On the Occasion of the Birth of Lady Zainab (a.s)

 On the Occasion of the Birth of Lady Zainab (a.s)

Lady Zainab (a.s) nicknamed Zainab Kabra. She was born on the 5th of Jumadi al-Awal, the year 6th A.H. in some sources, the year of her birth is mentioned as the fifth year of the lunar calendar. She was born in Bani Hashem neighborhood of the city of Medina. She is the third child of Amirul Momineen Ali (a.s) and Fatima Zahra (a.s) after Imam Hassan (a.s) and Imam Hussein (a.s).[1]

Virtues of Lady Zainab (a.s):

Lady Zainab (a.s) was adorned with all virtues, high moral and divine values. In dignity and personality was like her grandmother Khadijah (a.s). in modesty and chastity was like her mother Fatima (a.s). in eloquence was like her father Ali (a.s), in modesty and tolerance was like Imam Hassan (a.s) and in courage and strength of heart, she was like her brother Imam Hossein (a.s). In knowledge, she was such that even her enemies admit her scientific status.[2] Her nephew Imam Sajjad (AS) also said in the scholarly position of Lady Zainab (S): “Oh Zainab! Thank God, you are a scholar that you have not been taught by anyone and you have knowledge that you have not learned from anyone”.[3]

The role of Lady Zainab (a.s) in the event of Ashura:

The sufferings of Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) started from the event of Ashura. One of the most important achievements of the Ashura uprising was the awakening of people and Shia movements. Certainly, people should have assumed the role of enlightening and explaining the Ashura uprising movement. One of the messengers of the Ashura movement was Lady Zainab (a.s), the heroine of Karbala. Lady Zainab's sermon in Syria or Yazid's assembly refers to the sermon that Lady Zainab (a.s) gave after the Ashura event, when the caravan of prisoners of Karbala were taken to Yazid castle in Damascus city. This sermon and the words of Imam Sajjad (a.s) were able to create a tremendous impact on the audience and change the assembly in favor of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s). The main themes of this sermon are: Praise to God and peace be upon the Prophet of Islam (a.s), referring to the divine tradition of giving respite to infidels, the ugliness of Yazid's behavior, exposing the black faces of Yazid and his ancestors, cursing the Yazidis, referring to the end of the oppressors, complaining to God and eternity of  Ahl al-Bayt.[4]

The sermons of Lady Zainab (s.a) in Kufa and the Levant created a wave of Islamic awakening in which the true face of disbelief and hypocrisy was exposed to the people. After the sermons of Lady Zainab (s.a) the revolutions and revolts against the Umayyad tyrant regime begin, which ultimately led to their destruction. Today we see clearly that the Umayyad dynasty is notorious of history, and the voice of the memory of Imam Husayn and his Ashura has resonated throughout the world.

References:

[1] Bihar, V. 42, P. 93

[2] Zainab al-Kubra, Al-Naghdi, V. 1. P. 24

[3] Bihar, V. 45, P. 164 أنتِ بِحَمدِ اللّه‏ عالِمَةٌ غَيرُ مُعَلَّمَةٍ، فَهِمَةٌ غَيرُ مُفهَّمَةٍ

[4] https://en.wikishia.net/view/Text:Sermon_of_Lady_Zaynab_(a)_in_Damascus

أَظَنَنْتَ يَا يَزِيدُ حَيْثُ أَخَذْتَ عَلَيْنَا أَقْطَارَ الْأَرْضِ وَ آفَاقَ السَّمَاءِ فَأَصْبَحْنَا نُسَاقُ كَمَا تُسَاقُ الْأُسَرَاءُ أَنَّ بِنَا هَوَاناً عَلَيْهِ وَ بِكَ عَلَيْهِ كَرَامَةً وَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ‏ لِعِظَمِ خَطَرِكَ عِنْدَهُ فَشَمَخْتَ بِأَنْفِكَ وَ نَظَرْتَ فِي عِطْفِكَ جَذْلَانَ مَسْرُوراً حَيْثُ رَأَيْتَ الدُّنْيَا لَكَ مُسْتَوْثِقَةً وَ الْأُمُورَ مُتَّسِقَةً وَ حِينَ صَفَا لَكَ مُلْكُنَا وَ سُلْطَانُنَا فَمَهْلًا مَهْلًا أَ نَسِيتَ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى «وَ لا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّما نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ إِنَّما نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدادُوا إِثْماً وَ لَهُمْ عَذابٌ مُهِينٌ...