WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:03.430 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.430 --> 00:00:08.429 The best of generations in their conduct and as an example, 00:00:08.429 --> 00:00:13.429 Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke. 00:00:13.429 --> 00:00:15.429 Mawaddah Association 00:00:15.429 --> 00:00:17.429 Presents 00:00:17.429 --> 00:00:21.500 Scenes from the Lives of the Tabi'un 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:25.910 By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 00:00:25.910 --> 00:00:27.910 May Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:27.910 --> 00:00:32.570 Zayn al-'Abidin, 00:00:32.570 --> 00:00:34.659 May Allah have mercy upon him. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:45.719 That illustrious year saw the closing 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:48.719 Of the final page of the Sassanid era. 00:00:48.719 --> 00:00:50.719 For Yazdegerd died, 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.719 The last of the Persian kings, a fugitive and an outcast. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:01:00.719 His knights, guards, and household fell as captives into the hands of the Muslims. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.719 The spoils were driven to the city of Medina. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.719 The captives of that great victory were 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:10.719 Numerous, abundant, and precious. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:15.719 Medina had never witnessed a greater number or a more momentous event. 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:17.719 Among the captives were 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:19.719 The three daughters of Yazdegerd. 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:24.030 The people flocked to the captives, 00:01:24.030 --> 00:01:27.030 Purchasing them within a matter of hours, 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:30.030 And returning the proceeds to the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal) of the Muslims. 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:34.030 Nothing remained of them except the daughters of the Chosroes, Yazdegerd. 00:01:34.030 --> 00:01:37.030 They were among the most beautiful of women, 00:01:37.030 --> 00:01:41.030 The most radiant in appearance and the freshest in youth. 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:43.030 When they were presented for sale, 00:01:43.030 --> 00:01:46.030 They bowed their heads to the ground in humiliation and disgrace, 00:01:46.030 --> 00:01:50.030 Their eyes overflowing with sorrow and brokenness. 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:54.030 Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor his face, felt pity for them, 00:01:54.030 --> 00:01:59.030 And wished that someone who knew how to care for them would purchase them. 00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:01.060 And no wonder, 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:05.060 For the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:08.289 "Show mercy to a noble person who has been humbled." 00:02:08.289 --> 00:02:11.289 So he leaned toward Umar Ibn al-Khattab and said, 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:13.289 "O Commander of the Faithful, 00:02:13.289 --> 00:02:17.289 The daughters of kings are not to be treated like others." 00:02:17.289 --> 00:02:20.289 Umar replied, "You have spoken the truth. 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:22.449 But how?" 00:02:22.449 --> 00:02:23.449 Ali said, 00:02:23.449 --> 00:02:26.449 "They should be valued at a high price, 00:02:26.449 --> 00:02:32.479 Then given the freedom to choose whom they wish from among those who pay the price." 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:36.479 Umar was comforted by this, approved of it, and implemented it. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:41.610 One of them chose Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn al-Khattab, 00:02:41.610 --> 00:02:45.610 The second chose Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:47.610 As for the third, 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:49.610 Who was called Shahzanan, 00:02:49.610 --> 00:02:52.610 She chose al-Husayn Ibn Ali. 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:57.979 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had predicted this. 00:02:57.979 --> 00:03:01.979 Shahzanan embraced Islam, and her Islam was sincere. 00:03:01.979 --> 00:03:05.979 She attained the value of the faith and was emancipated from slavery, 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:11.979 Becoming a wife after having been a captive, and thus she gained her freedom. 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:16.979 She then decided to sever all ties with her pagan past, 00:03:16.979 --> 00:03:21.979 Renouncing her name, Shahzanan, which means "Queen of Women," 00:03:21.979 --> 00:03:23.979 And became known as Ghazalah. 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:27.020 Ghazalah was blessed with the best of husbands, 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:30.020 The most fitting for the daughters of kings. 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:34.020 Her only remaining wish was to be blessed with a child. 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:36.020 Allah honored her, 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:41.020 And she bore al-Husayn a boy, handsome of face and radiant in appearance. 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:49.020 He named him Ali, in honor of his grandfather, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction. 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:53.020 But Ghazalah’s joy lasted only for a few moments, 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:56.020 For she answered the call of her Lord, 00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:59.020 As the pains of childbirth overcame her, 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:05.300 Leaving her no chance to enjoy her newborn. 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:09.300 The care of the young boy was taken over by a maidservant of his, 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:13.300 Who loved him more than a mother loves her own child, 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:17.300 And nurtured him more than a parent nurtures an only child. 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:21.300 He grew up knowing no mother but her. 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:25.360 No sooner had Ali Ibn al-Husayn reached the age of discernment 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:29.360 Than he turned to seeking knowledge with passion and longing. 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:34.360 His first school was his home—what an excellent home it was. 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:41.360 His first teacher was his father, al-Husayn Ibn Ali—what an excellent teacher he was. 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:44.420 As for his second school, 00:04:44.420 --> 00:04:48.420 It was the Mosque of the Great Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:04:48.420 --> 00:04:52.420 The noble Prophetic Mosque was, in those days, 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:57.420 Teeming with the remaining Companions of the noble Messenger, 00:04:57.420 --> 00:05:01.420 And overflowing with the first generation of the great Tabi'un. 00:05:01.420 --> 00:05:04.420 Both groups 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:10.420 Opened their hearts to these blossoming buds, the children of the noble Companions, 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:14.420 Reciting to them the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:16.420 Giving them understanding of it, 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:21.420 Narrating to them the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:24.420 Guiding them to its deeper meanings, 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:30.420 Recounting to them the Prophetic biography and his military expeditions, 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:32.420 Reciting to them the poetry of the Arabs, 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:35.420 Opening their eyes to its beauty, 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:39.420 And filling their tender hearts with the love of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, 00:05:39.420 --> 00:05:41.420 And with His fear and piety. 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:44.420 Thus, they became scholars who acted upon their knowledge, 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:47.420 And guides who were rightly guided. 00:05:47.420 --> 00:05:50.639 Yet, the heart of Ali Ibn al-Husayn 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.639 Did not attach itself to anything 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:56.639 As it attached itself to the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:59.639 And his emotions were not stirred by anything 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.639 As they were stirred by His promises and warnings. 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:06.639 Whenever he read a verse mentioning Paradise, 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.639 He would soar with longing for it. 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.639 And whenever he heard a verse mentioning the Fire, 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:18.639 He would heave a sigh as if the flames of Hell were in his very soul. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.800 Once Ali Ibn al-Husayn had matured in youth and knowledge, 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:26.800 The ideal Medinan society gained 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:31.800 A young man among the most profound of the youth of Banu Hashim in worship and piety, 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.800 The greatest of them in virtue and character, 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:37.800 The most generous and righteous, 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:40.829 And the most expansive in knowledge and learning. 00:06:40.829 --> 00:06:43.829 His worship and piety reached such a level 00:06:43.829 --> 00:06:48.829 That a trembling would seize him between his ablution and his prayer, 00:06:48.829 --> 00:06:51.829 Shaking his body violently. 00:06:51.829 --> 00:06:54.829 When asked about that, he would say, 00:06:54.829 --> 00:06:58.829 "Woe to you! Do you not know before whom I am about to stand? 00:06:58.829 --> 00:07:01.829 Do you not know whom I intend to address?" 00:07:01.829 --> 00:07:05.790 The Hashimite youth’s excellence 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.790 In his worship and his perfection of his rituals reached such a point 00:07:08.790 --> 00:07:11.790 That people called him Zayn al-'Abidin (Ornament of the Worshippers), 00:07:11.790 --> 00:07:15.790 Until his people almost forgot his actual name. 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:18.819 This title overshadowed his name. 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:21.819 His prostrations were so long, 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:23.819 And he was so absorbed in them, 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:26.819 That the people of Medina called him al-Sajjad (The Prostrator). 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:30.819 The purity of his soul and the clarity of his heart were such 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:32.819 That they described him as al-Zaki (The Pure). 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:36.889 Zayn al-'Abidin, may the pleasure of Allah be upon him, 00:07:36.889 --> 00:07:39.889 Was certain that the essence of worship is supplication. 00:07:39.889 --> 00:07:43.889 He found the greatest comfort in supplication 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:46.889 While clinging to the coverings of the Ka'bah. 00:07:46.889 --> 00:07:49.889 How often he would cling to the Ancient House, 00:07:49.889 --> 00:07:51.889 Saying, 00:07:51.889 --> 00:07:55.889 "O Lord, You have let me taste of Your mercy what You have tasted me, 00:07:55.889 --> 00:07:59.889 And You have bestowed upon me of Your bounty what You have bestowed. 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:03.889 So I have come to call upon You in security, without fear, 00:08:03.889 --> 00:08:07.889 And I ask of You, finding comfort in You, without dread. 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:13.949 O Lord, I implore You as one whose need for Your mercy is desperate, 00:08:13.949 --> 00:08:17.949 And whose strength is too weak to fulfill Your rights. 00:08:17.949 --> 00:08:22.050 So accept from me the prayer of the drowning stranger, 00:08:22.050 --> 00:08:26.050 Who finds no one to save him but You, 00:08:26.050 --> 00:08:29.050 O Most Generous of the generous." 00:08:29.050 --> 00:08:33.230 Tawus Ibn Kaysan once saw him 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:36.230 Standing in the shadows of the Ancient House, 00:08:36.230 --> 00:08:39.230 Restless like one suffering from a snakebite, 00:08:39.230 --> 00:08:41.230 Weeping like one in deep agony, 00:08:41.230 --> 00:08:44.230 And praying the prayer of the distressed. 00:08:44.230 --> 00:08:46.259 He stood waiting for him, 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:50.259 And when he ceased his weeping and finished his prayer, 00:08:50.259 --> 00:08:53.259 He approached him and said, 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:55.259 "O son of the Messenger of Allah, 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:58.259 I see you in this state, 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:00.259 Yet you have three virtues 00:09:00.259 --> 00:09:03.259 That I hope will secure you from fear." 00:09:03.259 --> 00:09:05.330 Zayn al-'Abidin asked, 00:09:05.330 --> 00:09:07.330 "What are they, O Tawus?" 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:09.330 He replied, 00:09:09.330 --> 00:09:14.330 "The first is that you are the son of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:16.330 The second, 00:09:16.330 --> 00:09:18.330 The intercession of your grandfather for you. 00:09:18.330 --> 00:09:20.330 And the third, 00:09:20.330 --> 00:09:22.360 The mercy of Allah." 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:23.360 He replied, 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:25.360 "O Tawus, 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:30.360 My lineage to the Messenger, peace be upon him, does not secure me, 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.360 After I have heard the words of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic: 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:38.360 “And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another.” (23:101) 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.360 As for the intercession of my grandfather for me, 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.360 Allah, may His word be exalted, says: 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:48.360 ﴾...and they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves.﴿ 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:50.360 And as for the mercy of Allah, the Almighty, 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:52.360 He says: 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.360 ﴾Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.﴿" 00:09:56.360 --> 00:10:01.830 Piety bestowed upon Zayn al-'Abidin 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:06.830 All that Allah willed of the characteristics of virtue, nobility, and forbearance, 00:10:06.830 --> 00:10:10.830 Until the books of history were adorned with his magnificent accounts, 00:10:10.830 --> 00:10:13.830 And their pages shone with his noble stances. 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:17.830 Among these is what al-Hasan Ibn al-Hasan narrated, saying: 00:10:17.830 --> 00:10:21.830 "A rift occurred between me and my cousin, Zayn al-'Abidin. 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:25.830 I went to him, seething with rage. 00:10:25.830 --> 00:10:28.830 He was with his companions in the mosque. 00:10:28.830 --> 00:10:32.830 I did not leave anything unsaid to him, 00:10:32.830 --> 00:10:35.830 While he remained silent, not speaking a word. 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:37.830 Then I left. 00:10:37.830 --> 00:10:39.830 When night fell, 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:42.830 There was a knock at my door. 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:45.830 I went to see who it was, 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:47.830 And it was Zayn al-'Abidin. 00:10:47.830 --> 00:10:51.830 I did not doubt that he had come to return the insult. 00:10:51.830 --> 00:10:53.830 But he said, 00:10:53.830 --> 00:10:55.830 'O my brother, 00:10:55.830 --> 00:10:58.830 If what you said to me is true, 00:10:58.830 --> 00:11:00.830 Then may Allah forgive me. 00:11:00.830 --> 00:11:02.830 And if it is untrue, 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:04.860 Then may Allah forgive you.' 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:08.860 Then he greeted me with peace and departed. 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:10.860 I followed him and said, 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:11.860 'Certainly, 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:14.860 I shall never return to anything you dislike.' 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:16.860 He softened toward me and said, 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:22.080 'You are absolved of what you said to me.'" 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:25.080 One of the people of Medina narrated, saying: 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.080 "Zayn al-'Abidin 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:30.080 ...as he was leaving the mosque, so I followed him. 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:33.080 I began to gesture at him with insults. 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.080 I did not even know the reason for doing so. 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:38.080 The people rushed toward me, intending to seize me. 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:40.080 Had they caught me, 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:43.080 they would not have let me go until they had crushed me. 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:45.080 He turned to the people and said, 00:11:45.080 --> 00:11:47.080 "Leave the man alone." 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.080 So they left me alone. 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:52.080 When he saw the terror that had overcome me, 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:55.080 he turned to me with a radiant face. 00:11:55.080 --> 00:11:58.080 He began to reassure me and calm my fear. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.080 Then he said to me, 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.080 "You have insulted us with what you know, 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:06.080 yet what has been concealed from you regarding our affairs is far greater." 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:08.080 Then he said to me, 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:11.080 "Do you have a need that we might help you with?" 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.080 I felt ashamed before him, 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:15.080 and I said nothing. 00:12:15.080 --> 00:12:17.080 When he saw my shame, 00:12:17.080 --> 00:12:20.080 he cast upon me the garment he was wearing, 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:22.080 and ordered that I be given a thousand dirhams. 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:26.080 From then on, whenever I saw him, I would say, 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:29.080 "I bear witness that you are one of the descendants of the Messenger, 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:31.080 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him." 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:34.429 One of his freedmen narrated that he said: 00:12:34.429 --> 00:12:37.429 "I was a servant to ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, 00:12:37.429 --> 00:12:39.429 and he sent me on an errand. 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:41.429 I was slow in returning to him. 00:12:41.429 --> 00:12:44.429 When I came to him, he struck me with a whip. 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:47.460 I wept, and my anger toward him intensified, 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.460 because he had never struck anyone before me. 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:52.500 I said to him, 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:55.500 'Fear Allah, O ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn! 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:58.500 You employ me for a task, 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:01.500 I fulfill it for you, and then you strike me?' 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:03.500 He wept and said, 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:07.500 'Go to the mosque of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:09.500 and pray two rak'ahs. 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:10.500 Then say, 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:13.500 "O Allah, forgive ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn." 00:13:13.500 --> 00:13:16.500 Once you have gone and done that, 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:19.500 you are free for the sake of Allah the Exalted.' 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:22.500 So I went, prayed, and supplicated, 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:26.500 and I did not return to his house until I was a free man." 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:31.649 Allah the Almighty had granted abundance to Zayn al-'Abidin, 00:13:31.649 --> 00:13:34.649 and poured provision upon him in great measure. 00:13:34.649 --> 00:13:37.649 He had profitable trade, 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:39.649 and flourishing agriculture. 00:13:39.649 --> 00:13:42.649 His servants would manage these affairs for him. 00:13:42.649 --> 00:13:47.649 His agriculture and trade yielded him abundant goodness, 00:13:47.649 --> 00:13:49.649 and much wealth. 00:13:49.649 --> 00:13:53.679 Yet, wealth did not make Zayn al-'Abidin arrogant, 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.679 nor did his blessings make him insolent. 00:13:55.679 --> 00:14:00.679 Rather, he made the wealth of this world a mount for success in the Hereafter. 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:05.679 His wealth was truly the best of wealth, suitable for a righteous servant. 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:10.679 Among the acts of righteousness he loved most was secret charity. 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:13.740 When night would fall, 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:17.740 he would carry sacks of flour on his weary back, 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:21.740 and go out into the darkness of the night while the people were asleep. 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:27.809 He would roam the neighborhoods of Medina to give charity to those in need, 00:14:27.809 --> 00:14:30.809 those who would not importune people with requests. 00:14:30.809 --> 00:14:34.899 Many groups of people in Medina 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:39.899 lived without knowing from where their comfortable provision came. 00:14:39.899 --> 00:14:42.899 When ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn passed away, 00:14:42.899 --> 00:14:46.899 these people lost the provision that used to come to them. 00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:48.899 That was when they discovered its source. 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.899 When Zayn al-'Abidin was placed on the washing bier, 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.899 those who washed him looked, 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:56.899 and they found marks of blackness on his back. 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:58.899 They asked, "What is this?" 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:03.899 It was said to them, "It is from the marks of carrying sacks of flour 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:05.899 to a hundred houses in Medina," 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:08.899 which lost their provider with his passing. 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:14.220 As for the news of ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn freeing slaves, 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:17.220 it spread far and wide across the lands. 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:22.220 For this deed of his surpassed the imagination of those who dream, 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:25.220 and exceeded the aspirations of those who strive. 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:28.379 He would free a slave if he did well, 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:31.379 as a reward for his good conduct. 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:34.379 And he would free a slave if he did wrong and repented, 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:37.379 as a reward for his repentance. 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:39.379 So much so that the narrators reported 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:41.379 that he freed a thousand slaves, 00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:48.379 and that he never employed any of his male or female servants for more than one year. 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:51.379 His freeing of his slaves 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:54.379 would most often occur on the night of ‘Eid al-Fitr. 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:58.379 For on that blessed night, he would liberate 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:03.379 as many souls from the bondage of slavery as Allah enabled him to. 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:07.379 He would ask them to face the Qiblah and say, 00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:11.379 "O Allah, forgive ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn." 00:16:11.379 --> 00:16:15.379 Then he would provide for them in a way that made their ‘Eid two ‘Eids, 00:16:15.379 --> 00:16:17.379 and their joy twofold. 00:16:17.379 --> 00:16:23.820 ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn held a place in the hearts of the people 00:16:23.820 --> 00:16:26.820 that no one in his era surpassed. 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:30.850 The people loved him with the most sincere love, 00:16:30.850 --> 00:16:34.850 revered him with the greatest reverence, 00:16:34.850 --> 00:16:38.850 were attached to him with the deepest attachment, 00:16:38.850 --> 00:16:42.850 and longed to see him with the most profound longing. 00:16:42.850 --> 00:16:44.850 They would watch for him, 00:16:44.850 --> 00:16:49.850 hoping to be blessed by the sight of him leaving his house or entering it, 00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:53.850 or going to the mosque or returning from it. 00:16:53.850 --> 00:16:59.070 It is narrated that Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik came to Mecca for Hajj, 00:16:59.070 --> 00:17:02.070 and he was the Crown Prince at that time. 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:07.069 He approached, intending to perform Tawaf and seeking to touch the Black Stone. 00:17:07.069 --> 00:17:11.069 The soldiers surrounding him began to alert the people to him, 00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:14.069 and to clear the path for him. 00:17:14.069 --> 00:17:19.069 But no one among the people paid them any heed, nor did they make way for them. 00:17:19.069 --> 00:17:21.069 For the House is the House of Allah, 00:17:21.069 --> 00:17:24.069 and all people are His servants. 00:17:24.069 --> 00:17:26.069 While they were in that state, 00:17:26.069 --> 00:17:31.069 they heard the sounds of Tahlil and Takbir coming from afar. 00:17:31.069 --> 00:17:34.200 Necks craned toward the sound, 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:37.200 and there was a man in a group of people, 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:39.200 handsome and well-proportioned, 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:42.200 lean of body, radiant of face, 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:45.200 upon whom rested tranquility and dignity. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.200 He walked in an izar and a rida, 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:50.200 and the mark of prostration was visible between his eyes. 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:53.200 The masses of people began to part for him, 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:56.200 forming rows upon rows, 00:17:56.200 --> 00:18:00.200 greeting him with looks of longing and love, 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:04.200 until he reached the Black Stone and touched it. 00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:08.200 Then one of the courtiers turned to Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.200 and said to him, 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:14.200 "Who is this whom the people have honored with all this honor, 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:17.200 and revered with all this reverence?" 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:20.200 Hisham said, "I do not know him." 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.200 Al-Farazdaq was present, 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:27.200 and he said, "If Hisham does not know him, 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:31.200 I know him, and the whole world knows him. 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:34.230 This is ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, 00:18:34.230 --> 00:18:39.230 may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, his father, and his grandfather." 00:18:39.230 --> 00:18:41.230 Then he recited: 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:45.359 "This is he whose footsteps the desert knows, 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:49.359 and the House knows him, as do the sacred and the profane lands. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:53.359 This is the son of the best of all Allah’s servants; 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:57.359 this is the pious, the pure, the clean, the beacon. 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:01.359 This is the son of Fatimah, if you are ignorant of him; 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:05.359 through his grandfather, the prophets of Allah were sealed. 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:09.359 Your saying 'Who is this?' does not harm him; 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:13.359 the Arabs and the non-Arabs know whom you have denied. 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:17.359 Both his hands are a relief whose benefit is widespread; 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:21.359 they are ever-giving, and poverty never touches them. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:25.359 Easy-natured, one does not fear his outbursts; 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:29.359 he is adorned by two things: good character and noble traits. 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:33.359 He never said 'no' except in his Tashahhud; 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:37.359 were it not for the Tashahhud, his 'no' would be 'yes.' 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.359 He covered all creation with his kindness, so there vanished 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:45.359 from them the darkness, poverty, and destitution. 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:49.359 When the Quraysh see him, one of them says, 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:53.359 'To the noble qualities of this man, nobility reaches its end.' 00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:57.359 He lowers his gaze out of modesty, and he is lowered out of awe; 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:01.359 he is not spoken to except when he smiles. 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:05.359 In his hand is a cane whose scent is fragrant, 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:09.359 from the hand of a magnificent man, with a noble bridge of the nose. 00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:13.359 His lineage is derived from the Messenger of Allah; 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:17.359 his roots, his character, and his traits are pure." 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:22.609 May Allah be pleased with the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, 00:20:22.609 --> 00:20:26.609 and may He please him, for he was a unique example 00:20:26.609 --> 00:20:30.609 of one who fears Allah in secret and in public. 00:20:30.609 --> 00:20:34.609 He would restrain his soul out of fear of Allah’s punishment. 00:20:34.609 --> 00:20:42.220 I have not seen a Qurayshi better than 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:47.569 ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Zuhri. 00:20:47.569 --> 00:20:51.569 They are the best in their stances and their example; 00:20:51.569 --> 00:20:55.569 they followed the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke. 00:20:55.569 --> 00:20:59.569 They were here, watering the clouds, 00:20:59.569 --> 00:21:03.569 our lives, so they passed away among us. 00:21:03.569 --> 00:21:07.569 Their memory is exalted; 00:21:07.569 --> 00:21:11.569 they cast a question into the conscience: 00:21:11.569 --> 00:21:15.569 Is there a star like them that has risen and shone? 00:21:15.569 --> 00:21:19.569 They filled life with glories, 00:21:19.569 --> 00:21:23.569 through their deeds, and the world of the humble 00:21:23.569 --> 00:21:25.569 was adorned by them.