Zainab in News 2010

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Lady Zainab is still being honoured 1400 years later.

Newpaper Report: December 28, 2009

Lady Zainab: The message bearer of Karbala

At the death of Muawiya, Imam Hussein set out from Medina to Kufa to claim the leadership of the Muslim community. Lady Zainab accompanied him, as did most of his household. After Imam Hussein’s death at the Battle of Karbala, Lady Zainab was taken prisoner by the army of Yazid, Muawiya’s son and successor. Lady Zainab and the other survivors of Imam Hussein’s expedition, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus, Yazid’s capital, where they were held prisoner. Lady Zainab was in anguish due to the death of her brother Imam Hussein and her sons Aun and Muhammad.

Eventually Yazid released his captives and allowed them to return to Medina. It is said that Lady Zainab did not long survive the return, and died circa 682 CE. Lady Zainab is the message bearer of the martyrs in Karbala and the companion of Imam Hussein in the important rising of Ashura.

The eloquent sermon of Lady Zainab in Kufa

The sermon that she delivered in Kufa is a brilliant example of how her bereaved heart impacted the people through her sermon.

The caravan of the captives, who consisted of women, children, soldiers holding spears that carried the heads of the martyrs and the army men of Ibn Ziad entered the city of Kufa. As they entered, the people were cheering and expressing their joy of victory!

But the sermon of Lady Zainab was so powerful that it converted the glorious show of victory into a mournful ceremony, where the evils of the governor were revealed. The sermon caused for the delighted happy faces to sadden, and many even began to cry. As a matter of fact, her eloquent speech even boosted people’s anger toward the governor.

There are several significant points concerning her sermon. The first point is that the speaker is a captive woman who is among many victorious soldiers and higher rank army men. She has to consider that the enemy’s anger may cause another attack upon the captives. Furthermore, since the people of Kufa knew Imam Ali and his children, the sermon of Lady Zainab should have been in such a manner that people could fully understand the importance of such a tragedy.

She pointed people to be quiet. The breathing of people remained in their chest. After praising God and His Messenger, she said:

“O people of Kufa! O you deceivers! O you who break your pledges and retreat back! You traitors! May the cries never end and the tears never diminish. You are like the woman who painstakingly and with great labour twines a strong rope, and then she herself unwinds it, thereby wasting her effort and energy. Your false pledges contain no element of truth and sincerity. Your tactic has become flattering the maids and nodding your heads in agreement to the enemies.

Beware, for you have sponsored a very wrongful act for which God is totally displeased with you. Without doubt, His wrath shall soon descend upon you.

Are you now crying? Yes, by God you must weep because you deserve the tears. Cry immensely and laugh less, for you are contaminated with such shame and disgrace, that you will never be able to wash it off.

How could you exonerate yourself from crime of slaying the son of the Last Prophet Muhammad and the mine of prophethood? Was he not the master of the youth in heaven? Was he not the one who you would go to him whenever you had tribal fights and disagreements? Was he not your best choice to solve your own problems and worries?

What bad have you brought upon yourselves, and what heavy burden are you carrying: annihilation, downfall! Efforts were lost, and hands ceased from work causing for business and capital to be lost. You placed yourself in the anger of God, and you manifested yourselves in greed and begging.

O the people of Kufa! Woe be upon you! Do you know which part of God’s Messenger you have cut? And which vow you have broken? And whose blood you have shed? And which respected family you have brought to the public (as captives)? And whose sanctity you have violated? You have done that, which could tear down the skies, open the earth, and make the mountains vanish. As far as the earth goes and as deep as the skies go, your obvious deed has no like, no similarity and no decency. Indeed you have done the ugliest, the most grievous and gruesome deed.

Will you be surprised if the sky rains blood? Remember! The punishment of the Day of Judgment which will be much more severe and much harsher! That is because no one has the power of God.”

Then Lady Zainab and the other captives were brought to the palace of Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad, governor of Kufa. There, Lady Zainab disguised herself among the other women. Once Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad noticed her, he asked:

“Who is that disguised woman?”

No one answered him; so he repeated his question. Then, one of his servants replied:

“She is Zainab, the daughter of Fatim al Zahra, daughter of God’s Messenger”.

Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad recognized this honoured lady, and decided to express his joy of victory in front of the honourable daughter of Imam Ali. Through addressing Lady Zainab he planned to take advantage of the opportunity and advertise the cruel and disgraced tyranny of Yazid son of Muawiyah. Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad however, failed to realize that the honoured lady he was addressing happened to be the heroine who would disgrace Yazid son of Muawiyah and all other oppressors through her firm logic. Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad rudely said:

“Praise be to God who disgraced you, and revealed your sayings as false.”

Perhaps Ubaidulla ibn Ziyad thought that one who is martyred in the way of fighting falsity is in fact disgraced, and his or her sayings are proven as false. Or maybe he knew the truth, but spoke as such to deviate the mind of people and invert the realities, knowing that he attributed his sayings to God. In spite of that, Lady Zainab immediately frustrated his conspiracy by replying:

“Praise be to God who has honoured us with His Messenger, and purified us from impurity. The one who is disgraced is certainly the libertine, and the one who lies is the lewd; and we are not such people. Praise be to God.”

Ibn Ziyad, who never expected to be talking to such a knowledgeable and courageous woman, changed the subject and said:

“How did you find the way God treated your brother and your family?”

Lady Zainab, with a tone full of pride and power, indicating her faith and submission towards God, answered:

“I saw nothing but beauty… They rushed towards their graves (with honour). But know that God will judge between you and them, and He will call you to account; so be worried about the winner at that day (either it will be you or them). O son of Marjanah! May your mother be mournful for you.”


These few statements were so powerful that as the historians mention, they made Ubaidula ibn Ziyad so angry that he decided to kill Lady Zainab. He however ceased to do such as one of his army generals, who was present there, calmed him down and prevented him from doing so.

A part of the sermon Lady Zainab gave with utmost bravery in the gathering of Yazid son of Muawiyah in Syria is as follows:

“What you consider today as spoils of war will become ruins for you tomorrow and on that day you will find what you have sent from before. God does not oppress his servants. I express my complaint only to God and have trust in Him. You may therefore do any treachery that you have, make all your attempts, and try all you can. By God, you cannot remove us from the minds (of people), and you cannot fade our message. You will never reach our glory and can never wash the stain of this crime from your hands. Your decisions will not be stable, your period of ruling will be short, and your population will scatter. In that day, a voice will shout: “Indeed may the curse of God be upon the oppressors…”


Lady Zainab warned Yazid son of Muawiya

The key to success for every distinguished human being is worshiping and obeying God, since the purpose of creation of mankind is nothing but worship. However, worship has a broad meaning and is not restricted to praying or fasting. In his book “Mufradat”, Raghib Isfahani states “Worshiping and obedience means to express humbleness and humility”. It means that worship has a more inclusive meaning, which is ultimate humility and humbleness.

Sakina, daughter of Imam Hussein, reported the situation of Lady Zainab on the night before Ashura as follows:

“On the night before Ashura, my aunt Zainab was standing in her place for worship and was supplicating to God. On that night, no one amongst us got to sleep and the voice of our cries was never interrupted”.

Worshiping, with its inclusive meaning, is observed in all the behaviours and characteristics of Lady Zainab. She remained patient in all the difficulties and tragedies that happened to her to the extent that patience became impatient over her patience, and all these were considered as acts of worship for her. Is there any act of worship greater than offering two beloved children for the sake of the Quran and the Ahlulbait [Holy Family], and becoming mournful over losing six brothers such as Imam Hussein and Abbas? Is there a greater act of worship than wearing the veil of captivity in which she was examined tens of times and she passed all successfully?

And finally, is there any act of worship greater than continuing the rising of her brother, delivering fiery sermons in the path of Kufa and Syria, and awakening ignorant people who were deceived by poisonous propaganda of Yazid son of Muawiya and martyred Imam Hussein as a man who was out of Islam! Her sermons created a movement in Kufa and Damascus, which shook the bases of Yazid’s kingdom and even Yazid’s son refused to replace his father as the king, and after a while, quitted the government while disgracing the oppressing dynasty of Umayyad.

In her sermon, Lady Zainab warned Yazid son of Muawiya about the hereafter and said, “Fear the day on which the judge is God, and Prophet Muhammad himself will plead for justice. O Yazid! On that day the organs and members of people will testify against them, and it is on that day that the punishment of the oppressors will be realized”.

Of course, the greatest act of worship of Lady Zainab was preaching and giving advice with which she continued the tradition of the Prophet and the infallible Imams.

Lady Zainab, the founder of mourning for Imam Hussein

After being released from prison, Lady Zainab asked her nephew, Imam Zainalabideen, son of Imam Hussein, to tell Yazid son of Muawiya to empty a house and return their belongings, with the heads of the martyred.

She stayed in the house for seven days, mourning for the martyred along with the rest of the imprisoned women, and the women of Damascus. She was the first one to offer condolence to the fourth Imam Zainalabideen on the martyrdom of his father.

She then traveled to Karbala and mourned at the grave of Imam Hussein and the martyrs of Karbala.

Lady Zainab lived about one year after the torturous trials she had to bear. She withstood the impossible ordeal and carried out spreading the news everywhere, most successfully. She died in Syria, at the age of 57. er holy shrine, the Zainbia, is located in Damascus, Syria. Many pilgrims visit it throughout the year. [Tehran Times]


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