Imam Zainul Abideen: Healing Trauma After Karbala
The dust had barely settled on the scorched sands of Karbala. The smoke from the burning tents still stung the eyes of the surviving women and children. It was the evening of Ashura, moving into th11th of Muharram, 6AH, also known a‘Shaam-e-Garibaan'—"The Evening of the Displaced.”
What had occurred was a devastating, deadly massacre of Imam al-Hussain's (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) army of just 72 people by Yazid. This slaughter was immediately followed by plundering and setting ablaze the tents of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) family and their supporters, ensuring the survivors were traumatised and humiliated in every unimaginable way.
For one young man, the weight of the world had just settled entirely onto his frail shoulders. He was Ali ibn al-Husayn (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ), known to history as Imam Zainul Abideen or Al-Sajjad (the One Who Prostrates Continuously). Many people do not realise that the survival of the entire lineage of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) hung by a thread at this very moment. Imam Zainul Abideen (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) was so severely ill during the onslaught that he could not fight. Too ill to even stand, he lay inside a burning tent as enemies torched the encampment.
When the enemy forces stormed the tents to kill any remaining men, it was his aunt and the sister of Imam Hussain, Sayyida Zaina(رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُنَّ), who braved the flames. Rushing into the fire to rescue him, she threw herself over her sick nephew, shielding him with her own body and crying, "By God, you shall not kill him unless you kill me first!" Her fierce protection saved the life of Imam Zainul Abideen, ensuring that the light of divine guidance was not extinguished.
Following this harrowing rescue, the reality of captivity began. As the last living son of Imam Hussain (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) and the inheritor of his Wilayah (spiritual authority) and Imamah (leadership), Imam Zainul Abideen was especially persecuted. He was bound in heavy, biting iron chains lined with steel nails and forced to witness the agonising suffering of the women and children under his care as they commenced their journey as prisoners of war towards Shaam (Damascus).
Yet, walking beside him was Sayyida Zainab. Together, the chained Imam and the towering spirit of Zainab became an unstoppable force. When they were finally dragged into the court of the tyrant Yazid in Damascus, surrounded by mocking crowds, the granddaughter of the Prophet (ﷺ), Sayyida Zainab, stood chained but unbroken. She looked directly at Yazid, who thought he had won, and delivered a sermon in a roaring, fierce voice like her father Imam Ali (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) that shook the palace walls:
"Scheming your schemes and try your hardest... but by God, you will never erase our memory, nor will you ever destroy our inspiration!"
Her defiance secured their dignified release. While Yazid tried to write history as the victor, Zainab used her voice and Imam Zainul Abideen used his wisdom and spirituality to propagate the Prophetic mission, transforming their journey from a march of defeated prisoners into a victory caravan and ensuring the world knew that truth had won on the sands of Karbala.
Despite their brave resistance, the trauma of Karbala remained with the Imam Zainul Abideen throughout his life. Even twenty years later, he would weep whenever food or water was placed in front of him.
When someone asked him: “O son of Allah’s Messenger! Is it not time for your sorrow tcome to an end?” The Imam replied with an ache that spans generations:
“Jacob the Prophet had twelve sons, and Allah made one of them disappear. His eyes turned white from constant weeping, his head turned grey out of sorrow and his back became bent in gloom, though his son was alive in this world. But I watched while my father, my brother, my uncle and seventeen members of my family were slaughtered all around me. How should my sorrocome to an end?”
When asked what the most difficult part of his life-long ordeal was, Imam Zainul Abideen did not mention thbloody battlefield. He replied: “As-shaam, as-shaam, as-shaam” - referring to the psychological torture, humiliation, and deprivation that the women and children of the Prophets family faced in Damascus.
Yet, while his external, socio-political realities were tyrannical and unjust, his inner reality remained deeply embroiled in the loving worship of an even more Loving and Compassionate Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Al-Sajjad’s eyes, ears, heart, and limbs were sites upon which oppressors afflicted a thousand merciless wounds. Yet, he transformed them into organs whose melodies praising Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) Mercy have become a timeless rendition.
While in chains brought before tyrannical rulers, his soul remained entirely free. In his famous Supplication on Noble Moral Traits (Makarim al-Akhlaq) from the Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah, he prays to transform external human malice into divine peace:
“O Allah, bless Muhammad and Muhammad’s household and replace for me: The animosity of the people of hatred with [Your] love, the envy of the people of insolence with [Your] affection, the suspicion of the people of righteousness with trust, the enmity of those close with [Your] friendship... and the bitterness of the fear of wrongdoers with the sweetness of [Your] security.”
Through the Sahifah's emphasis on Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) overwhelming Mercy, we witness both the depths of human despair and a divinely bestowed peace. Imam Zainul Abideen (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) taught humanity to never seek remedy from the very creation that oppresses them, praying in his 13th Supplication:
"You have praised Yourself for needing absolutely nothing from Your creation, and it is only right that You are entirely self-sufficient... But anyone who turns to a created being to fulfil their needs, or credits anyone other than You for their blessings, has ultimately set themselves up for disappointment and loss.”
It is easy to look at the 11th of Muharram as an ancient historical tragedy. But if we open our eyes, we can see that the world hasn't changed; only the faces have.
Today, we see modern-day caravans of refugees fleeing conflict zones with nothing but grief. We see communities shattered by war, and families trapped behind the chains of poverty and systemic injustice.
Most prayers within the Sahifah are written precisely for those who suffer from fear, anxiety, abasement, and a lack of direction. By aligning each psycho-spiritual state with a deep understanding of Divine Unity (Tawheed), Imam Zainul Abideen (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ) teaches us how to navigate trauma. He shows us how to prevent trauma from becoming a wound that poisons our hearts with rage, transforming it instead into a force that purifies our intellects, lifts the veils of heedlessness, and gives wings to our souls.
Through his endurance, he leaves us a guide, a friend, and a healer that lifts the human primordial nature (fitrah) from the depths of traumatic despair to the heights of love and resilience.
The love of Imam Hussain (رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ), and true loyalty to the legacy of Sayyida Zainab and Imam Zainul Abideen, cannot be found in passive sympathy. For decades after Karbala, Imam Zainul Abideen carried heavy sacks of flour on his bleeding back at night, distributing food anonymously to hundreds of poor families in Madinah.
If a man who carried the trauma of Karbala could spend the rest of his life feeding the hungry and healing broken hearts, what is our excuse? We cannot afford to cry tears of sympathy for the past while ignoring the suffering of the present.
Let us open our hearts to the modern-day Karbalas happening right before our eyes, most painfully in the ongoing, heartbreaking suffering of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, and across so many other bleeding corners of our world.
This month, please support our vital relief projects that provide clean water, critical medical aid, emergency food, and shelter to families facing devastating poverty, war, and displacement in Palestine and worldwide.
Don't just remember history, let us honour the beautiful resilience of the Holy Prophet's (ﷺ) family by actively changing it for someone today. Please, give as generously as your heart allows to our Muharram Appeal.
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