Lady Zainab (as) Speaks in Yazid's Court
After the massacre of Imam Hussein bin 'Ali (a.s.) and his companions at Karbala, the forces of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah took the children and women of Husayn's caravan as prisoners. They were taken
from Karbala to Kufa and from Kufa to Damascus, the capital and stronghold of Umayyid power.In Damascus, the women and children were presented into the court (darbar) of Yazid. Yazid had
assembled all the dignitaries and officers of his capital for that occasion. When the prisoners where brought in, they saw that Imam Husayn's head was at the foot of Yazid's thorn. Yazid was
joyfully reciting some poems in which he openly rejected the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and called on his ancestors (who were killed by the Muslim army in the battle of Badr) to
witness the revenge which he had extracted from the family of the Prophet.It was under such an emotionally charged circumstances that Zaynab bin Ali, the courageous daughter of a courageous
father, stood up and gave a very moving speech in response to Yazid's statements. In the name of Allah the, the Beneficent, the Merciful.All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the
Universe,Allah's blessings be on His Messenger's Family altogether.Allah says: "Then the end of those who do evil deeds is that they reject the verses of Allah and ridicule them".
(Quran 30:10)Oh Yazid! Do you think that by making us prisoners in such a way that we are being taken from one place to another in humiliation - do you think that by this you have
humiliated us in the sight of Allah and have earned respect for yourself?!This apparent success of yours is the result of grandeur of your might and lofty status for which you are proud…. You
feel that you have conquered the whole world and your affairs are organised and that our domain is now under you control… And are you forgetting that Allah has said: "Surely those who have
bought unbelief at the price of faith shall do no harm at all to Allah, and they shall have a painful chastisement". (Quran 3:177) Is it justice, O son of the freed
slaves!, that you provide your ladies and slave-girls with hijab, whereas the daughters of the Messenger of God are held prisoners? You have insulted them by taking away the covers; you have
exposed their faces to the enemies -- from one city to another. Everyone irrespective of his high or low status stares at their faces. These ladies do not have their gents or protectors with
them. But, of course, how can we expect protection from him whose mouth spits out the heart of the pious people, whose flesh has grown from the blood of martyrs? And why should
he not hate us who is jealous of us and shamefully say: 'I wish my ancestors had seen me today; they would congratulate me and pray that my hand would never be weak'. He is saying this while, he
is hurting [with his cane] the teeth of Husayn, the leader of the Youths of Paradise.Why should he not say these things -- he who has cursed his feelings and sores by spilling the blood of
Muhammad's family, the stars of the family of 'Abdul Muttalib.You call your ancestors hoping that they will answer you. You will be put together with them and then you will regret and say had my
tongue become dumb so that I would not have said what I said.O Allah! Give us our right, and avenge those who have oppressed us; and send your anger upon those that spilled our blood and killed
our protectorsBy Allah! O Yazid, by killing 'Husayn you have not torn but your own skin and you have not cut but your own flesh. You will be brought to the Prophet with the crimes of spilling the
blood of his children and humiliating his family."The oppressors will know when the time changes [against them].
