The Wise Woman Whose Voice Carried the Strength of "Haydar"

Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) was not only the narrator of Karbala. She was known for wisdom, knowledge, and eloquence even before the Ashura event.

Ambassador Arjan - Mehr magazine; Roya Sadat Hashemi: Some people should be known before the difficult days of their lives; Before a big incident will forever record their name in history. Hazrat Zainab, peace be upon him, is known more by Ashura; With the fervor of brother, hard sermons and standing against the machine that wanted to silence the sound of Karbala. But Zainab (pbuh) had a well-known personality before those days; A lady who was known as wise, her knowledge was noted and her power of expression was reminiscent of the words of her father, Amirul Momineen (AS). Therefore, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of this lady, it might not be a bad thing to move away from the frame of Ashura and come to the question of who was Zainab (pbuh) before she became the narrator of Karbala? A woman who grew up in the house of Ali (a.s.) and Fatima (s.a.) carried the scientific and spiritual heritage of this family with them and in difficult times, they were able to express it and convey it to others.

Narrator of knowledge and hadiths that were left to the memory of the mother

In the narrations related to Hazrat Zainab (pbuh), sometimes her scientific status is less discussed than her patience and courage; However, in some sources, there are traces of a lady who narrated the words and knowledge of the Prophet's (PBUH) family. In a quote related to the Fadakiya sermon of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (pbuh), Ibn Abbas mentions Hazrat Zaynab (pbuh) with a respectful interpretation: That is, "Our wise lady, Zaynab daughter of Ali, narrated for us." This interpretation gives an image of Zainab (pbuh) that is rarely seen in public narratives; A lady whose speech was worth quoting and could be the mediator of transferring part of the intellectual heritage of the Prophet's (PBUH) family. Ibn Abbas, who was one of the well-known figures in knowledge and interpretation, narrates about Hazrat Zainab (pbuh) in this quote; A point that is important to know his scientific position. Zainab (PBUH) was brought up in a house where knowledge, worship and defense of the truth were linked together. She was the daughter of Fatimah (pbuh) and Ali (pbuh), but her position cannot be explained only by family relationship. What makes this picture more complete is his presence in the chain of transmission of the words of the Prophet's (PBUH) family; It is as if a part of the mother's legacy continued in the daughter's memory and expression.

Zainab (S); The great teacher and commentator of the women of Kufa

When knowledge goes beyond books and memory and enters the lives of others, it takes a different form. In some Shia biographical sources, it is stated that Hazrat Zainab (PBUH) taught women in the Majlis and they used to come to her to learn religious issues. According to these narrations, the image of Hazrat Zainab, peace be upon him, in the days before Ashura; The image is of a lady whose knowledge and power of words were not only revealed in critical moments and historical sermons, but also guided others in everyday life. He grew up in a family where education and explanation of religious knowledge had an important place, and according to these quotes, they themselves played a role in the transmission of this knowledge. This is while it is stated in the reports that one of the other characteristics of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh) was familiarity with the interpretation of the Qur'an; A feature that finally made him to be known as the scholar of Hadith of Ahl al-Bayt (AS). Maybe few people know that Zainab Kabri (peace be upon her) held Tafsir classes for women in Kufa for several years.

The special position of Hazrat in Sunni sources

The position of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh) has not been reflected only in Shia sources. Ibn Hajar Asqalani, one of the prominent Sunni scholars, in his book "Al-Zadafa fi Tami'iz al-Sahaba" in his biography, uses expressions that mean wise and knowledgeable. This description is important because it takes us beyond the limited and familiar image of Hazrat Zainab (pbuh). In the Sunni tradition of biography writing, she is also mentioned as a woman with great intellect and tact; Features that, along with his knowledge and power of expression, make a more complete picture of his personality. Tajay Asqlani has written about the special position of this lady as follows: "Zainab was the daughter of Ali bin Abi Talib, the granddaughter of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family." She was a wise, wise and eloquent woman. When his brother Hussein was martyred, he was taken to Damascus, and his words to Yazid bin Muawiya, when a Syrian asked for his sister Fatima, are famous, and these words indicate his wisdom and spiritual strength.

"non-teacher scholar"; The wisdom that was revealed in difficult times

Among the famous quotes about Hazrat Zainab (pbuh), there is a phrase attributed to Imam Sajjad (pbuh), which speaks of his scientific position and understanding: It means, "Thank God, you are the wisdom that you have not been taught and you understand that you have not been taught." This phrase is found in the quotations related to the days after Ashura. This claim can be found in the events of Ashura when the caravan of Karbala survivors entered Kufa in those days; A city whose people had previously written letters to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and now they saw his family in front of them. Zainab (pbuh) should have spoken in front of these people; People who shed some tears of shame, but their tears could not remove the responsibility of what had happened. In such a situation, talking was not just about mourning. Hazrat Baid should have enlightened the knowledge and eloquence of the truth, exposed the contradictions of people's behavior and did not allow the narrative of the incident to fall into the hands of those in power.

When Zainab's speech reminded Ali's speech

Perhaps the clearest picture of Hazrat Zainab's power of expression should be found in the report of Kufa's sermon. In a quote given by Sheikh Tusi in Al-Amali, after seeing the Prophet and hearing his words, the narrator is surprised by his eloquence and says: Ameer al-Mu'minin" means: "I have never seen a woman more eloquent and eloquent than her; It was as if he was speaking from the language of Amirul Momineen (AS). The image is short, but meaningful; A grieving woman in the middle of a chaotic crowd speaks in such a way that the narrator compares her words to the words of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him). The one who didn't talk about his family's misfortune in that sermon; Rather, with his words, he made people face the responsibility and what they had done and did not allow tears and sadness to take the place of seeing the truth.