The ruins of Hz. Zeynel Abidin's house (son of H. Hussein)

Zeynel Abidin (Zeynel Âbidîn), Abu'l-Hasan Ali b. Hussein b. Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 94/712), is the son of Hz. Hussein and the grandson of Hz. Ali. He is considered the fourth imam in the Shia Isna Ashariyya tradition; the Sunni tradition regards him as one of the great scholars of the Tabi'in generation. He could not participate in the battle during the tragedy of Karbala (H. 61/M. 680) because he was ill at the time of his father's martyrdom and survived. This event deeply affected him; it directed him towards a life of asceticism, spending the rest of his life in weeping, worship, and knowledge. For this reason, he was given the titles "Zeynel Abidin" (the adornment of the worshippers) and "es-Seccad" (the one who prostrates a lot). Residing in Medina, Zeynel Abidin authored "es-Sahîfetü's-Seccâdiyye," a comprehensive collection of prayers. This work constitutes one of the richest prayer literatures in Islam. It also holds an important place in the science of hadith; he narrated numerous hadiths. His house in Medina is a physical reflection of both his scholarly and spiritual heritage. [Source: TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, "Zeynel Abidin" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/zeynelabidin; Ibn Sa'd, et-Tabakāt, V, 211-222]