Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 26 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (26) | Zain Al-Abidin Ali bin Al-Hussein, may God have mercy on him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The best of generations in their conduct and as an example,
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Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
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Mawaddah Association
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Presents
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Scenes from the Lives of the Tabi'un
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By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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Zayn al-'Abidin,
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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That illustrious year saw the closing
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Of the final page of the Sassanid era.
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For Yazdegerd died,
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The last of the Persian kings, a fugitive and an outcast.
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His knights, guards, and household fell as captives into the hands of the Muslims.
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The spoils were driven to the city of Medina.
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The captives of that great victory were
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Numerous, abundant, and precious.
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Medina had never witnessed a greater number or a more momentous event.
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Among the captives were
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The three daughters of Yazdegerd.
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The people flocked to the captives,
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Purchasing them within a matter of hours,
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And returning the proceeds to the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal) of the Muslims.
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Nothing remained of them except the daughters of the Chosroes, Yazdegerd.
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They were among the most beautiful of women,
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The most radiant in appearance and the freshest in youth.
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When they were presented for sale,
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They bowed their heads to the ground in humiliation and disgrace,
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Their eyes overflowing with sorrow and brokenness.
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Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor his face, felt pity for them,
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And wished that someone who knew how to care for them would purchase them.
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And no wonder,
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For the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Show mercy to a noble person who has been humbled."
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So he leaned toward Umar Ibn al-Khattab and said,
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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The daughters of kings are not to be treated like others."
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Umar replied, "You have spoken the truth.
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But how?"
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Ali said,
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"They should be valued at a high price,
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Then given the freedom to choose whom they wish from among those who pay the price."
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Umar was comforted by this, approved of it, and implemented it.
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One of them chose Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn al-Khattab,
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The second chose Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq,
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As for the third,
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Who was called Shahzanan,
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She chose al-Husayn Ibn Ali.
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The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had predicted this.
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Shahzanan embraced Islam, and her Islam was sincere.
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She attained the value of the faith and was emancipated from slavery,
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Becoming a wife after having been a captive, and thus she gained her freedom.
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She then decided to sever all ties with her pagan past,
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Renouncing her name, Shahzanan, which means "Queen of Women,"
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And became known as Ghazalah.
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Ghazalah was blessed with the best of husbands,
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The most fitting for the daughters of kings.
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Her only remaining wish was to be blessed with a child.
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Allah honored her,
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And she bore al-Husayn a boy, handsome of face and radiant in appearance.
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He named him Ali, in honor of his grandfather, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
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But Ghazalah’s joy lasted only for a few moments,
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For she answered the call of her Lord,
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As the pains of childbirth overcame her,
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Leaving her no chance to enjoy her newborn.
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The care of the young boy was taken over by a maidservant of his,
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Who loved him more than a mother loves her own child,
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And nurtured him more than a parent nurtures an only child.
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He grew up knowing no mother but her.
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No sooner had Ali Ibn al-Husayn reached the age of discernment
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Than he turned to seeking knowledge with passion and longing.
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His first school was his home—what an excellent home it was.
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His first teacher was his father, al-Husayn Ibn Ali—what an excellent teacher he was.
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As for his second school,
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It was the Mosque of the Great Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The noble Prophetic Mosque was, in those days,
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Teeming with the remaining Companions of the noble Messenger,
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And overflowing with the first generation of the great Tabi'un.
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Both groups
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Opened their hearts to these blossoming buds, the children of the noble Companions,
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Reciting to them the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
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Giving them understanding of it,
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Narrating to them the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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Guiding them to its deeper meanings,
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Recounting to them the Prophetic biography and his military expeditions,
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Reciting to them the poetry of the Arabs,
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Opening their eyes to its beauty,
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And filling their tender hearts with the love of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic,
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And with His fear and piety.
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Thus, they became scholars who acted upon their knowledge,
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And guides who were rightly guided.
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Yet, the heart of Ali Ibn al-Husayn
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Did not attach itself to anything
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As it attached itself to the Book of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
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And his emotions were not stirred by anything
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As they were stirred by His promises and warnings.
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Whenever he read a verse mentioning Paradise,
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He would soar with longing for it.
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And whenever he heard a verse mentioning the Fire,
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He would heave a sigh as if the flames of Hell were in his very soul.
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Once Ali Ibn al-Husayn had matured in youth and knowledge,
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The ideal Medinan society gained
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A young man among the most profound of the youth of Banu Hashim in worship and piety,
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The greatest of them in virtue and character,
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The most generous and righteous,
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And the most expansive in knowledge and learning.
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His worship and piety reached such a level
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That a trembling would seize him between his ablution and his prayer,
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Shaking his body violently.
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When asked about that, he would say,
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"Woe to you! Do you not know before whom I am about to stand?
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Do you not know whom I intend to address?"
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The Hashimite youth’s excellence
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In his worship and his perfection of his rituals reached such a point
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That people called him Zayn al-'Abidin (Ornament of the Worshippers),
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Until his people almost forgot his actual name.
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This title overshadowed his name.
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His prostrations were so long,
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And he was so absorbed in them,
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That the people of Medina called him al-Sajjad (The Prostrator).
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The purity of his soul and the clarity of his heart were such
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That they described him as al-Zaki (The Pure).
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Zayn al-'Abidin, may the pleasure of Allah be upon him,
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Was certain that the essence of worship is supplication.
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He found the greatest comfort in supplication
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While clinging to the coverings of the Ka'bah.
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How often he would cling to the Ancient House,
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Saying,
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"O Lord, You have let me taste of Your mercy what You have tasted me,
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And You have bestowed upon me of Your bounty what You have bestowed.
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So I have come to call upon You in security, without fear,
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And I ask of You, finding comfort in You, without dread.
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O Lord, I implore You as one whose need for Your mercy is desperate,
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And whose strength is too weak to fulfill Your rights.
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So accept from me the prayer of the drowning stranger,
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Who finds no one to save him but You,
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O Most Generous of the generous."
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Tawus Ibn Kaysan once saw him
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Standing in the shadows of the Ancient House,
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Restless like one suffering from a snakebite,
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Weeping like one in deep agony,
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And praying the prayer of the distressed.
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He stood waiting for him,
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And when he ceased his weeping and finished his prayer,
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He approached him and said,
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"O son of the Messenger of Allah,
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I see you in this state,
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Yet you have three virtues
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That I hope will secure you from fear."
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Zayn al-'Abidin asked,
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"What are they, O Tawus?"
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He replied,
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"The first is that you are the son of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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The second,
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The intercession of your grandfather for you.
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And the third,
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The mercy of Allah."
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He replied,
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"O Tawus,
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My lineage to the Messenger, peace be upon him, does not secure me,
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After I have heard the words of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic:
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“And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another.” (23:101)
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As for the intercession of my grandfather for me,
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Allah, may His word be exalted, says:
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﴾...and they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves.﴿
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And as for the mercy of Allah, the Almighty,
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He says:
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﴾Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.﴿"
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Piety bestowed upon Zayn al-'Abidin
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All that Allah willed of the characteristics of virtue, nobility, and forbearance,
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Until the books of history were adorned with his magnificent accounts,
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And their pages shone with his noble stances.
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Among these is what al-Hasan Ibn al-Hasan narrated, saying:
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"A rift occurred between me and my cousin, Zayn al-'Abidin.
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I went to him, seething with rage.
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He was with his companions in the mosque.
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I did not leave anything unsaid to him,
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While he remained silent, not speaking a word.
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Then I left.
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When night fell,
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There was a knock at my door.
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I went to see who it was,
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And it was Zayn al-'Abidin.
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I did not doubt that he had come to return the insult.
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But he said,
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'O my brother,
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If what you said to me is true,
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Then may Allah forgive me.
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And if it is untrue,
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Then may Allah forgive you.'
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Then he greeted me with peace and departed.
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I followed him and said,
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'Certainly,
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I shall never return to anything you dislike.'
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He softened toward me and said,
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'You are absolved of what you said to me.'"
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One of the people of Medina narrated, saying:
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"Zayn al-'Abidin
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...as he was leaving the mosque, so I followed him.
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I began to gesture at him with insults.
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I did not even know the reason for doing so.
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The people rushed toward me, intending to seize me.
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Had they caught me,
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they would not have let me go until they had crushed me.
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He turned to the people and said,
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"Leave the man alone."
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So they left me alone.
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When he saw the terror that had overcome me,
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he turned to me with a radiant face.
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He began to reassure me and calm my fear.
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Then he said to me,
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"You have insulted us with what you know,
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yet what has been concealed from you regarding our affairs is far greater."
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Then he said to me,
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"Do you have a need that we might help you with?"
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I felt ashamed before him,
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and I said nothing.
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When he saw my shame,
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he cast upon me the garment he was wearing,
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and ordered that I be given a thousand dirhams.
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From then on, whenever I saw him, I would say,
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"I bear witness that you are one of the descendants of the Messenger,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
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One of his freedmen narrated that he said:
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"I was a servant to ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn,
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and he sent me on an errand.
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I was slow in returning to him.
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When I came to him, he struck me with a whip.
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I wept, and my anger toward him intensified,
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because he had never struck anyone before me.
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I said to him,
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'Fear Allah, O ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn!
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You employ me for a task,
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I fulfill it for you, and then you strike me?'
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He wept and said,
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'Go to the mosque of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and pray two rak'ahs.
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Then say,
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"O Allah, forgive ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn."
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Once you have gone and done that,
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you are free for the sake of Allah the Exalted.'
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So I went, prayed, and supplicated,
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and I did not return to his house until I was a free man."
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Allah the Almighty had granted abundance to Zayn al-'Abidin,
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and poured provision upon him in great measure.
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He had profitable trade,
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and flourishing agriculture.
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His servants would manage these affairs for him.
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His agriculture and trade yielded him abundant goodness,
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and much wealth.
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Yet, wealth did not make Zayn al-'Abidin arrogant,
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nor did his blessings make him insolent.
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Rather, he made the wealth of this world a mount for success in the Hereafter.
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His wealth was truly the best of wealth, suitable for a righteous servant.
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Among the acts of righteousness he loved most was secret charity.
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When night would fall,
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he would carry sacks of flour on his weary back,
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and go out into the darkness of the night while the people were asleep.
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He would roam the neighborhoods of Medina to give charity to those in need,
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those who would not importune people with requests.
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Many groups of people in Medina
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lived without knowing from where their comfortable provision came.
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When ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn passed away,
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these people lost the provision that used to come to them.
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That was when they discovered its source.
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When Zayn al-'Abidin was placed on the washing bier,
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those who washed him looked,
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and they found marks of blackness on his back.
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They asked, "What is this?"
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It was said to them, "It is from the marks of carrying sacks of flour
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to a hundred houses in Medina,"
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which lost their provider with his passing.
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As for the news of ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn freeing slaves,
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it spread far and wide across the lands.
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For this deed of his surpassed the imagination of those who dream,
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and exceeded the aspirations of those who strive.
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He would free a slave if he did well,
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as a reward for his good conduct.
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And he would free a slave if he did wrong and repented,
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as a reward for his repentance.
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So much so that the narrators reported
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that he freed a thousand slaves,
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and that he never employed any of his male or female servants for more than one year.
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His freeing of his slaves
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would most often occur on the night of ‘Eid al-Fitr.
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For on that blessed night, he would liberate
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as many souls from the bondage of slavery as Allah enabled him to.
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He would ask them to face the Qiblah and say,
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"O Allah, forgive ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn."
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Then he would provide for them in a way that made their ‘Eid two ‘Eids,
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and their joy twofold.
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‘Ali ibn al-Husayn held a place in the hearts of the people
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that no one in his era surpassed.
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The people loved him with the most sincere love,
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revered him with the greatest reverence,
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were attached to him with the deepest attachment,
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and longed to see him with the most profound longing.
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They would watch for him,
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hoping to be blessed by the sight of him leaving his house or entering it,
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or going to the mosque or returning from it.
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It is narrated that Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik came to Mecca for Hajj,
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and he was the Crown Prince at that time.
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He approached, intending to perform Tawaf and seeking to touch the Black Stone.
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The soldiers surrounding him began to alert the people to him,
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and to clear the path for him.
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But no one among the people paid them any heed, nor did they make way for them.
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For the House is the House of Allah,
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and all people are His servants.
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While they were in that state,
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they heard the sounds of Tahlil and Takbir coming from afar.
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Necks craned toward the sound,
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and there was a man in a group of people,
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handsome and well-proportioned,
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lean of body, radiant of face,
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upon whom rested tranquility and dignity.
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He walked in an izar and a rida,
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and the mark of prostration was visible between his eyes.
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The masses of people began to part for him,
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forming rows upon rows,
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greeting him with looks of longing and love,
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until he reached the Black Stone and touched it.
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Then one of the courtiers turned to Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik
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and said to him,
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"Who is this whom the people have honored with all this honor,
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and revered with all this reverence?"
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Hisham said, "I do not know him."
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Al-Farazdaq was present,
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and he said, "If Hisham does not know him,
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I know him, and the whole world knows him.
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This is ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn,
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may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, his father, and his grandfather."
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Then he recited:
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"This is he whose footsteps the desert knows,
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and the House knows him, as do the sacred and the profane lands.
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This is the son of the best of all Allah’s servants;
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this is the pious, the pure, the clean, the beacon.
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This is the son of Fatimah, if you are ignorant of him;
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through his grandfather, the prophets of Allah were sealed.
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Your saying 'Who is this?' does not harm him;
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the Arabs and the non-Arabs know whom you have denied.
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Both his hands are a relief whose benefit is widespread;
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they are ever-giving, and poverty never touches them.
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Easy-natured, one does not fear his outbursts;
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he is adorned by two things: good character and noble traits.
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He never said 'no' except in his Tashahhud;
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were it not for the Tashahhud, his 'no' would be 'yes.'
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He covered all creation with his kindness, so there vanished
19:41
from them the darkness, poverty, and destitution.
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When the Quraysh see him, one of them says,
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'To the noble qualities of this man, nobility reaches its end.'
19:53
He lowers his gaze out of modesty, and he is lowered out of awe;
19:57
he is not spoken to except when he smiles.
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In his hand is a cane whose scent is fragrant,
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from the hand of a magnificent man, with a noble bridge of the nose.
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His lineage is derived from the Messenger of Allah;
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his roots, his character, and his traits are pure."
20:17
May Allah be pleased with the grandson of the Messenger of Allah,
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and may He please him, for he was a unique example
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of one who fears Allah in secret and in public.
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He would restrain his soul out of fear of Allah’s punishment.
20:34
I have not seen a Qurayshi better than
20:42
‘Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Zuhri.
20:47
They are the best in their stances and their example;
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they followed the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
20:55
They were here, watering the clouds,
20:59
our lives, so they passed away among us.
21:03
Their memory is exalted;
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they cast a question into the conscience:
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Is there a star like them that has risen and shone?
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They filled life with glories,
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through their deeds, and the world of the humble
21:23
was adorned by them.