Martyrdom of Imam Zaynul Abideen (a.s) ‘Poem'

How painful to grieve upon you,

It is full of sorrow, full of rue.

You: the Best of the Worshippers,

You: The Lord of the Worshippers.

One died, one took birth

Stars of your prostrations on the earth.

At your direction is SAFA,

Under your feet is MARWA;

Wherever you pace there is KA’BA,

You are a necklace if faith were a bride

Over heavens you are our planet’s pride.

See how exposed lies your grave there

Only a handful of dust over the earth bare.

The Heir of the City of Knowledge and its Door

All the prophets before you seem poor.

You still cure the world by your doctrine

And assuages its wounds your spirit divine.

Ignorance closed the eyes; your light opened the eyes.

Curtails the curtain of martyrdom, kept you from the eyes.

Your great grandfather is the Seal of all Prophets,

And he fulfilled the Mission of all Prophets.

If asked where the dole is delivered?

Towards your door fingers answered.

If asked: the best of the people who?

The unanimous answer is still: You.

At your smile, if night, stars shine;

At your smile, if day, the rays resign.

Your mother: Shahr Banu, an Iranian princess,

Your father: Hussein, Prince of the Princes.

Thus you a symbol of unity;

You nullify the Arab and Ajam entity.

A field of fecundity fructifies piety!

A rose grows in the soil and from heaven the dew;

Such the different elements vanish in you.

You pace, SAFA and MARWA too along with you;

You are the pursuit of KA’BA, pilgrims to you peruse.

In your silence is hidden the word of God,

In your word is apparent the Unity of God.

Your person consummates the beauty,

Your conduct gives to every quality a beauty.

Over a camel chained and taken to Damascus;

So what? If KA’BA chained would not pilgrims around pass?

At your love bounty of God attained perfection;

The Message ‘Convey of Prophet’¹, you are its continuation.

‘God protects you from the people;’ the Promise still runs,

You’re Love so dear! A shield it is, else the hell burns.


I can’t say how ignorant man has gone;

Doesn’t see? How many galaxies round the orbit have gone.

You are the son of the Group the Prophet took to Mubahila,

You were left alive to keep alive the Karbala,

You are one among the patches in the veil of Zahra,

You are his son who was born in KA’BA.

Thus the true Faith, the right path is that under your guard,

In your love it is not much if heaven be the reward.

To have you and yet to go to Saqifa² is much hard.

In your love much is less God will award.

At your grave I stand as your bard,

And angels take to your audience my regard.

As I live so I shall die in your love’s constancy,

See how gently you receive me in my fancy.

You were annectent³ with heaven

Reflected to mankind the divine beacon

The path of God you gave us the lesson

And went down into martyrdom as sets the sun.

Belief in you for every relief is a licence,

There is no power to deny your presence in your absence.

Hope depends upon you in times of turbulence,

Man in need calls you; swift is your compliance,

Because of your love how sweet to die!

Without your love stranger to myself go I!

You were so great; the world couldn’t deceive you;

You are still great, human intellect can’t conceive you.

One sees your grave

And admits your greatness is really grave!

Blest are those who visit your grave

And listen to the echo ‘Today I completed My Bounty on you.’⁴

^{1- This and the following verse is a reference to God’s command to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his household) at Ghadir to proclaim Imam Ali (grandfather of Imam Zain al-Abedin) as vicegerent (5:67) with a promise to protect him from evil.
2- Saqifa = The scandalous place in Islamic history where after the passing away of the Prophet, some conspirators assembled to hijack political rule of the Islamic state in violation of God’s command at Ghadir.
3- Annectent = adj, connected, link.
4- Reference to Ayah 3 of Surah Ma’edah where God gives tidings to the Prophet after the historic proclamation of Ghadir.}