Sheikh Mufid and Imam Sajjad
part 3
Farazdaq the famous poet was standing right there. He composed a Qaseeda in praise of the Imam to introduce him to the Heir apparent of the throne. He said, "He is who that the whole Makka knows him, every stone in the Ka'aba knows him. He is the son of the grand son of Fatima and Ali and of the Holy Prophet. Hisham, in his arrogance of power, imprisoned the poet who died in prison some years later.
In another incident while the Imam was about to begin his prayers a man came round and began to use abusive language against him. Imam ignored the man first. But when he repeated the abusive language pointing to him directly, Imam said to him, "what you are saying about me, if it is true then I asks God's forgiveness, but if it is not true, then only God can forgive you." The man was thoroughly ashamed of his behavior and apologized. Later on he became a great devotee of the Imam. Some people say that the Imam spent his life after Karbala in weeping and crying for the atrocities committed to his family. Indeed it was true that he wept profusely and that some times the glass of water he drank would soil with tears so that he would not be able to drink that water. And when people said why you weep so much, for martyrdom is the inheritance of the Ahlulbayt.
He would say, "Yes indeed, I do not weep for the killing of my family, but for the humiliation we the whole family faced on the way to Damascus which was beyond description. I weep for that disgrace of women and children." He would then call the people around and tell them the story of Karbala and the plight of the captives after Karbala. People would also weep and cry loudly. The message spread. This was the means to tell the people otherwise people would not want to know. Through tragedy the message reached the hearts of the people and that message is still alive after 1400 years. And with this the line of demarcation drawn in Karbala between truth and falsehood is still visible.
Imam's aunt Hazrat Zainab was organising gatherings in the city of Madina to tell the assembled ladies in the majlis the events of Karbala and these participants spread the message to all corners of the town and in Makka and other cities of the province of Hejaz.
This method was so successful that the Governor of Madina wrote to Yazid about it and on the orders from Yazid, Hazrat Zainab was escorted back to Damascus. She lived there for a while then she was moved to Egypt on the orders of the monarch because even in Damascus her speeches in private gatherings were successful in spreading the story of Karbala.
Hazrat Zainab stayed in Egypt for few years but then she was brought back to Damascus where she was martyred. Her mausoleum is in Damascus, just outside the City and pilgrims visit the place all the time. Many miracles have appeared at this place and people suffering from incurable diseases have come to pray on her grave and have found good health. Imam (AS) in Madina through his silent teachings left many pupils; the most prominent of them was Abu Hamza-e-Thumali, who remained to spread the teachings of Ahlulbayt in the Islamic world. Abu Mikhnuf was also one famous pupil of the Imam who later on the instructions of the fifth Imam wrote the story of Karbala in the narrative form which became the part of the Majlis all over the world.
The calm and peaceful life of the Imam was not to be tolerated by the Ummayad's cruel regime. They realized that the Imam was succeeding in his mission of spreading the message of his father Hussain (AS). The Syrian monarch Walid Ibn Abdul Malik had him poisoned. He died in Madina on the 25th of Muharram 95 Hijri. His eldest son Muhammad Ibn Ali al Baqir arranged the burial and laid him to rest in the grave yard of Jannatul Baqi beside his uncle Imam Hasan (AS).
Source: alhassanain.com
Other Links:
The Secret Helper of the Poor
Imam Sadjad (a.s)’s advice on Human Rights
Imam Sadjad’s Deep Love for the Holy Qur’an (Part 1)
