Do you know about Shahadat Imam Zain ul Abideen (a.s.) — 25 Muharram? On the 25th of Muharram, 95 AH (713 CE), the Islamic world lost one of its greatest spiritual pillars — Imam Ali ibn Hussain (a.s.), known to history by his luminous titles: Zain-ul-Abideen (the Ornament of Worshippers) and Imam al-Sajjad (the One Who Prostrates Much). The Fourth Imam of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in the school of Fiqah-e-Jafria, he was poisoned on the orders of the Umayyad ruler Walid ibn Abdul Malik and buried in Jannat al-Baqi in Madinah, beside his uncle, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a.s.).
The 25th of Muharram falls within the very same sacred month that carries the wound of Karbala. For the followers of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), this day extends and deepens the mourning of Ashura — a reminder that Imam Hussain’s (a.s.) message did not end with his martyrdom on the plains of Karbala, but lived on for another 34 years through the patience, prayers, and silent resistance of his surviving son.
Who Was Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.)?
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ali ibn Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) |
| Titles | Zain-ul-Abideen, Imam al-Sajjad, Sayyid al-Sajidin, Abu al-Hasan |
| Birth | 5th Sha’ban, 38 AH (659 CE), Madinah |
| Father | Imam Hussain ibn Ali (a.s.) — the Third Imam |
| Mother | Bibi Shahrbanu (a.s.) — daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Sasanian emperor |
| Period of Imamate | 34 years (61–95 AH) |
| Shahadat | 25th Muharram, 95 AH (713 CE), Madinah |
| Cause of Martyrdom | Poisoned by order of Walid ibn Abdul Malik |
| Buried | Jannat al-Baqi, Madinah |
| Successor | Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) — the Fifth Imam |
According to Shia sources, his title Zain-ul-Abideen — “the Ornament of Worshippers” — was given to him by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself, who foretold that on the Day of Judgement a call would be made for Zain-ul-Abideen, and his son Ali ibn Hussain (a.s.) would respond to it. His title al-Sajjad refers to the extraordinary depth and length of his prayers — it is narrated that the marks of prolonged sajdah (prostration) had formed on his forehead, cheeks, knees, and palms, and that he was among the greatest worshippers of his age.
His mother Bibi Shahrbanu (a.s.) passed away shortly after his birth, making him, in the words of narrators, Ibn al-Khiyaratayn — “the son of the two best lineages” — one the noble family of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through Imam Ali (a.s.) and Sayyida Fatima (s.a.), and the other the royal Persian lineage through his mother.
The Weight He Carried: Witness to Karbala
When the tragedy of Karbala unfolded on 10 Muharram, 61 AH, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) was approximately 22 to 24 years old. He had come to Karbala with his father, Imam Hussain (a.s.), but was so gravely ill that he could not stand, let alone fight. He lay in the tent, burning with fever, as one by one the men of his family — his brothers, cousins, his infant half-brother Ali Asghar (a.s.) — were martyred.
Imam Hussain (a.s.) visited his ailing son during the final hours, transferred the sacred trust of Imamate to him, and went to meet his own martyrdom. With this, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) became the Fourth Imam of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in the most devastating of circumstances — the only surviving adult male of the household of the Prophet (PBUH), chained and ill, surrounded by grieving women and orphaned children.
His illness, in Shia tradition, was not a misfortune — it was divine protection, ensuring the continuation of the line of Imamate. Umayyad soldiers who came to kill him were told by others: “This sickness is enough for him.” And so the last witness of Ashura survived. For a complete account of what happened in those days, see What Happened After Ashura in Karbala — The Captivity, Kufa, Damascus & Arbaeen Story.
From Chains to Pulpit: The Journey Through Kufa and Damascus
After Karbala, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) was placed in heavy chains — hand-to-neck shackles known as jami’a — and because he was too weak to sit upright on the camel, his feet were fastened beneath the animal’s belly. In this state, he was paraded as a prisoner through the streets of Kufa alongside the women and children of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), including his aunt Sayyida Zainab (s.a.) and his cousin Sayyida Sakina (s.a.).
When brought before the governor of Kufa, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, and later before Yazid ibn Muawiya in Damascus, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) did not break. In Yazid’s court, when the Muazzin called the Azan and reached the words “Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah” — “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” — the Imam turned to Yazid and said:
“Tell me, O Yazid — was this Muhammad your grandfather or mine? If you say he is your grandfather, you have lied. And if you say he is my grandfather — then why have you killed his son, chained his family, and brought his women as captives to your court?”
Yazid had no answer. The court was shaken. Yazid, fearing the crowd turning against him, ordered the Azan to stop. It was a moment that exposed the Umayyad regime before its own people, and planted the seeds of its eventual decline.
Yazid ordered the Imam’s execution, but Sayyida Zainab (s.a.) placed herself before her nephew and declared that they would have to kill her first. The life of Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) was spared. You can read more about the role of Sayyida Zainab (s.a.) in preserving the Imam’s life and continuing the message of Karbala in the Biography and Mission of Syeda Zainab (s.a.).
Return to Madinah: 34 Years of Silent Revolution
After their release from Damascus, the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) returned to Madinah. The caravan is reported to have passed through Karbala on the 20th of Safar — the day now commemorated as Arbaeen — stopping at the graves of the martyrs before continuing. Read more about this sacred journey in Arbaeen (Chehlum) — The 40th Day After Ashura (20th Safar).
Back in Madinah, the Imam settled into a life that was, from the outside, quiet — but was, in reality, a revolution of the soul. Unable to confront the Umayyad state with open political opposition, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) chose a far more enduring path: the path of worship, scholarship, compassion, and supplications that would outlast every throne of his time.
The Grief That Never Left
Narrators record that for the rest of his life — 34 years after Karbala — Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) wept whenever he ate food, wept whenever he saw water, and wept at the memory of the thirst of the family at Karbala. Those around him would ask: “Will your grief never ease, O son of the Prophet?” He would reply:
“I do not weep for the killing of my family — I know martyrdom is the inheritance of the Ahlul Bayt. I weep for the humiliation — for the women, for the children, for what was done to them on the road to Damascus. I weep so that the world does not forget.”
And through his weeping, the world did not forget. He would gather people and tell them the story of Karbala, and they would weep with him, and the message would spread — from one household to another, from Madinah to every corner of the Muslim world. His aunt Sayyida Zainab (s.a.) organized the first public majalis in Madinah to ensure the same. This was how the truth of Karbala survived the Umayyad attempt to erase it.
The Worshipper of the Age
It is narrated that Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) performed one thousand rak’ats of prayer every day and night — a practice inherited from his grandfather Imam Ali (a.s.). When he stood for prayer, his face would change colour from awe of Allah. His prostrations were so long and so deep that those around him feared for his health.
It is also narrated that he secretly carried sacks of flour and provisions on his back in the darkness of the night, distributing food to the poor families of Madinah without revealing himself as the benefactor. Only after his martyrdom, when people found the marks of those heavy loads on his blessed shoulders, did they understand who their anonymous provider had been. He is reported to have freed and provided for over a thousand enslaved people during his lifetime.
The Two Immortal Works: Sahifa Sajjadiya and Risalat al-Huquq
Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) could not preach openly in the mosques under Umayyad surveillance. So he raised his voice where no Umayyad sword could reach — in the language of dua (supplication) — and left behind two works that remain among the greatest treasures of Islamic civilization.
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya — The Psalms of Islam
The Sahifa Sajjadiya is a collection of 54 profound supplications taught and recited by Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.). It has been called “the Psalms of Islam” by scholars for the depth and beauty of its spiritual content. These are not mere personal prayers — they are masterworks of theology, ethics, and social consciousness, covering:
- Gratitude, repentance, and submission to Allah
- The rights of parents, neighbours, rulers, the poor, and even enemies
- Supplications for the month of Ramadhan, for after prayer, for times of hardship
- Reflections on justice, humility, and the inner life of a believer
The most celebrated of these is Dua Abu Hamza al-Thumali, recited in the pre-dawn hours of Ramadhan, which remains one of the most widely read duas in the Shia world. The Sahifa has been translated into dozens of languages, including English, and is studied to this day in Islamic seminaries worldwide.
Risalat al-Huquq — The Treatise on Rights
The Risalat al-Huquq (Treatise on Rights) is a short but extraordinary document in which Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) defines 50 to 51 distinct rights that a human being holds — the right of Allah, the right of the self, the rights of parents, teachers, rulers, neighbours, children, the body, the tongue, and even one’s enemies. Written fourteen centuries ago, it remains one of the earliest and most comprehensive frameworks of human rights in Islamic history, showing that Islam, as taught by the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), is a complete system of justice covering every dimension of life.
The Imamate Under Umayyad Pressure
During his 34 years as Imam, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) lived through the caliphates of Yazid ibn Muawiya, Muawiya II, Marwan I, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, and finally Walid ibn Abdul Malik. Throughout this period, he was under constant Umayyad surveillance. The regime knew that his presence in Madinah — his spiritual authority, his lineage, his popularity among the people — was the single greatest threat to their legitimacy.
Several important events marked his period of Imamate:
- The Event of Harra (63 AH), in which Umayyad forces attacked Madinah and desecrated the city of the Prophet (PBUH). The Imam withdrew from the city during this period, maintaining his neutrality without endorsing the violence.
- The Tawwabun Movement, in which repentant Kufans who had abandoned Imam Hussain (a.s.) rose up in atonement and were killed. The Imam neither supported nor condemned them publicly, aware of the complex political realities of his time.
- The Uprising of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, which avenged the blood of Imam Hussain (a.s.) by hunting down the killers of Karbala. Again, the Imam maintained his approach of spiritual rather than political leadership.
In each of these situations, the Imam’s silence was not indifference — it was the carefully considered strategy of an Imam who knew that the survival of the school of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) depended on building a community of scholars and believers from within, rather than leading an uprising that would be crushed before it could take root.
The Shahadat — 25 Muharram, 95 AH
The Umayyad regime’s fear of Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) never faded. As the years passed and his spiritual influence continued to grow — as students came to him from across the Islamic world, as his duas were copied and memorised, as the people of Madinah loved him more deeply with each passing year — the regime’s anxiety grew with it.
According to Shia historical sources, the Umayyad caliph Walid ibn Abdul Malik (r. 86–96 AH) ordered the Imam’s assassination by poison. The poison was administered secretly — some narrations say it was mixed into his food, others say it was offered in the form of a gift of fruit. The Imam accepted it knowing what it was. This is consistent with the pattern of martyrdom of the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) — nearly all were poisoned rather than killed openly, because open assassination would have ignited popular uprising.
On the 25th of Muharram, 95 AH, Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) passed from this world at the age of approximately 57 years. His last words, as recorded in some narrations, were:
“All praise is for Allah who honoured us with Islam.”
His eldest son, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.), who was the Fifth Imam and his designated successor, arranged the burial. The Imam was laid to rest in Jannat al-Baqi, the blessed cemetery of Madinah, beside his uncle Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a.s.). The graves of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in Jannat al-Baqi were later demolished in 1925, but remain a site of deep reverence and visitation for millions of Muslims to this day.
25 Muharram — How This Day Is Observed
Every year, the 25th of Muharram is observed by Shia Muslims and lovers of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) worldwide. Coming only fifteen days after the day of Ashura, it falls within the same period of mourning and deepens it. The observances include:
- Majalis (gatherings) in which scholars speak about the life, mission, and martyrdom of Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.)
- Recitation of Ziyarat (salutations) of the Fourth Imam at his gravesite in Madinah or remotely
- Reading from the Sahifa Sajjadiya, particularly Dua Abu Hamza al-Thumali, as an act of remembrance
- Nauhas and Marsias (elegies) in Urdu, Arabic, Persian, and other languages mourning the Imam
- Charitable acts in the spirit of the Imam’s anonymous generosity to the poor
For those wishing to honour this day through ziyarat and the recitation of Ziyarat Ashura in remembrance of Imam Hussain (a.s.) — the father for whom Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) wept for 34 years — the virtues and method of this practice are covered in detail in Ziyarat Ashura — The Daily Spiritual Gift from Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) for Remembering Imam Hussain (a.s.).
The Legacy: From Karbala to Every Generation
Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.) did not raise a sword after Karbala. He did not lead an army. He did not seize political power. And yet, in the judgment of history, few figures of his century left a deeper mark on the civilization of Islam. Through the Sahifa Sajjadiya, he gave believers a language to speak to their Creator that no oppressor could confiscate. Through Risalat al-Huquq, he gave Islamic thought a framework of human dignity centuries ahead of its time. Through his tears, he ensured that Karbala would never be forgotten. Through his children — most importantly Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s.) — he laid the intellectual and spiritual foundation of Fiqah-e-Jafria itself.
The message of his life is simple and timeless: truth does not require a throne to survive. It requires patience, sincerity, and the willingness to carry the weight of grief without letting it extinguish the light of faith.
On this 25th of Muharram, as we mourn the Imam who wept for 34 years so that we would not forget — let us remember him not only with tears, but with the reading of his duas, the learning of his teachings, and the living of his values.
“The silence of the wise is a sermon.” — Imam Zain-ul-Abideen (a.s.)
Related Reading on Al Mehdi Center
- The Day of Ashura — History and Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.)
- What Happened After Ashura — Captivity of Ahlul Bayt, Kufa and Damascus
- Biography and Mission of Syeda Zainab (s.a.)
- Arbaeen (Chehlum) — The 40th Day After Ashura
- Ziyarat Ashura — Daily Remembrance of Imam Hussain (a.s.)
- The Fourth Imam, Ali ibn Al Husayn, Zainul Abedeen (a.s.)
- Ziyarat of Karbala — Rewards and Merits of Visiting the Grave of Imam Hussain (a.s.)
This article is written based on historical and religious accounts as preserved in Shia sources, including al-Kafi, Bihar al-Anwar, Wikishia, and the books of Fiqah-e-Jafria. Minor differences in dates and details exist across narrations; readers are encouraged to consult their Marja-e-Taqleed or local scholars for matters of religious ruling.
