Fifth of Sha’ban marks blessed birth anniversary of Imam al-Sajjad, peace be upon him
The Honorable Ali ibn Hussain, the son of Imam Hussain and the fourth leader of the Muslims, with the Kunyas of Abul-Hasan and Abu Muhammad, was born on the fifth of Sha’ban in the year 38 AH in Medina.
Some of his famous epithets include: Zain al-Abidin, Sayyid al-Sajideen, Sajjad, Zaki, Amin, and Dhu al-Thafanat.
More details in the following report:
Imam al-Sajjad, peace be upon him, the son of Imam Hussain and the fourth Imam of the Muslims was born on the fifth of Sha’ban in the year 38 AH, according to popular narrative.
The mother of Imam al-Sajjad, peace be upon him, was Shahrbano, the daughter of Yazdgerd III, the great emperor of Iran.
Imam Sajjad was contemporary to part of the life of Amir al-Mu’minin and the Imamate of Imam al-Hassan and Imam al-Hussain, witnessing Muawiyah’s efforts to pressure the Shi’ites in Iraq and other regions.
Imam al-Sajjad accompanied his noble father and other companions in Karbala and witnessed the martyrdom of his father, brother, uncle, and other martyrs of Karbala on the Day of Ashura.
He was ill on that day by divine will so that he will take on the Imamate and leadership of the Umma after Imam al-Hussain. He went to Kufa and the Levant with the captives of Karbala, delivering awakening speeches, along with his noble aunt Zainab al-Kubra, that served to perpetuate the memory of Ashura.
One of these awakening speeches by Imam al-Sajjad took place in the form of the famous sermon in the mosque of the Levant in the presence of Yazid.
When he proposed to give a speech in front of Yazid, he was denied permission, but people insisted, and Yazid had no choice but to allow it. The Imam went to the pulpit and recited that famous and unique sermon, shaking hearts and bringing tears to eyes.
Supplication and prayers were a cultural strategy that Imam al-Sajjad used for guiding people after the tragedy of Ashura during the Umayyad period.
In those tumultuous times under the Umayyads and Marwanids, that venerable Imam had to adopt a new approach to combat the oppressors, and free that dark and oppressive environment and those ignorant people from the clutches of falsehood taught by Muawiyah, Yazid, Umayyads, and also from the dominance of demonic institutions. A method that could acquaint people with truths and teachings of religion and the pure lineage of the Prophet and create a revolution in the Islamic world without giving excuses to enemies.
Zain al-Abedin’s Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya is a collection of the best and most eloquent supplications with very profound and deep content. Each sentence teaches a new lesson to humans and truly teaches the method of supplication and communion with God to every person, enlightening their soul and spirit.
Imam al-Sajjad’s ‘Treatise on the Rights’ is also one of the works left by that Imam. Due to its focus on the true nature of human beings, it contains points that modern human rights have neglected because Imam al-Sajjad has looked at them from a depth that is far beyond what modern human rights have considered. The famous poem by ‘Farazdaq’ describing Imam Zain al-Abidin portrays a magnificent and unique scene of people’s respect for Imam al-Sajjad versus their indifference towards Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik in the crowds of Hajj.
