Name. Ali

Title: Zaynu’l-Abidin.

Agrnomen: Abu Muhammad.

Father’s name: al- Hussain Sayyidu’sh-Shuhada.

Mother’s name: Shaher Banu, daughter of Yazdeger III, the king of Persia.

Birth: In Medina, on Saturday, 15^th Jamada’l-awwal 36 AH.

Death: Martyred at the age of 58 in Medina; poisoned by al- Walid bin Abdi’l-Malik bin Marwan on 25^th Muharram 95 AH; buried in Jannatu’l-Baqi in Medina( Saudi Arabia).

he mother of holy Imam (a.s) was the royal personage, Shar Banu, the daughter of King Yazdegerd, the last pre-Islamic Ruler of Persia. Imam(a.s) spent the first 2 years his infancy of his grandfather Ali bin Abu Talib(a.s) and then 12 years he had the gracious patronage of his uncle, the Holy Imam Hasan(a.s) bin Ali. In 61 AH he was present in Karbala at the time of the gruesome tragedy of the wholesale massacre of his father Imam Hussain (a.s),his uncles, brothers his cousins and his father’s companions. He also suffered with his father and the ladies of the Ahlu’lbayt the heartless captivity and imprisonment at the hands of the devilish forces at the command of Yazid bin Muawiyah.

When Imam Hussain(a.s) had come for the last time to his camp to bid goodbye to his family, Ali Zaynu’l Abidin was laying semi-conscious in his sicken and hence he escaped the massacre in Karbala. Imam Hussain(a.s) could only manage a very brief talk with the inmates of his camp and departed nominating his sick son as Imam.

Imam(a.s) passed 34 years after his father and all his life he passed in prayers and supplication to Allah and in remembrance of his martyred father. Holy Imam(a.s) was popularly called “Sajad”. On the day of Ashura Yazid’s forces had set fire to the camp, this Holy Imam(a.s) was engrossed in his supplication to the Lord. Yazid’s army had taken the ladies and children as captives, Imam(a.s) though sick, was put in heavy chain with iron ring round his neck and his ankles and was made to walk barefooted on the thorny plains from Karbala to Kufah and to Damascus .

His charity was unassuming and hidden. After his passing away , the people said that hidden charity ended with the departure of this Imam(a.s). like his grand father Ali bin Abu Talib used to carry on his back at night bags of flour and bread for the poor and needy families in Medina and he so maintained hundred of poor families in the city. The Imam(a.s) was not only hospitable even to his enemies but also used to continually exhort them to the right path. The knowledge and piety of this Imam was matchless.

The invaluable collection of hid edited prayers are Known as “ as- Sahifah al-Kamilah” or “ as-Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah” it is known also as az-Zabur(Psalm) of Al-Muhammad. The collection is an invaluable treasury of wonderfully effective supplication to the Lord in inimitably beautiful language.

In 25^th Muharram ,the ruler al-Walid bin Marwan got him martyred by poison.