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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Portraits of Youths in Quran and the History of Islam Ali Ibn Husain (a.s) The Most Patient And Steadfast Youth Of Kerbala It was the darkest period of the History of Islam when the fourth Imam (a.s) passed his life. This was so because after the heart-rending tragedy of Kerbala, the Islamic world was ruled by the tyrant Yazid for another three years. And after that the reins of government came into the hands of evil people like Marwan.

The members of the family of the Prophet and the fourth Imam themselves witnessed all these happenings and atrocities. During the terrible happenings of Kerbala the age of the Imam was just twenty-two and he was seriously ill at that time. This illness saved him from being martyred like others in the carnage, and the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) continued through him.

Ahmed Ibn Hanbal says, “The cause of the illness of Ali Ibn Husain was that one day he put on a coat of armor but found that it was large for him. So he broke it with his own hands to conform it to his body size.”[1] This is that brave young man who possessed unsurpassed steadfastness and patience and he bore hunger and thirst for [1] Manaqib, Ibn Shahr Ashob Vol. 4, Pg. 142 three days at a stretch in spite of his running temperature and physical weakness due to his illness.

Along with this he witnessed the horrific massacre, which ended the lives of his father, brothers, relatives and companions. He witnessed all this and then also watched in horror the plundering of his camp and the burning down of his tents. Even a single calamity of this chain of calamities is sufficient to kill the most courageous person but he was Ali Ibn Husain (a.s)… It is not possible to estimate his patience and forbearance.

It was only the determination of the son of Imam Husain (a.s) that he bore all the afflictions as divine will and bore them with utmost patience and forbearance. How much fortitude it required when he was made the leader of the train of prisoners of war that were taken from Kerbala to Kufa and he entered the court of Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad. And the severed heads of the martyrs of Kerbala were brought in one after the other.

In addition to this, the plundered caravan consisted of ladies tethered in ropes having young children with them. Under the orders of Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad the prisoners were then taken from Kufa towards Syria and the Imam led the train of captives.