Speaking to Hawzah News Agency in Tehran, Hojatoleslam Ebrahim Bahari underscored the historic and civilizational role of Imam Sajjad, noting that the fourth Shia Imam lived for nearly 35 years after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and bore the responsibility of leading the Muslim community under severe repression.
Bahari said that in the immediate aftermath of Ashura—until the return of the Prophet’s Household to Medina—the mission of guiding the caravan of Imam Hussain and awakening public conscience was led by Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her). “She carried the authentic message of Ashura to Kufa and Damascus,” he said, citing the well-known remark that “Had it not been for Zaynab, Karbala would have remained in Karbala.”
According to the scholar, Imam Sajjad later assumed the long-term responsibility of keeping Ashura alive. “Ashura occurred over a few hours on the plains of Karbala, but its message had to be preserved for history. Imam Sajjad undertook this mission for more than three decades through deliberate and multifaceted means,” he said.
Bahari pointed to the Imam’s conscious emotional conduct—particularly his persistent mourning—as a method of public awareness. Whenever water or food was brought before him, Imam Sajjad would recall the thirst and hunger imposed on Imam Hussain and his family. “This was not merely grief,” Bahari explained, “but a strategy to ensure that society never normalized or forgot the crime of Karbala.”
He highlighted Imam Sajjad’s historic sermon in Damascus as a turning point in exposing the brutality of the Umayyad court. Introducing himself as the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Ali, and Lady Fatima (peace be upon them all), the Imam ultimately declared, “I am the son of the one who was martyred thirsty in Karbala,” shaking public opinion in the heart of the ruling power.
Bahari noted that Imam Sajjad repeatedly emphasized the denial of water in Karbala to demonstrate that even the most basic human rights were violated. “In Islamic ethics, denying water is unconscionable—yet in Karbala, even children were deprived of it,” he said.
The scholar described the second major legacy of Imam Sajjad as the transmission of Islamic teachings through supplication. In an era marked by fear and censorship, direct teaching was nearly impossible. “Imam Sajjad transformed supplication into a medium of theology, ethics, and social consciousness,” Bahari said, pointing to works such as al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Du‘a Abu Hamza al-Thumali, and other renowned supplications and supplicatory texts.
More than 200 supplications are attributed to Imam Sajjad. Bahari cited accounts that even prominent Sunni scholars acknowledged the Sahifa as a unique guide to communicating with God. The book is widely known as the “Psalms of the Household of Muhammad” for its depth and spiritual influence.
The third pillar of Imam Sajjad’s mission, according to Bahari, was human resource development. The Imam systematically trained individuals—often purchasing enslaved people, educating them, and then setting them free. From among these emerged figures such as Abu Hamza al-Thumali and Abu Khalid al-Kabuli, who later became foundational scholars during the era of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (peace be upon them).
“This quiet yet strategic effort prepared the ground for the great scientific and jurisprudential movement that followed,” Bahari said. “By the time Imam Sajjad was martyred, Medina had undergone an unprecedented awakening.”
He concluded that today’s Shia intellectual and legal heritage cannot be understood without recognizing the decisive role of Imam Sajjad. “Through tears, supplication, human development, and the revival of Ashura, Imam Sajjad reshaped history and laid the foundations of Shi‘a civilization under the harshest conditions.”
Your Comment