Why did the prophet support Hassan leaving Hussein. The story of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. A few words about the most worthy of the worthy

After the death of his brother Hasan, he took over the leadership of the rebellion in al-Kufa, however he was defeated against the Umayyads. October 10 (10 Muharram 61 Hijri) he died during the battle of Karbala.

The Prophet Muhammad was told that Um Aymen was crying day and night. She was brought to the messenger of God. "Why are you crying?" - God's messenger asked her. “I had a bad dream,” Um Aymen replied. "Which?" "O messenger, I had a dream that the severed parts of your body were lying in my house."

The envoy, with a pleasant smile, said: "Calm down, my daughter Fatima will give birth to a son, whom you will raise and that's how a part of my body will be in your house."

The third day of the month of Shaaban of the 4th year according to the lunar calendar is named the birthday of Imam Hussein ibn Ali. After the birth of the baby, he was placed in the hands of the prophet. The first words uttered by Muhammad in the ear of Hussein were the words of the Surah Tawhid, testifying to monotheism and the prophetic mission. Muhammad named the baby Husayn, kissed him and entrusted his nanny.

On the seventh birthday of Husayn, Um-Aymen brought him to the prophet. He said: "Praise be to you, praise be to you Um Aymen, this is the interpretation of your dream." On that day, the messenger of God fed the poor with food, spent on people what he had and illuminated the soul of Hussein with the light of monotheism, monotheism, knowledge and faith.

Hussein's home environment was the cleanest and his educators were distinguished by high humane and moral qualities. Hussein was brought up by those who were given the responsibility of guiding and guiding the peoples of the world.

Among the Arabs of that time there was a tradition not to recognize the birth of girls. And God's messenger decided to change this backward tradition. He called Hussein a part of his body and made no secret of his love for Fatima's children, Hasan and Hussein. One day the messenger left the house, placing Hussain on one shoulder and Hasan on the other, kissing first one and then the other. He was asked, "O Messenger of God, do you love these children?" He replied:

"He who loves them loves me, and whoever considers them an enemy considers me an enemy too."

Abu Harire says: “I saw with my own eyes how little Hussein stood up on the feet of the envoy, who, taking him by the hands, helped him climb him. Then the envoy kissed him and prayed to God: “Oh God, I love Hussein and you love him” Hussein was distinguished by unshakable faith in God. Imam Sadiq calls him a vivid manifestation of a calm, serene state of mind, as evidenced by the sura "Dawn" of the Holy Quran. In the sense that the Lord is pleased with him and he is pleased with the Lord.

Twenty-five years have passed since the death of Muhammad until Ali came to power.

At this time, young Hussein was famous for his knowledge and courage. He took an active part in the events of the Islamic society, approached the issues of society with extreme vigilance, boldly stepped into the arena of battle, actively participated in making responsible decisions and carrying out big things.

Once one of the desert Arabs, who arrived in Medina, asked who in this city was the most generous of all. They answered him: "Hussein." The Arab went to Hussein, whom he found praying. After the prayer, the Arab told him about his request. Hussein got up from his seat and brought him 4,000 dinars wrapped in a handkerchief. Seeing such generosity on the part of Imam Hussein, the Arab said: "Generosity does not burrow into the ground and does not remain hidden, it always takes place in the heavens and shines like the sun."

Imam Hussein excelled others in his qualities and stood out in those places where Islam spread. Everyone showed him respect, the leaders of society respected him and his brother and valued them. And if at that time someone would have said that he would be killed by these people, no one would have believed it.

After the martyrdom of Ali, a new stage began in the life of Imam Hussein. At that time, the image of Hussein was in the minds of the people the embodiment of Islam and the Koran. After the martyrdom of his father, he, along with his brother Hasan, served as an authority to provide help and support to the people.

50 years after the prophet, when vices spread, and the values ​​​​and teachings of the messenger of God were forgotten in society, Hussein said:

“O people, freedom, greatness, honor, justice and the pursuit of perfection are the features of a blameless life and perpetuate a person. Try to live that way."

Shiite point of view

Shia tradition considers Hussein a righteous man and a martyr. Many opinions agree that he knew about the hopelessness of his struggle, but accepted martyrdom in order to save Islam so that the community would not be destroyed by Yazid. Shiites believe that it was a voluntary sacrifice for the sake of necessity. Hussein is an example of how a hero can fight against tyranny and be a good Muslim. The day of Ashura in the month of Maharram is celebrated on the occasion of this event and sacrifice.

There is a Shiite proverb "The whole earth is Karbala, every day is Ashura." It means a readiness to fight for oneself and for others under any circumstances, just as Imam Hussein did.

Ashura is the culmination of the universal mystery, the moment of the death of the universe and its rebirth in a new, qualitatively new dimension.

The primary meaning of Ashura is the involvement of believers in the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad; This death occurred precisely on the tenth day of the month of Muharram.

It must be remembered that Shiism recognizes only twelve immaculate, direct descendants of Muhammad (Imam). These are individuals who, by right of birth and upbringing in the family of the prophet, received spiritual, social and political power over the ummah, the Muslim community.

Hussein was the third Imam (after his father and elder brother) and the fourth ruler of the Muslims. When the prophet was brought joyful news about the birth of his grandson, he came to the baby and read the azan (call to prayer) and other prayers into his ear. By the command of Allah, the boy was named Husayn. After the death of Imam Ali, power in the Muslim world was seized by the usurper Muawiya, and then by his son Yazid. Hussein refused to recognize them as leaders of the Muslims and take an oath of allegiance to them, saying that he would follow only the Holy Quran and the traditions of the prophet.

Hussein was on a pilgrimage to Mecca when Yazid gave the order to kill him. Foreseeing his martyrdom and wishing to prevent the desecration of the Kaaba, the Imam was forced to leave the holy city and go towards Kufa the day before the pilgrimage. Before that, Hussein negotiated with the leaders of the Kufi tribes, and they promised him support in the fight against Yazid.

Eighteen men from the family of the prophet and fifty-four followers went with Hussein. Fearing to leave their families in Mecca, they were forced to take women and children with them, including the six-month-old son of the Imam. They camped in the desert of Karbala because Yazid's army blocked their movement. On the 7th day of Muharram, the Imam's camp ran out of water and people began to suffer from thirst. At this time, Yazid entered into negotiations with the inhabitants of Kufa, and they, having concluded an alliance with him, refused to come to the aid of Husayn. Yazid's troops surrounded the plain and offered the Imam to surrender, recognizing the power of the caliph and taking an oath to him. Hussein refused. On the night of 10 Muharram, he gathered his supporters and said that he released them from all oaths of allegiance and released them. However, none of the followers left the camp, although everyone clearly understood the inevitability of death. Then Hussein exclaimed: “By the command of Allah, we are waging a Holy War, and God will reward us for martyrdom!” According to reliable hadiths, Imam Hussein, seeing that his six-month-old son Ali Asghar was dying of thirst, came out, stood in front of the enemy army and said: “You are at enmity with me, what is the fault of this baby. Give him some water to drink." At this time, one of the well-aimed shooters in the camp of the enemy, on the orders of his commander, fired a three-pointed arrow, which pierced Ali Asgar in the throat and cut off the tender throat of the baby.

Seeing Hussein's stubbornness, the caliph ordered the battle to begin. An eyewitness to these events, Humaid bin Muslim, says: “By Allah, I have never seen such resilience. Hussein's sons and all his family and his followers were killed, yet he is as brave as ever, he did not allow himself to lose heart and surrender. The body of the Imam practically disappeared under a huge number of arrows pierced into him. In the end, the enemies, attacking from all sides, betrayed him to martyrdom. The body of the Imam was trampled into the mud by the hooves of their horses, there were 29 stab wounds and 27 cut wounds on it. According to legend, even the severed head of Hussein continued to praise God, and nothing could silence her.

In this bloody battle, all his supporters were killed, with the exception of two people; women and children, including Hussein's sister Zeinab, were captured. Humaid bin Muslim testifies: "By Allah, I have not seen any of his wives and daughters or women of his family, from which their outer garments have not been torn off." The death of Hussein and his faithful companions became a symbol of martyrdom for the faith, the fight against injustice, oppression and tyranny.

In early Islamic history, Shiites (literally, “followers”) were the followers of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph (spiritual leader) of Muslims. After the assassination of Ali and the election of Muawiyah as the fourth caliph, the confrontation between Sunnis and Shiites intensified, becoming final after the events of Ashura.

For the Shiites, Hussein is not only one of the fighters and martyrs for the faith. First of all, this is the Imam, that is, the descendant of the prophet, a person marked by divine grace. In Shiism, Imams are the true leaders of Muslims, examples of faith, true keepers and interpreters of Koranic knowledge. The first of these Imams was Ali, an outstanding hero who slew the enemies of Islam with his amazing double-edged sword Zulfikar. From Ali, divine grace passed to his two sons from the daughter of the Prophet Fatima - Hassan and Hussein, who were destined from birth to become leaders of Muslims. The death of the Imams (all Imams except the last, the Mahdi, died a violent death), enriched Shiism with the concept of martyrdom for the faith, the motif of suffering became an integral part of mourning rituals.

Days of Ashura began to be celebrated by Iranian Shiites as a day of mourning under Shah Ismail Safavid, who spread Shiism in Iran. At the court of the Shah, the first ten days of Moharram were declared mourning, and special ceremonies were held at the court, for which many people gathered. Abbas Safavid himself, the most powerful and powerful shah who ruled Iran for 50 years, wore black clothes on the day of Ashura and smeared his face with mud, taking part in religious processions.

It must be said that the month of Muharram - the beginning of the lunar year - in the first ten days of which the story of Hussein's martyrdom unfolded, was considered sacred in Western Asia long before this event. And with Ashura (literal translation from Arabic - "tenth") - the tenth day of Muharram is associated with many legends and traditions. So, according to some of them, heaven, earth, angels and the first man, Adam, were created on this day. On this day, Nuh (Noah) first saw the earth after the flood, the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was born, after a long separation, Yakub (Jacob) and Yusuf (Joseph) met, at the command of Allah, the waters of the Red Sea parted before Musa (Moses), saving him from persecution of the Pharaoh, the prophet Isa (Jesus) ascended to heaven. The end of the world will also happen on the day of Ashura.

But back to our time... In modern Iran, Ashura is the culminating religious event of the year, having received a special meaning and significance after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Shiites dedicate the first ten days of the month to mourning the martyrdom of Hussein, during the whole month various religious rites are held, which in many cities, especially Qum and Mashhad, turn into whole religious mysteries, with a plot that unfolds over several days.

Funeral music sounds, exclamations of “Oh, Hussein!”.

Processions go through the streets, men take part in them, who, to the rhythmic beats of drums, beat themselves on the shoulders with chains. Hundreds of chains fly up in a single stroke, and then fall with force onto the shoulders. Self-flagellation processions personify the remorse and sorrow of the inhabitants of Kufa who turned away from the Imam and betrayed him. Women are standing along the road, some are crying, covered with an Islamic veil, some are beating their chests. All dressed in black, the most religious people will mourn for 40 days.

The events of Ashura unfold sequentially: this is the story of Hussein's sister Zainab bint Ali, who was brought to Yazid in Damascus, but continued to preach the true faith, this is a tragic narration about a marriage concluded just before the battle between Kasim, the son of the second Imam, and his cousin. It tells about Abbas, Hussein's half-brother, who tried to bring water to the camp: having lost both hands, he carried a waterskin with water in his teeth ...

Well, in the streets of Iranian cities in the days of Ashura one can see a warlike dance, when several hundred men, holding hands, in the middle of the street wave their sabers in a single rhythm, the points of which are dotted with Arabic inscriptions; torchlight processions unfold at night. Great and creepy! Similar mysteries were arranged hundreds of years ago on the streets of European cities, but only the East can be eternally young and, developing, not lose its ancient grandeur.

Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, and the Gregorian calendar used in most countries of the world is solar, the date of Ashura, being unchanged according to the Islamic calendar, changes according to the Gregorian from year to year. In addition, the date of ashura varies in different Muslim countries, as some countries use calendars other than Islamic - for example, Iran uses its own calendar, the beginning of which coincides with the Islamic, but is a solar calendar. Thus, in 2011 (1433 AH), the 10th day of the month of Muharram corresponds to December 5th in parts of Asia and the Middle East and December 6th in Lebanon and Iraq.

According to tradition, Hussein was buried in Karbala near the place of his death. Most sources say that his head was found later and attached to his body. There are also stories that the Imam's head ended up in Syria, as well as numerous other legends. The Temple of Imam Hussein was built on his grave, which turned into a place of pilgrimage for Shiites.

Memory

• The film "Caravan of Captives" was made about the tragedy that occurred in Karbala and subsequent events.
• Mokhtarnameh saga filmed in Iran (English) Russian (“Revenge of Mukhtar al-Saqafi”), which examines the events leading to the death of Hussein, for whose death an uprising led by Mukhtar was raised (English) Russian in order to take revenge on the murderers.

The name of Imam Hussein was named:

Notes

Links

• Al-imam.net (Arabisch/English - Bahrainische Website, geohostet in den USA)

Zeid Daughters: Fatima, Saleha, Sarah

The Ikhwans are a militant religious brotherhood
created at the beginning of the 20th century in Nejd.
The Ikhwans contributed to the strengthening of the power of the emir
Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdurrahman.

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam
mandatory tax on the poor
and for the spread of Islam.

Hussein came from a dynasty - the descendants of Hashim Abd ad-Dar, the grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad. for many centuries served as the great sheriff of Mecca. Being the guardians of holy places, the sheriffs eventually turned into the feudal rulers of the Hijaz. Under their jurisdiction was the entire Arab population of the region, while the Turks living in the Hijaz were subordinate to the Sultan. Ali ibn Mohammed, the father of Hussein, was also a sheriff. He was appointed to this post by the Turkish Sultan in 1905.

Hussein grew up among the Bedouins, but from 1896 he lived in Istanbul in the position of an honorary prisoner. After the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, his father Ali, as a protege of the Sultan, was removed from his post, and Hussein was appointed in his place. He turned out to be a very ambitious ruler and probably even then cherished the dream of becoming the ruler of all the Arabs. Hussein's main opponent was the emir, who united the tribes of Central Arabia under his rule. Initially, Hussein acted as a devoted vassal of the Ottomans, counting on their help against Riyadh. At the end of the summer of 1910, the sheriff gathered a Bedouin militia, invaded Najd, and even captured the emir's brother, Saad, but he was not ready for a major war. Hussein readily agreed to a peace proposal, according to which the emir recognized himself as a vassal of the Sultan and promised to pay 6,000 rials of tribute annually. In 1912, Hussein made another raid on Najd and began to incite the Qasim to oppose. He went so far as to forbid the non-Jids to perform Hajj in November-December of that year.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Turks significantly strengthened their positions in the Hijaz. They controlled caravan routes and even built a railway from Ma'an to Medina in 1908 to improve the supply of troops. Of course, this irritated the indigenous Hijaz and led to the growth of Arab nationalism. Underground organizations began to appear that campaigned among the Arab officers of the Turkish army. The Young Turks responded with reprisals against the Arabs.

With the outbreak of the First World War, she declared jihad against the infidels. The Istanbul authorities began to seek Hussein to join the war. He evaded, demanding to recognize the independence of the Hejaz. The British decided to take advantage of the conflict between Hijaz and Porte, considering Hussein as an ally against the Turks.

Even before the start of the war, Hussein tried to establish contacts with: his son met twice with the British High Commissioner, Lord Kitchener. Beginning in 1915, Hussein began to exchange letters with Henry McMahon, who replaced Kitchener. Hussein demanded that Great Britain recognize the independence of the Arab countries and give the green light to the creation of an Arab caliphate. McMahon replied evasively, promising "to recognize the independence of the Arabs in all areas lying within the boundaries proposed by the sheriff of Mecca." Having spent many years in Istanbul and knowing the intricacies of both Eastern and Western politics, Hussein hardly harbored illusions about the British, but nevertheless regarded the message as an endorsement of active action. At the same time, a formal protectorate treaty was concluded between Hejaz and Hejaz, which guaranteed British military support to Hejaz in exchange for abandoning its own foreign policy.

Upon learning that official Istanbul was planning to remove him and replace him with a more loyal person, Hussein raised an uprising. On June 5, 1916, he proclaimed the independence of the Hijaz, and on June 10, fearing a preventive strike by the Turks, he began hostilities. He quickly managed to drive the Turks out of all the major cities of the Hejaz, except for Medina, which was supplied by rail. Medina was taken only after the British military adviser Thomas Lawrence (later nicknamed "Arabian") arrived to the Arabs and advised them to cut the railway in several places.

At the end of October 1916, Hussein proclaimed himself "king of the Arabs", but no one outside the Hejaz recognized this title for him. In January 1917, Hussein was recognized only as the "King of the Hejaz." The insidious Europeans deceived the Arabs: on the eve of the uprising, they signed the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement, which provided for the division of the Middle East into spheres of influence. There was no place for a single Arab state. Moreover, the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917 provided for the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine, which was a direct blow to the interests of the Arabs.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of 1917, El-Wajh, the last Turkish-held village on the coast of the Hijaz, was taken, and by July Aqaba was captured. At the expense of British money, Hussein recruited more and more soldiers into his army, and the expanded Arab army moved to Damascus. The British so far turned a blind eye to this, as the successes of the Hijaz hastened the collapse. On September 30, 1918, the Arabs broke into Damascus. In 1920, an Arab kingdom was proclaimed, and one of Hussein's sons was placed on its throne, but a few months later the Arabs were driven out of Damascus by the French; the British did not even think to stand up for their former allies.

Immediately after the beginning of the uprising, the emir took a wait-and-see attitude, gradually helping both warring sides. However, when Hussein unequivocally declared his claims to all-Arab domination, proclaiming himself the "King of the Arabs", he protested and demanded to establish borders between the Hijaz and. In the summer of 1918, a conflict broke out between the two countries over the border oasis of El-Khurma, which was captured. The emir of this oasis, Khalid ibn Mansur ibn Luvay, quarreled with the Hijaz and turned to for support. In early 1919, Hussein moved the main part of his son's army to El-Khurma. was against the campaign, as he understood that Hijaz was tired of the war, but was forced to obey his father. At the end of May, he captured Turaba, a Nejian oasis near Al-Khurma. sent to Turaba - representatives of the newly created military-religious brotherhood. At night they attacked and utterly defeated him. The Hijaz lost almost the entire army, all equipment and ammunition. was ready to invade, but this time he was stopped by a formidable ultimatum from the British. The British sent troops to the Hejaz and threatened to withhold subsidies.

After the end of the First World War, the situation in the Middle East changed radically. New states were created on the ruins. In two of them, royal thrones were created, on which the children of Hussein were erected: he became emir, and

I have never seen a better Quraish than ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein.

In this special year, the last page in the history of the Persian kings was turned. Yazdegerd, the last Persian king, died homeless and persecuted. His commanders, guards and members of his family were captured by the Muslims. They were taken to the blessed Medina. There were many prisoners, and their value was great. Medina had never seen such a huge number of prisoners, and so important. Among the prisoners were three daughters of Yazdegerd.

* * *

People approached the captives and in a few hours they bought them all. The proceeds were sent to the treasury of the Muslims. Only the daughters of King Yazdegerd remained. They were distinguished by beauty and freshness and were young girls. When they were put up for sale, they stood with downcast eyes - it was such a humiliation for them. Saddened, they silently wept. ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib felt pity for them and wished that they be bought by someone who would treat them well and take care of them.

And this is not surprising. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Show mercy to a noble representative of the people when he is humiliated".

He approached ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab and said:

O Commander of the Believers... Truly, the daughters of kings require a special attitude - not the same as the rest.

‘Umar said:

You are right... But what to do with them?

‘Ali said:

You need to set a high price for them, and then leave them to choose one of those who are willing to pay such a price for them.

'Umar agreed with 'Ali's proposal.

One of the king's daughters chose 'Abdallah, the son of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. The second chose Muhammad, the son of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. And the third, named Shah-Zinan, chose al-Hussein, the son of ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

* * *

Shah Zinan converted to Islam, becoming a sincere Muslim. She found the religion of truth, freed herself from slavery. She became a wife after being a slave and gained freedom.

She decided to cut all ties with her pagan past. She abandoned her former name Shah-Zinan, and they began to call her Ghazala. The girl got a wonderful husband, a man worthy of a royal daughter. Only one dream remained unfulfilled - the dream of a child.

And Allah honored her, and she gave birth to al-Husayn a beautiful boy. She named him ‘Ali in honor of ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him and may He make him pleased).

However, Ghazali's joy did not last long. She had postpartum fever, and she left this world without having time to enjoy communication with her child ...

* * *

The care of the baby was taken over by the slave of al-Hussein, who loved the boy more than the mother of her own child loves, and cared for him more than the mother cares for her only son. The boy grew up not knowing any other mother than her.

* * *

As soon as ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein reached the age from which a person is already able to acquire useful knowledge, he became attached to this worthy occupation with his soul. His first school was his home. Oh, what a house it was!

His first teacher was his father, al-Hussein ibn ‘Ali. Oh what a teacher!

The second school of ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein was the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in Medina. In those days, in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) one could still meet many companions who survived to that time. It was also filled with the oldest followers of the Companions.

Both of them opened their hearts to many sons of noble companions and taught them to read the Book of Allah Almighty correctly, retold them the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and explained to them their meaning, and also told them about the life of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). him and the blessings of Allah) and his military campaigns. In addition, they read to them the verses of the Arabs and taught them to understand the beauty of this poetry. They filled the young hearts of their disciples with love for Allah Almighty, fear of Him and piety. And they became active scientists and people who followed the direct path themselves and showed this path to others.

* * *

But the heart of ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein was not attached to anything as it was attached to the Book of Allah Almighty, and nothing shocked his feelings so much as the good promises and threats contained in the Koran. When he recited the verse that mentioned Paradise, his heart was ready to jump out of his chest - so it longed for Paradise. And when he happened to hear the verse in which Hellfire was mentioned, he sighed so heavily, as if the flames of Gehenna blazed inside him.

* * *

When ‘Ali reached the peak of his youth and acquired a lot of knowledge, the righteous Medinan society found in him one of the most zealously worshiping Allah and God-fearing representatives of Banu Hashim. He was one of the most worthy and well-behaved, virtuous and pious, and possessed deep knowledge.

He worshiped the Almighty with such zeal and was so God-fearing that in the period between ablution and the beginning of prayer, he was often trembling. He was trembling so that those around him noticed it. When they spoke to him about it, he said:

Woe to you! As if you don't know who I'm about to face now, and as if you don't know with whom I'm going to have a secret conversation.

* * *

The Hashemite youth worshiped Allah so thoroughly and performed every action prescribed by Him so carefully that people even called him Zein al-‘Abidin - “the ornament of the worshipers.” They forgot or almost forgot his real name and replaced him with this nickname.

He made prostrations for a long time and with rapture, so that the inhabitants of Medina began to call him Sajjad - "performing many earthly prostrations." And his soul and heart were so pure that he was also called Zakiy - "pure".

* * *

Zein al-‘Abidin was convinced that the spirit of worship and its greatest form is supplication. And he loved to turn to Allah with prayers, holding the cover of the Kaaba. He often came to the ancient House and said:

Lord, You gave me a taste of Your mercy and poured Your blessings on me, and I began to cry out to You, feeling safe and not fearful, and asking You, feeling Your nearness and not fearing ... Lord, truly, I ask You so , as the one who endlessly needs Your mercy and whose strength is not enough to observe Your rights to the fullest asks ... Accept from me the prayer of a drowning wanderer who cannot find another savior but You, O Most Generous!

* * *

Once Tavus ibn Kaisan saw Zein al-‘Abidin standing in the shadow of the Kaaba, muttering something like a dying man, and crying like a seriously ill person, and turning to Allah with such a prayer, which is usually addressed by a person in trouble. Tavus waited until he stopped crying and completed his prayer, after which he approached him and said:

O descendant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I saw your condition now. You have three virtues that I hope will save you from fear (on the Day of Judgment).

Zein al-‘Abidin asked:

What, O Tavus?

He replied:

One of them is that you are a descendant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The second is the intercession of your great-grandfather for you. And the third is the mercy of Allah.

Zein al-'Abidin said:

O Tawus, indeed, my kinship with the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cannot guarantee my salvation after I heard the words of Allah Almighty: “And on the day when the Horn is sounded, there will be no family ties between them”(23:101). As for the intercession of my great-grandfather for me, then after all, Allah - exalted are His words! - He speaks: “They intercede only for those with whom He is pleased”(21:28). As for the mercy of Allah, Allah Almighty said: "Verily, the mercy of Allah is close to those who do good" (7:56).

* * *

God-fearing brought up many worthy qualities, nobility and meekness in Zein al-‘Abidin.

Collections of biographies are full of stories about his noble deeds and worthy behavior.

Al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan tells the following story: “Once my cousin Zein al-‘Abidin and I quarreled and I came to him furious. And at that time he was sitting in the mosque with his comrades. I told him everything I had. He sat silently, saying nothing. Then I left.

As night fell, someone knocked on the door. I got up to see who had come.

It turned out to be Zein al-‘Abidin. I had no doubt that he had come to repay me for the wrong I had done to him. However, he said: “My brother, if what you have told me is true, then may Allah forgive me. And if you told a lie, then may Allah forgive you.”

Having said this, he said goodbye and left. Then I caught up with him and said: “I swear I will never do anything that is unpleasant to you again!” He relented and said, "You can forget what you said to me."

* * *

One of the inhabitants of Medina says: “When Zein al-‘Abidin left the mosque, I followed him and began to revile him, without any reason for this. People rushed to me, wanting to teach me a lesson, and if they managed to grab me, they would certainly break my bones before letting me go. Zein al-‘Abidin turned to the people and said, “Leave the man alone.” And they left me alone. Seeing how frightened I was, he turned to me with a friendly expression and reassured me, after which he said: “You insulted us, mentioning what you know, and what you don’t know about us is even worse.” Then he asked me, “Do you have any need that we can help you meet?” I felt ashamed in front of him, and I did not answer. Seeing that I was ashamed, he threw the cloak he was wearing over me and ordered me to give me a thousand dirhams. And after that, every time I met him, I would certainly say: “I testify that you are one of the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)!”

One of the servants of Zein al-‘Abidin says: “I was a slave of ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein and once he sent me somewhere on an errand. I was delayed, and when I returned, he hit me with a whip. I cried and got very angry with him because he had never hit anyone before. And I said to him: “Fear Allah, O ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein. You send me on an errand, and when I complete it for you, you beat me?!” He wept and said: “Go to the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), pray two rak'ats, and then say: ‹O Allah, forgive 'Ali ibn al-Hussein › And when you go down and do this, you free for the sake of the face of Allah. And I went to the mosque, prayed and turned to Allah with a prayer ... I returned home already free.

* * *

Allah Almighty gave Zein al-‘Abidin a generous inheritance. He had a very profitable trade and excellent arable land. His servants looked after the property. Agriculture and trade brought him great income, but wealth did not make him arrogant, and from the abundance of goods he did not become arrogant and proud. He used the possessions in this world to prosper in the Hereafter, and his wealth was the fine wealth of a righteous man. Most of all, among the deeds of piety, he loved alms given secretly. When night fell on the ground, he loaded sacks of flour on his weak and thin back and left the house while other people were sleeping. And he went about the quarters of Medina, giving alms to those in need who were ashamed to annoy people with their requests.

In Medina there were many people who lived without knowing where and in what way their plentiful inheritance came to them. And only when ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein Zein-al-‘Abidin died and this inheritance ceased to appear with them, they realized who brought it to them.

When the body of the late Zein al-‘Abidin was placed on the table for washing the dead, those who washed him found dark marks on his back and asked:

What's this?

The people answered them:

These are traces of bags of flour, which he brought to a hundred houses in Medina. These houses lost their breadwinner with his death.

* * *

There are also many cases of freeing slaves by Zein al-‘Abidin - so many that it’s even hard to believe. He let the slave go free if he did some good deed - as a reward for this good deed. And he freed the slave, if he committed some bad deed, and then repented, as a reward for his repentance. It was even asserted that he set free a thousand slaves and that he did not keep slaves and slaves in his service for more than one year. Zein al-‘Abidin freed most of the slaves on the night of the breaking of the fast ( ‘eid al-fitr). On this blessed night, he tried to free as many slaves as he could. He asked them to turn towards the qibla and say: “O Allah! Forgive ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein.” And then he generously gave gifts - so generously that the holiday turned out to be doubly joyful.

* * *

Zein al-‘Abidin occupied a place in the hearts of people that none of his contemporaries was honored with. People sincerely loved and revered him. They were very attached to him and were constantly looking for a meeting with him, trying to see him when he left the house or entered it, went to the mosque or returned from there.

* * *

It is said that once Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik arrived in Mecca to perform the Hajj. At that time he was the heir to the Caliph. He went to make a detour around the Kaaba, intending to touch the Black Stone. The guards around him started yelling at the people to disperse and clear the way for Hisham. But no one moved and did not respond to the cries of the soldiers, because it was the House of Allah, and all people are His slaves. At this time, the words “There is no deity but Allah” and takbirs were heard from afar. And the people turned in the direction from which the voice was heard. A man appeared surrounded by a small group of people. He was handsome and thin. He was wearing an izar and a cape. Between the eyes he could see a trace of prostration.

And the people at once parted before him, lining up in two rows. Eyes filled with sincere sympathy and love met him and escorted him to the very Black Stone, to which he approached and crouched.

One of Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik’s associates asked Hisham:

What kind of person is this, to whom people treated with such respect and to whom they showed such respect?

Hisham said:

I do not know him.

And the poet al-Farazdaq was present at the same time. He said:

If Hisham doesn't know him, then I definitely know him... And the whole world knows him. This is ‘Ali ibn al-Hussein, may Allah Almighty be pleased with him, his father and his grandfather.

Then he recited:

He is the one whose steps Batha knows,

And the House, and the simple, and the holy land ...

Descendant of the best of all the servants of Allah,

He is pure in heart and full of fear before Allah.

Descendant of Fatima, if you do not know him,

And his grandfather was made by the Almighty the seal of the prophets.

Your question: "Who is he?" doesn't harm him. You do not know?

And let ... Arabs, non-Arabs - everyone knows him.

His hands are gracious, generous and benefit everyone.

People go to him, and his hands are never empty.

Open and hospitable, there is no reason to be afraid of him.

His good disposition and good deeds adorn him.

He did not say "no" to anyone - except perhaps in tashahhud,

And if not for this, he would only say “yes” to everyone ...

He surrounded people with goodness, helped them, and scattered

Darkness surrounds them, and poverty is gone and deprivation.

And seeing him, the Quraysh will confidently say:

Generosity limit - his generosity.

Shamefully, he lowers his gaze, and people too - respect!

They only talk to him if he smiles.

And the stick in his hands exudes such an aroma,

It is fragrant, and his nose is so noble

He descends from the Messenger of Allah.

Beautiful roots, qualities, deeds ...

* * *

May Allah be pleased with the great-grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and may He make him pleased!

This was a unique example of a person who fears Allah secretly and openly and to self-forgetfulness fears His punishment and strives for His reward.