The Master of Martyrs
the Infallible Imam Husayn (a.s.) was the savior of Islam and his sister
Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) saved the Mission of her beloved brother Imam Husayn
(a.s.)
To fathom the depth of any personality, one must review the
social environment of that society. Arabia, before the dawn of Islam, was a
society where women had no place or respect. If a girl was born, the father falsely
felt humiliated and even bury the new born alive! When the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s) introduced Islam, the women folks were given their rightful place
in the society. According to the revealed law of Allah, women are hidden
treasures, neither to be displayed nor advertised. The Commander of Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) asked Sayyida Fatima Zahra
(s.a.), “Who is the best among
women?” She replied, “Those who do not see men nor are seen by them” This
is the reason why there is little known about Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) and other
women in Islam. However, when the social norms are disbalanced, then that is
the time when women are compelled to emerge in open arena. After the tragedy of
Karbala, when there was no one left that had the courage to stand up to the tyranny
and speak the truth. It is through her extraordinary handling of the wretched
trials that she had endured that we have caught the glimpses of the untold
depths of her courage, forbearance, patience and submission to the will of Allah.
She shared with her brother Imam Husayn
(a.s.), the task of rescuing the prophetic legacy from being eclipsed by the
shadows of kufr (denial of Truth).
After the “Victory of Makkah”, the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) pardoned all those Quraysh who had fought all the wars against him
(s.a.w.a.s.). Abu Sufyan and Muawiyah were among them. It is the irony of fate
that Muawiya cunningly managed to take the leadership of Muslim Ummah. He
poisoned the grandson of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.); Imam Hasan (a.s.), tore
apart the peace treaty and appointed his son Yazid who openly ridiculed Islam!
Yazid asked for Imam Husayn (a.s.)’s allegiance who rejected it and left
Madinah and proceeded to Makkah but fearing his covert assassination, he did
not wait for Hajj but performed Umrah and proceeded towards Kufa. It is
reported that at the time of her marriage, Imam Ali (a.s.) had instructed her
husband to let her go with Imam Husayn (a.s.) when such an occasion arose.
Hence, she with her two sons, joined Imam Husayn (a.s.) for the decisive
confrontation with the kufr.
After the painful
events of Karbala, she became the leader of the caravan. Yazid’s governors falsely
propagated that a rebel had challenged the Khalifa, hence he and his followers
were killed, and the women were made captive. Imagine fourteen hundred years
ago when there were no means of mass communication, the news would travel by
word of mouth. Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) delivered sermons with the eloquence like
her father Imam Ali (a.s.) introducing themselves in the streets, in the courts
of the governors and lastly in front of Yazid (l.a.). If she would not be
there, the great sacrifice of Karbala would have disappeared in history. When
people came to know who the martyrs and the captives were, there was hue and
cry everywhere even in the court of Yazid (l.a.). Signs of revolt appeared in
the kingdom and forced Yazid (l.a.) to release the family of the Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.). She demanded the return of all looted belongings, a house where
the women could mourn the martyrs of Karbala. This was the victory of Sayyida
Zaynab (s.a.) that the first mourning assembly (Majlis) was held near his
palace!
Also refer the articles – Sayyida Zaynab bint Ali, Bibi
Zaynab’s Journey of Courage, Ziarat Hazrat Zaynab (s.a.)
Sources: Ziaraat.com, WIKIPEDIA, A Probe into the History of
Ashura by Dr. Ibrahim Ayati, Victory of Truth by Muna Haeri Bilgrami
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