The twelfth of Muharram: The arrival of the captives from the family of Imam Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) to Kufa.

The caravan of the captives from Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them) moved on the eleventh of Muharram, and after passing by deserts, and carrying dreary and painful memories of the night of loneliness spent close to the martyrs' corpses, it entered Kufa on the twelfth of Muharram 61 AH. People of Kufa got scared and went out to the streets, between those ignoring who the captives were and those who knew and were crying out of remorse.
The captives caravan headed towards the Emirate Palace, breaching the masses of the people in Kufa, crying for what happened to the House of Prophecy, for deceiving their promises to the grandson of the Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) and the Imam of the Muslims Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him). And here are they are seeing his family and women captives, lead by the Imam's head on top of a long spear flying in the Kufa sky, after they have called him to be the leader of the Islamic nation and its guide towards wisdom.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) stared at the arrayed crowds, her mouth filled with the bitterness of the loss of her brother, and her caravan is surrounded by the captivity humiliation. She looked at the people of Kufa with anger and contempt and said her wellknown reprimanding and scolding speech.
The head of Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) was entered to the palace, and put in front of Ibn Ziyad (Allah's curse be upon him), who started beating the holy head with a stick he had in hand, with pride and joy, then the women, childrena dn Ali Ibn Al-Hussayn (peace be upon them) were entered to his court. Ibn Ziyad, the governor, was taken aback at her appearance, and enquired who she was. Lady Zaynab ignored him, and it was left to someone else to inform him of her identity. Enraged at her defiant attitude, Ibn Ziyad addressed her, "Allah be praised! Your brother and your kinsmen are dead and their false claims have come to naught." Lady Zaynab replied with confidence: "It was Allah's wish that they should be martyred, and they met their deaths valiantly. If this was your heart's desire then you must indeed be content today. But you have killed those whom the Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) held upon his knee when they were children and whose play filled him with joy. Soon you will stand with them before Allah and they will demand justice. Beware the day of reckoning."
It seemed to all, that Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) spoke so forcefully that her voice resembled the voice of her father, Imam Ali (peace be upon him). Taken aback, the arrogant and vindictive Ibn Ziyad turned to Imam Zayn Al-'Abideen (who was still sick), and he asked: "What is your name?" Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) answered, "Ali, son of Al‑Hussayn." Ibn Ziyad retorted, "Was not Ali Ibn Al‑Hussayn slain by Allah?" Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) answered, "My brother's name was the same as mine, and he was slain by people." Ibn Ziyad retorted to intimidate him, "But Ali was killed by Allah." As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) then quoted the Holy Quran {Allah takes the souls at the time of their death} (39:42).
This silenced Ibn Ziyad, but angered him to the boiling point so much so as to order Imam Zayn Al-'Abideen (peace be upon him) be put to death. Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) interceded immediately screaming in a daring manner, "O Ibn Ziyad, didn't you get enough of our bloods, I swear by Allah that I will not leave him, so kill me with him if you so wish." Then he retreated about it.
The cruelty, malice and brutal style of Ibn Ziyad made him order his soldiers in the second day, to roam through all streets of Kufa parading the head of Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), to terrorize people and defy any opposition or resistance spirit in it.