When the imamate devolved upon him in the wake of Karbala, Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him), with his wise words in Yazid’s court, neutralized Yazid’s attempt to humiliate the Ahl al‑Bayt and expounded their rank—above all that of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). That historic stand kept the message of the Ahl al‑Bayt alive and left a deep imprint on Islamic history.
The religious leadership of Imam Zayn al‑Abidin (peace be upon him) coincided with one of the darkest periods of Islam: the reign of ʿAbd al‑Malik ibn Marwān. Bearing the searing grief of Karbala and living under the crushing weight of Umayyad tyranny, he carried on the mission of guiding the people and preserving the teachings of the Ahl al‑Bayt (peace be upon them).
Proclaiming the Virtues of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) in Yazid’s Court
After the events of Karbala, in Yazid’s court in Damascus, Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) delivered an illuminating sermon in which he introduced himself and the family of the Prophet and laid bare for all the true station of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him).
In that sermon, the Imam (peace be upon him) declared:
“I am the son of Ali al‑Murtaḍā; the son of the one who struck the noses of the arrogant until they uttered ‘there is no god but Allah’. I am the son of the man who fought alongside the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) with two swords and battled with two spears, who migrated twice and pledged allegiance twice, who fought at Badr and Hunayn and never, for the blink of an eye, disbelieved in God.
I am the son of the righteous one of the believers, the heir of the prophets, the uprooter of the godless, the commander of the Muslims, the light of the warriors, the ornament of the worshippers, the crown of those who weep, the most forbearing of the forbearing, and the finest of those who rise from the family of Yāsīn and the household of the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.
I am the son of the one who was reinforced by Gabriel and aided by Michael. I am the son of the one who defended the sanctity of the Muslims, fought the Māriqīn, the Nākithīn and the Qāsiṭīn, and strove against the Nāṣibī enemies. He was the most glorious man of Quraysh ever to walk the earth.
I am the son of the one who answered God and His Messenger from among the believers; the forerunner in Islam, the crusher of transgressors, the destroyer of the polytheists, an arrow from God’s quiver aimed at the hypocrites.
He was the tongue of wisdom for the worshippers, the helper of God’s religion, the wālī of God’s command, the garden of divine wisdom and the repository of His knowledge.
He was gentle of nature, generous, majestic, modest, pure, of the land of Baṭḥāʾ, one with whom God is pleased, a man of initiative, lofty resolve, forbearance, given to fasting, refined of every flaw, ever‑rising, decisive against obdurate necks, a discerner who drew the line between the factions of error and the path of truth.
He was the most God‑fearing of all people, the firmest, the most resolute, the bravest—a mighty lion who, when spears closed in and hardship descended, ground his foes like a millstone and scattered them like chaff before the wind.
He was the lion of the thicket of Hijaz, the mighty leader of Iraq; a Meccan, a Medinan, linked to the Mosque of al‑Khayf, connected to the ʿAqabah pledge, a warrior of Badr, of Uḥud, of the Tree, a great Emigrant; master of the Arabs and lion of the battlefields.
He is the heir of the two momentous stations and the father of the two grandsons of this community, al‑Ḥasan and al‑Husain (peace be upon them). All these are the attributes of my grandfather ʿAli ibn Abi Ṭālib (peace be upon him).”
Elucidating the Wilayah of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
In explaining the station of self‑sacrifice of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) pointed to his unparalleled devotion on the night of the Prophet’s emigration (peace be upon him and his family).
Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) said:
“The first person who sold his soul for the good pleasure of God and laid down his life was Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). When the polytheists stormed the Prophet’s house (God bless him and his family) to kill him, they did not find him in his bed; instead they saw that the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) had risen from the Prophet’s bed.”
Visiting the Shrine of Amir al-Muminin
In another narration, when Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) visited the shrine of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), he recalled his station and his struggle with profound words.
Jābir ibn Yazīd al‑Juʿfī—a jurist, exegete, traditionist and renowned companion of Imam Muḥammad al‑Baqir and Imam Jafar al‑Ṣadiq (peace be upon them)—narrates:
“Imam al‑Baqir (peace be upon him) said: ‘My father, Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him), went to visit the shrine of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) in an area near Kufa. He stood beside his grave, wept and said: “Peace be upon you, O trusted one of God in His earth and His proof over His servants; peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful; I bear witness that you strove in God’s cause as He deserves to be striven for…” (the Ziyarah of Amīn Allāh).’”
Revering the Worship of the Commander of the Faithful
To fortify his own spirit of devotion, Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) would regularly study the record of the Commander of the Faithful’s worship (peace be upon him) and would be deeply moved by its magnitude.
Imam Muḥammad al‑Baqir (peace be upon him) relates from his father Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him):
“My son, bring me the scroll in which the worship of ʿAli ibn Abi Ṭalib (peace be upon him) is recorded.” When I brought it, he would read a portion of it, then lay it aside with deep sorrow and say: “Who has the capacity to worship as ʿAli ibn Abi Ṭalib (peace be upon him) worshipped?”
Mentioning the Virtues of Amir al-Muminin
In a profound understanding of zakāt, Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) introduced the propagation and mention of the virtues of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) as a form of zakāt for believers of modest means.
Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) said: “The verse ‘and gives zakāt’ (al‑Baqarah 177) obligates every believer towards his religious brethren. So, if one has no wealth to give as zakāt, he must expend his physical and intellectual capacities and, to the best of his ability, openly proclaim the virtues of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and his pure family.”
The Person Most Resembling Amir al-Muminin
Imam al‑Ṣadiq (peace be upon him) says: “Among all the members of our Ahl al‑Bayt, no one resembled Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) more in asceticism and worship than Ali ibn al‑Husain (peace be upon him); Imam al‑Sajjad (peace be upon him) was the closest of all.”
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References:
[1] Bihār al‑Anwār, vol. 45, p. 137
[2] al‑Manāqib, vol. 2, p. 64
[3] al‑Ghārāt, vol. 2, p. 847; Kāmil al‑Ziyārāt, p. 92
[4] Kashf al‑Ghummah, vol. 2, p. 85
[5] Bihār al‑Anwār, vol. 24, p. 381
[6] Bihār al‑Anwār, vol. 46, p. 74, h. 65 (quoting al‑Irshād)
