Since the day that Sham (Syria) was captured by the Muslims, it saw rulers such as Khalid ibn al-Walid and Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan. The people of this land had neither had the chance to be in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), nor did they know the way of his companions. Some of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his family) companions who went to that land and settled there were scattered individuals with little influence among the general population. As a result, the people of Sham regarded the actions and behavior of Muawiya and his followers as the Muslim tradition, and because they had been ruled for centuries by the Roman emperors and saw the rule of the Islamic governments as more just than the previous regimes, they endorsed their actions.
This ignorance reached such an extent that it is recorded in historical documents: when a group of Syrian scholars came to al-Saffah, the Abbasid caliph, they swore that they did not know that the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) had any relatives other than the Umayyads who could inherit from him, until you became the ruler![1]
Now, this very city, with its history, became the scene of the struggle of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) to fulfill his historical mission in defending the achievements of the event of Karbala and guiding the people towards God. Thus, Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) entered the city of Sham in a state of captivity, after witnessing the heartbreaking calamities of Karbala, with his hands and neck shackled together[2], and because of illness, unable to sit on the camel properly, his feet were also tied underneath the belly of the camel[3].
In this condition, as the captives of the Karbala tragedy entered the city of Damascus in Sham, a man stood facing Ali ibn Hussein (peace be upon him) and said:
“Praise be to God who killed and destroyed you, and freed the people from your evil, and made the Commander of the Faithful, Yazid, victorious over you.”
Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) remained silent until the man expressed everything he had in his heart. Then he asked him:
– Have you read the Quran?
– Yes!
– Have you read this verse: “Say, O Prophet, to the people: I do not ask you for any reward for my message, except that you love my family” [4]?
– Yes, I have read it.
– Have you read this verse: “And give the relatives their due” [5]?
– Yes, I have read it.
– Have you read this verse: “Indeed, God only wishes to remove impurity from you, O People of the Household, and to purify you thoroughly” [6]?
– Yes, I have read it.
Then Imam (peace be upon him) said to the man: “O Sheikh! These verses were revealed about us. We are the ‘Ahlul Bayt,’ we are the ‘People of the Pure Household.'”
Upon hearing these words of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), the man realized that what he had heard about these captives was not true. They were not rebels; they were the children of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). He regretted what he had said and declared: “O God! I repent from the enmity I held against them. I disown the enemies of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.” [7]
If we examine this further, there are other historical accounts about the situation in Sham and the way Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) confronted and enlightened the people. One of them states:
Ibrahim ibn Talhah, who was in Sham at the time, went to welcome the caravan of the Karbala captives. When he saw Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), he asked him: “O Ali ibn al-Hussein, who is victorious now?”
This question alluded to the Battle of the Camel, which had taken place in the past between the army of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and Talhah and Zubair, in which Talhah, Ibrahim’s father, was killed.
Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) responded: “If you want to know who is victorious, say the call to prayer and the Iqama at the time of prayer. [Then you will see whose name you mention]” [8].
If we pay close attention, we will realize that Imam (peace be upon him) subtly answers him, emphasizing that the struggle is about the oneness of God, not about the leadership of the Hashemites or the Umayyads[9].
As history attests, Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) made the most correct decisions, took the right stances, and used the most effective methods[10] in his struggle against the tyrants of ignorance and oppression. Moreover, he was able to preserve the culture of Ashura and its valuable achievements in an exemplary way, ensuring the continuity of the path of the heroic martyrs of Karbala, making it eternal in the annals of history.
(Adapted from the book The Life of Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon him), by the late Dr. Seyyed Jafar Shahidi, with some editing and abbreviation)
Footnotes:
[1] Al-Hafawat al-Nadira, p. 371 – Murooj al-Zahab, Vol. 2, p. 73
[2] Amali al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Vol. 1, p. 90 – Maktal Khwarazmi, Vol. 2, p. 40
[3] Nasikh al-Tawarikh, Vol. 3, p. 303 – Nasikh al-Tawarikh, Vol. 3, p. 30
[4] (Surah Ash-Shura, Ayah 22)
[5] (Surah Al-Isra, Ayah 26)
[6] (Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayah 33)
[7] Maktal Khwarazmi, Vol. 2, p. 61 – Lahuf, p. 74
[8] Amali al-Shaykh al-Tusi, p. 677
[9] A point that becomes clear from Ibrahim ibn Talhah’s statement is that some of the noble families of the Muhajirun and the Quraysh aristocracy never truly understood Islam, and their children never reached the level of faith required. Otherwise, how could they mistakenly consider the Battle of the Camel, the Conquest of Mecca, or the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) as a victory for the Banu Hashim or the Banu Umayyah?
[10] One of these methods was the statement of important doctrinal points through supplications, which are available in a collection called Sahifa Sajjadiyya.