Ali b. Ḥusayn b. Ali b. Abī Ṭālib al-Qurashī al-Hāshimī, known as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. His mother was a umm walad (slave-concubine) named Salama. Ali also had an older brother. He was killed together with his father.
The Ali whose biography we will recount here transmitted hadith from his father, his uncle Ḥasan b. Ali, Jābir, Ibn ʿAbbās, Miswar b. Makhrama, Abū Hurayra, Ṣafiyya, ʿĀʾisha, and Umm Salama (who were wives of the Prophet). Among those who narrated hadith from him were his sons Zayd, ʿAbd Allāh, ʿUmar, Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. Ali b. Kar, Zayd b. Aslam, Ṭāwūs (who was his contemporary), al-Zuhrī, Yaḥyā b. Saʿīd al-Anṣārī, and also Abū Salama, who was likewise his contemporary, as well as a group of others.
Ibn Khallikān said: Umm Salama was the daughter of Yazdegerd, the last of the Persian kings. According to al-Zamakhsharī in his book "Rabīʿ al-Abrār," Yazdegerd had three daughters who were taken captive during the time of ʿUmar. One of them fell to the share of ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, and she bore him a son named Sālim. Another was allotted to Muḥammad b. Abī Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, and she bore him a son named Qāsim. The third was allotted to Ḥusayn b. Ali, and she bore him the Ali Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn whose biography we are discussing. These three children were cousins.
Ibn Khallikān said: When Qutayba b. Muslim killed Fayrūz, the son of Yazdegerd, he sent his two daughters to al-Ḥajjāj. Al-Ḥajjāj kept one for himself and sent the other to al-Walīd. The one sent to al-Walīd bore him Yazīd al-Nāqiṣ.
According to Ibn Qutayba in his book "al-Maʿārif," Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's mother was Salama the Sindhian. It is also said she was Ghazāla. Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn was present at Karbala with his father, Ḥusayn. Due to his youth (or illness), he was not killed. At that time, he was twenty-three years old, though some say he was older. ʿUbayd Allāh b. Ziyād wanted to kill him, but Allah did not allow it. Some wicked people advised Yazīd b. Muʿāwiya to kill Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, but Allah did not allow it either. Afterwards, Yazīd honored Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, seated him in his own assembly, and would not eat without him, then sent them to Medina. Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn was greatly respected in Medina.
According to Ibn ʿAsākir, the mosque attributed to Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn is in Damascus and is a well-known mosque.
I say: The place mentioned by Ibn ʿAsākir is the martyrdom site on the east side of the Damascus mosque.
ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān summoned him to Damascus a second time and consulted him regarding answers to questions posed by the Byzantine emperor about coinage and paper.
Al-Zuhrī said: I have not seen a more God-conscious (muttaqī) or virtuous Qurashī than Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. He was with his father Ḥusayn at the time of his martyrdom, aged twenty-three and ill. ʿUmar b. Saʿd said, referring to him: "Do not bother this sick man."
Al-Wāqidī said: "Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn was among the most God-conscious (muttaqī), most devout, and most God-fearing of people. He would not swing his arms while walking. He wore a white turban and let its end hang down his back."
His kunya was Abū al-Ḥasan. It is also said he was Abū Muḥammad or Abū ʿAbd Allāh.
Muḥammad b. Saʿd said: Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn was trustworthy (thiqa), reliable, a prolific transmitter of hadith, dignified, God-conscious (muttaqī), and possessed of scrupulousness (waraʿ). His mother was Ghazāla. After Ḥusayn, his freedwoman Zubayd married him, and from this marriage was born ʿAbd Allāh b. Zubayd, known as Aliyy al-Aṣghar. Aliyy al-Akbar was killed together with his father Ḥusayn. More than one transmitter has stated this.
According to Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab, Zayd b. Aslam, Mālik, and Abū Ḥāzim, there was none like Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn among the ahl al-bayt (the Prophet's family).
Yaḥyā b. Saʿīd al-Anṣārī said: I heard Ali b. Ḥusayn, the most virtuous of the Hāshimites I met, say: "O people, love us for the sake of Islam. Your love for us has become a source of embarrassment."
In another narration, he said: "You have made us disliked among people."
Al-Aṣmaʿī said: The progeny of Ḥusayn continued only through Ali b. Ḥusayn. The progeny of Ali b. Ḥusayn continued only through his cousin Ḥasan.
Marwān b. Ḥakam said to him: "Buy some slave-girls so your children will multiply." He replied: "I do not have money to buy slave-girls." Marwān then lent him 100,000 dirhams, with which he bought slave-girls, and thus his children were born and his lineage increased. Later, when Marwān fell ill, he instructed his children not to reclaim the loan from Ali b. Ḥusayn. All the Ḥusayniyyūn are from the progeny of Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. May Allah have mercy on him.
Abū Bakr b. Abī Shayba said: The soundest chains of al-Zuhrī are those that come through Ali b. Ḥusayn, his father, and his grandfather.
It is related that while he was praying, the room he was in caught fire. After finishing his prayer, he was asked: "Why did you not leave the house when it was burning?" He replied: "Because I was thinking of the fire of Hell, I did not notice or pay attention to this fire."
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn would turn pale when performing ablution, and his body would tremble when he stood for prayer. When asked about this, he replied: "Do you not know before Whom I am about to stand and with Whom I am about to speak?"
When he went on ḥajj and wished to recite the talbiya, his body would shake and tremble, and he would say: "I fear that when I say 'Labbayk, Allahumma labbayk' (Here I am, O Allah, here I am), it will be said to me, 'No labbayk for you' (i.e., your call is not accepted)." His companions encouraged him, but when he recited the talbiya, he fainted and fell from his mount.
He would pray 1,000 rakʿas every day and night.
Ṭāwūs said: "I heard him, while praying in the Ḥatim and in prostration, say: 'O my Lord! Your servants are at Your threshold. Those who ask from You are at Your threshold. The needy poor who depend on You are at Your threshold.' By Allah, whenever I recited this supplication (dua) in distress, my distress was always relieved."
It is related that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn would give much charity at night and would say: "Charity given at night extinguishes the wrath of the Lord, illuminates the heart and the grave, removes the darknesses a servant will face on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah gives twice in return for what is given as charity."
Muḥammad b. Isḥāq said: "There were people in Medina whose livelihood was provided for, but they did not know who provided it. When Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn died, no one brought them provisions anymore, and they realized it had been him. When he died, marks were found on his back and shoulders from carrying sacks; he would carry provisions to the homes of widows and the needy. It is said he provided for a hundred households in Medina, and until his death, they did not know who brought them their provisions."
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn visited Muḥammad b. Usāma b. Zayd when he was ill. Muḥammad b. Usāma began to weep. Ali b. Ḥusayn asked him: "Why are you crying?" He replied: "I am in debt." "How much is your debt?" "15,000 dinars" (in another narration, 10,000 dinars). Ali said: "I will take care of your debt."
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "During the lifetime of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), Abū Bakr and ʿUmar held a certain rank, and after his death, they remained at that rank."
One day, a man insulted Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, but Ali ignored him. The man said: "I am insulting you!" Ali replied: "And I am ignoring you."
Another time, as Ali b. Ḥusayn left the mosque, a man insulted him. Those present came to his aid, but Ali advised: "Do not harm this man." Then he turned to the insulter and said: "Allah has concealed many of our faults from you. Do you have any need? Let us help you." The man was ashamed. Ali gave him his shirt and ordered his servants to give him 1,000 dirhams. Thereafter, whenever the man saw him, he would say: "Truly, you are of the Prophet's descendants."
It is said that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn and Ḥasan, the son of Ḥasan b. Ali, had a dispute. Ḥasan insulted him, but Ali remained silent. That night, Ali went to Ḥasan's house and said: "O cousin, if you spoke the truth, may Allah forgive me; if you lied, may Allah forgive you. Peace be upon you." Then he left. Ḥasan immediately reconciled with him.
He was asked: "Who is the person with the greatest share among people?" He replied: "The one who does not see the world as his share." He also said: "Thought is a mirror; a person sees his own good and bad in it. Losing friends is exile. Some worship Allah out of fear, which is the worship of slaves. Some worship out of desire, which is the worship of merchants. Some worship out of love and gratitude, which is the worship of the free and noble."
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn advised his son: "O my son! Do not befriend a wicked person, for he will sell you for a morsel or less and will seek to obtain it, but will not succeed. Do not befriend a miser, for he will withhold from you at your greatest time of need. Do not befriend a liar, for he is like a mirage, showing you what is far as near and what is near as far. Do not befriend a fool, for he will harm you while intending to benefit you. Do not befriend those who sever ties of kinship, for they are cursed in Allah's Book. Allah the Exalted says: {Do you not expect that if you turn away you will cause corruption in the land and sever your ties of kinship? Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed, made deaf, and blinded their eyes.} (Muḥammad 47:22-23)."
When Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn entered the mosque, he would move forward by passing over people's shoulders until he reached the circle of Zayd b. Aslam and sat there. Nāfiʿ b. Jubayr b. Muṭʿim said to him: "May Allah forgive you! You are the master of the people, yet you pass by the circles of knowledge and Qurashī assemblies to sit with this black slave. Why?" Ali replied: "A person sits only where he benefits. Knowledge is sought wherever it is found."
Al-Aʿmash narrated from Masʿūd b. Mālik that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "Can you bring me together with Saʿīd b. Jubayr?" "Why?" "I want to ask him things from which Allah will benefit us. I do not intend to insult him. For the things these people (pointing to Iraq) accuse us of, we do not possess."
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal narrated from Zar b. ʿUbayd: "I was with Ibn ʿAbbās when Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn arrived. Ibn ʿAbbās said: 'Welcome, beloved son of a beloved.'"
Abū Bakr b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-Ṣūlī narrated from Abū Zubayr: "We were with Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh when Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn arrived. Jābir said: 'While I was with the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), Ḥusayn, the son of Ali, came. The Prophet embraced him and said: 'A son named Ali will be born to this son of mine. On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will proclaim in the midst of the Throne: 'Let the master of the worshippers stand!' and it will be this son of mine's son, Ali, who will stand.'"
This is a narration reported by Ibn ʿAsākir and is indeed a rare hadith.
Al-Zuhrī said: "I used to sit most with Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. I have not seen anyone more learned in jurisprudence (fiqh) than him. He narrated hadith, was the most virtuous and devoted among his family, and was the most beloved to Marwān and his son ʿAbd al-Malik. He was called Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn."
Juwayriya b. Asmāʾ said: "Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn never ate a single dirham from anyone by virtue of his kinship to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). May Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him."
Muḥammad b. Saʿd narrated from Maqbarī: "Mukhtār sent 100,000 dirhams to Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. He did not want to accept it, nor did he dare to return it, so he kept it with him unused. When Mukhtār was killed, he wrote to ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān: 'Mukhtār sent me 100,000 dirhams. I did not want to accept them, nor did I dare to return them. Send someone to collect them.' ʿAbd al-Malik replied: 'O cousin! Take the money, I have made it lawful for you.' So Ali b. Ḥusayn accepted it."
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "The masters of people in this world are the generous and God-conscious (muttaqī). In the Hereafter, the masters are the devout, virtuous, learned, and God-conscious, for the scholars are the inheritors of the prophets."
He also said: "If I see one of my brothers and ask Allah for Paradise for him but am stingy with worldly goods, I am ashamed before Allah. For on the Day of Resurrection, it will be said to me: 'If Paradise were in your hand, you would be even more stingy with it.'"
It is related that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn wept much. When asked why, he replied: "The Prophet Jacob wept for Joseph until his eyes turned white, though he did not know Joseph was dead. I saw more than ten of my family slaughtered in one morning. Do you think my grief for them will ever leave my heart?"
ʿAbd al-Razzāq said: One of Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's slave-girls was pouring water for his ablution when the jug slipped and struck his face, wounding him. He looked at her angrily, and she recited: {Those who restrain their anger...} He said: "I have restrained my anger." She continued: {And those who pardon people...} He said: "May Allah pardon you." She recited: {And Allah loves the doers of good (muḥsinīn).} He said: "For the sake of Allah, you are free."
Zubayr b. Bakkār narrated from Muḥammad's father Ali: Some Iraqis gathered and spoke harshly against Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, then about ʿUthmān. Ali said: "Are you among those mentioned in the verse: {Those who were driven out from their homes and their properties, seeking bounty from Allah and [His] approval and supporting Allah and His Messenger...} (al-Ḥashr 59:8)?" They replied: "No." He said: "Are you among those mentioned in the verse: {And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madīnah and adopted the faith before them...} (al-Ḥashr 59:9)?" They replied: "No." He said: "Then you are not among the Muhājirūn nor the Anṣār. I bear witness that you are not among the third group either, as Allah says: {And those who came after them say, 'Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed.'} (al-Ḥashr 59:10). Go away from me. May Allah not bless you nor bring your homes together. You are mocking Islam and are not of its people."
A man asked him: "When will Ali be resurrected and return to the world?" He replied: "By Allah, he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection and will attend to his own affairs."
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā narrated from Abū Ḥamza al-Ṣumālī: "When Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn left his house, he would say: 'O Allah, I forgive anyone who insults my honor today.'"
According to another narration, a slave was cooking something in an oven when the skewer fell and killed Ali b. Ḥusayn's child. Ali hurried to the scene, looked at the slave, and said: "You did not do it intentionally. You are free." Then he began the funeral preparations for his son.
Al-Madāʾinī said: I heard Sufyān say: Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn used to say: "I would not like to own red-haired livestock if it meant enduring humiliation and abasement."
When a son of his who had gone to excess and sinned much died, a man grieved over his excesses. Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said to him: "Your son has left behind three things: testimony that there is no god but Allah, the intercession of the Messenger of God, and the mercy of the Mighty and Majestic Allah."
Al-Madāʾinī said: Al-Zuhrī committed a sin and withdrew from people, going to the mountains and abandoning his family and wealth. After meeting with Ali b. Ḥusayn, the latter told him: "O Zuhrī! To despair of Allah's all-encompassing mercy is a greater sin than the one you committed." Al-Zuhrī then recited: {Allah knows best with whom to place His message.} (al-Anʿām 6:124).
In another narration, al-Zuhrī had killed a man by mistake, and Ali b. Ḥusayn advised him to repent, seek forgiveness, and send blood money to the victim's family, which he did.
Al-Zuhrī used to say: "Ali b. Ḥusayn is the one who has placed me under the greatest obligation among people." Sufyān b. ʿUyayna narrated that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "Let no one praise another without knowledge, lest he be close to blaming him without knowledge. Two people who associate for sin and disobedience will inevitably part except in obedience to Allah."
It is related that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn wished to marry the wife of one of his slaves, so he freed her and married her. Caliph ʿAbd al-Malik sent him a reproachful letter, to which he replied: {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} (al-Aḥzāb 33:21). The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) freed Ṣafiyya and married her, and he married his freedman Zayd b. Ḥāritha to his cousin Zaynab bint Jaḥsh.
It is said that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn wore a black silk garment worth fifty dinars in winter, and when summer came, he gave it as charity. In summer, he wore a patched garment of lesser value and would recite: {Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?"} (al-Aʿrāf 7:32).
According to al-Ṣūlī, al-Jarīrī, and others, Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik performed ḥajj during the caliphates of his father and brother al-Walīd. When he wished to touch the Black Stone, he could not reach it due to the crowd, so a pulpit was set up for him. He mounted it, touched the Stone, and sat while the Syrians stood around him. At that moment, Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn entered, and as he approached the Black Stone, people made way for him out of respect. He was of striking appearance. The Syrians asked Hishām who he was, but Hishām, wishing to belittle him and prevent the Syrians from turning to him, replied: "I do not know him." The poet al-Farazdaq, who was present, said: "I know him." When asked who he was, al-Farazdaq recited a famous poem praising Ali b. Ḥusayn, describing his virtues, lineage, and the respect he commanded among the people, ending with: "All nations attained religion through his family."
Hishām, angered by this, ordered al-Farazdaq imprisoned at Usfān, between Mecca and Medina. When Ali b. Ḥusayn heard of this, he sent al-Farazdaq 12,000 dirhams, but al-Farazdaq refused, saying: "I spoke only for the sake of Allah and to honor the Prophet's descendants." Ali insisted, and al-Farazdaq accepted. Afterwards, he satirized Hishām in verse.
It is narrated that when Ali b. Ḥusayn saw a funeral, he would recite two lines of poetry about the fleeting nature of life and the heedlessness of people after funerals.
According to Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAsākir, al-Zuhrī said: I heard Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn hold himself to account and supplicate to his Lord, reflecting on the transience of life, the fate of those who have died, the certainty of death, and the need to prepare for the Hereafter, warning against attachment to the world and urging repentance and remembrance of death.
Historians have differed regarding the year of Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn's death. The most widely accepted view is that he died at the beginning of the year 94 AH at the age of fifty-eight. His funeral prayer was performed in al-Baqīʿ, and he was buried there. Some say he died in 92 or 93 AH; al-Madāʾinī said 99 AH, but this is considered odd. Allah knows best.
Ḥafṣ b. Ghiyāth narrated that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "If a body does not fall ill, it becomes arrogant, and there is no good in an arrogant body."
Abū Bakr b. al-Anbārī narrated that Ali b. Ḥusayn said: "Losing friends is exile."
He also said: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from my outward state being good while my hidden state, where none sees me, is ugly. O Allah, if I have done evil, You have done good to me. If I return to evil, do not continue to do good to me. O Allah, grant me the goodness You have given to those whose provision You have restricted."
He advised his son: "O my son, keep a separate garment for the toilet, for I have seen flies settle on filth and then land on my clothes." Then he reconsidered, saying: "But the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and his Companions had only one garment each," and abandoned his earlier decision.
Abū Ḥamza al-Ṣumālī narrated: "I went to the door of Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn and did not call out, but sat at the door until he came out. I greeted him and prayed for him; he returned my greeting and prayed for me. Then he went to a wall and said: 'O Ḥamza, do you see this wall?' 'Yes.' 'One day, when I was sad, I leaned against this wall. A man of beautiful face and clothing appeared and said: "O Ali b. Ḥusayn! I see you are sad for the world, but the world is a present provision, eaten by both good and bad." I replied: "I am not sad for the world." He said: "Then are you sad for the Hereafter? The Hereafter is a true promise, ruled by a powerful King." I replied: "I am not sad for the Hereafter." He said: "Then what are you sad for?" I replied: "I fear the fitna of Ibn al-Zubayr." He said: "O Ali! Have you ever seen anyone ask Allah for something and not receive it?" I said: "No." He said: "Have you seen anyone fear Allah and not be protected by Him?" I said: "No." After this, the man departed, and I was told: 'O Ali, that was al-Khiḍr.'"
Al-Ṭabarānī narrated from ʿUmar b. Ḥārith: "When Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn died and was washed, they saw black marks on his back. When asked about them, it was said: 'He used to carry sacks of flour on his back at night to give to the poor of Medina. These are the marks from those sacks.'"
Ibn ʿĀʾisha said: I heard the people of Medina say: "We used to receive secret charity until Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn died. After his death, we saw no one giving us secret charity."
ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥanbal narrated from Abū Minḥāl al-Ṭāʾī: "When Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn gave charity to a poor person, he would first kiss him, then give him the charity." Al-Ṭabarī narrated that Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn advised his son: "O my son! Be patient in the face of calamities. Do not violate the rights of others. Do not harm your brother in any situation unless the harm he causes you outweighs the benefit."
Al-Ṭabarānī narrated: "Ali b. Ḥusayn was sitting with a group when a scream was heard from his house. He went in, then returned to the gathering. They asked: 'Was there an incident at home?' He replied: 'Yes.' They consoled him and marveled at his patience. He said: 'We are a family who obey Allah in what we like and praise Him in what we dislike.'"
According to al-Ṭabarānī, Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will announce: 'Let the people of virtue stand!' A group will stand and be told: 'Go to Paradise.' The angels will ask: 'Where are you going?' They will reply: 'To Paradise.' 'Before reckoning?' 'Yes.' 'Who are you?' 'We are the people of virtue.' 'What was your virtue?' 'We endured ignorance, were patient with injustice, and forgave those who wronged us.' The angels will say: 'Enter Paradise. What a good reward for the doers of good.' Then a caller will announce: 'Let the patient stand!' They will be told to go to Paradise, and the angels will ask: 'What was your patience?' 'We trained ourselves to be patient in obedience to Allah, in refraining from sin, and in the face of calamities.' The angels will say: 'Enter Paradise.' Then a caller will announce: 'Let those who will be Allah's neighbors in this abode stand!' A small group will stand and be told to go to Paradise. The angels will ask: 'How did you deserve to be Allah's neighbors?' 'We visited each other for Allah's sake, sat together for Allah's sake, and spent our wealth for Allah's sake.' The angels will say: 'Enter Paradise.'"
Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn said: "Truly, Allah loves the believer who sins and then repents. Whoever does not enjoin good and forbid evil is like one who has thrown Allah's Book behind his back, except for those who fear harm from evildoers."
He was asked: "What is this fear?" He replied: "One fears the stubborn and tyrannical, lest they harm those who enjoin good and forbid evil. This is the exception."
Someone said to Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab: "I have not seen anyone more God-conscious (muttaqī) than so-and-so." He replied: "Have you seen Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn?" "No." "I have not seen anyone more God-conscious than him." Sufyān b. ʿUyayna narrated from al-Zuhrī: I went to Ali b. Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, and he said: "O Zuhrī, where were you? What were you discussing?" I replied: "We were discussing fasting, and concluded that there is no obligatory fast except that of Ramadan." He said: "O Zuhrī, it is not as you say. There are forty types of fasting, some obligatory like Ramadan, some forbidden, and fourteen are optional. Vow fasting is obligatory, as is iʿtikāf fasting."
He explained the various types of fasting: obligatory, optional, forbidden, and those requiring permission, citing relevant rulings and hadiths.