He shook all over when he wanted to pray...

He shook all over when he wanted to pray, Hence he was asked about that, and he replied: “Don’t you know Whom I am preparing to stand before and to Whom I am going to whisper (in prayer)?[^7]” We will mention some of his affairs during his prayers and perfuming himself: Perfuming his Garments When the Imam wanted to pray, he perfumed himself from a bottle which he put in the room of his prayers[^8], which was full of musk.

His Garments during his Prayer When the Imam wanted to pray, he wore coarse woolen garments[^9] in order to behave humbly before the Almighty Creator. His Humbleness during his Prayer As for the prayer of the Imam, peace be on him, it represented full devotion to Allah, the Exalted, and freedom from the material world. He did not feel the things around him; rather he did not feel even himself, for his heart clung to Allah.

The narrators described him during the time of his prayer, saying: “When he stood to perform the ritual prayer, his skin would turn yellow, and he shook all over because of fear of Allah. He stood during his prayer as the abased slave who stood before a great king. He prayed with the prayer of the one who would leave (the world). He thought that he would never pray again.” Imam al-Baqir talked about the humbleness of his father during his prayer, saying: “When ‘Ali b.

al-Husayn stood to perform his ritual prayers, he was like the trunk of a tree. Nothing of him moved except that which the wind moved.[^10]” Aban b. Taghlub related to Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, the prayer of his grandfather, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, peace be on him, saying: “When ‘Ali b. al-Husayn stood to perform the ritual prayers, his skin would turn yellow.” Hence Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, admired his grandfather and said: “By Allah, ‘Ali b.

al-Husayn knew Him before Whom he stood.[^11]” Yes, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin completely knew the mightiness of the Wise Creator, Hence he worshipped Him due to knowledge and obeyed Him because of faith.

Among the aspects of his humbleness during his prayer was that when he prostrated, he did not raise his head until he oozed sweat[^12] as if he sank in water, for he wept abundantly.[^13] The narrators reported on the authority of Abu’ Hamza al-Thumali, who said: “I saw the Imam praying and his clock falling off one of his shoulders. He did not set it right, Hence I asked him, and he answered me: ‘Woe unto you! Didn’t you know before Whom I had been?