Imam Zainul Abideen During Imamah Years Advanced Religion

 It is the time after the horrifying experience of Karbala  The desecration of his family and loved ones  The agony (prolonged pain, violent struggle) of confronting Ibn Ziyad, then Yazid

The Period of Seclusion  After all of this, Imam Zainul Abideen sought and needed seclusion To collect himselfTo collect himself Think clearlyThink clearly Plan the course of Action in the futurePlan the course of Action in the future Be of less suspectBe of less suspect

 The seclusion was in a Tent close by Medina and lasted for less than a year  During this time, He only saw his family and a few friends  Zainab (as) his aunt, was the principal means to take his answers to many questions asked about religious matters  To avoid suspicion, Imam Zainul Abideen preferred not to communicate with his supporters, instead he asked his Uncle Al- Hanifiyah to act on his behalf

 While in seclusion, Imam Zainul Abideen spent his time in excessive prayers Munajaat, Du’aas and crying at how Yazid forces killed Imam Husain.

 While this was going on, Imam Zainul Abideen unleashed his genius to lay groundwork for an exquisite (admirable) plan and strategy to pursue which was kept scared.  Leave indelible (memorable, unforgotten) good work for the benefit of the Muslims

The Plan 1. Be secluded: dissociate from politics (assured Yazid and Benu Ummaya that He was not interested in taking power from them 2. Be the Example: Prayed excessively (nicknamed Al-Sajjad) 3. Emphasized Karbala in the minds of the people Exposed the full character of Yazid and Benu Ummayah, stood in the face of oppression Revived piety as the basic of Islamic conduct and dealings

4. Continue to Mourn cry on Imam Husain’s behalf indirectly allows them actively participate in the calamity of Karbala 5. Deal Indirectly Through his Uncle Al- Hanafiyah - with sympathetic movements in support of Islam and against Yazid and Benu Ummayah

6. Gradually come forth and teach people seeking Islamic knowledge 7. Direct His course of Action to emphasize the Islamic Knowledge just as The Prophet (pbuh) taught 8. Indirectly expose fabrication of Hadith, distortion and pre-Jahiliya that Benu Ummayah was exposing to Islam 9. Fully explain 1. Imamah 2. Essential role of Islam

The Seclusion Ended  While in Medina, it was noticed that Imam Zainul Abideen would cry often, especially when he ate or drank  Imam Zainul Abideen even remembers when an animal is butchered he is given water, because Islam recommends this, but his father was not given water before he was butchered by Yazid  This was not done just out of sympathy but to bind the peoples’ loyalty and love Imam Husain (as)  Imam Zainul Abideen was nicknamed Al-Bakaa since he constantly cried

Al-Sajjad  Since He preformed Salat excessively, no one before him or after him was known for this  It was said that He preformed 1,000 Rukaa’s a Day  Prayed numerous voluntary salats

Think about the MATH  1,000 Rukaas MEANS: Each Rukaa takes 2 minutes Tashahud takes 2 minutes =a 2 Rukaa Salat takes 6 minutes A minimum of 3 minutes per rukaa x 1000 = 3,000 mins / 60 mins = 50 hrs = more than a DAY A day has 24 Hrs

The Sujood  Frequency of sujood to thank the Creator for the small and big incidents  Showed the importance of remembering our Creator  Sujoods were so frequent that Imam Zainul Abideen developed calluses on his forehead  While performing the wudhoo, the Imam would become pale, it was said that He was in the Presence of The Almighty  During the salat it was not rare to see Him shake as fear of The Almighty

Du’aas collected in Sahifa Al- Sajaddeeya  An outstanding contribution of Imam Zainul Abideen was composing Du’aas  Some of the du’aas are short, others are long, yet some are for certain occasions  Total of 54 du’aas for various occassions 7 Duaas for everyday7 Duaas for everyday 15 whispered duaas (munaajat)15 whispered duaas (munaajat) Duaas about fear, thanks, devotion, love, mediation and remembrance of Allah (swt)Duaas about fear, thanks, devotion, love, mediation and remembrance of Allah (swt)

The Imam’s Character  Was very forgiving and generous  An example of His generosity was with Marwan

Marwan  Very active member of Benu Ummayah  Secretary of State, Trouble during Khalifaa Uthman  Fought against Imam Ali during Jamal Confrontation  Killed Talha (on Marwan’s side fought against Imam Ali (as))  Before Karbala suggested to Medina’s government to arrest Imam Husain (as)  Great deal of trouble to the Muslim Umah  Foe to Imam Zainul Abideen

Foe of Imam Zainul Abideen is Refuged  Marwan and his family along with as many as 400 people of Benu Ummayah were chased by the people of Medina  They were looking for safety, so they were only welcomed by Imam Zainul Abideen  Their treatment was so kind and benevolent

Example 2  One such example was when a relative addressed him in an accusing if not unbecoming manner, then left  People expected a fight, verbal or otherwise, Imam Zainul Abideen asked them to accompany him  All were expecting trouble, it was a forgone conclusion  When Imam Zainul Abideen was at the door of his adversary, he spoke these words. “it you were right in what you said, and I was wrong, then may Allah (swt) forgive me. But if you were wrong and I was right, then may Allah (swt) forgive you.” “it you were right in what you said, and I was wrong, then may Allah (swt) forgive me. But if you were wrong and I was right, then may Allah (swt) forgive you.” (Seerah of Imams, Hashim M. Al-Hassani Vol. 2, Page 148)

 Imam Zainul Abideen had a very melodic voice  When he recited the Holy Quran people used to stay nearby to enjoy hearing his recitation (Al-Sajjad, by Husain Baaqir, Page 161)

Buying Slaves  In a day when slaves from the battle fronts used to be abundant, Imam Zainul Abideen used to buy as many slaves as he could afford, but after a period of service and educating them about Islam he used to set them free  They were called Mawaali and many did not want to leave him because of his kindness and holiness  (Mawaali was also a term used by people who converted to Islam, often from non-Arabic ancestry)  In this time the number of Maawali became very large and they became enthusiastic supporters of him and would also teach them Islam to their friends according to the way he taught them  Imam Zainul Abideen freed a very large number of slaves, almost matching the number of his grandfather Imam Ali, emanicpated

Helping the Poor and Needy  Imam Zainul Abideen had empathy for the poor and needy  He was always busy helping them for he regarded the needy as doing him a favor by asking for his help  Zainul Abideen reasoned that he rendering help he would be rewarded by the Almighty many times the value of such help

Helping the Needy  Imam Zainul Abideen used to carry sacs of flour and other food material on his back every night. He had a long list of families to receive his help. Many families used to wait for him, yet they could not recognize him since he did it disguised. They used to call him: The man with the cover on his face and only his eyes showing!  This help continued for as many years as he was the Imam, probably 34 yrs. It is reported that as many as 100 families depended on him for their livelihood at various times. Even his back became hunched and developed calluses, from carrying weight of their sacs of flour and food on it. (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Also Al-Saddooq narrated from Imam Muhammad Al-Baaqir)  It was only after he died and the provisions stopped, that these families realized who their benefactor was)

Ramadhan  During Ramadhan Imam Zainul Abideen asked his family to prepare (cook) one sheep each day for distribution to the needy, be it in the form of pots of soup, stew and others  He would taste the food to make sure it was good and the food was given to the poor and needy to break their fast on it  But for him, he would eat the least edible of the left over (Al-Sajjad, by Husain Baaqir, Page 188)

Donating His Clothes  Zainul Abideen never wore his clothes for more than one season  He made sure to freely donate his clothes to the needy and poor  This continued throughout his life, summer or winter, year in, year out. (Al-Sajjad, by Hussain Baaqir, Page 193)

Buried in Al-Baqi  Before his death, Imam Zainul Abideen designated the Imamah to his son Al-Baqir (as)  Died at age 57  Was poisoned by Al-Waleed the son of Abdul Malik  Buried in Medina in the Baqi beside his Uncle Imam Al-Hasan (as)

Who was Abdul Malik  After Yazid’s death the khalifaa was for grabs  Yazid’s son abdicated for 4 months and was then poisoned by Benu Ummayah for saying that his father and grandfather’s khalaafa did not belong to them.  Then by sheer force Marwan became Khalifa  9 months later his wife choked him to death by putting a pillow on his face and sitting on him  Marwan died and his son Abdul Malik proclaimed khalaafah