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Name: Zainab
Title: Siddiqa-e-Sughra
Kunyat: Umm-ul-Massaib
Born at: Medina on 1st
Shaba'an al Moazzam *
Fathers Name. Hazrat Ali-Al-Murtaza (AS)
Mother's Name: Janab e Fatema Zahra (AS)
It was five years after the Muslims had accompanied the Prophet (saww)
and his family in the migration (Hijrah) to Medina, when the Holy
Prophet's daughter, Hadrat Fatima (AS), gave birth to a little
girl.'
When her father, Imam Ali (AS), saw his daughter for the first time
Imam Husayn (AS), who was then almost three years old, was with him.
The boy exclaimed in delight,
"O father, Allah has given me a sister."
At those words Imam Ali (AS) began to weep, and when Husayn (AS)
asked why he was crying so, his father answered that he would soon
come to know.
Fatima (AS) and Ali (AS) did not name their child until a few days
after her birth, for they awaited the Prophet's return from a
journey so that he could propose the name.
When finally the baby girl was brought before him he held her in his
lap and kissed her. The Angel Jibra'il came to him and conveyed the
name that was to be hers, and then he began to weep. The Prophet
(PBUH&HF) asked why Jibra'il wept and he answered,
"O Prophet of Allah. From early on in life this girl will remain
entangled in tribulations and trials in this world. First she will
weep over your separation (from this world); thereafter she will
bemoan the loss of her mother, then her father, and then her brother
Hasan. After all this she will be confronted with the trials of the
land of Karbala and the tribulations of that lonely desert, as a
result of which her hair will turn grey and her back will be bent."
When the members of the family heard this prophecy they all broke
down in tears. Imam Husayn (AS) now understood why earlier his
father had also wept. Then the Prophet (PBUH&HF) named her Zaynab
(AS).
When the news of Zaynab's birth reached Salman al-Farsi, he went to
Ali (AS) to congratulate him. But instead of seeing him happy and
rejoicing he saw Ali (AS) shed tears, and he too was apprised of the
events of Karbala and the hardships that were to befall Zaynab (AS).
One day, when Zaynab (AS) was about five years old, she had a
strange and terrible dream. A violent wind arose in the city and
darkened the earth and the sky. The little girl was tossed hither
and thither, and suddenly she found herself stuck in the branches-
of a huge tree. But-the wind was so strong that it uprooted the
tree. Zaynab (AS) caught hold of a branch but that broke. In a panic
she grabbed two twigs but these top gave way and she was left
falling with no support. Then she woke up. When she told her grand
father, the Prophet (PBUH&HF), about this dream he wept bitterly and
said,
"O my daughter. that tree is me who is shortly going to leave
this world. The branches are your father Ali and your mother Fatima
Zahra, and the twigs are your brothers Hasan and Husayn. They will
all depart this world before you do, and you will suffer their
separation and loss."
Zaynab (AS) shared with-her brothers and sister the extraordinary
position of having such examples to look up to, emulate and learn
from, as her grand father, the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HF) her mother
Fatima (AS), daughter of the Prophet, and he'r father Imam Ali (AS),
cousin-brother of the Prophet. In the pure environment that
enveloped her she absorbed the teachings of Islam that her
grandfather imparted, and after him her father. Here too she learnt
to master all household skills with great proficiency.
She had barely attained the tender age of seven when her beloved
mother passed away. Her mother's death had closely followed her
cherished grand father's passing away. Some time later Imam Ali (AS)
married Umm ul-Banin, whose devotion and piety encouraged Zaynab
(AS) in her learning.
Whilst still a young girl she was fully able to care for and be
responsible for the running of her father's household. As much as
she cared for the comforts and ease of her brothers and sisters, in
her own wants she was frugal and unstintingly generous to the poor,
homeless and parentless. After her marriage her husband is reported
as having said,
"Zaynab is the best housewife."
From very early on she developed an unbreakable bond of attachment
to her brother Imam Husayn (AS). At times when as a baby in her
mother's arms she could not be pacified and made to stop crying, she
would quieten down upon being held by her brother, and there she
would sit quietly gazing at his face. Before she would pray she used
to first cast a glance at the face of her beloved brother.
One day Fatima (AS) mentioned the intensity of her daughter's love
for Imam Husayn (AS) to the Prophet (PBUH&HF). He breathed a deep
sigh and said with moistened eyes,
"My dear child. This child of mine Zaynab would be confronted
with a thousand and one calamities and face serious hardships in
Karbala."
Zaynab (AS) grew into a fine statured young woman. Of her physical
appearance little is known. When the tragedy of Karbala befell her
in her midfifties she was forced to go out uncovered. It was then
that some people remarked that she appeared as a 'shining sun' and a
'piece of the moon'.
In her character she reflected the best attributes of those who
raised her. In sobriety and serenity she was likened to Umm
ul-Muminin Khadija, her grandmother (AS); in chastity and modesty to
her mother Fatima Zahra (AS); in eloquence to her father Ali (AS);
in forbearance and patience to her brother Imam Hasan (AS); and in
bravery and tranquility of the heart to Imam Husayn (AS). Her face
reflected her father's awe and her grandfather's reverence.
When the time came for marriage, she was married in a simple
ceremony to her first cousin, Abdullah ibn Ja'far Tayyar. Abdullah
had been brought up under the direct care of the Prophet (PBUH&HF).
After his death, Imam Ali (AS) became his supporter and guardian
until he came of age. He grew up to be a handsome youth with
pleasing manners and was known for his sincere hospitality to guests
and selfless generosity to the poor and needy.
Together this young couple had five children, of whom four were
sons, Ali, Aun, Muhammad, and Abbas, and one daughter, Umm Kulthum.
In Medina it was Zaynab's practise to hold regular meetings for
women in which she shared her knowledge and taught them the precepts
of the Deen of Islam as laid out in the Holy Quran. Her gatherings
were well and regularly attended. She was able to impart the
teachings with such clarity and eloquence that she became known as
Fasihah (skillfully fluent) and Balighah (intensely eloquent).
In the thirty-seventh year A.H. (after Hijrah), Imam Ali (AS) moved
to Kufa to finally take up his rightful position as khalifah. He was
accompanied by his daughter Zaynab (AS) and her husband. Her
reputation as an inspiring teacher among the women had preceded her.
There too women would throng to her daily sittings where they all
benefitted from her erudition, wisdom and scholarship in the
exegesis of the Qur'an.'
The depth and certainty of her knowledge earned her the name given
to her by her nephew, Imam Ali Zayn ul-Abidin (AS), of 'Alimah Ghayr
Mu'allamah, 'she who has knowledge without being taught'.
Zaynab (AS) was also nicknamed Zahidah (abstemious) and 'Abidah
(devoted) because of her abstemiousness and piety. She found little
of interest in wordly adornments, always preferring the bliss and
comfort of the Next World over that of this world. She used to say
that for her the life of this world was as a resting place to
relieve fatigue along a journey.
Humble and of high morals, her main concern was to strive to please
Allah and in doing so she avoided anything which was the least bit
doubtful.
*
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