ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn
علي بن الحسين زين العابدين
4th Imam of the Twelvers and 3rd Imam of the Isma'ilis
Zayn al-Abidin preaching in defense of Husayn ibn Ali in a mosque in the presence of Yazid I; a miniature painting from a manuscript of Hadikat al-suada, 16th/17th century Ottoman Turkey
4th Shia Imam
In office
680 CE – 712 CE
Preceded byHusayn ibn Ali
Succeeded byMuhammad al-Baqir according to the Twelver, and Isma'ili Shia, Zayd ibn Ali according to the Zaydi Shia.
Title
List
  • Zayn al-Abidin[1]
    (lit. 'ornament of the worshippers')
  • Sayyid al-Abidin [2]
    (lit. 'master of worshippers')
  • al-Sajjad[3]
    (lit. 'the one who is constantly prostrating in worship')
  • Ibn al-Khiyaratayn[3]
    (lit. 'son of the best two')
  • Dhu al-Thafanat[3]
    (lit. 'the one with calluses (from prayers)')
  • al-Zaki[1]
    (lit. 'the pure one')
  • al-Amin[4]
    (lit. 'the trusted one')
  • Dördüncü Ali
    (lit. 'the fourth Ali')
Personal
Born
Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali

c. 4 January 659
(5 Sha'ban 38 AH)[5] (disputed)
Medina, Hejaz[1][3]
Diedc. 13 October 713(713-10-13) (aged 54)
(25 Muharram 95 AH)
Medina, Umayyad Caliphate (present-day KSA)
Cause of deathPoisoned
Resting placeAl-Baqi Cemetery, Medina, Saudi Arabia[6]
24°28′1″N 39°36′50.21″E / 24.46694°N 39.6139472°E / 24.46694; 39.6139472
ReligionIslam
Spouse
Children
  • Muhammad al-Baqir
  • Zayd al-Shahid
  • Hasan
  • Husayn al-Akbar
  • Husayn al-Asghar
  • Abd Allah
  • Abd al-Rahman
  • Sulayman
  • Muhammad al-Asghar
  • Umar al-Ashraf
  • Ali
  • Umm Kulthum
  • Khadija
  • Fatima
  • Aliyya[8]
Parents
Relatives
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Principles
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Groups
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ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (Arabic: علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (ٱلسَّجَّاد, lit. 'the one who is constantly prostrating in worship') or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (lit. 'ornament of worshippers'), c. 4 January 659 – c. 13 October 713, was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ibn Ali, and his grandfather, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Ali ibn al-Husayn survived the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, after which he and the other survivors were taken to Yazid I in Damascus. He was eventually allowed to return to Medina, where he led a secluded life with a few close companions. He devoted his life to prayer and was regarded as an authority on law and hadith. Some of his supplications are collected in Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (lit. 'the scripture of Sajjad'), which is highly regarded by the Shia.[10] He adopted a quiescent attitude towards the Umayyads and is seen by the Shia community as an example of patience and perseverance when numerical odds are against them.[11]

Name and epithets

Ali was born to Husayn ibn Ali, the third Shia imam, who also had two more sons named Ali, both of whom were killed in the Battle of Karbala. The first was an infant, referred to as Ali al-Asghar (lit. 'Ali junior') in Shia literature. The second one was Ali al-Akbar (lit. 'Ali senior') though some historians, such as the Shia jurist al-Qadi al-Nu'man (d. 974), maintain that Zayn al-Abidin was the eldest brother. Some Sunni historians, including Ibn Sa'd (d. 845), Ibn Qutayba (d. 889), al-Baladhuri (d. 892) and al-Tabari (d. 923), refer to Zayn al-Abidin as Ali al-Asghar.[3][1]

Ali's kunya is reported variously as Abu al-Ḥasan, Abu al-Ḥusayn, Abu Muḥammad, Abu Bakr, and Abu Abd Allah. His honorific titles are al-Sajjad (lit. 'the one who is constantly prostrating in worship'), as well as Zayn al-Abidin (lit. 'ornament of worshipers'), and al-Zaki (lit. 'the pure one'). He was also known as Dhu al-Tafenat in reference to the calluses formed on his forehead from frequent prostration.[1]

Life

Birth and early life

Most sources report that Ali was born in Medina in 658–659 CE (38 AH).[12] He may have been too young to have remembered his grandfather Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia imam, who died in 661. Ali was instead raised by his uncle Hasan and his father Husayn, the second and third Shia imams, who were the two grandchildren of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[12]

Ali's mother is named variously as Barra, Gazala, Solafa, Salama, Sahzanan, and Sahbanuya.[3][1] She was a (freed) slave girl (umm walad) from Sind, according to the Sunni historian Ibn Qutayba (d. 889).[3][1] Shia sources, by contrast, maintain that Ali's mother was the daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Sasanian Emperor.[1] Shia tradition thus refers to Ali as Ibn al-Khiyaratayn (lit. 'son of the best two'), a title that signifies the union of the Quraysh, representing the Arabs, and the Persians, representing non-Arabs.[12][3] By some Shia accounts, Shahrbanu, daughter of Yazdegerd III, was brought to Medina as a captive during the reign of the second caliph Umar (r. 634–644), who wanted to sell her. Upon the suggestion of Ali, however, she was allowed to choose her husband, Husayn. She may have died shortly after giving birth to her only son, Ali.[12][13]

In Karbala

In 680, Husayn and a small group of supporters and relatives were massacred in the Battle of Karbala by the forces of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I, to whom Husayn had refused to pledge allegiance.[14] Ali ibn al-Husayn was present in Karbala but was too ill to participate in the fighting.[3] After killing Husayn and his supporters, the Umayyad troops looted his camp and found Ali ibn al-Husayn lying deathly ill in one of the tents. The Umayyad officer Shimr apparently wanted to kill him too but his aunt Zaynab successfully pleaded to the Umayyad commander Umar ibn Sa'ad to spare Ali's life.[14][15]

In Kufa

After the battle, Ali and the womenfolk were taken prisoner and marched to Kufa, alongside the heads of Husayn and his supporters.[16] They arrived there on 12 Muharram,[17] and there are reports that they were treated poorly along the way.[18][19][20][21][22] In Kufa, the captives were paraded in shackles and unveiled around the city alongside the heads of Husayn and his companions on spears.[18] The captives were then presented to the Umayyad governor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, who boasted about killing Husayn and his relatives,[23] and called it divine punishment.[24] Ali’s response that Ibn Ziyad was a murderer angered him,[24] and he ordered the execution of Ali but was dissuaded when Ali’s aunt Zaynab protected him and asked to be killed first.[25][3] After releasing the rest,[26] Ibn Ziyad imprisoned the Hashimite captives for a while and then sent them to the Umayyad capital, Damascus.[27]

Journey to Damascus

The caravan's route to Damascus is uncertain,[28] but perhaps they took the desert path.[29] The captives were taken from "village to village" and displayed,[30][31][32] and a letter to Yazid by Muhammad’s uncle Ibn Abbas later condemned the parading of the womenfolk from Kufa to Damascus, adding that he deemed this to be worse than the massacre of Husayn and his relatives.[33]

In Damascus

The captives were paraded in the streets of Damascus,[34] and then imprisoned for a while.[35] When they were brought to the caliph, the Islamicist L. Veccia Vaglieri (d. 1989) writes that Yazid treated them kindly after an initial harsh interview and that he regretted the conduct of his governor, even saying that he would have pardoned Husayn if he was alive.[14] Similar accounts are offered by the historians W. Madelung (d. 2023) and H. Halm.[36][37] By contrast, the Islamicist M. Momen believes that Yazid initially treated the captives harshly but later released them as the public opinion began to sway in their favor, fearing unrest in his territory.[27] Views of this kind are expressed by multiple authors, including Esposito,[34] R. Osman,[38] K. Aghaie,[39] D. Pinault,[29] H. Munson,[40] and the Shia scholar M.H. Tabatabai (d. 1981).[41] In particular, the Sunni historian Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) writes that Yazid did not reprimand his governor in the wake of the massacre, which does not suggest remorse on his part to the Islamicist H.M. Jafri (d. 2019). Jafri adds that the claims of remorse also contradict the earlier orders of Yazid for his governor to either exact homage from Husayn or kill him.[42]

An alternative account is presented by the Shia scholar Tabarsi (d. 1153) and by the early historian Abu Mikhnaf (d. c. 773).[43] They write that the captives were brought in a ceremony to the caliph, who recited poetry and gloated about avenging his pagan relatives killed in the Battle of Badr (624).[38][44][45] By some accounts, Yazid also dishonored the severed head of Husayn with blows from a cane,[46] although this last episode is instead sometimes attributed to Ibn Ziyad,[14][27][21] for instance in the account given by Veccia Vaglieri in which a respectful Yazid blames his governor for killing Husayn.[47] Recounting this last account, Madelung suggests that early (Sunni) sources tend to exonerate the caliph at the cost of Ibn Ziyad. Madelung then argues that the prime responsibility for killing Husayn rests with Yazid.[3] Part of the great mosque in Damascus, known as Mashhad Ali, marks where Ali was incarcerated.[1]

Freedom and return to Medina

The captives were eventually freed.[35] They were allowed to return to Medina,[18] or escorted back there.[35] By some accounts, their caravan returned via Karbala, where they halted to mourn their dead.[29][48] Sunni sources report Yazid's remorse for the massacre and that he compensated the captives for the property plundered by his soldiers.[49] By contrast, Shia authorities contend that it was Zaynab's activism that swayed some in Yazid's court, and thus compelled the caliph to disassociate himself from the massacre and blame his governor.[38] Similar views are expressed by some contemporary authors.[27][34][41]

Aftermath of Karbala

Ali led a quiet life upon his return to Medina, confining himself to a limited circle of followers who referred to him for religious matters.[50] He took aloof from political activities and dedicated his time to prayer, which earned him the honorifics Zayn al-Abidin and Sajjad.[1][3] According to the Islamicist W. Chittick, Zayn al-Abidin spent his time in worship and learning, was an authority on law and hadith, and was best known for his virtuous character and piety.[15] Ali was deeply affected by the Karbala massacre, to the point that he would frequently weep in its memory for many years. When asked about it, he is reported to have made a reference to verse 12:84 of the Quran, "Jacob, the prophet, had twelve sons, and God made one of them disappear. His eyes turned white from constant weeping, his head turned grey out of sorrow, and his back became bent in the gloom, though his son was alive. But I watched while my father, my brother, my uncle, and seventeen members of my family were slaughtered all around me. How should my sorrow come to an end?"[15]

Ibn Zubayr's revolt

The atrocities of Karbala were related by its survivors and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr soon aroused the indignant people of Medina and later Mecca to revolt against the Umayyads. Medinan forces were, however, crushed by the Umayyad army in the Battle of al-Harra.[51]

Zayn al-Abidin kept his distance from both the Umayyad and Zubayri authorities.[52] During the uprising, according to Jafri, he left Medina to emphasize his neutrality.[53] After the Medinans' defeat in the Battle of al-Harra, unlike others, Ali was exempted from a renewed oath of allegiance to Yazid.[54] This exemption was in part because he sheltered the Umayyad Marwan and his family on one occasion.[1] Non-Shia sources describe a friendly relationship between Zayn al-Abidin and Marwan, who later succeeded Yazid's son, alleging that Marwan lent Ali money to buy a concubine and consulted him on a message received from the Byzantine emperor. Shia sources, however, argue that Ali's interactions with the authorities were based on the principle of taqiya to avoid persecution.[1]

Tawwabin's revolt

The massacre of Karbala in 61 AH had a profound impact on the Shia.[55] The Tawwabin (lit. 'penitents') in Kufa, led by Sulayman ibn Surad, was the first Shia group that sought to atone for their failure to assist Husayn and deliver the caliphate to Zayn al-Abidin.[56][57] They remained underground until 65 AH and then marched against and were defeated by the much larger Umayyad army after three days of heavy fighting. Sulayman was killed in the battle.[55][58] There is no evidence of Ali's involvement in this uprising.[57]

Mokhtar's revolt

Mukhtar al-Thaqafi arrived in Kufa in 64 AH, shortly before the Tawwabin's revolt, and campaigned among the Shia for the imamate of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, a son of the first Imam, Ali, but not with Fatima.[55] According to some sources Mokhtar asked Zayn al-Abidin to allow him to invite people to support him and start his uprising in his name, but Zayn al-Abidin did not accept.[24] After the defeat of the Tawwabun and in the absence of any alternatives, the campaign of Mukhtar grew in popularity and he eventually took over Kufa in 66 AH.[55] Mukhtar chased down and killed those responsible for the massacre of Karbala, including Umar ibn Sa'ad and Shimr.[59] According to Madelung, however, Mukhtar most likely sent their heads to Ibn al-Hanafiyya, rather than Zayn al-Abidin.[3] Ibn Ziyad was also killed in battle and his head was taken to the same place in Kufa where Ibn Ziyad had received the head of Husayn. Mukhtar himself was killed in battle by Ibn Zubayr in 67 or 68 AH.[59][60] Ibn Zubayr, however, did not view Zayn al-Abedin as responsible for Mukhtar's uprising and thus left him unharmed.[59] Similarly, Zayn al-Abidin was not harmed by the Umayyad al-Hajjaj[60] when the latter defeated and killed Ibn Zubayr, following the siege of Mecca in 73 AH.[50]

Imamate

Succession to Husayn

Among the descendants of Muhammad, Ali was the natural candidate for the imamate as the only surviving son of Husayn after Karbala. Though he cannot accept or reject them, Jafri also lists a number of Shia traditions about the appointment of Ali as the next Imam by his father, Husayn.[61] Nevertheless, after the death of Husayn, a number of factions within the Shia, including the Tawwabin, felt that the Umayyad Caliphate should be overthrown and that it fell to Imam to lead the rebellion. As a result of Zayn al-Abidin's quiescent policy, those groups rallied behind Mokhtar who revolted under the auspices of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah.[62] Shia sources, however, emphasize that Mokhtar turned to Ibn al-Hanafiyaah only after only the rejection by Zayn al-Abidin.[1][63]

For his part, Ibn al-Hanafiyaah neither repudiated Mukhtar's propaganda nor made any public claims about succession to Husayn.[61] Jafri suggests that Ibn al-Hanafiyaah, not being a descendant of Muhammad, might have been unwilling to claim the imamate for himself.[64] Donaldson recounts a Shia tradition which describes how Zayn al-Abedin and Ibn Hanafiyyah agreed to appeal to the sacred Black Stone of the Kaaba to determine which of the two was the true successor. There, Ibn Hanafiyyah prayed for a sign to no avail. Zayn al-Abedin's prayer was, however, answered and the Black Stone spoke in favor of his imamate. The tradition notes that the miracle satisfied Ibn Hanafiyyah.[50] Abu Khalid al-Kabuli, a companion of Ibn Hanafiah, turned to Zayn al-Abidin afterwards.[1] In addition to Abu Khalid, Shia sources list Qasim ibn Awf and a few others among the prominent Shias who abandoned Ibn al-Hanafiyyah.[65] Ismailils maintain that Ibn Hanafiah was appointed by Husayn as a temporary Imam and a cover to protect the true Imam, Zayn al-Abidin.[1]

The question of rightful succession to Husayn, as between his son and Ibn al-Hanafiyyah, divided the Shia[59] and diverted considerable support away from Zayn al-Abidin,[60] at least until the death of al-Zubayr and, with it, the collapse of the political ambitions of the people of Hejaz and Iraq.[65][1] Kasaniyya is a name given to all sects originated from Mokhtar's revolt who trace the imamate through Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah and his successors. The Kaysaniyya itself is divided to different sects, though its common view is that Hasan, Husayn, and Ibn Hanfiyyah were the true successors of Ali. However, some extreme sects within the Kaysaniyya reject the imamate of Hasan and Husayn.[66]

When Ibn Hanafiyyah died in 81 AH,[60] some of his followers, who became known as the Karbiyya, came to believe that Ibn Hanafiyyah had not died but was in concealment at a mountain near Medina, and would reappear again as Mahdi to fill the earth with justice. Another group, called the Hashemiyya, admitted that Ibn Hanafiyya was dead and followed his son, Abu Hashim. All Keysaniyya sects are distinguished by the love for Ali and his family and the hatred for ruling dynasty. According to Kohlberg, when Ibn Hanafiyya died, some Kaysanites joined Zayn al-Abidin.[1] It was around this time that the doctrine of nass, i.e., the Imam's explicit designation of his successor, found its modern importance in the Shia jurisprudence (fiqh).[67]

Successor

According to Jafri, it is widely reported that Zayn al-Abidin designated his eldest son, Muhammad al-Baqir, as the next Imam before his death.[68][69] Zayd, a half-brother of Muhammad al-Baqir, also asserted a claim to the imamate, saying that the title can belong to any descendant of Hasan or Husayn who is learned, pious, and revolts against the tyrants of his time.[70][71] On this basis, his followers, known as Zaydis, consider Zayd as the rightful successor to Zayn al-Abidin, though Zayn al-Abidin himself did not revolt against the Umayyads and instead adopted a policy of quiescence.[72] Initially, Zayd's activist approach gained him a large following. However, as he increasingly compromised with the traditionalists, some of Zayd's supporters are said to have returned to Muhammad al-Baqir.[70][73] Eventually, Zayd took up arms against the Umayyads in 122 AH and was killed in Kufa by the forces of Caliph Hisham.[70] Muhammad al-Baqir, in contrast, opted for a policy of quiescence like his father.[6]

Miracles

In Shia sources, a number of miracles are attributed to Ali, including the speaking of the Black Stone in favor of his claim to the imamate in the presence of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, his speaking to a gazelle in the desert, and restoring youth to an old woman.[3]

Family

Ali ibn al-Husayn is said to have between eight and fifteen children, of whom four sons were born to Umm Abd Allah Fatima bint Hasan and the others were from concubines.[1][3] According to Chittick, Zayn al-Abidin fathered fifteen children, eleven boys and four girls.[15] Al-Shaykh al-Mufid reports their names as Muhammad al-Baqir, Zayd, Hasan, Husayn al-Akbar, Husayn al-Asghar, Abd Allah, Abd al-Rahman, Sulayman, Muhammad al-Asghar, Umar al-Ashraf, Ali, Umm Kulthum, Khadija, Fatima and Aliyya.[8]

Death

The desecrated grave of Zain al-Abidin at al-Baqi' in Saudi Arabia

Zayn al-Abidin is said to have been poisoned in Medina at the instigation of the reigning Umayyad caliph, al-Walid, or his brother, Hisham.[6][74] The year of his death is reported as 94 AH (712 CE) or 95 (713) and he is buried next to his uncle, Hasan, in the al-Baqi' cemetery in Medina.[75][76][77] According to Madelung, after his death, many people discovered that their livelihoods had come from Ali. He would go out every night with a sack of food on his back, knocking at the doors of the poor, and gave freely to whoever answered while covering his face to remain anonymous.[3]

Social status

Despite the large following of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiya, Muslims and particularly the learned circles of Medina appear to have held Ali in great respect,[60][78] particularly as Muhammad's great grandson[15] and a prominent traditionist.[79] A number of leading jurists of the time, such as al-Zuhri and Said ibn al-Musayyib, were among the close associates of Ali[60] and he also appears as a transmitter of hadith in Sunni sources.[3] Al-Zuhri, in particular, described Ali as the most excellent of the Hashimites[3] and gave him the honorific name Zayn al-Abidin.[68] Salahi writes that the renowned jurist Malik ibn Anas regarded Ali as "a sea full of knowledge."[80] According to Jafri, overwhelming evidence suggests that Ali was widely respected in the Muslim community for his piety, his forbearance, his learning, and his generosity.[lower-alpha 1][79]

Farazdaq, a renowned poet of the time, is said to have composed multiple poems in praise of Ali. Among them is the ode that describes the occasion when the future caliph, Hisham, visited Mecca but was unable to access the Kaaba through the crowds. To Hisham's ire, however, the crowds parted out of respect for Ali and allowed the latter unobstructed access to the Kaaba.[lower-alpha 2][3][82] Persian poets such as Rumi, Khaqani, and Nasir Khusraw have mentioned Zayn al-Abidin in their poems.[83]

Personality

In appearance, Ali ibn al-Husayn resembled his grandfather, Ali, with the same height, reddish hair, white face and neck, and wide chest and stomach.[7]

Donaldson writes that Ali was distinct in his devotion to prayer and his extreme sorrow for the massacre of Karbala.[84] When the time of prayer approached, he would go pale, trembling in fear of God. His frequent prostrations in worship earned Ali the honorific names Sajjad, Zayn al-Abedin, and Ḏul-tafenat.[3] It has been repeatedly narrated that at nights, in order not to be recognized, he would cover his face and distribute charity to poor households. It was only after his death that people discovered the identity of their benefactor.[1][7]

Ali is said to have bought and freed dozens of slaves in his life.[85] Donaldson describes the occasion when a slave accidentally spilled hot soup over Ali and he freed the slave instead of scolding him.[86] Kohlberg writes that even though Hisham ibn Isma'il, the governor of Medina, was abusive to Ali, the latter forbade his family and friends from speaking ill of Hisham when he was dismissed by the caliph.[1] At this time, Hisham said that God knows which family to place his mission among. If someone spoke ill of him, he would say: "If you are telling the truth, may God forgive me, and if you are lying, may God forgive you."[24]

The Shia writer Sharif al-Qarashi believes that Zayn al-Abidin renounced worldly pleasures without giving in to poverty and feebleness. In one account, when Ali saw a beggar crying, he consoled him by telling him that even if he had lost the whole world, it would still not be worth crying for. Al-Zuhri, the renowned Arab jurist, reportedly described Zayn al-Abidin as the most ascetic of all people. In view of his piety, Sufi authors have written about Ali.[87] When asked about it, Zayn al-Abidin replied that asceticism was summarized in one verse (57:23) of the Quran, "Hence that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant at what He has given you."[88]

Works

Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

According to Chittick, Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (lit. 'the scripture of Sajjad') is the oldest collection of Islamic prayers and a seminal work in Islamic spirituality. Shia tradition regards this book with great respect, ranking it behind the Quran and Ali's Nahj al-Balagha.[12] Fifty-four supplications form the main body of the book, which also includes an addenda of fourteen supplications and Fifteen Whispered Prayers. The book, attributed to Ali, is often regarded as authentic by the specialists in the science of hadith.[89] Jafri believes that these supplications teach us the essence of Islamic spirituality and embody the answers to many questions faced by both the man of Ali's time and the man of our age.[90]

While the supplicatory form of Al-Sahifa emphasizes the spirituality of Islam, the book also provides a broad range of teachings about the faith, from theological to social. For instance, according to Chittick, among the existing works, the prayer "Blessing Upon the Bearers of the Throne" best summarizes the Islamic views about angels. The book also refers frequently to Islamic practices, emphasizing the necessity of implementing the guidelines of the Quran and the hadith literature, as well as the importance of social justice.[91] The book was translated into Persian during the Safavid era and an English translation of the book, entitled The Psalms of Islam, is also available with an introduction and annotations by William Chittick. Numerous commentaries have been written about Al-Sahifa.[1]

Supplication of Abu Hamza al-Thumali

This supplication (dua) is attributed to Ali, who is said to have taught it to his companion, Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, and is to be recited at dawn or night during the month of Ramadan. This supplication has been recorded in Misbah al-Mutahijjid of Shaykh Tusi and Shia authors have written several commentaries for it.[92]

Resalat al-Hoquq

The right of charity (sadaqa) is that you know it is a storing away with your Lord and a deposit for which you will have no need for witnesses. If you deposit it in secret, you will be more confident of it than if you deposit it in public. You should know that it repels afflictions and illnesses from you in this world and it will repel the Fire from you in the next world."[93]

Zayn al-Abidin

Resalat al-Hoquq (lit. 'treatise on rights'), on social and religious responsibilities, is the only work other than supplications, short sayings and letters, that has been ascribed to Ali. Available in two versions, the book is said to have been written by Ali at the request of a disciple. It exhaustively describes the rights God has upon humans and the rights humans have upon themselves and on each other, based on the Quran and the hadith literature.[94] The book advances a certain hierarchy of priorities: The individual comes before the social, the spiritual before the practical, and knowledge before action. Each human being must observe a long list of social duties, but these predicate on more basic duties, namely, faith in God and obedience to Him.[91]

Narrators and companions

Even though Ali lived in the era of the ban on writing hadith by the government, he emphasized on narration and transmission of hadith, especially prophetic hadith. Some of the narrators of Ali are from his children, that is, Husayn ibn Ali, Zaid bin Ali and Abdullah ibn Ali.[95]

Shaykh Tusi mentioned 168 companions and narrators of Sajjad, and Atarodi Ghouchani and Baqir Sharif Qureshi increased this number to 237 people. Some of Sajjad's companions were among the companions of Muhammad and Ali, such as Jabir ibn Abd Allah, Amir ibn Wathila al-Kinani, and Salama ibn Kaheel. Among his most famous companions were Abu Hamza al-Thumali, Aban ibn Taghlib, Abu Khalid al-Kabuli, Yahya ibn Ummi Taweel, Sa'id ibn Jubayr; Said ibn al-Musayyib;[lower-alpha 3] Muhammad bin Jubair bin Mut'am and Hakim bin Jubair bin Mutam.[96] Among the narrators of Sajjad, Aban ibn Taghlib, Abu Hamza al-Thumali, Thabit ibn Hormuz Haddad, Amro ibn Thabit and Salem bin Abi Hafsa authored and compiled works.[95]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Abu Hazim considered him to be the best person among the Banu Hashim whom he had the opportunity to meet. Al-Zuhri considered Ali's instructions as a great gift for himself ( Ibn Sa'd, vol. 5, p. 214). Said ibn al-Musayyib called him the "most fruitful" person he has ever seen (Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani, Vol. 3, p. 141) and "Sayyed al-Abidin" (the best of worshipers) (Mufid, Vol. 2, p. 145) and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz also once when he remembered Ali Ibn Husayn, described him as "the light of the world" and "the beauty of Islam" (Ya'qubi, Tarikh, Vol. 2, p. 305). Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani (Vol. 3, p. 133) also described him as "Abidon-wafi" (a faithful worshiper of the covenant) and "Jawadon-Hafi" (forgiving and very respectful/kind). According to al-Jahiz, in the treatise he wrote on the virtues of Banu Hashim, everyone from Shia, Sunni, Mu'tazili, and Khawarij have spoken about the virtue and superiority of Ali ibn Husayn ( Ibn ʿInaba , p. 174).[24]
  2. ↑ It goes as follows: "It is someone whose footsteps are known by every place / And it is he who is known to the bayt in Mecca, (i.e. the Kaaba) The most frequented sanctuary; / It is he who is the son of the best of all men of Allah; (i.e. the Prophet Muhammad) / and it is he who is the most pious and devout, the purest and most unstained, the chastest and most righteous, a symbol [for Islam]; / This is Ali [b. al-Husain] whose parent is the Prophet; / This is the son of Fatima, if you do not know who he is; / Whosoever recognizes his Allah knows also the primacy and superiority of this man; / Because the religion has reached the nations through his House..."[81]
  3. ↑ Among his companions, according to Kashshi, Sajjad introduced Saeed Ibn Musayyib as the most knowledgeable person in hadiths and the most insightful of the people of his time.[95]

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