The resolute and strong stance of Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) against Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (the tenth Umayyad caliph) and the increasing greatness of the Imam (peace be upon him) among the people, especially in the Hijaz, led Hisham to plot the assassination of Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him). His brother, Walid ibn Abd al-Malik, following his orders, poisoned the Imam and martyred him. The great Imam, accused of defending the dignity of Islam and opposing the Umayyad and Marwanid tyrants, embraced martyrdom. He spent several days in the bed of death, and medical treatments proved ineffective. In his final moments, he recalled his father’s will and said:
“When my father, Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), passed away, just before his death, he pressed me to his chest and said:
‘My son, beware of oppressing someone who has no helper to avenge you except Allah.’
He also said to his son, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him): ‘My son, I leave you with the same advice that my father gave me when I was about to die:
‘My son, be patient and steadfast in the path of truth, even though it may be bitter and painful.'”
Thus, this noble Imam, after the great movement of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), departed to meet his Lord at the age of 57, after approximately 35 years of struggle in various forms, and with his own blood, he sealed his father’s blood-soaked revolution.
In a passage from Sahifa Sajjadiya, one of the great treasures of knowledge and mysticism that has been preserved from him, he prays to Allah:
“O Allah! Grant me strength and power so that I may prevail over those who wrong me, and grant me a tongue with which I may prevail in argument and reasoning against my opponents, and grant me insight to shatter the deceitful plans of the enemy, and cut off the hands of the oppressors from their oppression and transgression.”
(Excerpt from the book “Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him): The Source of Human Perfections,” written by Muhammad Muhammadi Eshtahardi (with slight modifications))