When she was born...

When she was born, the Holy Prophet (Saw) gave her the name of ‘Zainab’ by the order of the Almighty Allah (SWT). Bibi Zainab A.S. was a very clever, intelligent and pious lady. She devoted her whole life in spreading and saving Islam. She used to teach Quraan with the meanings to the ladies of Kufa. Imam Zainul Abedeen A.S.’s mother died when he was very young and Bibi Zainab A.S. used to take care of him. In the year 60 A.H. she went with Imam Husayn .A.S. to Karbala’.

On every occasion in Karbala’, Imam Husayn A.S. used to take the advice of Bibi Zainab A.S. On the day of Ashura, her two sons, Ibrahim and Aun Muhammad sacrificed their lives for the sake of Islam. On the 11th Muharram, 60 A.H. they were taken captives and marched through the towns of Kufa and Shaam. For one year they stayed captives in Damascus. Bibi Zainab A.S. faced Yazid after the Tragedy of Karbala’ and told him of the wrongs he had done.

She also gave very good lectures whenever she got a chance, she therefore enabled the people to know the principles and practices of Islam and the wrong and merciless killings of the followers of Imam Husayn A.S. in Karbala’ by Yazid and his army. Due to her honesty, bravery and truthfulness, Islam spread through Shaam. When they were released from prison, she, along with the rest of the members of Ahlul Bayt went to Medina. Even in Medina, she continued preaching. Islam spread rapidly.

The governor of Medina became very frightened and wrote to Yazid that Bibi Zainab A.S. was in Medina and was spreading Islam quickly and that she would break his empire. Yazid gave orders that Bibi Zainab A.S. should leave Medina and settle in a village outside Medina. Later on from there she was sent to a town called Misar which is in Egypt. She continued spreading Islam there as well. Yazid became very scared so he once again ordered that she be taken prisoner and brought to Shaam.

When she arrived at a small village on the boundary of Shaam, she remembered where Imam Husayn A.S. head had been kept on a farm under a tree. When she found the tree, she started crying. A man of Shaam, who was a follower and friend of Yazid, saw her and hit her with a spade on her head. She collapsed and died. Imam Zainul Abedeen A.S. buried her there. That is how this small town came to be known as As-Sayyid Zainab. According to historians, Bibi Zainab’s A.S.

husband - Abdullah Ibnne Ja’far at-Tayyar was a very rich man.