Hazrat Zeinab: Messenger of Karbala Revolution
November 5, 1998 - 0:0
The 15th of Rajab marks the Martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Zainab (SA), a lady characterized as a scholar, interpreter of Qoran, a social orator, a pious mystic, brave and valorous, generous and magnanimous, courageous and untiring. This honorable lady was born on the fifth of Jamadi-ul-Awwal of 6 A.H. (After Hejira) in an unadorned house located in Medina. She passed away on the 15th of Rajab of 62 A.H. in Damascus at the age of 56. Her eternal resting abode in Damascus has now become a shrine for those who are fond of her.
Her Family Status Hazrat Zainab (SA) was the granddaughter of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (S) and the daughter of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). When she was 6 years old, her mother Hazrat Fatimih (SA) (the daughter of the Holy Prophet) passed away. From then on, she was educated by her father. She was extremely respected by her father and brothers Hassan and Hussein (AS). Marriage Many people referred to Imam Ali (AS) seeking the hands of Hazrat Zainab (SA) in marriage.
While providing guidelines to Hazrat Zainab (SA), the Imam preserved for her the right of making the final choice. Here, from among all the suitors, Hazrat Zainab chose the son of one of the martyrs as her husband. Indeed, she chose as her husband, Abdullah, the son of Ja'afar (who was martyred in one of the battles carried out during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and whose hands were both amputated by the enemy).
According to some traditions, when the marriage contract was to be drawn, Hazrat Zainab asked her husband Abdullah ibn Ja'afar to undertake two commitments: 1)To allow her to diurnally visit her brother Hussein (AS). 2)To allow her to company her brother Hussein (AS) wherever he journeyed. Abdullah accepted both conditions. Important Highlights of Zainab's Life Even though Hazrat Zainab's life was filled with familial, political, and social events the most important event in her lifetime was her presence in the Revolution of Karbala in 61 A.H. In the wake of the bloody uprising of Imam Hussein (AS) for the establishment of Islamic justice and for the negation of all oppressions and suppressions of the Omayyids, Yazid ibn Muawiyyih, by mobilizing all its military forces, martyred Imam Hussein (AS) and 72 of his combatant companions in a completely unequal one-day-long battle.
Zainab (SA), who had personally witnessed the martyrdom of her brother Imam Hussein (AS), her other brothers and nephews, her sons Mohammad and Awn, as well as other victims, assumed the task of delivering the message of the martyrs to the people of the time and to the generations to come. Zainab (SA) was duty-bound to prevent the Karbala Revolution from being distorted as a result of the deceitful and poisonous propaganda of the ruling system.
Even though Hazrat Zainab (SA) was in captivity along with other family members of the martyrs, spiritual pressures and the heavy duty of taking charge of the mourning children of the martyrs did not preclude her from enlightening the minds of the people and bringing the realities into the open. Islamic history books have repeatedly referred to 3 ardent and fervent speeches delivered by Zainab (SA) in three vital areas (Kufah, the Palace of Ibn Ziyad, and the Court of Yazid). The Repercussions and Influence of the Heroic and Turbulent Sermons of Zainab (SA) Let us evaluate the power and freedom Islam vests in women by paying due regard to one of Zainab's praiseworthy speeches.
Heading a caravan of captives, Zainab (SA) entered Kufah which was for a period of five years the center of her father's reign. The situation of the city had completely changed as it was filled with military and disciplinary forces, as the people were appalled and horrified, and as Zainab too was tired and in mourning! A group of people who bore enmity with the members of the Household of the Prophet (S) became jubilant upon seeing the captives and started dancing and capering around.
Another group who bore no spite but who were unaware of the relationship these captives had with the Prophet (S) because of the deviating propaganda of the ruling system showed their happiness in another form. In the meantime, a group of people who advocated the Members of the Household of the Holy Prophet (S) and who knew who the captives were started crying and wailing as a result of extreme grief.
In such a situation, Hazrat Zainab (SA) felt she must control her nerves and stir and enlighten this stagnant and unaware society. Prerequisites for a Successful Speech Generally speaking, an orator can deliver a good and successful speech when processing the following prerequisites: 1) The speaker must not be under physical or mental pressure (such as hunger, thirst, and fear). This is while Zainab (SA) was under the weight of all these pressures.
2) The milieu in which the speech is delivered should be calm. In Kufah, and among those who had come to see the captives, however, no such calm could be traced. 3) The listeners and viewers should respect the speaker. This is while those lending their ears to Hazrat Zainab (SA) looked at her as a rebellious woman who had risen against the rightful government and so regarded her pessimistically.
4) Scenes anguishing and influencing the speaker must not be placed before him. Yet before Zainab's camel litter were the amputated heads of the martyrs of Karbala as well as hungry and thirsty children. With all the foregoing difficulties, the statements of Zainab (SA) permeated through the entire city just as a celestial cry and stirred public anger against the tyrant Omayyid sovereignty.
Hazrat Zainab (SA) stated the following to the people of Kufah (these were the very people who had invited Hussein ibn Ali (AS) as their religious leader but who had broken their covenant and had fought against him due to intense fear from the ruling system): O people of Kufah! You are deceitful, void of character, and obsequious! You are a people infirm in determination and guilty of breaking your promise.
You deserve Allah's wrath and the fire of hell. Woe betide you ! You killed the offspring of the Prophet and now are crying! Cry profusely and smile nevermore, for you bave killed the best man on earth. Henceforth, await abjectness and disdain. Zainab's statements were so forceful that Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad (governor-general of Yazid) ordered 12 thousand disciplinary forces to pacify Zainab and to lead her to the palace of the governor-general.
Zainab's continued revelations even in the presence of the caliph of the time (Yazid ibn Muawiyyeh) mounted the freedom-seeking struggles of the world of Islam and ultimately led to the downfall of the Omayyid Dynasty. This clarifies why on her wedding day, Zainab asked her husband to allow her to accompany her brother wherever he went.
Her Family Status Hazrat Zainab (SA) was the granddaughter of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (S) and the daughter of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). When she was 6 years old, her mother Hazrat Fatimih (SA) (the daughter of the Holy Prophet) passed away. From then on, she was educated by her father. She was extremely respected by her father and brothers Hassan and Hussein (AS). Marriage Many people referred to Imam Ali (AS) seeking the hands of Hazrat Zainab (SA) in marriage.
While providing guidelines to Hazrat Zainab (SA), the Imam preserved for her the right of making the final choice. Here, from among all the suitors, Hazrat Zainab chose the son of one of the martyrs as her husband. Indeed, she chose as her husband, Abdullah, the son of Ja'afar (who was martyred in one of the battles carried out during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet and whose hands were both amputated by the enemy).
According to some traditions, when the marriage contract was to be drawn, Hazrat Zainab asked her husband Abdullah ibn Ja'afar to undertake two commitments: 1)To allow her to diurnally visit her brother Hussein (AS). 2)To allow her to company her brother Hussein (AS) wherever he journeyed. Abdullah accepted both conditions. Important Highlights of Zainab's Life Even though Hazrat Zainab's life was filled with familial, political, and social events the most important event in her lifetime was her presence in the Revolution of Karbala in 61 A.H. In the wake of the bloody uprising of Imam Hussein (AS) for the establishment of Islamic justice and for the negation of all oppressions and suppressions of the Omayyids, Yazid ibn Muawiyyih, by mobilizing all its military forces, martyred Imam Hussein (AS) and 72 of his combatant companions in a completely unequal one-day-long battle.
Zainab (SA), who had personally witnessed the martyrdom of her brother Imam Hussein (AS), her other brothers and nephews, her sons Mohammad and Awn, as well as other victims, assumed the task of delivering the message of the martyrs to the people of the time and to the generations to come. Zainab (SA) was duty-bound to prevent the Karbala Revolution from being distorted as a result of the deceitful and poisonous propaganda of the ruling system.
Even though Hazrat Zainab (SA) was in captivity along with other family members of the martyrs, spiritual pressures and the heavy duty of taking charge of the mourning children of the martyrs did not preclude her from enlightening the minds of the people and bringing the realities into the open. Islamic history books have repeatedly referred to 3 ardent and fervent speeches delivered by Zainab (SA) in three vital areas (Kufah, the Palace of Ibn Ziyad, and the Court of Yazid). The Repercussions and Influence of the Heroic and Turbulent Sermons of Zainab (SA) Let us evaluate the power and freedom Islam vests in women by paying due regard to one of Zainab's praiseworthy speeches.
Heading a caravan of captives, Zainab (SA) entered Kufah which was for a period of five years the center of her father's reign. The situation of the city had completely changed as it was filled with military and disciplinary forces, as the people were appalled and horrified, and as Zainab too was tired and in mourning! A group of people who bore enmity with the members of the Household of the Prophet (S) became jubilant upon seeing the captives and started dancing and capering around.
Another group who bore no spite but who were unaware of the relationship these captives had with the Prophet (S) because of the deviating propaganda of the ruling system showed their happiness in another form. In the meantime, a group of people who advocated the Members of the Household of the Holy Prophet (S) and who knew who the captives were started crying and wailing as a result of extreme grief.
In such a situation, Hazrat Zainab (SA) felt she must control her nerves and stir and enlighten this stagnant and unaware society. Prerequisites for a Successful Speech Generally speaking, an orator can deliver a good and successful speech when processing the following prerequisites: 1) The speaker must not be under physical or mental pressure (such as hunger, thirst, and fear). This is while Zainab (SA) was under the weight of all these pressures.
2) The milieu in which the speech is delivered should be calm. In Kufah, and among those who had come to see the captives, however, no such calm could be traced. 3) The listeners and viewers should respect the speaker. This is while those lending their ears to Hazrat Zainab (SA) looked at her as a rebellious woman who had risen against the rightful government and so regarded her pessimistically.
4) Scenes anguishing and influencing the speaker must not be placed before him. Yet before Zainab's camel litter were the amputated heads of the martyrs of Karbala as well as hungry and thirsty children. With all the foregoing difficulties, the statements of Zainab (SA) permeated through the entire city just as a celestial cry and stirred public anger against the tyrant Omayyid sovereignty.
Hazrat Zainab (SA) stated the following to the people of Kufah (these were the very people who had invited Hussein ibn Ali (AS) as their religious leader but who had broken their covenant and had fought against him due to intense fear from the ruling system): O people of Kufah! You are deceitful, void of character, and obsequious! You are a people infirm in determination and guilty of breaking your promise.
You deserve Allah's wrath and the fire of hell. Woe betide you ! You killed the offspring of the Prophet and now are crying! Cry profusely and smile nevermore, for you bave killed the best man on earth. Henceforth, await abjectness and disdain. Zainab's statements were so forceful that Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad (governor-general of Yazid) ordered 12 thousand disciplinary forces to pacify Zainab and to lead her to the palace of the governor-general.
Zainab's continued revelations even in the presence of the caliph of the time (Yazid ibn Muawiyyeh) mounted the freedom-seeking struggles of the world of Islam and ultimately led to the downfall of the Omayyid Dynasty. This clarifies why on her wedding day, Zainab asked her husband to allow her to accompany her brother wherever he went.