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It is narrated that when the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and his holy Household) received the news of this blissful child he hurried with spiritless power to the house of his daughter, feeling sad. He took her while his tears were shining on his delightful face and hugged her then started to kiss frequently. The holy prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and his holy Household) knew what will happen to his granddaughter of cruel disasters which would make a mountains melt. She will be tested with matters than no other woman had.
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).
She (peace be upon her) confronted the tyrants of her time Ubaydullah Ibnu Zyad in Kufa, and Yazeed Ibnu Mu'awiyah in Syria, she was a heroine by her words, patience, courage and wisdom. Her bravery (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).
When Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) arrived to the Levant [Syria] and was entered to the court of Yazeed, who recited blasphemous poetic verses saying openly that he wanted to take revenge upon the descendants of the Holy Prophet because he had killed his polytheist ancestors. She rose and began speaking, and said: "…O Yazid! Do you think that we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us, and we have been made captives and are being taken from one place to another, do you think that Allah has taken away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing the godly persons you have become great and respectable and the Almighty looks at you with special grace and kindness?
For this reason and on account of this incorrect thinking you have become elated and arrogant. You have become boastful because you have seen that the matters have taken a turn in your favour. You have, however, forgotten what Allah says:
The disbelievers must not think that our respite is for their good We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment." (3: 178)
… So scheme what ever you wish to scheme, and carry out your plots, and intensify your efforts, for by Allah, you shall never be able to kill our inspiration, nor will your shame never be washed away. Your view shall be proven futile, your days numbered, and your wealth wasted on the Day when the caller calls out, "The curse of Allah is upon the oppressors" (11:18).”
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) has many epithets, which all can't give her the adequate praise, and all words are not able to describe her qualities. Her most important epithets are: "Aqeela [the most respected of] Bani Hashem, Al-'Alemah [Knowledgeable], 'Abidat Aal Ali [The worshipper of the progeny of Ali], Al-Kamilah [The completed], Al-Fadilah [The virtuous], Oum Al-Masa'eb [The mother of calamities], Aqeelat [the most respected of] Quraysh, Na'ebat [The delegate of] Az-Zahra, Batalat [The heroine of] Karbala, Ka'bat Al-Razaya [of calamities], Ka'bat Al-Ahzan [of sorrows], Kafelat Al-aytam [The orphans' foster], Al-'Aqeelah Al-Kubra [The most respected], waliyat Allah Al-'Udhmza, Assiddeeqatu Al-Soghra, the ascetic captive, the virtuous devout worshipper, the full rational, the forbearing weeper, the courageous captive, the oppressed, Haydar's daughter, the Daughter of Talibiyyin, the one ordering the good, the loved of Al-Mustafa, the apple of the eye of Al-Murtadha, The most pure in the love, the teacher without being taught, the one who understands without explanation, the sister of Al-Hassan Al-Mujtaba, the one which knowledge and certainty "yaqeen" is complete, the owner of the special deputy-ship, the partner of Al-Hussayn the master of martyrs..."
She (peace be upon her) was married to her cousin Abdullah son of Ja'far Ibn Abi Taleb (peace be upon them), and she had many children who are: 'Awn and Mohammad who were martyred on the day of Ashura with Aba Abdillah Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), 'Abbas, Ali and Umm Kulthum.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) did not live long after the tragedy of Karbala, and she died the most likely on Sunday the fourteenth of Rajab 62 AH, to let her heart that was torn with the disasters to have peace and to her suffering body to rest. And she was the one about whom Imam As-Sajjad (peace be upon him) said: "The knowledgeable without being taught, the understanding without explanation."
Peace be upon you O Mother of Calamities, O Lady Zaynab the day you were born and the day you left to the side of your Lord and the day you will be sent alive.