Lady Zaynab (a.

Lady Zaynab (a.s.) First Address As she saw the crowds blocking all streets of Kufa and surrounding the caravan, Lady Zaynab (a.s.) decided to deliver a speech aiming at uniting the public opinion, referring to the grand misfortune that the Umayyad gang brought to the Islamic Ummah by killing the actual leader, Imam al-Husain (a.s.), and charging people of Kufa with that crime, because it was they who breached their promises of supporting the Imam (a.s.) and protecting him.

Nevertheless, they, as if it was not they who caused that massacre, mourned for the Imam (a.s.) and wept for the captivity of his harem and children. Lady Zaynab (a.s.) asked everybody to keep silent, and then she, calm, composed, and courageous, said: اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلٰى أَبِيْ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ الطَّيِّبِيْنَ الْأَخْيَارِأَمَّا بَعْدُ يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ يَا أَهْلَ الْخَتْلِ وَ الْغَدْرِ أَ تَبْكُوْنَ فَلَا رَقَأَتِ الدَّمْعَةُ وَ لَا هَدَأَتِ الرَّنَّةُ.

إِنَّمَا مَثَلُكُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّتِيْ نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَها مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنْكاثاً تَتَّخِذُوْنَ أَيْمانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ أَلَا وَ هَلْ فِيْكُمْ إِلَّا الصَّلِفُ وَ النَّطِفُ وَ مَلَقُ الْإِمَاءِ وَ غَمْزُ الْأَعْدَاءِ أَوْ كَمَرْعًى عَلٰى دِمْنَةٍ أَوْ كَقِصَّةٍ عَلٰى مَلْحُوْدَةٍ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَنْ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ فِي الْعَذَابِ أَنْتُمْ خَالِدُوْنَ. All praise is due to Allah.

Blessings be upon my father Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and upon his good and righteous progeny (a.s.). Well now, O people of Kufa; people of deception and perfidy! Do you weep? May your tears never cease, and may the resounding of this calamity never stop. Your similitude is she who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces after she has spun it strongly; you make your oaths to be means of deceit between you.

Is there anyone among you who is not a boaster of what he does not have, a charger of debauchery, a conceited liar, a man of grudge without any justification, submissive like bondmaids, or feeble before the enemies, just like a pasture in relics or like a dirty piece of cloth on a grave? Truly bad is that which your souls have committed. You have reaped the Wrath of Allah (s.w.t.), remaining in the chastisement for eternity.

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