The veils were lifted off the eyes of the Commander of the faithful Imam Ali (a.

The veils were lifted off the eyes of the Commander of the faithful Imam Ali (a.s.), who saw that the heavens had opened, and they assisted him in the bath and recited Prayers upon the Prophet (S)’s body and prepared his grave. By Allah! None other than them dug his grave, and they assisted until they buried him. Then they buried him while the Prophet (S) spoke to them. Imam Ali (a.s.) heard their conversations that the Prophet (S) enjoined the Angels regarding him.

Imam Ali (a.s.) wept and the Angels answered, “We shall not act miserly with regard to him. Verily he is an authority upon us after you, and none shall see us again after this” . At the death of the Commander of the faithful Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.) beholded similarly during his burial. They saw the Prophet (S) himself assisting the Angels.

And when Imam Hasan (a.s.) was martyred, the same situation prevailed, and it was seen that the Prophet (S) and Imam Ali (a.s.) assisted the Angels in his burial. And when Imam Husayn (a.s.) was martyred, Imam Ali bin Husayn (Zainul Abedeen) (a.s.) witnessed similarly.

It is related, in context of the remonstration of Imam Ali ar Reza (a.s.) against the Waqifites,[^2] that Ali bin Abi Hamza objected to him saying that, “We have received traditions from your fathers that the executor of the funeral of an Imam is none other than the Imam”. (Since the Waqifites were deniers of the Imamate of Imam Reza, they meant to say that when Imam Moosa Kazim died, he was in Madinah.

And the corpse of his father was in the custody of the headsmen of Haroon who buried him in Baghdad. Then if he had been the true Imam, he would have been present in the burial proceedings. Since he was absent it meant that he was not the Imam, Allah’s refuge). Imam Reza (a.s.) answered, “Tell me then, so that I may know, as to who was the executor of the burial of Imam Husayn (a.s.)?

Was he an Imam or someone else?” He replied, “The executor was none other than Ali bin Husayn (Imam Zainul Abedeen)”. Imam asked, “Where was Ali bin Husayn? Was he not imprisoned in Kufa under Ubaydullah (bin Ziyad)?” He replied, “He came out without their knowledge and attended to the burial proceedings of his father and then returned back”.