Quick Answer:
He was the son of Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali (‘a), the third Imam of the Shia world, and his mother was Shahr Bānūwiyah.
Detailed Answer:
He was the son of Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali (‘a), the third Imam of the Shia world, and his mother was Shahr Bānūwiyah[1]. He is most famously known by his agnomens Zayn al-’Abidin and Sajjad.
Imam Sajjad (‘a) was born in the year 28 Hijri[2] and he spent the period of his youth in the city of Medina. He was alive for 2 years during the rule of his grandfather, Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), and after that, he witnessed 10 years of the Imamate of his uncle, Imam Ḥasan (‘a); during this time, Imam Ḥasan (‘a) was the caliph of the Muslims for a period of 6 months. After the martyrdom of Imam Hasan (‘a) in the year 50 Hijri, he witnessed 10 years of the Imamate of his father, Imam Husayn (‘a). The last years in the Imamate of Imam Husayn (‘a) coincided with the peak of Mū’āwiya’s political power and were filled with constant altercations; Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) was witness to all of these events.
In the month of Muharram, in the year 61 Hijri, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) was present at the revolt of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (‘a) and his companions which followed. After the tragedy of Karbala, in which the Imamate was transferred to him, the Imam (‘a) and the rest of the captives were first taken to Kūfah and then to Syria. During this journey, he was the guardian and support of the rest of the group during the hard times and difficulties which they constantly encountered. During this journey, Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) disgraced the government of Yazid through his fiery and emotion-evoking sermons. After leaving Syria, he took up Medina as his place of residence. This continued until he was martyred in the year 94 or 95 Hijri. He was buried in the graveyard of Baqi’, next to the grave of his uncle Imam Ḥasan (‘a).
Caliphs Who Lived Contemporaneously With the 4th Imam (‘a)
Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (‘a) lived contemporaneously with the following caliphs:
1- Yazid ibn Mū’āwiya (61-64 Hijri)[3]
2- ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr (61-73 Hijri)[4]
3- Mū’āwiya ibn Yazid (A few months in the year 64 Hijri)
4- Marwān ibn Ḥakam (9 months in the year 65 Hijri)
5-’Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān (65-86 Hijri)
6- Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik (86-96 Hijri) [5]
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