Imam Zain Al-Abideen's Grief for Imam Hussain

Imam Zain Al-Abideen witnessed and went through the trauma of losing a father in the most inhuman and vicious way. His father Imam Hussain was martyred on the plains of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram whilst being deprived of food and water. Imam Zain Al-Abideen has never stopped grieving and crying over his father, so much so that he was labeled as one of the five weepers in history, which are Prophet Adam, Prophet Jacob, Prophet Josef, Lady Fatima Al-Zahra daughter of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him & his progeny) . Prophet Adam wept for the heavens that he has lost until his cheeks hollowed. As for prophet Jacob he wept for years over his son prophet Joseph, even though he knew that he was alive, he simply could not bear the separation and wept until he turned blind. Joseph was the same he wept day and night for his father. Lady Fatima Al-Zahra wept endlessly for the loss of her father and light of her eyes Prophet Muhammad ( Peace be upon him and his progeny), the people of Medinah instead of comforting her would shun her away for they couldn’t handle her crying any longer. Lady Fatima would visit the grave of her father and the martyrs and weep until she could not anymore.

Imam Zain Al-Abideen cried over Imam Hussain’s martyrdom for 20 or 40 years. He would cry whenever food was placed Infront of him for how could he eat and drink when his father was left famished and thirsty in the plains of Karbala? Someone told him “ O’ grandson of the Prophet of God, I fear that you become of the doomed.” The imam replied, “ I vent my grief to God, and I know from God what you don’t know, I have never remembered the tragedy of the son of Fatima without getting choked up” Someone else asked the imam “ O’ grandson of the prophet of God when will your grieving stop?" Imam Zain Al-Abideen replied, “ Prophet Jacob peace be upon him had 12 sons, when one of them went away his eyes turned white because of his weeping, his hair turned grey from sadness, and his back hunched because of his sorrow all of that while his son was still alive. I saw my father, brother, uncle and 17 of my household killed around me so how can my grieving end ?”

Sources:

Bihar Al-Anwar Volume 46 Page 109
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