Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Debates of Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) with Yazeed

The psychological warfare did reach the peak after the painful battle of Al-Taff, and it was not less important than the war with swords. Yazeed wanted to look like the most victorious winner in all aspects. He wanted to see things end by finishing them, to finalize everything to his favor, while he knew he could never reach that, unless he wins this war.

On the other side, we see the right front following the footsteps of its leader, moving towards achieving its objectives. So, we see Sayyeda Zeinab (O) standing behind Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) in all situations, why not? As he was Hujjatu Allah after the martyrdom of his father (Q).

It was said that Yazeed had told Sayyeda Zeinab O: "Do speak!" so she (O) answered: "Indeed, he is our speaker" meaning Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q). By doing this, she wanted to point to the leader of the triumph journey.

Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) was facing many problems that he needed to overcome:

1- An arrogant tyrant who was living the pleasure of the claimed victory, that needed to be confronted in front of the people to uncover his infidel reality and to expose his truth particularly in front of his followers and loyalists.

2- A suppressing regime that Muawiya established based on temptations, intimidations and the dead body skulls and carnages. Satan wanted for him to be the establisher of the Umayyad Empire which would be considered by the "Cursed Tree in the Quran" as a mean to obliterate the religion (Islam) and to falsify the canon of the Master of the messengers.

Thus, it was necessary to shake the pillars of this empire that considered God’s money to belong to it aside from other people, and used to think of the worshipers of Allah as their slaves while using Islam and the succession of the Messenger of Allah (Q) as coverage.

3- A misleading media and a poisoned environment that learned about Islam through Muawiya Bin Abi Soufian

 and then Yazeed. Here they hear that these captives were captivated during a battle with an outlaw who rebelled against "the prince of believers"!

Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) had to confront all that to tear apart the clouds of ignorance that dominated the skies for around four decades.

Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq (Q) said: "When the head of Imam Hussain (Q) was brought in front of Yazeed, may God curse him, then they brought Ali Bin Al-Hussain along with the daughters of the Prince of believers (Q), while Imam Ali Bin Al-Hussain was restrained and chained up".

Yazeed said: "O Ali Bin Al-Hussain, thank God who killed your father!"

So Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) said: "May Allah curse whoever killed my father".

Then Yazeed got fumed up and ordered them to behead him.

So, Ali Bin Al-Hussain said: "If you kill me, then who is going to return the daughters of the Messenger of Allah (P) to their homes, while there is not a chaperone (Mahram, unmarriageable kin) other than me?"

Then, Yazeed said: "You shall take them back to their homes".

Then he asked for a file to scrape the chain off the Imam’s neck with his own hands, then he said to the Imam: "O Ali Bin Al-Hussain, do you know why am I doing this?"

He (Q) said: "Yes, you do not want anyone to do me this favor but you".

So, Yazeed said: "Indeed, this is exactly what I wanted to do…, O Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Whatever misfortune happens to you, is because of the things your hands have wrought)17

Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) said: "Not really, this verse was not intended for us! But the one intended to us is (No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence, that is truly easy for Allah* In order that you may not despair over matters that pass you by, nor exult over favors bestowed upon you. For Allah loves not any vainglorious boaster)18 as we are those who do not feel sorry for what passed us and we do not exult over what life brings to us"

By this, Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) had shattered the roots of the supporting base that Yazeed used, and he (Q) exposed how ignorant Yazeed was with the true meaning of the holy verse. Then, a man from Sham jumped up and said: "Allow me to kill him!" So, Sayyeda Zeinab (O) threw herself down on him.

While Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) was saying:

Do not expect us to respect you if you are dishonoring us,

And to stop harm from reaching you, while you are hurting us

Indeed God knows that we do not like you,

And we do not blame you if you do not like us.

Thus Yazeed said: "You are saying the truth, but your father and grandfather wanted to become princes, so, thank God who had humiliated them and shed their blood!"

So, Imam Zein El-Abedeen stood up to remind Yazeed Bin

Muawiya of his parents and ancestors and to make him aware of his father and grandfather’s reality: "O son of Muawiya, Hind and Sakhr, my fathers and ancestors had held the reign before you were even born, and my grandfather, Ali Bin Abi Taleb (Q), was on the Days of Badre, Uhud, and Ahzab holding the flag of the Messenger of Allah (P) in his hand, while your father and your grandfather were holding the flags of the disbelievers in their hands".

Then he (Q) said: "Woe to you Yazeed, indeed if you are aware of what you have committed against my father, my family, my brother and my uncles, you would have escaped to the mountains, to sleep on the bare sand while calling for punishment and death, for that the head of Imam Hussain (Q) is hung on the doors of the city while he is the consignation of the Messenger of Allah (P)  among you, So do enjoy the feeling of regret and humiliation tomorrow, when the people are to be gathered for that Day that no one doubts".

Then Yazeed called for the women and children to be seated in front of him, when he saw their painful situation, he said: "May God punish the son of Murjana, as if there were a kinship between you and him, he would not have done this to you, or have sent you in this condition".

These speeches of Yazeed and other similar ones were on the second stage that followed the stage of expressing his joy and ultimate pleasure, but he was surprised with a reaction from the people that he did not account for at all, which obliged him to push the responsibility away from him and blame it all on Bin Ziad.

Many points emerge from the stances of Imam Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) that must be studied and contemplated:

The solid stance of the Imam (Q) and his stability during the assembly.

The Imam (Q) blamed the responsibility for the killing of Imam Hussain (Q), what happened in the Al-Taff battle, and all after that on Yazeed, while warning of the profundity of the Great Tragedy and threatening of Hell’s fire.

Exposing the truth about Yazeed, that he, his father and his grandfather were all on the wrong path, declaring war against the Messenger of Allah (P) and his progeny (R), and the Hussain renaissance is only a continuation for that confrontation and defiance.

Yazeed Gets Close to Killing Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q)

As Yazeed’s position, from what happened in Karbala, was fluctuating between the joy for what occurred and trying to escape the responsibility for it, Yazeed’s stances from Imam Sajjad (Q) did fluctuate between the gloating, trying to kill him, or implying that he was honoring him.

Yazeed, may Allah curse him, tried during his arguments with Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) to drive him to say something that would allow Yazeed to kill him, and the Imam (Q) used to answer him in accordance with his speech while holding a small chaplet and turning it with his fingers as he was speaking.

So, Yazeed said to him: "I am speaking to you, and you are answering me while turning your fingers over the chaplet that is in your hand! How appropriate is that?"

So, He (Q) said: "My father had narrated to me about my Grandfather P: that he used to hold a chaplet in his hands and not talk to anyone after finishing his noon prayer and say: "God I woke up this morning while praising you, thanking you, acclaiming you, and glorifying you by the count of the beads I am turning on my chaplet", then he used to hold the chaplet in his hands while speaking of whatever he wants, without saying the glorifying words, and he mentioned that it is all counted to him as good deed and it would protect him till he goes to bed. When he went to bed, he used to say the same thing and then put the chaplet under his head, so he would get all the good deeds as if he was repeating them till he gets up", so I only acted this way to follow the steps of my Grandfather (P)”.

Then, Yazeed, may God curse him, said: "I am not able to speak to any of you without him confounding me with a strong comeback!"

Yazeed consulted his counsels in regards to the captives’ issue in an assembly that was on last days of the presence of Ahlu El-Bayt (R) in Sham, so they advised him to kill the Imam and they said: "Do not take in a puppy from a bad dog"

So, the Imam (Q) accosted Yazeed by thanking God and glorifying Him then he said: "Indeed, these people had advised you against what the councilors of Pharaoh had advised him when he consulted them about Prophets Moses and Aaron, as they had said: let go of him and his brother, while these people advised you to kill us".

Then Yazeed kept quiet.

The Head of the Jews in the General Assembly of Yazeed

After the arguments that went on between Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) and Yazeed, a rabbi among the Jewish rabbis

was there so he turned to Yazeed and said: "O prince of believers, who is this young man?"

So Yazeed said: "This head belongs to his father"

Then the rabbi said: "and who is the owner of this head, O prince of believers?"

Yazeed said: "Al-Hussain Bin Ali Bin Abi Taleb".

The rabbi asked: "and who is his mother?"

Yazeed said: "She is Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad (P)”

So, the rabbi said: "Glory is to Allah! This is the son of your Prophet’s daughter, and you were this quick to kill him! What a bad way to repay him in dealing with his pedigree, By God, if Moses Bin Omran had left us one of his grandchildren, I believe we might have worshiped him instead of God, and you, your Prophet had just died, so you attacked his grandson and killed him, what a bad nation you are…"

Sayyeda Zeinab Bint Ali (O) In Yazeed’s Parlor

She is the hero of the battle in Yazeed’s parlor; she stands to face his tyranny with utmost solidity while talking to him with full courage since she can view the actual reality with Allah. That is why we see that she speaks the logic of her father who was the soul of the beloved Mustafa (chosen one), in a way that makes the Sham and its Umayyad Castle an extension to the fields of Karbala, the rise of the Master of martyrs, and a perfect embodiment for its noble values and dignified objectives.

Here she is saying to Yazeed: "O Yazeed, do you not fear Allah and his Messenger for killing Al-Hussain Q? As if

that was not enough for you, till you brought the daughters of the Messenger of -Allah (P) from Iraq to Sham, and it was not enough either till you brought us here the way you bring slaves on rides with no saddles! Indeed no one killed my brother Al-Hussain (Q) but you, and if it was not for your orders, the son of Murjana would have never been able to kill him, since he has less men and he does not have the courage to do it. Did you not fear Allah for killing him when the Messenger of Allah (P) had said about him and his brother: "Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain are the masters of the youth in heaven among all people"? If you say "No", you would be lying, and if you say "Yes", you would have opposed yourself and admitted your bad mistake…"

So, Yazeed said: "A pedigree each one follows the other…"

Thus Sayyeda Zeinab (O) focused in this speech on three points:

1 - The kinship to the Messenger of Allah (P).

2 - To hold Yazeed responsible for killing Imam Hussain (Q) to invalidate all his attempts to repudiate that.

3 - To prove that Yazeed does not relate to Islam, neither from near nor from far.

Sayyeda Zeinab (O) with the Holy Head

The stance of Sayyeda Zeinab (O) took an emotional direction when she saw the Holy Head, as she called with a grieving voice that saddens the hearts: "O Hussain, O the beloved of the Messenger of Allah, O son of Mecca and Mena, O son of Fatima Al-Zahra the Lady of all women, (O) son of the daughter of the Mustafa…"

So, she made everyone, of the attending people, cry

The Speech of Sayyeda Zeinab (O)19

It is the documented script of Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain, which took its place along the speech of the beloved Mustafa on the Ghadir Day, the speech of her mother the Great Siddiqa, the Martyr, in the Prophet’s mosque, and the speech of her father that is known by the name "Al-Shaqshaqiyya" in a way for all these speeches to form the most prominent proofs for whoever had a heart and paid attention while witnessing this.

Thus she (O) delivered this speech after Yazeed had recited the verses of Al-Zubary poem:

"O Yazeed, God and his Messenger had said the truth (Then it was the worst ramification for those who have done evil; for that they rejected the signs of Allah, and used to ridicule it)20 . O Yazeed, did you think, since we are overpowered on that side of earth and under the fringes of the sky till we were treated the way the captives are treated, that God does not care for us while He cares for you?!! And that is due to your superiority, so you lifted your nose and looked upon your shoulder (sign of acting arrogance), cheerful and happy when you viewed this life as it belongs to you, and things are going your way, indeed your punishment just being delayed and put off and that is clear from the words of Allah the Exalted, the Almighty: (Let not the Unbelievers think that our respite to them is good for themselves: We grant them respite that they may grow in their iniquity: but they will have a shameful punishment)21 . Is it fair, O son of the freedmen, that you dignify your ladies and slaves while the daughters of the Messenger of Allah (P) were brought to you, after you had exposed them, caused their voices to be husky due to their grief, you made them ride on weak camels, their enemies were yelling at them while taking them from one country to another, they were not cared for or sheltered. Everyone, near or far, was staring at them, they did not have any of their men to protect them. And how is it possible for someone to ask us not to hate him while he is looking at us with hatred, antagonism, implacability, and resentment, do you say: "I wish that my grandparents from Bader had witnessed…" without feeling guilty or sorry while batting the lips of Abu Abdu Allah in your parlor? Why wouldn’t you behave like this, when you have already poked the ulcers and cauterized the tumor by shedding the blood of the pedigree of the Messenger of Allah (P) and the earth’s stars from the family of Abdu Al-Muttaleb, you will soon go back to Allah as they did, and then you would wish if you had been blinded or muted before you said: "They would have cheered and shouted happily". O God, do punish them for our rights, and take our revenge from those who have wronged us. I swear to God, you only abraded your skin, and did not cut but your own flesh, you will surely, despite your will, be brought in front of the Messenger of Allah (P), his family, and his supporters in Heaven, on the Day when Allah will reunite them after having been scattered, and that is the saying of Allah the Exalted, the Almighty: "Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead, but indeed they are alive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord. "22 Thus, the one who enabled you to rule the believers shall know, especially if the Judge is Allah, your opponent is Muhammad (P), and your limbs are the

witnesses against you, this is the worst ending for the wrong doers, he shall know who of both of you is in a weaker position with less supporters. Even though, I swear to God O enemy of Allah and the son of His enemy, I do not

have any respect for you even to reprimand you, but the fact is that the eyes are tearful, and the hearts are sorrow and all this does not make up for our loss, as Al-Hussain (Q) was killed, and the party of Satan is handing us over to the party of fools to be rewarded from the Money of Allah for rending the sanctities of Allah! As these hands are soaked with our blood, these mouths are fed from our flesh, and those blessed corpses are being eaten by the wild animals. So, if you consider this a victory for you, you would indeed be gaining a chastisement at the time when you do not find but what your hands had already committed, you would cry for help from the son of Murjana and he would cry for your help as well, you and your followers will howl for each other at the weighing scale, where you would find that the best provision Muawiya had provided you is your killing of Muhammad’s (Q) Pedigree. Indeed, I have only feared Allah, and to him only is my compliant. So, plot your machination, strive all you want, and do your best, but, By Allah, you would never be able to eradicate the disgrace you earned for what you did to us. And Thank God for sealing the ending of the Masters of heavens with happiness and forgiveness so that He enjoined them to go to Heaven. I do ask Allah to elevate their ranks, and to enjoin them with many of His Merit, as He is the Powerful Protector".

This speech hit Yazeed like a thunder on his head, so he said:

O what a beautiful outcry better than others,

How easy it is to cry over tribulations.

Bafflement had overwhelmed Yazeed, and he did not know what to say, so all he did was to recite a poet’s verse, while there is no link between what this tyrant had heard, of the many thunders that had hit him and the Umayyad people, reminding

 him with each and every word of the hits of Thu Al-Fiqar (Imam Ali’s sword) between the hands of the Messenger of Allah (Q), and between the poetry he recited by announcing that the outcry is a good one among others! And that it is easy to weep over catastrophes! Indeed it is a failed attempt of a muted person to hide behind gloating.

A Quick Glance of the Contents of the Great Speech

1- Starting from a central theme in the Islamic knowledge which is the reprieving time Allah the Al-Mighty gives to the oppressing tyrants and the dissolute disbelievers, and clarifying that this was only to complete the proofs against them and to increase their iniquity.

2- To expose the unfair ruling of Yazeed, even though he claimed to be the Caliph.

3- Stressing the point of preserving the woman’s status and the importance of the ardor for her protection.

4- Stressing the fact that what Yazeed had done was a result of his infidelity, and that what he had committed was to revenge the killing of his disbelieving relatives by the Messenger (P) during the Badr Battle, by raising the swords against the Messenger of Allah fifty years after the death of the Prophet (P).

5- Confirming that the Reign and ruling is for the Progeny of Muhammad and no one else, and that shows in her saying: "…and when took control of our reign and kingdom…"

6- Pointing to the responsibility of the person who had enabled the tyrant to control the Muslims, this was the reply to those who wanted to refer this to God’s fate and destiny.

7- Declaring that neither Yazeed nor his followers were able to erase the history of the Prophet’s progeny, as this is something no one is able to do.

8- Illustrating the great rank of the martyr and the exalted value of martyrdom in the Islamic culture.

9- Blaming the major responsibility for killing Imam Hussain (Q) directly on Yazeed.

The Stance of Sayyeda Zeinab (O) from the Request of the Man from Sham

It was narrated about Sayyeda Fatima Bint Al-Hussain (Q) that she had said: "When we were sitting before Yazeed, a man from the people of Sham got up and said: O prince of believers, grant me this odalisque, meaning me, so I was terrified thinking that it is allowed for him to do that, so I held to my aunt Zeinab’s clothes, and she knew that it is not permissible.

So, my aunt (O) said to the man from Sham: "You are a despicable liar; By God neither you nor he has the right to do that!"

Then Yazeed got angry and said: "You are the liar, indeed it is my right and if I wanted to do it, I would have done it!"

She said: "I swear by God, Allah did not allow you do this unless you renounce from our denomination and believe in another religion".

So, Yazeed was flared up and said: "Are you saying this to me? Indeed who had renounced the religion are your father and your brother!"

Sayyeda Zeinab (O) said: "By the religion of my God, my Father and my brother you were guided along with your grandfather and father that is if you are a Muslim!"

He said: "You are a liar, O you enemy of Allah!"

She (O) said to him: "You are a prince who wrongfully scorns and overpower with your authority…" As he was ashamed so he kept quiet…

Then the man from Sham said again: "Grant me this odalisque".

So, Yazeed said to him: "Stop, may God grant you an eliminating death".

Thus, Sayyeda Zeinab (O) had accomplished a decisive victory over the tyrant while he was at the peak of authority and had the apparent power, as she had confuted him one time after another.

Thus, she was able to expose the ignorance of the person claiming to be the Caliph of the people, as she also had revealed his lack of knowledge of the religious rules and regulations, as it is not permissible to consider the Muslim women as captives of the wars and they should not be treated as captives either. So how is it when these women are the daughters of the Messenger of Allah Q?

The Role of the Ladies of the House of the Prophet (R) at Yazeed’s Parlor

The rest of the ladies of the Hussain’s convoy followed the steps of Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) and Sayyeda Zeinab (O) to accomplish the same goals. They intended to expose the unjust authority, while presenting themselves as captives from Ahlu El-Bayt (R) in each and every situation, which caused things to turn against Yazeed Bin Muawiya. This is what Sayyeda Sukaina, the daughter of Imam Hussain (Q), did when she presented to the people that these captives are from the family of Muhammad (P) in order to control the media’s poisoned atmosphere.

As it was narrated by Imam Jaafar Bin Muhammad Al-Sadiq that his father (Q) had said: "When Yazeed brought the women of Imam Hussain, they entered during day time while their faces were uncovered, then the harsh people of Sham said: We have never seen better looking people than these! Who are you? So, Sukaina Bint Al-Hussain (Q) said: "We are the captives from the family of Muhammad!"

When the head of Imam Hussain (Q) was placed in front of Yazeed, Sayyeda Sukaina said to him: "I swear to God I have never seen a harsher heart than that is of Yazeed, nor a disbeliever or an infidel more evil or more ruthless than him".

This is also what Fatima Bint Al-Hussain (Q) had done, and she was older than Sukaina, when the women of Imam Hussain (Q) were brought before Yazeed, the women of Yazeed and the daughters of Muawiya and his family started to weep and cry, then Fatima Bint Al-Hussain (Q) said: "Is it possible for the daughters of the Messenger of Allah to become captives, O Yazeed?"

The Speech of Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q)

Yazeed gave his orders to bring a rostrum and a speaker to mention to the people the flaws of Imam Hussain (Q) and of his father Imam Ali (Q), so the speaker went up the podium and started by thanking Allah and praising Him, and he started to excessively slander Ali and Hussain (L), and exaggerated in praising Muawiya and Yazeed. So, Imam Zein El-Abedeen

Q yelled at him saying: "Woe to you O speaker, did you buy the approval of the creature with the exasperation of the Creator! Do await your place in Hell then". Then He (Q) said: "O Yazeed, allow me to climb up these sticks to say few words that would please God and grant these people good reward and compensation…"

Yazeed denied him that, but the people said: "O prince of believers, give him the permission to speak, maybe we can hear something good from him". So he told them: "if he goes up that rostrum, he shall never come down before humiliating me and the whole family of Abi Sufian…"

Then they said: "How much could this one know?!"

He said: "He is from a family that was fed the knowledge from birth…"

They kept arguing till he allowed him to speak, so he climbed the rostrum, thanked God and praised him then he delivered a speech that caused the eyes to cry and the hearts to be terrified, and that is what he said:

"O people, we were awarded six and distinguished by seven, we were awarded the knowledge, the tolerance, the indulgence, the eloquence, the courage, and the love in the hearts of the believers. And we are distinguished as one of us is the Chosen Prophet Muhammad (P), the Siddiq (Imam Ali), the Tayyar (Q) (meaning Jaafar Al-Tayyar), the lion of Allah and the lion of the Messenger of Allah (P), the Lady of all the women of the worlds Fatima Al-Batoul O, and from our family come the two grandsons of this nation and the two Masters of the youth in Heaven.

Who had met me he should know me, and for he who does not know me I shall inform him of my parentage and lineage. O people, I am the son of Mecca and Mena, I am the son of Zamzam and Safa, I am the son of who carried the Zakat within his clothes, I am the son of the best person who ever wore clothes, I am the son of the best person who wore shoes or walked barefooted, I am the son of the best person who performed Tawaf and Saei (duties of Hajj) I am the son of the best person to perform Hajj and answer the call of Allah, I am the son of the person who rode on Buraq (special horse) in space, I am the son of the one who travelled at night from the Sacred Mosque to the Aqsa Mosque, Praised be who made him travel, I am the son of he who travelled with Gabriel till he reached Sudrat Al-Montaha (special tree in the seventh heaven), I am the son of who approached and came close, and was at a distance of the length of two bows or even nearer, I am the son of who had led the prayer for the angels of the skies, I am the son of the person whom Al-Jaleel (The Exalted) had revealed to him the revelation, I am the son of Muhammad Al-Mustafa, I am the son of Ali Al-Murtada, I am the son of who fought the people till they admitted that there is no God but Allah (believed in God), I am the son of he who fought before the Messenger of Allah with two swords, stabbed with two spears, migrated two times, pledge allegiance in both times, prayed towards

the two Qiblah, fought in Bader and Honain, and did not ever disbelieve in God not even for a glance, I am the son of the best of believers, the heir of Prophets, the suppressor of infidels, the Chief of Muslims, the light of fighters (Mujahedeen), and the beauty of worshipers, the crown of the weepers (out of fear of Allah), the most patient of all, and the best one of the family of Yaseen, the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, I am the son of who is assisted by Gabriel, and supported by Michael, I am the son of the defender of the Muslims’ sanctities, the killer of the promise breakers, the cheaters and the hypocrites, who strove against his eminent enemies, the best person ever to walk among all of Quraish people, the first believer to answer and respond to the call of Allah, the first of the first believers, the crusher of the aggressors, the demolisher of the polytheists, an arrow of the bows of Allah against the hypocrites, the speaker for the wisdom of the worshipers, the supporter for Allah’s religion, the guardian for Allah’s orders, the garden for Allah’s wisdom, the vantage point for Allah’s knowledge, pliable and generous, smiley, pure and the outgoing, pleasing and pleased by God, brave and courageous, patient who fasts during the days, polite who stays up late to pray, valiant and giving, the backs’ breaker, the parties divider, who has the bravest heart of all, who has the utmost self control of all, who does not speak too soon, with the strongest determination of all, the most powerful of all, a valiant lion, a torrential raining storm, who grinds his enemies in a close compact where swords and riding horses join together the way that a quern would grind the wheat, then he will toss them the way the wind would throw ashes in the air, the lion of Hijaz, the owner of miracles, the ram of Iraq, he is an Imam stated in the authentic text and by worthiness, from Mecca and Medina, from Bathaa and Tuham, from Khaifa and Aqaba, from Bader and Uhud, among the people of the Shajara (Tree treaty) and the migrants, among the Arab he is the leader and the lion of the battles, the heir of the poets, the father of the two grandsons Hassan and Hussain, the presenter of wonders, the splitter of troops, the shooting star, the dominant light, the victorious lion of God, the desideratum  of every seeker, and the predominant of every dominant, that is my grandfather, Ali Bin Abi Taleb.

I am the son of Fatima Al-Zahra, I am the son of the Lady of all women, I am the son of the pure Batoul,23 I am the son of the daughter of the Prophet, I am the son of Ali Al-Murtada, I am the son of Fatima Al-Zahra, I am the son of Khadija Al-Kubra, I am the son of the one who was unjustly murdered, I am the son of the one who is slaughtered from the back, I am the son of the one who was thirsty till he died, I am the son of the fallen in Karbala, I am the son of the one whose turban and clothes were plundered, I am the son of who was cried over by the angels of the skies, I am the son of who was wept for by the Jinn in the ground and the birds in the air, I am the son of whose head was given as a present on spears, I am the son of whose women were captivated and brought from Iraq to Sham, O people, indeed Allah the Almighty, and thank is to him, had tested us, Ahlu El-Bayt, with a good test by placing the banner of guidance, just and pious with us, and had placed the banner for deception and killing on others…"

Then people started to cry and weep loudly, which made Yazeed fear from sedition, so he ordered the muezzin to call for prayer, and to interrupt his speech and silence him.

When the muezzin said "God is Great" Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) said: "You glorified the Great God who could not be measured or realized with the senses, and no one is greater than Allah".

And when he said: "I testify that there is no God but Allah". The Imam (Q) said: "My hair, skin, flesh, blood, brain and bones all had testified that it is true".

When he said: "I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" the Imam (Q) turned to Yazeed and said: "O Yazeed, is this Muhammad my grandfather or yours? If you claim he is your grandfather, then you would have lied, and if you say he is my grandfather, so why did you kill his progeny?"

Then the Muezzin finished the call for prayer and Yazeed got up and performed the noon prayer.

A Glimpse at the Speech of Imam Al-Sajjad (Q) and its Resonance

The Imam (Q) had confined in this speech to the identification of his family and himself and did not go near other subjects, and perhaps the secret behind that is his previous knowledge that the Sham’s community did not know anything about Ahlu El-Bayt (R) and their high status, since they were raised in the arms of the authority of the Umayyad tyrants who had concealed the truth away from them, and fed them the allegiance towards the descendants of the cursed tree and the hatred towards the family of the Messenger of Allah (P). From this point of view, we see that he (Q) dealt with the issue from an emotional perspective, because its effect in this situation is stronger than any other approach, and the content of the speech indicates that the audience were from the general public and not limited to the nobles and dignitaries, as the atmosphere of the assembly differed from the atmosphere of Yazeed’s general assembly that was crowded with nobles, dignitaries, senior Christian and Jewish scholars, and representatives of the top countries of that time. That is why we see that the Imam (Q) lists the merits of Ahlu El-Bayt (R) and he talks in particular about some men among them who have no substitute or anyone even comparable to them. So, he (Q) says: among us is the Chosen Prophet, and among us is the Siddiq - meaning Ali Bin Abi Taleb (Q) - and he lists many of the characteristics without stating at the beginning whom he meant by these traits, like being truthful, the two Masters of the youth of Heaven, and …, till he lists many of their traits that shows some of their merits and virtues to have a stronger impact on people, as this what had happened indeed.

After that, the Imam states his roots and origin as to his lineage and homeland, so that everyone shall know that he is the branch of the tree of the Prophet, the fruit of Ali, the jewel of Fatima and the pearl of Hussain, and that he is from the heart of Mecca and Medina, and how the oppressing authority and the autocratic government had distorted the reality for the people and spread the lies and the authority introduced them to the nation as being rebels against the prince of the dissolute, Yazeed!

Thus the Imam (Q), after having stated the characteristics of his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (P), like the revelation and the ascension, he starts to indicate the attributes of his grandfather, the Prince of believers Ali (Q), while the Sham community hears descriptions of him that they hear for the first time. As he is the one who fought with the Messenger of Allah with two swords and stabbed with two spears…

Then he (Q) mentions the merits of his grandmother, the Grand Siddiqa and the human angel, Sayyeda Fatima Al-Zahra (O). Then he had reached the peak of his speech when he said: "…I am the son of the one who is slaughtered from the back, I am the son of the one who was thirsty till he died, I am the son of the fallen in Karbala, I am the son of the one whose turban and clothes were plundered…".

This is what happened in Karbala, and this is the reality of the killing of Imam Hussain (Q). But as for the current issue that the heedless and lost people of Sham must pay attention to is that even though the pure body of

Imam Hussain (Q) was in Karbala, but his holy head and his women were in Sham.

Thus Yazeed did not find an escape other than to recourse to the muezzin by using the call for prayer as an excuse, as he had known from the beginning that if the Imam (Q) would climb the rostrum, he (Q) would turn things against him, but he did not know that he might reach to this level, otherwise he would have never allowed it.

The speech of the Imam had a strong impact on the Sham’s community, as people started to look at each other and speak secretly to each other about their bad situation of failure and disappointment till they changed their attitude towards Yazeed and started to look at him with disgrace and contempt.

The Most Important Meetings of Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) in Sham

The first meeting was when Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) went down from the rostrum and sat at a corner of the mosque, so Bin Makhoul from Sham met with him, and he was the Imam for Sham, a companion of the Messenger of Allah (P), and an averse to the Prince of the believers Ali (Q), so he said to him: "How did you become O son of the Prophet?"

He (Q) said: "We have become among you like the Bani Israel among the people of Pharaoh, they were killing their children and captivating their women, and that is a great ordeal for you from your God".

As for the second meeting for the Imam Zein El-Abedeen, it was with Menhal Bin Omar Al-Asdi in one of the markets of Damascus, when he said to him: "How did you become O the son of the Prophet?" he (Q) said: "Woe to you, isn’t time for you to know how did we become? We have become among our people like Bani Israel among the people of Pharaoh, they are killing our children, and captivating our

women, the best person of all human after Muhammad is being cursed publicly on the rostrums, our enemy is being granted money and dignity, and he who loves us has become disgraced and taken advantage of, as the situation of the believers, and the non-Arabs became respectful of Arabs since Muhammad was from them, and Quraish has become proud over the Arab since Muhammad was from it, and the Arab are paying respect to Quraish since Muhammad was from it, and the Arabs are proud over the non Arab since Muhammad was from them, and we, being the family of the Prophet, no one knows our right!! So, this is how we have become O Menhal".

And we point out that the incident and the conversation was repeated with Makhoul and Menhal and it was not the same one. Especially as it was narrated that the conversation with Makhoul was on a corner of the mosque, and the conversation with Menhal was in the market of Damascus, and it is not strange to repeat and have a similar answer for the same question.

Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) Makes Discussions with the Deluded Public Opinion

Imam Zein El-Abedeen (Q) took interest in enlightening the thoughts and exposing the facts more than any other thing. We had mentioned parts of his words, conversations and speeches that dealt with this aspect. Thus, a man from Sham came to him and said: "Are you Ali bin Al-Hussain?"

He (Q) said: "Yes".

He said: "Your father had killed the believers!"

So the Imam (Q) cried then wiped his face and said: "Woe

 to you, how did you decide that my father had killed the believers?"

He said: "by his saying that our brothers had wronged us, so we fought their oppression".

So he (Q) said: "Do you read the Quran?"

He said: "Yes, I do read it"

He (Q) said: "did you not hear His saying: (And to the ‘Ad people (We sent) Hud, one of their own brethren…And to the Thamud people (We sent) Saleh, one of their own brethren…And to the Madyan people (We sent) Shuaib, one of their own brethren )... "24

He said: "Yes, indeed"

So he (Q) said: "Was he their brother from the same community or from the same religion?"

He said: "from their community".

He (Q) said: "you have relieved me, may Allah relief you as well".

The Imprisonment of the Rest of the Hussain Convoy in Sham

It was narrated about Fatima, the daughter of Ali (Q) that she said: "then Yazeed, may Allah curse him, had ordered for the women of Hussain (Q) to be jailed with Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) in a prison that does not protect them from heat or cold, till their faces were pealed of".

The house was in a bad shape, as it was feared it would fall on them, it was narrated about Abi Abdu Allah Al-Sadiq (Q) that he had said: "Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) was brought to Yazeed Bin Muawiya along with the women who were with him as captives, so they put them in a house and they put some non-Arab people, who do not speak Arabic, to guard them. So they said to each other: they have put us in this house to have it fall on us and kill us all in it. Then Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) said to the guards in their language: do you know what these ladies are saying? They are saying this and that…, so the guards said: they told us that you are going to be taken out tomorrow to be killed, so Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q) said: no indeed, Allah will never allow that, then he approached them and started teaching them using their language".

Commemorating Imam Hussain (Q) in the House of Yazeed was for Misleading and Deceiving Purposes

When the Hussain’s convoy was brought to Yazeed, and the head was placed in front of him, Hind Bint Amer, the wife of Yazeed, heard the dialogue that went on in the castle hall, so she covered her face with her clothes, went out to Yazeed and asked him: "O prince of believers, is this the head of Al-Hussain the son of Fatima the daughter of the Prophet?"

So he answered her: "Yes, do weep for him and mourn for the son of the daughter of Allah’s Messenger (P) and the cry of Quraish, as Bin Ziad had hastened in killing him, may Allah kill him".

Then she tore her clothes out of grief, so Yazeed jumped and covered her.

Then the Hashim’s women were brought to Yazeed’s house, and no woman was left from the family of Yazeed but had approached them and expressed their grief and sorrow for what happened to them and what was inflicted on them.

Yazeed did send after the lady captives of the prophetic house (R) and said to them: "Which one do you prefer, to stay in my castle, or go back to Medina? And you shall be rewarded generously!"

They said: "First, we need to mourn over Hussain (Q)”

He said: "Do whatever you want".

Then the rooms and houses in Damascus were emptied for them, and no lady from Hashim or Quraish was left without wearing black clothes for the Imam (Q) and they wailed over him during all the time they had spent in Sham, and the people of Sham cried till their voices became really loud.

So Yazeed, may Allah curse him, felt compelled to pretend crying in front of the people due to his fear from their strong anger towards him. Then he feared sedition or a revolution, so he started to apologize, condemn the act of Bin Ziad and began to show glorification and dignifying of Ali Bin Al-Hussain (Q). Then, he moved the women of the Messenger of Allah to

his private house, and he refused to eat lunch or dinner without the presence of the Imam (Q).

The Head of Imam Hussain (Q) with his Orphan

Imam Hussain (Q) had a young daughter named Roqayya, she was three years old, and she was among the captives in Sham. She was crying day and night for her father’s parting, and they used to tell her: "he had travelled- meaning travelled to the Hereafter". Thus one night she saw him in her dreams and when she woke up, she was frightened and panicked and she said: "Get me my beloved father", and every time Ahlu El-Bayt (R) tried to calm her down, she would cry even more. And due to her crying, the grief of the family of the Prophet (R) was stirred up, so they started to cry, they slapped their faces, threw sand over their heads and they started to howl. Yazeed heard their howling and crying and said: "What’s wrong?" it was said to him: "it is the young daughter of Al-Hussain (Q), she saw her father in her sleep and woke up crying, howling and asking for him". When Yazeed heard that he said sarcastically: "take her father’s head to her and put it in front of her, so she would be comforted!", so they brought the head on a plate while covered with a veil, and they placed it before her, so she said: "Hey you, I asked for my father and not for food!", so they said: "your father is in there". She lifted the veil and saw a head and said: "whose head is that?" they said: "it is the head of your father" so she raised the head, held it close to her chest and said: "O father, who had pigmented your face with your blood? O father, who had cut off your veins, O father, who made an orphan of me even though I am still young, O father, who is going to take care of the orphan till she grows up? O father, who is going to comfort the grieving ladies, O father, who is going to help the captivated widows, O father, who is going wipe the tearing eyes? O father, who is going to protect the lonely and lost ladies, O father, who is going to take care of us after your depart? O what a disappointment! O father, who is to protect us after you, how lonely is it going to be after your depart! O father, I wish I had been sacrificed for your sake, O father, I wish I was blinded before this day, O father, I wish I was dead rather than seeing your grey hair pigmented with blood".

Then she put her mouth over the mouth of the oppressed martyr, and she cried till she fainted. When they moved her, they found that she was dead. Then the voices of Ahlu El-Bayt (R) became loud with the crying and howling, and the grief and mourning were renewed, along with whoever had heard  their crying from the people of Sham, as it was not seen on that day anyone, man or woman, but was crying.