Ali ibn Hussain known as Imam al-Sajjad and Zayn al-Ê¿Abidin is the fourth Imam of Shi'a. The period of his imamate was 34 years. He (a) was present in the Battle of Karbala but did not participate in the battle because of sickness and was not martyred. He (a) was taken captive to Kufa and Damascus together with other captives of Karbala. His speech at the presence of Umayyad caliphs created awareness among people about the position of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). After being released, he (a) stayed in Medina until the end of his life. The event of Harra, Tawwabun movement and the uprising of al-Mukhtar happened at his time; however there is no reliable report of his opinions about them.
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya is a compilation of his supplications which reflect the picture of the society that day and the true path of life through the education of the religion and the Qur'an and purification of souls and connecting souls to God. Risalat al-huquq (Treatise on Rights) is his other work which is a short treatise containing duties a human being has.
He (a) was poisoned and martyred by order of al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik. He (a) was buried in al-Baqi' cemetery beside his uncle Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a).
Lineage
Ali ibn Hussain known as Imam al-Sajjad and Zayn al-Ê¿Abidin, is the son of Imam al-Hussain (a). He is the fourth Imam of Shi'a.
Among disagreements about Imam al-Sajjad (a) was the name and lineage of his mother, different names have been mentioned for her including Shahrbanu, Shahrbanuyeh, Shah-i Zanan, Jahanshah, Khawla, Salafa, Ghazzala, Salama, Harrar, Maryam, Fatima. Accordingly, Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi wrote that "among the names mentioned for her, Shahrbanu is more famous. Her father is said to be Yazdgerd, the last Sassanid emperor; or Nushjan from Khurasan, or Shiruyih, son of Parviz, among which Yazdgerd is more famous." He does not believe that the mother of Imam al-Sajjad (a) would be a person having such a description mentioning some reasons and shreds of evidence. He says, "If we ignore this myth about her and check authentic books, we reach a clearer point: Ibn Sa'd wrote that after the martyrdom of al-Husayn (a), Zuyayd, his freed servant married the mother of 'Ali b. al-Husayn (a) and 'Abd Allah b. Zuyayd was born, thus 'Abd Allah was 'Ali b. al-Husayn's (a) brother from his mother. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq wrote, "Mother of 'Ali b. al-Husayn (a) was the daughter of Yazdgerd, son of Shahriyar, the king of Persians, passed away while giving birth to him."
His titles are Zayn al-'Abidin (adornment of the worshipers), Sayyid al-Sajidin (master of the prostrators), al-Sajjad (the frequently prostrating one), al-Hashimi, al-'Alawi, al-Madani, al-Qurashi, and 'Ali al-Akbar. Dhu l-Thafanat is another title of Imam al-Sajjad (a) since the skin of the prostration points of his body [knees, palms, and forehead] had become hardened, and there were calluses on them like the knees of camels due to praying a lot.
Imam al-Sajjad (a) was also known by other names at his time, such as 'Ali al-Khayr, 'Ali al-Asghar, and 'Ali al-'Abid.
Birth and Martyrdom
According to the famous opinion, Imam al-Sajjad (a) was born in 38/659; thus, he (a) has seen a part of Imam 'Ali's (a) life, the imamate of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a) and Mu'awiya's attempt in suppressing Shi'a in Iraq and elsewhere. However, in some reports, the age of Imam (a) is mentioned less than what is famous and the time of his birth is about 48/668. Although such reports have been mentioned in different sources, there are pieces of evidence that do not let one believe them; such as the fact that famously historians and biographers have mentioned the birth time of Imam al-Sajjad (a) 38/659, which implies that his age in the Battle of Karbala was 23 years old.
After narrating from Imam al-Sadiq (a) saying, "'Ali b. al-Husayn (a) passed away at the age of 58", the Sunni narrator of historical reports, Muhammad b. 'Umar al-Waqidi wrote that, "this report suggests that Imam al-Sajjad (a) was with his father in Karbala while he (a) was 23 or 24 years old." Also al-Zahri said that 'Ali b. al-Husayn (a) was with his father while he was 23 years old.
Imam al-Sajjad (a) was martyred in 94/713 (or 95/714) with a poison given by the order of al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik. He (a) was buried in al-Baqi' cemetery beside his uncle, Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a).
Imamate
Imamate of Imam al-Sajjad (a) began after the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) in 61/680 and continued until his own martyrdom in 94/712 or 95/713.
Proofs for Imamate
Based on clear hadiths narrated in Shi'a sources, Imam al-Sajjad (a) was the successor of his father al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a). Al-Shaykh al-Mufid mentioned his superiority in knowledge and practice over others after his father as the proof for his imamate.
Also, hadiths narrated from the Prophet (s) about the names of Imams of Shi'a contain Imam al-Sajjad's (a) name.
Battle of Karbala and Captivity
Kufa
After the tragedy of Karbala, they captured the family of Imam al-Husayn (a) and took them to Kufa and Damascus. Upon taking them from Karbala to Kufa, they put Jami'a [hand-to-neck chains] on him and since he was sick and could not keep sitting on the back of the camel, they fastened his feet under the belly of the camel.
Some accounts say that Imam al-Sajjad (a) gave a speech in Kufa, but it is hard to accept that due to the restricted situation in Kufa, the cruelty of government agents, the fear of the people of Kufa from them, and their unsupportive manner. Moreover, the sentences narrated from him in his speech in Kufa are similar to those he (a) said in his speech in the mosque of Damascus and it is possible that some narrators have mixed them up.
In any case, 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad kept Imam al-Sajjad (a) and other captives of Karbala in prison and wrote a letter to Damascus and asked Yazid what to do with them. Yazid replied and ordered him to send captives and the heads of the martyrs of Karbala to Damascus. 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad put shackles on Imam's (a) neck and sent him and other captives with Muhaffar b. Tha'laba to Damascus.
Damascus
Return to Medina
Imam al-Sajjad (a) lived 34 years after the Battle of Karbala and always made efforts to keep the memory of the martyrs of Karbala alive.
Whenever he (a) drank water, he remembered his father and wept on the hardships of Imam al-Husayn (a). It is mentioned in a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that, "Imam al-Sajjad (a) wept forty years upon his honorable father, while he (a) was fasting the days and praying the nights. At the time of breaking his fasting, when his servant took food and water for him, he (a) said, '[grand]son of the Prophet (s) was martyred hungry! [grand]son of the Prophet (s) was martyred thirsty!' He (a) frequently repeated this and wept so that his tears were mixed with his food and drink. He (a) was in such a state until when he (a) passed away."
Contemporary Uprisings
At the time of Imam al-Sajjad (a) after the Battle of Karbala, different movements were made, the most important ones of which were:
Event of Harra
In the heat of the uprising of Harra, Marwan b. Hakam who was an enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt (s) went to 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar and asked him to guard his family with his, but 'Abd Allah did not accept. When Marwan became disappointed with his support, he resorted to Imam al-Sajjad (a). Imam (a) accepted his request with great benevolence and sent Marwan's family together with his own family to Yanbu' (a spring near Medina on the right side of Radwa mountain).
In this event, Imam (a) accepted the responsibility of guarding 400 families and paid all their expenses while the army of Muslim b. 'Aqaba (the commander of Yazid's army in the event of Harra) was in Medina.