Triumph of the captives in the enemy’s court

The 1st of the Islamic month of Safar is the day of renewal of grief for any conscientious person. It is the day when the caravan of captives of the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) was dragged in fetters into Damascus, towards the court of the infidel Yazid, after having to wait for three days outside the city so that the Omayyad capital could be decorated and people could assemble in a festive manner on the streets leading towards the tyrant's palace, for hooting the Ahl al-Bayt and hurling insults at the heads of the Martyrs of Karbala.

To quote Imam Zain al-Abedin (A.S), the son and successor of Imam Hussein (A.S) and the 23-year old survivor of history's most heartrending tragedy, who was forced to march on foot for over a thousand kilometres all the way from Iraq to Syria:

"While there were days of lamentation in Iraq (Kufa), the Omayyads held festivities (on seeing us Ahl al-Bayt as captives in chains)." –

What a pathetic sight it was! Even in such a sorrowful state, the leaders of the noble caravan, the Prophet's granddaughter, Hazrat Zeinab (S.A), and Imam Zain al-Abedin (A.S), carried themselves in dignity. The aunt and the nephew were pictures of patience. This was their unique jihad. It was a jihad to make Islam triumph in the court of the cowardly enemy himself. For any true Muslim, the sermons of Hazrat Zeinab (A.S), in front of the dastardly perpetrator of such a bloodcurdling tragedy, revived memories of the sermon delivered half-a-century ago in Medina, by her Impeccable Mother, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (S.A) in front of the leader of the regime that had not just snatched away from her the Orchard of Fadak that her father the Prophet had given her in his lifetime on God's commandment, but had also usurped the the right of political leadership of the ummah of her Immaculate husband, Imam Ali (AS), invested in him by the Prophet on God's commandment at Ghadir-Khom. The heartrending scene of the Ahl al-Bayt's entry into the Syrian capital in chains and fetters was an undeniable proof that the Tragedy of Karbala was the result of the scandalous gathering of Saqifa Bani Sa'da. If not, how could a hardcore heathen like Mu'awiyya be appointed as governor of Syria, and then after rebelling against the Prophet's divinely-decreed vicegerent, Imam Ali (A.S), go on to deceitfully seize the caliphate from Imam Hassan (A.S), and later in violation of the treaty signed with the Prophet's elder grandson, pass on the caliphate to his libertine son, Yazid!

These words are ample proof of the fact that if we are Muslims today (whatever the jurisprudential denomination), it is because of the unique jihad of the Prophet's granddaughter. She was undoubtedly the paragon of patience and never for a moment did she ever show emotion or other negative traits. In accordance with the benefits of patience as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an (over 70 Verses) she exercised self-control in the midst of the most menacing calamities.

On the Day of Ashura in Karbala, she had given permission to her two young sons to march to the battlefield and when after a brave fight the two youths achieved martyrdom, the aggrieved mother prostrated in thanks to God for having accepted her sacrifice. Like a true scion of the family of Prophets Abraham (A.S) and Ishmael (A.S), she demonstrated to the world the practical meaning of patience even throughout all those heart-rending scenes at Karbala when her dear brother Imam Hussein (A.S) achieved martyrdom, when almost all male members of the household were gruesomely killed in front of her eyes, when the heads of martyrs were inhumanly mounted on lances, when the encampment was burned by enemy soldiers, when the orphans were mercilessly thrashed for crying, when her bed-ridden nephew Imam Zain al-Abedin (A.S) was flogged by the seemingly victorious hordes, and last but not the least when the captives were deliberately taken past the unburied corpses of their dear ones lying without shrouds under the hot and burning sun. Never for instance did her feet falter. It was thus the sister’s patience that made the message of the brother resound with glory in the courts of the perpetrators of history’s greatest tragedy and ensured that as long as the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (A.S) will be commemorated around the world, the name of Hazrat Zainab (S.A) will also shine with radiance.

She boldly addressed Yazid with the words in front of the whole court that also included the ambassador of the Christian Byzantine Empire, who on seeing such a tragic scene and being impressed by the sermon of Hazrat Zeinab (S.A), became a Muslim and gladly gave away his life. To quote a passage from her famous sermon, she said:

"O you the son of freed slaves (yabna at-tulaqa)! Is this your justice that the ladies of your household remain veiled and we, the Prophet’s family should be paraded thus? You have insulted our dignity… “O Yazid! Your misdeeds have clearly proved your rebellion towards God and the message the Holy Prophet brought to this world, and this has proved beyond doubt that you refuse to honour the Prophetic Message sent by God. This behavior of yours does not come as a surprise, for your ancestors chewed the liver of the Prophet’s uncle Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib. Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, mutilated his body, had his liver taken out, sucked it and quenched her thirst for vengeance at the Battle of Ohad. You belong to this clan, which always opposed the Prophet and collected armies from various clans to oppose him. The offspring of such monsters are the enemies of God and His Prophet, and are expected to be merciless and deadly since violence is part of their nature."

The sermon of the Prophet's granddaughter had an electrifying effect on the whole gathering. She continued to expose the crimes of the Omayyads and in this way conveyed to not just the attendees, but to all posterity, the immortal message of Imam Hussein (A.S). Without any fear she told the tyrant in his face:

Source: irib.ir

Other links:

Imam Hussein’s revolt, the causes (Part 1)

Imam Hussein’s revolt, the causes (Part 2)

Imam Hussein’s revolt, the causes (Part 3)

Imam Hussein’s revolt, the causes (Part 4)