On the sixth year after the Prophet's migration and on the fifth of Jumada Al-Ula, the house of prophecy has celebrated an auspicious and happy occasion; the blessed birth of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), who was born in a house served by the righteous angels, and grew up surrounded by the five of As’hab Al-Kisaa; her mother Lady Fatima Az-Zahra (peace be upon her) her grandfather the Master of all and the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and his holy Household), her father the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and her two brothers Imam Al-Hassan and Imam Al-Hussayn (peace be upon both of them). All of them have welcomed the new baby with joy and great pleasure as she was the first daughter of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).
When she (peace be upon her) was born, her mother Az-Zahra (peace be upon her) brought her to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and said: "Name her" he replied: "I would not name her before Allah's Messenger." At this time the Prophet was on a trip and when he returned, he again refused to name her before her Lord. So, Gabriel descended to inform the Prophet about Allah's blessings, and said: "The name of this baby is Zaynab; Allah chose this name for her. And then informed the Messenger of Allah that 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 al-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. The Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and his holy Household) wept and said: He who cry for the tribulation of this girl, will be like the one who cries for her brothers Al-Hassan and Al-Hussayn."
She (peace be upon her) grew up in the house of science, knowledge and the revelation, and so she lived between the School of prophecy and Imamate.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) is one of the eternal fruits of the prophetic tree which root is firmly fixed and which branch is in the sky. The purity of Lady Fatima, the infallibility of Imam Ali, the redemption of Imam Al-Hussayn and above all the fragrance of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon them all) were mixed to produce this unique personality of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), called "The mother of calamities."
This great lady has lived with her father the Commander of the faithful and the brother of the Messenger of Allah (Allah's prayers be upon him and his holy Household) for thirty-five years, during which she was close to his heart and he was the closest to her soul, that is why she had his personality and character, bravery and courage, eloquence and worship and inherited from him all his great qualities and values.
Lady Zaynab al-Kubra married her cousin, Abdullah bin Jaafar al-Tayyar, and gave birth to sons who were among the most prominent supporters of the Master of the Martyrs (peace be upon him) in Karbala.
Zaynab daughter of Imam Ali (peace be upon both of them) was the spokesperson and the eloquent sermonizer of the tragic bloody event of At-Taf and the journey of captivity after it. She (peace be upon her) played the role of media, speaking about the reckless and evil ruling of Bani Umayyah, their crimes and vices, and their killing of the pure household of the Holy Prophet (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household) wherever they found them. So she (peace be upon her) stood to expose their evil acts and reveal their intentions, and without any fear, she (peace be upon her) stood up to deliver her speech as captive to the crowds of Kufa people, she scolded and reprimanded them for repealing and non-fulfilling their promises to Aba Abdillah Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).
The bravery of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) was not the result of Karbala event, but it is a self-rooted quality in her personality, as she (peace be upon her) inherited it from her parents and ancestors, who all were the example of pride, steadfastness and bravery in the battlefields. She (peace be upon her) is a sprig of the Mohammadian tree, her father (peace be upon him) was the most brave and her mother (peace be upon her) stood up confident and eloquent while her heart was full of sorrows after the death of her father (prayers and Allah's peace be upon him and his holy Household).