The Birth of Hazrat Zainab (A.S.)
Hazrat Zainab was the third child to born to
Hazrat Fatima Zahra (A.S.). In other words,
she was born directly after Imam Hussain
(A.S.); despite the false claime of some
historians who hold the opinion that Zainab
was born after the miscarriage which
Hazrat Fatima (A.S.) had and resulted in
the martyrdom of Mohsen. These
historians are motivated by their desire to
divert the attention from the merciless
attack on Hazrat Fatima's house which not
only resulted in Mohsen's martyrdom, but
also in the eventual death of Hazrat Fatima
herself.
It is said that her grandfather, the Prophet
(P.B.U.H.), named her Zainab which is
derived from two words; "Zain" and "Ab"
that together means "The embellishment of
her father."
Zainab's history itself speaks of her
honorable life and noble traits, as well as
the miseries she encountered during her
childhood. such as the death of her great
grandfather, the martyrdom of her mother
(A.S.), and the various inflictions which she
lived through during the quarted of a
century that her father, Imam Ali (A.S.), was
confined to his house as a result of his
rights having been usurped by others.
Moreover, when Zainab immigrated from
Medina to Kufa, her Father's capital then,
several misfortunes were destined for her;
starting with the martyrdom of Imam Ali
(A.S.). This was followed by fierce battles
between her brother, Al-Hassan and
Mu'awia which resulted in the poisoing of
the Imam (A.S.). After several years,
Zainab faced the greatest disaster of
history when Imam Hussain along with the
prominent Hashimite men were massacred
at Karbala by the Ummaid's. After
massacring the men, Zainab and the
women were taken to Syria, but she did not
panic nor did she give in to the enemy.
From Syria she was sent to Medina and
then exiled to Egypt to live the rest of her
life.
Zainab's tomb is well-known in Egypt today
and is visited by believers from all over the
world. (There is a disagreement about the
location of Zainab;s tomb; it is believed by
most to be located in Syria.)
