It has been a few days since Ashura, the great epic and the testament to the martyrdom of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). After the tragedy of Ashura and the heartbreaking martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and his loyal companions, Yazid, the oppressive Umayyad ruler and the main culprit of the horrific crime in Karbala, believed that the banner which Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) had raised had fallen to the ground and that the light of Hussain’s guidance was fading. However, he was gravely mistaken, for Ashura had a messenger like Zainab (peace be upon her). Indeed, it was the great presence of Zainab (peace be upon her) who, together with Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him), exposed the oppression and corruption of Yazid and his associates, delivering the message of that divine epic to the ears of the ignorant people of that time. Truly, history bears witness that Zainab was capable of carrying this divine mission.
The rank and status of Zainab (peace be upon her), her knowledge, worship, and her steadfastness, all indicate the high position of such an exemplar of piety and chastity. Zainab (peace be upon her) was not only from the family of revelation, being the daughter of Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her), but she also possessed a vast ocean of knowledge. It was this very knowledge that Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) praised her for, saying: “You, by the grace of God, are a scholar without a teacher and a wise one without a need for instruction.” The Imam meant that the source of her knowledge was from the same wellspring of Prophetic knowledge and the teachings of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). During the reign of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), she held a class for the women of Medina, where she would engage in the interpretation of the Quran.
Even during the time of the illness of Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) — a period that took place by God’s will shortly after the tragedy of Ashura — Zainab (peace be upon her) held a special deputation from Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), and the people would turn to her for answers to matters of halal (lawful) and haram (unlawful) and for guidance on their questions. Her devotion and worship were equally exceptional, as she never abandoned her nightly prayers, even on the night of the 11th of Muharram, after the martyrdom of her brother, Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), and other brothers, and even after enduring the immense suffering that befell her.
As for Zainab’s position… To speak about the position of a woman for whom her Imam, when meeting her, stands in her honor and seats her in a place of respect is very difficult. We will suffice to mention only a glimpse of her boundless status. When Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) bade farewell to his sister Zainab (peace be upon her), he said to her, “Sister, do not forget me in your night prayers.”
How sorrowful it is that a woman of such elevated stature was taken captive on the day of Ashura, called an apostate, and lashed, with her body subjected to humiliation…
These were all magnificent displays of the patience of Zainab (peace be upon her)…
Indeed, Zainab (peace be upon her), along with Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him), was the leader of the caravan of Ahl al-Bayt. A caravan carrying orphaned and suffering children, as well as the women who had endured immense hardships, whose only comfort was Zainab (peace be upon her), and to whom they would turn for refuge. She, in turn, acted as their shield, bearing their suffering as her own, and together with her noble nephew, Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him), she upheld the banner of the Hussaini movement. Through her efforts in exposing the corruption of the Umayyad government, she weakened the foundations of the rule of oppression and injustice.
Peace be upon the patient heart of Zainab and her grateful tongue…