Imam Zain Ul A'abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him)

Hadhrat Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) is the son of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and he is counted among the great Successors.  He is the Imam of the 7 jurisprudents of Madina.  Among the 12 Imams of the Prophet’s Family, he is the 4^th Imam.  His Kuniya is “Abu Muhammad.”  His name is ‘Ali and his honorific is Zain Ul A’abideen.

 

Why he is called as Zain Ul A’abideen

 

It is given in “Shawahed” that one night Hadhrat Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) was busy performing Tahajjud that Satan came in the form of a snake to try to stop him from Salaat and at last bit his foot.  Hadhrat Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) paid no attention to it and continues his Salaat.  At that time someone was seen saying:  You are Zain Ul A’abideen (meaning the beauty of the worshippers)

 

From that time, he was addressed with this title.

 

His mother

 

His mother was Hadhrat Shahrbano bin Yazdegerd Sharhyaar bin Parvez bin Naushervan Adil.

 

It is mentioned in Habeeb Aseer that in the caliphate of Hadhrat ‘Umar Farooq (May Allah be well pleased with him) 3 daughters were captured and brought to Madina.  Hadhrat ‘Umar Farooq (May Allah be well pleased with him) took them under his protection as they were the daughters of a king and treating them like other prisoners of war was not reasonable.  One of them was married to Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) from whom the 4^th Imam, Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) was born, the second girl was married to Hadhrat Muhammad bin Abu Bakr (May Allah be well pleased with him) from whom Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) was born and the third was married to Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with them) from whom Hadhrat Salim was born.  In this way, these 3 are maternal cousins.

 

Birth

 

Hadhrat Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) was born in Madina in 33 Hijri and as per one Tradition in 36 Hijri and as per yet another Tradition 38 Hijri.

 

He passed away at the age of 61, 62 and some have said at the age of 56 and 58 as well.

 

At the time of the martyrdom of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), he was aged 18 and as per another narration 16.

 

 

An incident of his childhood

 

Hadhrat Abdullah Bin Mubarak (May Allah be well pleased with him) says: I started with the intention of Makkah.  I saw on the way that a boy, 10, 12 years of age, is walking alone.  I said: Subhanallah! Who is this child in this dismal and desolate forest?

 

Hadhrat ‘Abdullah Bin Mubarak says: I went to him and greeted him with Salaam.  He returned my Salaam. 

 

I asked: Who are you?

 

He said: A slave of Allah Most High.

 

I asked: Where are you coming from?

 

He said: From Allah Most High.

 

I asked: Where are you going?

 

He said: To Allah Most High.

 

I asked: What do you desire?

 

He said: The approval of Allah Most High.

 

I asked: What is your provision for the journey?

 

He said: My provision is "Taqwa" (piety)

 

I asked: Where is the means of conveyance?

 

He said: My means of conveyance are my 2 legs.

 

I asked: This dangerous forest and your young age!  How will it pass?

 

He said: Ibn Mubarak!  What are you thinking of?  Have you ever seen that someone is going to meet someone and that person troubles him?

 

I said: You are young in age, but through your talk you seem to be very dignified.  What is your name?

 

He said: Ibn Mubarak!  Why do you ask the names of those who are troubled?  What names do the unknown have?

 

I am broken-hearted and feeble with the love and sorrow of Allah Most High.  What do you ask?  We have no name and no customs, no body and no life.  Only an infirm whom love has emaciated.  Very light to look at but in reality, are very weighty.

 

I said: If you don’t want to reveal your name then at least reveal which nation and which clan do you belong to?

 

He drew a sigh and said: We are the troubled people.  We are exiled from our lands.  We are overcome by our enemies. 

 

I said: I can’t understand anything.  Please describe in some detail.

 

He said: We are those who serve water to those who come to the Houz-E-Kauthar.  Whoever achieves salvation, achieves it through us.  Whoever befriends us will not remain unfortunate. 

 

After saying this, he vanished from my eyes.  I was very regretful that I could not find out who he was.

 

When I reached Makkah Mu’azzama, while performing Tawaf, I saw that people are crowded around a saint.  When I went forward, I saw that it was the same person, who had talked to me in the jungle.  People are crowded around him and are asking questions.  He is explaining the complex rules of the Holy Quran and the Hadith and the issues of the people are being solved by them.  I asked the people: Who is this person.  They said: Alas!  You don’t know the one whom even the pebbles of Makkah recognize!  This is the light of the eyes of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), the martyr of Karbala, Imam Zainul A’abideen.  On listening to this, I ran towards him and kissed his hands and feet.  With tears in my eyes, I said: O son of the Prophet of Allah! The troubles of the Prophet’s Family, which you described, are true.

 

His piety

 

Whenever Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) would perform Wudhu, his blessed face would pale.  When his family asked, what happens to him at the time of Wudhu, he said:  Do you know before whom I am going to stand?

 

When walking, his hands wouldn’t swing beyond his thighs.  He wouldn’t move them at all.

 

His manners and etiquette

 

When he would come to know that someone is speaking ill of him, he would go to that person and talk to him very gently.  He would say:

 

O so and so!  If whatever you have said about me is true then may Allah forgive me and if it is wrong, then may Allah forgive you.  Assalaaamalaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!

 

A person disrespected him.  He deliberately ignored it.  He insisted:  I am talking to you.  The Imam said:  So I will ignore it and exercise patience.

 

Once, he came out of the Masjid, someone disrespected him.  His servants and slaves rushed at him, but Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) stopped them and said to that person:  Of our state much is hidden from you.  Do you have any need that we may fulfill?

 

That person felt ashamed.  Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave him his woolen cloak and gave him more than 1000 Dirhams.  That person said:  I testify that you are from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

His sayings

 

Poverty is lack of relatives.

 

Free slaves of Allah worship Him only to thank Him, not out of fear of hell or for the sake of paradise.

 

How can that person be your friend who doesn’t feel happy when you take something from him?

 

His customs and practices

 

He preferred that no one should help for Wudhu.  He himself would get water for Wudhu and would keep it before retiring for the day.  He would never miss worship in the night, be it at home or while journeying.  He would say:  Allah loves a sinful Muslim who repents a lot.

 

He would praise Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, Hadhrat ‘Umar Farooq and Hadhrat ‘Uthman Ghani (May Allah be well pleased with them) and would supplicate Allah to increase their status evermore.

 

Every day and night, he would offer 1000 Raka’at of Salaat.

 

If a strong wind blew, he would faint.

 

When he went for Haj, he said Labbaik and fainted.

 

 

 

Fear of Allah

 

Once Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) was on the terrace.  The tears that he was shedding out of fear and consciousness of Allah were flowing down the waterspout.  They fell on somebody passing by.  He asked:  What is this water coming down the waterspout?  Is it unclean?  Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Wash it off.  Those are the tears of a sinner.

 

His demise

 

The author of Miraatul Asraar says that Imam Zain Ul A’abideen (May Allah be well pleased with him) passed away on 18^th Muharram 75 Hijri.  His blessed grave is in Jannatul Baqee’ beside the grave of Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

[Sources:  Tabaqat Sha’arani; Miraatul Asraar, Mishtakun Nubuwwah, Shahadatnama, Miladnama by Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan]