I M A M  Z A I N  A L  A B I D E E N  (a s)

After the tragedy of Kerbala, Zain al Abideen (as) was left, the only male in the Hashimite caravan, the new Imam.  He had just witnessed his father, brothers, uncles and cousins decapitated, shot with hails of arrows and butchered on the plains of Kerbala; being unable to fight himself due to severe sickness.  He had to identify the beheaded corpses before the burial.  He had to witness his sisters and aunts brutalised, their jewellery and clothing ripped from them, running from tent to tent as the oppressors set them alight.

Taken captive, bound and marched to Kufa then Damascus, imam Zain al Abideen (as) was left with the task of completing the Islamic revolution started by his father, Imam Hussein (as).   He, as his father before him, stood defiant before the tyrant Yazeed & his governors, despite the threats of death.  In a heartbreaking speech at Damascus, Imam Zain al Abideen (as) stood before the congregation of Muslims, weak, broken, bleeding, weeping and shackled, and recounted his relationship with the Prophet (saw) and the tragedy of his father (as).  He did not mention political rule, only appealing to the people on a religious and humanitarian basis.  By the end of the speech the entire congregation was weeping, and had started to view Yazeed with disdain.  Yazeed felt the change of public opinion against him and was forced to let the prisoners from Kerbala go.

Imam as Sajjad was now regarded the spiritual leader by the majority of Muslims.  Through his supplications, he re-established Islamic thought, and how to pray to the Creator.  Through his treatise on Rights, he re-established Islamic morality.  Through his unending grief, he reminded Muslims not to forget the tragedy of Kerbala.  Through his unparallelled devotion in prayer, he showed men how to bow to their lord.

By the time he left this world, poisoned by the enemies of Allah, the Imam had realised the goal of his father.  He had become well loved, the leader of men.  He had established an entire school of the Ahlul Bayt (as), with hundreds of students and devotees... who would cling to the Imams (as) despite threats of torture or pain.  He had completed the resurrection of Islam, reviving the spirit of faith in the early Muslims at Badr, who were willing to fight no matter the odds. 

A trail of revolutions was sparked in the wake of Hussein (as), thanks to imam as Sajjad (as) - without whom nobody on earth would have known what happened in a small patch of desert outside Kufa, 50 years after the death of the beloved Prophet of Islam (saw).

 

LECTURES

•  The Life of Imam as Sajjad (as) - part 1 & part 2 MP3 audio, with slides.  A summary of the birth, names and character of the Imam (as), a walk-through of the immediate events post Kerbala, and an overview of the Imam's works & accomplishments.  Taken mainly from Baqir Sharif al Qurayshi's book (see below).

BIOGRAPHIES (external links)

•  The life of Imam Zain al Abideen (as) - by Baqir Shareef al Qurayshi.  one of the most detailed books ever about the life of imam as Sajjad (as).  An excellent discussion of his lineage, history, characteristics, works, and students; with exegesis of some of the passages of Sahifa as Sajjadiya and the Treatise of Rights.
 

SERMONS & SUPPLICATIONS

•  As Sahifa As Sajjadiyya - Supplications from Imam Ali Zain Al Abideen as Sajjad (as).  Duas appear in Arabic, English and with audio all on the same page.  Contains a transliteration if you need it too.
•  The Spiritual Aspects of Hajj - a complete translation of the discourse on hajj with al Shibli. A pocket-sized summary is also available here.

RELATED

•  Lamentations (Part II): the Tragedy of the Lord of the Martyrs - An excellent book about the Tragedy of Kerbala, with the events narrated almost entirely through ahadeeth, quoted from the people who were witness.  A must-read for anyone who wants to know who Imam Hussein (as) was, what he stood for and what happened in the desert in 61 A.H.
•  Imam Hussein (as): biographical details of the 3rd Imam (as), as well as links to biographies of his brother al Abbas (as) and sister Zainab al Kubra (as).