The Struggle and Virtues of the Zaidi Shia: From the Valour of the Faithful to the Legacy of the Ahl al-Bayt
It is narrated from Imam al-Mansur Billah Abdullah ibn Hamzah (peace be upon him) that when (Hadir), the companion of ‘Isa ibn Zayd, was brought before al-Mahdi ibn Abi Ja‘far, he said to him:
“Where is ‘Isa?”
He replied:
“And how should I know? You captured me and imprisoned me; you frightened him and drove him away. How could I know the whereabouts of someone who fled from you while I am imprisoned?”
Al Mahdi said:
“It is not as you say. When did you part from him? Who was the last person you saw him with? What knowledge do you have of him?”
He replied:
“I have not met him since he went into hiding, nor have I heard any news of him.”
Al Mahdi said:
“By God, you shall tell me about him or I will kill you.”
He replied:
“If I tell you about him, you will kill him, and then I will have shared in his blood. By God, if he were between my garment and my skin, I would not expose him. So do what you will.”
Then his neck was struck, may God have mercy on him.
The meaning of this narration was also reported by al-Murshid Billah and Imam Abu Talib (peace be upon them).
So look at this sacrifice of life!
These are the ones who were struck by swords, yet their love only increased.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“My Lord, Mighty and Majestic, said to me on the night of my Ascension:
O Muhammad, whom have you left in charge of your community?
I said: My Lord, You know best.
He said: O Muhammad, I have chosen you for My message and selected you for Myself. You are My Prophet and My chosen one among My creation. Then [I chose] the Greatest Truthful One (al-Siddiq al-Akbar), the pure and purified one, whom I created from your clay. I made him your minister and the father of your two martyred grandsons, the two pure and noble leaders of the youth of Paradise. His wife is the best of the women of the worlds. You are a tree; ‘Ali is its branches; Fatimah its leaves; Hasan and Husayn its fruits. I created you from the clay of Illiyyin, and I created your followers (Shi‘a) from you. If they were struck on their necks with swords, their love for you would only increase.”
This narration was transmitted by Imam al-Mansur Billah in al-Shafi, with an unbroken chain from Imam al-A‘zam Zayd ibn ‘Ali, from his forefathers (peace be upon them).
And al-Nasir li’l-Haqq narrated from Ja‘far al-Sadiq, from his forefathers, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who said:
“In the heavens there are guards—they are the angels; and on the earth there are guards—they are your followers, O ‘Ali.”
It is also narrated in al-Hada’iq al-Wardiyya, and in another version from Amir al-Husayn (peace be upon him) regarding this report:
“They will never change, nor will they ever alter [their faith].”
And al-Sadiq narrated from al-Baqir Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“On the right side of the Throne are men whose faces are made of light and whose garments are made of light. They are neither prophets nor martyrs, yet the prophets and martyrs envy them.”
It was asked: “Who are they, O Messenger of God?”
He said: “They are our followers (Shi‘a), and you, O ‘Ali, are their leader.”
It is also narrated in al-Hada’iq from al-Nasir li’l-Haqq, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who said:
“Seventy thousand from my nation shall enter Paradise without reckoning.”
‘Ali said: “Who are they, O Messenger of God?”
He said: “They are your followers (Shi‘a), and you are their Imam.”
And in another narration from Amir al-Husayn (peace be upon him), he said:
Then he turned to ‘Ali and said: … (and so on).
Indeed, the earth’s surface has been reddened with the blood of the family of the Messenger of God and the blood of their followers.
They faced death willingly for the sake of pleasing their Creator,
And wielded the sword upon heads and necks.
How many heads did the swords of the Ahl al-Bayt strike down?
And how much blood was shed in the path of God!
The noble sayyid, Imam al-Radi al-Musayyabi, one of the greatest figures of the Prophetic household—author of Nahj al-Balaghah, al-Majazat al-Nabawiyyah, Talkhis al-Bayan fi Majazat al-Qur’an, and other works—Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa ibn Muhammad ibn Musa ibn Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Kazim ibn Ja‘far al-Sadiq ibn Muhammad al-Baqir ibn ‘Ali al-Sajjad ibn al-Husayn al-Sibt (who died in the year 406 AH, at the age of 46)—in his elegy for al-Husayn (peace be upon him), when he turned to mention the Prophet’s family (‘itrah), said:
You grasped the highest ranks of glory—so let the heavens
And the earth’s creatures envy your majesty.
And he said further:
O family of God, be angered for your Prophet,
And unsheathe the white swords from their scabbards.
Imam ‘Isa ibn Zayd (peace be upon them both) died—after calling to God during the days of Muhammad ibn Abi al-Du’wanīq (the Abbasid)—poisoned, on the third day of Sha‘ban, in the year 166 AH, at the age of 45 years.