The Lady of patience and steadfastness, the Lady Zaynab bint Imam Ali (peace be upon them), the third child of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), departed to the mercy of God on the 15th of Rajab in the year 62 AH. A noblewoman of the Banu Hashim, she was a figure whose equal can scarcely be found not only among women, but even among men throughout history.
Throughout her blessed life, she lived under the direct care, guidance, and spiritual upbringing of the Master of the God-fearing, living in the manner of Imam Ali himself. Her courage, eloquence, and rhetorical power—most evident during the events of Ashura—demonstrate that Lady Zaynab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) was the tongue of Amir al-Muminin given voice, and the bearer of the mission of Imam al-Hussain.
A Transmitter of Tradition
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) was among the transmitters and narrators of traditions from Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). She was born during the lifetime of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and passed away in 62 AH during the reign of Yazid ibn Muawiyah. Her nick names have been recorded as Umm Abd-Allah, Umm al-Hasan, Umm Kulthum, Umm al-Masaib, Umm al-Razaya, and Umm al-Nawaib.
Her blessed name was conveyed by Gabriel to the Messenger of God, who said:
“I advise those present and those absent to honor this daughter, for her station is like that of , prophet’s wife, Lady Khadijah al-Kubra (peace be upon her).”
A Woman of Pure Monotheism
It is narrated that one day, during her childhood, Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) was sitting on her father’s knee, engaged in conversation with Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). She asked him,
“Do you love God?”
He replied,
“How could one not love God? One who is not a servant and lover of God is not truly human.”
She then asked,
“Do you love us as well?”
He answered,
“How could a person not love his children—especially when they are servants of God?”
She asked,
“Then how can two loves reside in one heart?”
With her father’s permission, she answered her own question, saying:
“You love only God, and every other love is for God’s sake. If you love us, it is only for God and in obedience to Him.”
This exchange beautifully reflects the depth of her monotheistic insight and divine upbringing.
A Devout Worshipper
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) never abandoned worship throughout her life. Such was her devotion that she became known as “the Devout Worshipper of the Household of Imam Ali.” Her nightly prayers were never forsaken—even on the nights of the 10th and 11th of Muharram, at the height of the calamity of Karbala.
Fatimah, the daughter of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him), relates:
“On the night of Ashura, my aunt was constantly engaged in worship—praying, supplicating, and weeping without cease.”
Her intimacy with God was such that Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him), during his final farewell on the day of Ashura, said to her:
“O my sister, do not forget me in your night prayers.”
An Eloquent Orator
The sermons and speeches delivered by Lady Zaynab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) in Kufa and in the court of Yazid—rich with Quranic argumentation—clearly testify to her profound knowledge and divine insight. Her exchanges with Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad bear a striking resemblance to the sermons of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and to the famous Fadak Sermon of her mother, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).
During her address in Kufa, an elderly man weeping aloud exclaimed:
“May my father and mother be sacrificed for them! Their elders are the best of elders, their children the best of children, their women the most virtuous of women, and their lineage the noblest of all lineages.”
It is also noteworthy that the lengthy sermon of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) in defense of the right of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) regarding Fadak was transmitted by Ibn Abbas—despite his eminent scholarly status—on the authority of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), when she was still a young child, approximately seven years old or even younger.
A Teacher and Scholar
During the caliphate of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) taught Quranic exegesis to the women of Kufa. Women would come to her to learn the rulings of religion and to receive hadith from her, for which reason she became known as “the Wise Lady of the Banu Hashim.”
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) said of her:
“Praise be to God, you are a scholar without having been taught, and perceptive without having been instructed.”
The Mother of Calamities
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) endured immense hardships throughout her life. She witnessed the passing of her grandfather, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family); the suffering and martyrdom of her mother, Fatimah (peace be upon her); the unjust martyrdom of her father, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him); the poisoning and martyrdom of her brother, Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him); and finally the unparalleled tragedy of Karbala, including the martyrdom of her brother Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him), her brothers, and her sons. She also witnessed the attack on the tents and the captivity of the Household of the Prophet. For this reason, she came to be known as “Umm al-Masaib”—the Mother of Calamities.
A Woman of Intellect and Insight
Shaikh Iz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazaeri, a prominent Sunni scholar, writes concerning the daughter of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him):
“Zaynab, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, whose mother was Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of God, was born during the lifetime of the Prophet and lived for a time in his era. She was a woman of profound intellect and exceptional insight. She accompanied her brother al-Hussain ibn Ali during the event of Karbala. After his martyrdom, she was taken with the captives to Syria, where she delivered a powerful and eloquent sermon before Yazid ibn Muawiyah, recorded in historical works—demonstrating her wisdom, strength of heart, and intellectual depth.”
Likewise, Muhammad Farid Wajdi, a Sunni scholar, wrote:
“Zaynab, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, was among the most virtuous and noble women, distinguished by foresight and lofty intellect. She was present with her brother al-Hussain at Karbala and, by order of Yazid ibn Muawiyah, was taken with the captives to Syria, where she delivered a magnificent sermon before him.”
Muhammad Ghalib al-Shafi of Egypt wrote in al-Islam:
“One of the greatest women of the Ahl al-Bayt in lineage and virtue, endowed with a noble soul and the highest degree of piety, and a complete mirror of prophethood and guardianship, was Lady Zaynab, daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib. She was perfectly nurtured and saturated with the knowledge of the Household of Prophethood, to the extent that she became a great divine sign in eloquence and rhetoric, renowned among the Banu Hashim—and indeed among the Arabs—for her forbearance, generosity, insight, and wisdom. She combined beauty and majesty, inner virtue and outward grace, ethics and excellence. Her nights were devoted to worship and her days to fasting, and she was widely known for her piety.”
The virtues of this great lady are so vast that the pen is incapable of encompassing them, and whatever is said remains incomplete. This account merely presents a glimpse of her exalted station.
There is scholarly variation regarding the exact date of the passing of Lady Zaynab al-Kubra (peace be upon her), but the well-known view is that she departed this world on the 15th of Rajab in the year 62 AH, at the age of fifty-seven, after enduring the trials of Karbala and the suffering of captivity, and was laid to rest in Damascus.
It is recorded in Bahr al-Masaib:
“After the tragedy of Karbala and the afflictions of Syria, Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) wept so intensely that her back became bent and her hair turned white, until she departed to the eternal abode.”
