Birth and Childhood
It was five years
after the Muslims had accompanied the Prophet (pbuh&hf) and his
family in the migration (Hijrah) to Medina, when the Holy Prophet's
daughter, Bibi Fatima(s.a.), gave birth to a little girl. When her
father, Imam Ali(a.s.), saw his daughter for the first time Imam
Hussain(a.s.), who was then almost three years old, was with him.
The boy exclaimed in delight, "O father, Allah has given me a
sister." Hearing those words Imam Ali (a.s.) began to weep, and when
Imam Hussain(a.s.) asked why he was crying so, his father answered
that he would soon come to know.
Bibi Fatima(s.a.) and
Imam Ali(a.s.) did not name their child until a few days after her
birth, for they awaited the Prophet(pbuh&hf) to return from a
journey so that he could propose the name. When finally the baby
girl was brought before the Prophet(pbuh&hf), 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 Hassan. 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
Hussain(a.s.) now understood why earlier his father had also wept.
Then the Prophet (pbuh&hf) named her Zainab(s.a.). When the news of
the birth of Bibi Zainab(s.a.) reached Hazrat Salman al-Farsi(a.r.),
he went to Imam Ali(a.s.) to congratulate him. But instead of seeing
him happy and rejoicing he saw Imam Ali(a.s.) shed tears, and he too
was apprised of the events of Karbala and the hardships that were to
befall Bibi Zainab(s.a.).
One day, when
Zainab(s.a.) 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. Bibi
Zainab(s.a.) caught hold of a branch but that broke. In a panic she
grabbed two twigs but these too 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(a.s.) and your mother Fatima
Zahra(s.a.), and the twigs are your brothers Hassan(a.s.) and
Hussain(a.s.). They will all depart this world before you do, and
you will suffer their separation and loss."
Bibi Zainab(s.a.)
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, Prophet Mohammad(pbuh&hf) her mother Bibi Fatima(s.a.),
daughter of the Prophet, and her father Imam Ali (a.s.),
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(a.s.) married Bibi
Umm ul-Banin(a.s.), whose devotion and piety encouraged Bibi
Zainab(s.a.) in her learning.
Her training and
marriage
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, "Zainab is the best housewife."
From very early on she
developed an unbreakable bond of attachment to her brother Imam
Hussain(a.s.). 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 Bibi
Fatima(s.a.) mentioned the intensity of her daughter's love for Imam
Hussain(a.s.) to the Prophet(pbuh&hf). He breathed a deep sigh and
said with moistened eyes, "My dear child. This child of mine
Zainab(s.a.) would be confronted with a thousand and one calamities
and face serious hardships in Karbala."
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(a.s.), her
grandmother; in chastity and modesty to her mother Bibi Fatima
Zahra(s.a.); in eloquence to her father Imam Ali(a.s.); in
forbearance and patience to her rother Imam Hassan(a.s.); and in
bravery and tranquility of the heart to Imam Hussain(a.s.). 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(a.s.). Hazrat Abdullah(a.s.) had been
brought up under the direct care of the Prophet(pbuh&hf). After his
death, Imam Ali(a.s.) 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 Bibi
Zainab(s.a.)'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(a.s.) moved to Kufa to finally
take up his rightful position as khalifah. He was accompanied by his
daughter Bibi Zainab(s.a.) 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 Quran.
The depth and
certainty of her knowledge earned her the name given to her by her
nephew, Imam Ali Zayn ul-Abidin(a.s.), of 'Alimah Ghayr Mu'allamah,
'she who has knowledge without being taught'.
Bibi Zainab(s.a.) 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. |