AS/ME