Some ten years later...

Some ten years later, Syeda Zainab -asws was once again stricken with a grievous loss, that of her -asws brother MoIa Imam Hasan -asws . Mu’awiya (L.A) was intent on converting the caliphate into a hereditary kingship so as to retain the seat of power within his clan (L.A) . To achieve this it was necessary that he (L.A) secure allegiance of the people for his son Yazid (L.A) .

This proved to be impossible as long as Imam Hasan -asws was alive and thus he had Mola Hasan -asws poisoned by his wife Jo’dah binte Ash’ath. (L.A) .Syeda Zainab -asws witnessed the returning of the coffin of Imam Hasan -asws from burial, as it had been shot at by the arrows of Aisha (L.A) and her (L.A) henchmen (L.A) who refused that Mola Hasan -asws be buried next to his grandfather -saww the -saww .

Syeda Zainab -asws suffered and wept as she removed the arrows from his -asws blood stained shroud. Mola Imam Hasan -asws was laid to rest in Jannatul Baqi. In the month of Rajab in the sixtieth year after Hijrah, the Bani Hashim -asws were confronted with the caliphate of Yazid (L.A) . Yazid (L.A) did not have the forbearance of his father -asws , and was not content to let Imam Hussain -asws stay in Medina in peace.

The day after his (L.A) father’s (L.A) death he wrote to Walid ibn ‘Utba ibn Abu Sufyan (L.A) , the governor of Medina, asking him (L.A) to pursue Imam Hussain -asws , Abdullah ibn Umar (L.A) , and Abdallah ibn Zubayr (L.A) , and compel them to swear allegiance to him (L.A) . Mola Hussain -asws refused.

He -asws decided to leave Medina, and, at the behest of other oppressed people, to go to Kufa where, he -asws had been led to believe, there were many who wished to combat the tyrannical rule of the transgressing Bani Umayya (L.A) . When Syeda Zainab -asws learnt of Imam Hussain’s -asws she requested Hazrat Abdullah -asws to give her -asws leave to accompany her -asws brother -asws . Hazrat Abdullah -asws pointed out that such a journey was fraught with difficulties and hardship.

Syeda Zainab -asws said, “My -asws mother -asws did not leave me -asws to watch from afar as recreation the day when my brother -asws is all alone, surrounded by enemies with no friend or supporter. You know that for fifty-five years my brother -asws and I -asws have never been separated.