Reverence After His Death
Ali al-Asghar is buried along with his brother Ali al-Akbar with Husayn in Karbala, Iraq, which is now the most visited shrine in the world. In Muharram ceremonies and commemorations, Ali al-Asghar is represented as an innocent child suffering unbearable thirst. His death is mourned at length in rawza-khani (recital of the Rawdat ash-Shuhada "The Paradise of the Martyrs") literature and in early ta'ziya (passion play) traditions, a complete majles was dedicated to Ali al-Asghar, with the infant's cradle a conspicuous element on the stage. Ali al-Asghar is also represented in Muharram processions and mourned in folklore.
The story of Ali al-Asghar's martyrdom has influenced modern politics. In a June 3, 1963 speech delivered by the leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, at the Fayziya Madrasa in Qum, Iran, specific mention was made to Ali Asghar as part of a comparison between the Umayyads actions at Karbala and the policies implemented by the Shah against the maraji. His argument was that just as Ali Asghar had done nothing to incur the wrath of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, similarly an eighteen year old madrasah student who had been recently killed by the Pahlavi regime had done nothing against the Shah or his government to warrant being murdered.
- Sakinah (Fatema Kubra) bint Husayn
Read more about this topic: Ali Al-Asghar Ibn Husayn
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