What does Imam Sajjad mean by saying: 'Did my Mom give Birth to me so I be in Misery!'

So basically, in this supplication, the Imam 'alayhi as-salam says a statement here- 'ali as-shiqa'i waladatni ummi?'- 'Did my mother give birth to me so I be wretched in my life and I fail?' 'And she raised me all those years and spent all that time and effort so that in the end, I fail my test.' That is the idea that the Imam is communicating.

The Imam is teaching you how to talk to Allah. The Imam 'Ali 'alayhi as-salam is teaching you to say to Allah. O Allah, after all these years that I am here right now, my mother gave birth to me, she raised me. I am working hard, is it possible that after all this, I am going to be punished? I am going to fail my test? Allah, your Rahma [mercy] is greater than that.

It is a symbolic, emotional way that the Imam is training you to see the Rahma of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. Imam says, talk to Allah like this. When you talk to Allah like this, your heart softens and Allah forgives you. Is it possible that I was meant to be wretched? No, it is not. The answer is no. It is a rhetorical question-'su'al fardi, takhbiri'. Is it your system that I am born with wretchedness and I am doomed? No, Allah. I am not doomed, You will save me. See, when you just say that to Allah, that softens your heart. The Imam is saying words that open the hearts of Bani Adam [humankind].

Because there are some people, I have seen them when you try to talk them out of a bad habit, so they change their life. You know what they do? They said, Say it. I am doomed. Many people have told me, 'Sayyid, Allah ma yuridni al-khayri'[Sayyid, Allah does not wish any good for me]. Have you heard that? Have you heard that? I have heard it. Maybe people do not confide in you, but they usually come and tell us their problems.

I have heard many people say, God does not want goodness for me. See, they have that loss of hope, that sense of despair. Allah does not want. God wants me to fail. One person once thought, Allah created me to fail. Yes, people have these thoughts in their mind.

Imam Zayn al-'Abidin is teaching you how to expel those thoughts. He says, 'is it possible that my mom created me, so gave birth to me, so I am doomed? O Allah ma'qula- is it possible, logical, that You created me so I would fail, and You set me up for failure? Impossible, that is not the Lord that I know. See, you read that, your heart opens.

If these people read these du'as [supplications] and they know what this means, they will change their perspective. So the Imam is changing our psychology, and he is telling you, basically, Allah did not create you for shiqa' [wretchedness/failure]. Allah created you for Rahma [mercy], for forgiveness. Because the minute you believe you are doomed, you become a criminal. You know that?

You know Ibn Muljim, la'nat Allah 'alayhi? When the Imam asked him, Why did you do that? [Strike the Imam with a poisoned sword] Was I not a good Imam for you? Do you know what he answered? He did not say, No, you are a bad Imam. You know what he said?

'Afa'anta tunqidhu man fi an-nar?' He told Imam 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib, 'Are you going to save the one who is in Hell?' That means Ibn Muljim had already accepted that I am doomed, I am in hell. God hates me, so let me do the, commit crimes. See, this is a poisonous belief that makes you a criminal, that keeps you away from Allah.

Imam Zayn al-'Abidin is treating this problem. He is telling you, no, that is not the Lord that you worship. Allah never sets you up for failure. Allah never created you so you get punished. This is Shaytan playing with your mind.

And so he [Imam] is emotionally saying it to us.