Zainab's Story Begins
|
It was the afternoon of the tenth day of Muharram where Imam Hussain laid dead. The earth trembled. Grief arose as never before from the camp of the family of the prophet Muhammad.
Umar son of Sa’ad received a letter from Ubayd-Allah son of Ziyad, the governor of Kufa, who instructed that they should not be satisfied with the death of Imam Hussain, that his body must be exposed and insulted by trampling it with the hooves of horses. As the sun was setting, the tyrants rushed to Imam Hussain's camp in search of loot. They looted every tent. Every lady and every girl had her veil stripped off, lady Fatima's daughters were left bareheaded. When the little girl, Sakina, pleaded for her veil to be left untouched, she was slapped. Her earrings were pulled off her ears, leaving her with split, bloody ear lobes. |
|
You'd think, they stopped the abuse after that, but they did not. They set all the tents on fire. Zainab was extremely distressed; she turned to Imam Zain Al-Abideen and said, "You are our Imam now. Tell us what we should do now, should we stay in our tents and burn, or go out without our veils?" Imam Zain Al-Abideen told her that it was their religious duty to try and save their lives. Zainab gathered everyone and waited outside, while their tents burnt down. When the fire was out, they took shelter under one of the tents which had not been completely destroyed.
'Humayd son of Muslim' describes how he saw a little girl with her dress on fire and her ears bleeding, running from the scene of carnage. He says, "I ran after her, took her by hand, and put out the fire in her dress. I wiped the blood off her ears." She looked at me and said, "You seem like a kind person, are you a Muslim?" I told her I was. She thought a while and then said, "Can you please show me the way to Najaf?" I asked, "Why do you want to go to Najaf at this hour and in this situation?" She replied, "I want to go and complain to my Grandfather 'Ali son of Abu Talib' about how they killed my father." Realizing that she was Hussain's daughter Sakina, I took her back to her aunt Zainab.”
As the night descended, Zainab gathered all the ladies and children into one small space in between the tents. Imam Zain Al-Abideen laid on the ground surrounded by widows and orphans. There was neither fire nor light; only the moon casting its dull light. 'Umar son of Saad' asked Hurr's widow to take some food and water to the ladies and the children.
As the night descended, Zainab gathered all the ladies and children into one small space in between the tents. Imam Zain Al-Abideen laid on the ground surrounded by widows and orphans. There was neither fire nor light; only the moon casting its dull light. 'Umar son of Saad' asked Hurr's widow to take some food and water to the ladies and the children.
|
As she was approaching them, Zainab recognized her so she stood up, headed towards the widow and offered her condolences for the death of Al-Hurr. When Zainab saw the bread and water, she cried, "Imam Hussain and his brave soldiers had died hungry and thirsty, and now the same people who martyred them are bringing bread and water to their widows and orphans." She looked at the sky and prayed to God to give her courage. Zainab remembered her brother's words: give water to Sakina first. She gently stroked her hair, Sakina opened her eyes, and so Zainab said: "Here is some water, Sakina. Please drink a little. You have been thirsty for so long!"
|
|
Upon hearing the word 'water' Sakina cried out hopefully, "Has my uncle Abbas come back?" When she was told that Hurr's widow had brought the water, she got up, went to Hurr's widow, thanked her and then asked Zainab, "Have you all drunk water?" Zainab shook her head. Sakina asked, "Why then do you ask me to drink water?" Zainab said, "Because, my dear, you are the youngest." Sakina replied, "No! No! Ali Al-Asghar is the youngest!" Sakina took the jug of water, ran towards where Ali Al-Asghar was buried, crying "Wa Asgharah! Wa Asgharah!"
This was how the homeless spent their night in Karbala. They had lost everything, their men had died and their children had been martyred, their belongings had been looted, and their homes had burnt. In this desolate desert, the fourth imam, the women, and the remaining children were huddled, with only a few hours remaining before they were to leave their camp.
Suddenly, Zainab notices that Sakina has disappeared, she was alarmed and looks around but she was not seen. Zainab slowly walked to the battlefield and went to where Abbas’s body laid then said, "Abbas! Abbas! My dear brother, have you seen Sakina?" but nothing; no reply. She makes her way to Hussain's headless, bruised body, and there, hugging her father, she finds Sakina in deep sleep.
This was how the homeless spent their night in Karbala. They had lost everything, their men had died and their children had been martyred, their belongings had been looted, and their homes had burnt. In this desolate desert, the fourth imam, the women, and the remaining children were huddled, with only a few hours remaining before they were to leave their camp.
Suddenly, Zainab notices that Sakina has disappeared, she was alarmed and looks around but she was not seen. Zainab slowly walked to the battlefield and went to where Abbas’s body laid then said, "Abbas! Abbas! My dear brother, have you seen Sakina?" but nothing; no reply. She makes her way to Hussain's headless, bruised body, and there, hugging her father, she finds Sakina in deep sleep.