Ali ibn Husayn known as
Zayn al-Abidin (the adornment of the worshippers) and
Imam al-Sajjad (The Prostrating Imam), was the fourth Shia
imam, after his father
Husayn, his uncle
Hasan, and his grandfather
Ali—
Muḥammad’s son-in-law. Ali ibn Husayn survived the
Battle of Karbala and was taken, along with enslaved women, to the caliph in
Damascus. Eventually, he was allowed to return to
Medina, where he led a secluded life with a few intimate companions. Imam Sajjad's life and statements were entirely devoted to asceticism and religious teachings, mostly in the form of invocations and supplications. His famous supplications are known as
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya.