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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Karbala and Beyond Part 4: Husayn’s - Nine Infallible Imams The hero of Karbala’’, Imam Husayn (ﻉ), was succeeded by nine sinless and infallible Imams who led the Islamic nation and are still leading it to the Straight Path, the path of happiness in the life of this world and salvation in the life to come. Following is a brief account of these Imams (ﻉ)[^1].

Imam Ali Ibn Al-Husayn Zain Al-Abidin (as) Imam Husayn (ﻉ) was succeeded as the nation’s spiritual leader by his only surviving son Ali, nicknamed “Zain al-Abidin,” the best of those who worship the Almighty, and also “as-Sajjad,” the one who quite often prostrates to Allah. Ali was born on the fifteenth of Jumada II, 38 A.H. (November 19, 658 A.D.) when his grandfather, Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (ﻉ), was administering the affairs of caliphate at Kufa.

Karbala’’ used to be a suburb of Kufa, but it later expanded into a large city, due to the shrine built for Imam Husayn (ﻉ), a shrine which many tyrants, including the fanatical Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, attacked, looted, and tried unsuccessfully to obliterate, and housing a prestigious theological center. Ali’s graceful personality was the combination of Arab and Persian nobility.

On paternal side, he inherited the spiritual grace of the Prophet (ﺹ), while through his mother, Shahr Banu, daughter of the last Persian emperor Yazdajerd, he inherited the dignity of the Persian royal dynasty. How did this great-grandson of the Prophet (ﺹ) get to have a Persian princess as his mother?! In order to get the answer to this question, we have to review history going back to the time of the Prophet of Islam (ﻉ).

In 595 A.D., young Muhammad (ﺹ) visited Syria for the second time for a couple of months as a businessman trading on behalf of his wealthy relative Khadija whom he married in the same year. His first visit to Syria took place in 582 A.D. in the company of his uncle Abu Talib, great-grandfather of Imam Zain al-Abidin (ﻉ).

During this second visit, one of his observations was that a feud was brewing between the then mightiest nations on earth: the Romans and the Persians, each vying for hegemony over Arabia’s fertile crescent.