“O Lord! Extend my life for as long as it is spent in obeying You\u2026”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Sahifah\nSajjadiah, Supplication 20, Part of Phrase 5)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The blessed life of Imam Sajjad (PBUH)\nexhibited spectacular examples of obeying Allah (SWT). He demonstrated a\nvaluable manifestation of the aforementioned phrase of Sahifah Sajjadiah\nthrough helping the poor, compiling precious collections of supplications, and\nperforming continuous acts of worship. Nevertheless, one of the beauties of the\nlife of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was his persistent lamentation and mourning over the\ntragedies of his respected father, Imam Hussain (PBUH). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the servants of Imam Sajjad\n(PBUH) has narrated that,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne day, Imam\nSajjad (PBUH) went to the desert. I followed him and watched him while I was\nhiding. He put his head on a hard stone, started crying, and repeated a\nstatement one thousand times. After that, he raised his head while his face and\nbeard were covered with his tears. There, I approached him and said, \u2019O my\nmaster! Is it not time for your grief and lamentation to come to an end?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imam Sajjad (PBUH) replied,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Woe on to\nyou! Prophet Jacob (PBUH) had twelve sons; however, when Allah (SWT) took away\none of them, grief overtook him so much that his hair was whitened, his back\nwas bent, and he lost his vision due to excessive crying, even though his son\nwas actually alive. But I witnessed with my own eyes how my father, my brother,\nand seventeen of my family members were killed. So how do you expect my sadness\nto be relieved or my lamentation to be over?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The abundant grief and endless\nlamentation of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) is not just a sign of a son’s love towards\nhis father; rather, it is based on the special knowledge and recognition he has\nof the status and position of a person such as Imam Hussain (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, the eagerness for\nparticipating in the gatherings of mourning over Imam Hussain (PBUH) may result\nin a spiritual richness, in a sense that one would feel he\/she is needless of\nendeavoring in the other acts of worship emphasized by the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT).\nThus, it is important to recognize how Imam Sajjad (PBUH) mourned over his\nfather, as described by Imam Sadiq (PBUH),<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZain al-Aabedin (PBUH)\n(Imam Sajjad (PBUH)) used to cry over his father for his entire life after the\nincident of Ashura. During this period, he used to fast in the days and worship\nat nights. When it was time to break his fast and he was offered food and\nwater, he used to say, \u2018The grandson of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP)\nwas martyred while he was hungry and thirsty\u2019, and he used to repeat this\nstatement and cry continuously. He used to be like this until the day he passed\naway”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the founder and main establisher of\nmourning over Imam Hussain (PBUH), Imam Sajjad (PBUH) used to attend mourning\nover the tragedies of his father along with other acts of worship, such as\nfasting and nightly prayers. Considering this sample Imam Sajjad (PBUH) has put\nforward for the lovers of the martyr of Karbala (Imam Hussain (PBUH)), can one\nsuffice to mourning over Imam Hussain (PBUH) and ignore the tradition of Imam\nSajjad (PBUH) in obeying and worshipping Allah (SWT)?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The above is a\nselection taken from “Al-Luhuf ala Ghatla al-Tofoof (Tragedies of the\nmartyrs of Karbala)”(1), by Great Scholar Sayyid ibn Tawus (with some\nchanges and additions))<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roshd Website offers condolences\nto all Muslims, especially you dear friend, upon the 25th of Muharram, the\nanniversary of the martyrdom of the pioneer of the lovers and the beautifier of\nthe worshippers, Imam Ali ibn Hussain al-Sajjad (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The reference\nused for this article is the Persian translation of this book by Farajullah\nIlahi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“O Lord! Extend my life for as long as it is spent in obeying You\u2026” (Sahifah Sajjadiah, Supplication 20, Part of Phrase 5) The blessed life of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) exhibited spectacular examples of obeying Allah (SWT). He demonstrated a valuable manifestation of the aforementioned phrase of Sahifah Sajjadiah through helping the poor, compiling precious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[20981,17778,19421,20431,17890,17978,18418,19806,20982,20980],"class_list":["post-4334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-2010-01-12","tag-allah","tag-help","tag-imam-sajjad","tag-life","tag-lord","tag-occasion-letters","tag-poor","tag-sahifah-sajjadiah","tag-the-exemplar-of-the-lovers"],"yoast_head":"\n