After ‘Āshūrā, the condition among the Shi‘ites and those who believed in the Imamate was a strange condition. The brutality of Umayyad mercenaries and what they did with the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), whether in Karbalā or in Kūfa and in Shām terrified all the people, who were interested in the path of the Imamate. Of course you know that the elite of the companions of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), were martyred in the event of ‘Āshūrā and the event of Tawwābīn (the Penitents), but those who survived do not have enough daring and courage to allow them to speak their words of truth in front of the tyrannical powers like Yazīd and then Marwān. A group of believers but scattered, without an organization unity, frightened and, in fact, deterred from the path of the Imamate; this was the legacy that remained of that group of Shi‘ites that was left for Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.). Intense suffocation, very weak reinforcement forces, and Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) must take action to fight in order to preserve the pure and ideological and real Islamic movement and gather these scattered people and bring them close to the ‘Alawite government meaning the Islamic government. Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) practiced for thirty-four years with such conditions. Here, I only recount some significant parts of the life of Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) to you.
The first part of the honorable life of the fourth Imam (P.B.U.H.) is the part of his captivity. Of course, the fourth Imam (P.B.U.H.) has been taken captive twice and has been taken in shackles to Shām twice; the first time was from Karbalā and the second time from Medina during the era of ‘Abdul Malik b. Marwān. At this time when the caravan of captives of Imam Ḥusayn’s (P.B.U.H.) family was being taken to Shām from Karbalā, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) was the personification of the Qur’an and Islam. From the moment that the martyrs weltered in their blood, the epic of ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) began. Baby girls, small children, and helpless women gathered around Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) in that caravan where there were no men and Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) led all of them. He gathered them together and throughout the journey until they reached Shām, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) did not let this group of people who were associated with one another in belief to become doubtful and insecure. They entered Kūfa and ‘Ubaydullāh b. Zīyād had issued an order that all males of this family to be killed, he saw that there is one man present among the caravan of captives, he (Ibn Zīyād) asked, “Who are you?” He said, “I am ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn. He threatened to kill ‘Alī b. al-Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.), this was the first indication of the manifestation of the Imamate and spiritual leadership:
«أ بِالقَتلِ تُهَدِّدُنى»
[Are you threatening me with death?]
Are you threatening to murder me? Whilst our dignity is in martyrdom, we regard being killed in the way of Allah to be an honor, we are not afraid of death. ‘Ubaydullāh b. Zīyād’s government withdrew in the face of this courage.
In the tragedy of Shām, after they had kept Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) and all the captives under chaotic and abnormal circumstances in an utterly enslaving condition for several consecutive days, then it occurred to Ibn Zīyād to take Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) with him to the mosque in order to weaken the Imam (P.B.U.H.) psychologically in front of the people and to do something lest the propaganda of those opposed to him and those who supported the Imam (P.B.U.H.), who were everywhere, would have an impact on his government’s situation. In that assembly, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) turned to Yazīd and said, “If you allow me to climb onto these pieces of wood and speak to the people.” Yazīd did not think that this son of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.), a young person who was a captive, was sick and as a rule, in this length of time situation, was weak psychologically, could be regarded as any danger for him, so he gave him permission to speak. Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) went up the minbar (pulpit) and explained the philosophy of the Imamate and the events of martyrdom and exposed the current situation of the evil Umayyad government in the center of this government. He did something that caused the people of Shām to rise up (against Yazīd) meaning that Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) is a great personality who was not afraid of ‘Ubaydullāh b. Zīyād, of the deceived people of Shām, in the Umayyad government, or of Yazīd’s agents and he spoke the truth and clarified (the situation for them). It was not the case that life was of any value to him.
1980/05/12
Like a great hero, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.), while being captive and ill, creates an epic with his words and attitude in this period. You see that in this period the Imam (P.B.U.H.) is in a completely different situation from that of the main period of his life. In that main period of his life the establishment of the Imam’s (P.B.U.H.) work is founded on a moderate, calculated and slow-paced infrastructure; which occasionally requires him even to sit with ‘Abdul Malik b. Marwān in one assembly and to act normally and moderately with him. But in this period you see the Imam (P.B.U.H.) like a roaring revolutionary who does not tolerate the least amount of talk and gives decisive, knockdown answers to his powerful enemies and in front of all those present.
In Kūfa, in front of ‘Ubaydullāh b. Zīyād–that savage blood sucker from whose sword blood flows and is drunk with the wine of proud of killing the sons of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and is drunk with victory–the Imam (P.B.U.H.) speaks in such a manner that Ibn Zīyād orders them to “kill him” and had it not been for Zaynab’s (P.B.U.H.) action who threw herself on the floor and said, “I will not let you kill him” and they saw that they must kill a woman and on the other hand they must take them as captives to Shām; and if this did not happen it was very likely that they would have also committed the murder of Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.).
In the bazaar of Kūfa, he speaks along with his aunt Zaynab (P.B.U.H.) and his sister Sakīna and instigates the people and discloses truths.
In Shām, whether in Yazīd’s assemblies or in the mosque in front of a great mass of people, he reveals the facts with the clearest explanation and these communications and these sermons ensured the rightfulness of the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) to the Caliphate, and exposes the crimes of the existing ruling regime which is a bitter and an unpleasant warning to those negligent and uninformed people.
At this point it is not appropriate to recount that sermon and reveal the depths thereof because this is an independent task. Whosoever wishes to interpret this sermon should study it word by word and do this with regard to these principles. This was the situation of Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) during the epic-making period of captivity.
This question arises as to, “Why did Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.), in his post-captivity period, found his establishment on leniency and flexibility in the period after captivity and wish to conceal things as a precautionary measure and put a cover of supplication and lenient tasks on the revolutionary and radical movement and, in the period of captivity, to take radical aggressive and overt actions like that?”
The answer is that this period was an exceptional period. Here, besides being an Imam and having to lay the foundation for the future work for a Divine and Islamic government, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) is an eloquent tongue (for defending) the blood that were shed in ‘Āshūrā. Here, Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) in fact, is not himself; rather, he is the silent tongue of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) who must appear in the visage of this young revolutionary in Shām and in Kūfa. If Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) does not express those matters so harshly, openly, and explicitly, no grounds would really remain for future work because the grounds for his future work was the raging blood of Ḥusayn b. ‘Alī (P.B.U.H.), as the grounds for all Shi‘ite uprisings throughout history, is the raging blood of Ḥusayn b. ‘Alī (P.B.U.H.). First, he must warn the people, then in light of this warning, be able to begin his systematic, profound, and long-term opposition. Thus, this warning is not possible except with a sharp and biting tongue.
The role of Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) in this journey was the role of Zaynab (P.B.U.H.), that is, the herald of Imam Ḥusayn’s (P.B.U.H.) revolution. If the people knew that Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) has been killed and why he has been killed and how he has been killed, the future of Islam, the future of call to Islam by the household of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) would be one kind and if they did not know, it would be another kind. Therefore, for awareness and the spreading of this recognition throughout the society, all investments must be put into use and do so wherever possible. Therefore Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) like, Sakīna, Fāṭima Ṣughrā, and like Zaynab (P.B.U.H.) herself, and like each and every one of the captives–everyone according to his or her capability is a herald and messenger. All these forces must come together so that they will be able to take the raging blood of Imam Ḥusayn (P.B.U.H.) that was shed in that foreign land, to all large Islamic regions, meaning that they should begin from Karbalā and carry it to Medina. When Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) entered Medina, it was necessary for him to explain the facts to the enquiring and questioning tongues and eyes and faces of the people; and this is the first action. Therefore, this short period of Imam Sajjād’s (P.B.U.H.) life is an exceptional one. The next period begins at a time when Imam Sajjād (P.B.U.H.) gets on with his life in Medina as a respected citizen and begins his task from the house of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and his holy sanctuary. In order to clarify the program of the fourth Imam (P.B.U.H.), we need to explain the circumstances and the atmosphere and conditions of his era.
