By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     
“We called out to him, ‘O Abraham!
“You have indeed fulfilled the vision! Thus indeed do We reward the virtuous!
“This was indeed a manifest test (readiness to sacrifice the youth Ishmael).
“Then We ransomed him with a Great Sacrifice (Zibhin Azeem).”
These words of the Most Merciful Lord are testimony to the firm and unflinching faith of Prophet Abraham and his youthful firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael, to fulfill the Divine Commandment to sacrifice the dearest one.
At the last moment, however, before the knife of the father could touch the throat of the son, God Almighty having tested the sincerity of their intention, granted them reprieve by substituting a ram for the sacrifice.
Praised be the All-Wise Creator Who decrees all affairs and from Whom nothing is hidden, including every minute occurrence, even the events of the future!
Divine Providence had decreed Ishmael to be the progenitor of the Last and Greatest of Messengers with the universal creed of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). 
He had to survive, and Abraham spared of the heartrending sight of his son dying in a pool of blood. 
The question that arises: Do the Divine Words “Zibhin Azeem” (Great Sacrifice) refer to the heavenly-sent ram of antiquity in remote Mecca where no one else was present except father and son?
The answer is NO. The Great Sacrifice to ransom the life of a Great Prophet has to be a Great Person. Moreover, the Great Sacrifice has to be in the full limelight of history to make the fundamental facts clear.
The 11th of the month of Sha’ban that we celebrated yesterday as the blessed birthday of an immortal youth – coinciding this year with the 46th anniversary of the triumph of the Great Islamic Revolution for which thousands of Iranians sipped the elixir of martyrdom – removes any further doubts in this regard.
This radiant baby destined for glorious martyrdom in the full bloom of youth in front of his middle-aged father most sincerely resigned to the Will of God, in order to fulfill the Divine Promise of the Great Sacrifice, was not just a direct descendant of Abraham and Ishmael, but also the direct great-grandson of the Seal of Messengers.
Named Ali, in honour of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), on whose authority he had the honour of narrating several hadith as a qualified “Muhaddith”, he grew up to be the carbon copy of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
No wonder, his father Imam Husain (AS), used to refer to him as “Mirror of the Messenger of Mercy.”
The eldest among his brothers, who were also named Ali by his father, he earned the title of “al-Akbar” that speaks of his greatness and gallantry – bywords throughout the past millennium and four centuries.
As the personification of faith, virtue, courage, and humbleness before God Almighty of Whose Ubiquitous Presence he was always cognizant, he feared no one else, including death, as is evident by his famous reply to Imam Husain (AS) while on the way to Karbala, the rendezvous of martyrdom: “O father! Since we are on the right (course), I do not fear death.”
In Karbala, it was the euphonious voice of Ali al-Akbar that reverberated all around the wilderness when he would recite the “Azaan” (call to the ritual prayers) – piercing with precision even the rows of the cowardly Omayyad troops sent by the usurper Yazid to try to force Imam Husain (AS) to give pledge of allegiance to his ungodly rule.
Now we better understand the meaning of “Zibhin Azeem” (or the Great Sacrifice) through which the All-Knowing Allah ransomed Abraham and Ishmael in antiquity and which now began to unfold in the full limelight of history and historical events in Karbala in the year 61 AH in order to salvage monotheism and all humanitarian values.
On the advent of the fateful day of Ashura (Muharram 10), the besieged Imam Husain (AS), as the Prophet’s Grandson and Third Infallible Heir, having given his final refusal to acknowledge Yazid as caliph, prepared for death.
In the face of unsheathed swords, drawn daggers and showering arrows, the faithful marched towards martyrdom, and the first among the Bani Hashem was Ali al-Akbar – sent to the battlefield by his father with the following phrase in the Divine Court:
“O Allah! Be witness that I am offering my son in Your path who resembles Your Prophet in appearance; whenever we loved to see Your Prophet, we used to look at him.”
Ali al-Akbar gave a grand display of swordsmanship by overpowering reputable warriors and scattering the Omayyad soldiers, despite the thirst and hunger he had patiently endured for the past three days.
His battle cry rang: “I am Ali the son of Husain ibn Ali. By the Lord of the Ka’ba, we are the closest family members of Muhammad (SAWA). By Allah the son of a strumpet (Mu’awiyah) won’t govern us.”
Terrified by such an indomitable spirit of resistance against heavy odds, the enemy commander, Omar ibn Sa’d, ordered soldiers to surround the Prophet’s great-grandson from all sides and to attack mercilessly, saying that if Ali Akbar is killed, Imam Husain (AS) will not want to live anymore!
The wretch Murrah ibn Munqadh crept from behind and hurled a spear that pierced Ali al-Akbar’s chest. As the hero fell from his horse, the assassin pounced upon him and broke the wooden part of the spear by leaving the blade inside the noble youth’s chest, to cause maximum pain.
Imam Husain (AS), who was undoubtedly the Abraham of his time, darted forth scattering the enemy hordes only to see his blood-soaked Ishmael in the throes of death. 
Ali al-Akbar smilingly expressed his last words: “O Father, my last salaam to you! I am beholding my grandfather, approaching me with a bowl of fresh water.”
No wonder, the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrates the birthday of Hazrat Ali al-Akbar (AS) as “Day of the Youth” in order to instill Islamic values in the youths of our time, who yesterday poured into the streets in millions throughout the country to again display to the world their dedication to the independence of their homeland.