There is no doubt about the presence of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) in the Husayn movement. The Imam himself says:
“On the eve of Ashura, my father gathered his companions around him. Although I was ill, I too went to my father to listen to his words. My father said: ‘I praise God and thank Him in both prosperity and adversity… I do not know of any companions more loyal and better than mine, and I know no household more obedient and devoted to family ties than my own. May God reward you all generously. I know that tomorrow our fate with these people will lead to battle. I release you from your pledge to me and lift my allegiance from you, so that under the cover of night you may take your leave, and each of you may take a member of my household with you and disperse into the cities, until God grants you relief and deliverance.’”
Nearly all historians agree that Imam Sajjad (PBUH) was ill during the events of Karbala. This illness was a manifestation of divine wisdom and a necessary condition for the protection of God’s proof on Earth, so that the Imamate and succession to the Prophet (PBUH) could continue. For this reason, he did not participate directly on the battlefield of Karbala.
The era of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) (61–95 AH) is considered one of the most horrific and repressive periods in Islamic history. During this time, the Shi‘a community was under intense pressure—both in terms of faith and politics. Its structures and cohesion had collapsed and it was on the verge of extinction. Imam Sajjad (PBUH), by employing the principle of Taqiyya (precautionary dissimulation), preserved the existence and continuity of Shi‘ism and led the community under its cover. Among his most important efforts in preserving and guiding the Shi‘a society were his well-timed and wise positions regarding uprisings and rebellions, as well as his stances toward the oppressive rulers of the Umayyad regime of his time.
13 محرم 1447
08 July 2025