STRAIGHTPATHMONTHLY December 2011
Imam Zainul Abideen pbuh would have died of grief. He
turned a pale yellow. Zainab pbuh consoled her nephew, "Be
patient! What am I witnessing? You are the Imam of the
time." She reminded him of the tradition of Holy Prophet
pbuhahf to Umm-e-Aiman which had explained the divine
covenant.
At the front of the caravan the guards carried spears with
the heads of Imam Hussain pbuh and his loved ones. The
guards beat the prisoners, if they complained of anything.
They did not even spare the youngest. Some children died
along the way, and their bodies were left in the desert. By the
time they reached Kufa they were bruised all over their bodies.
When Zainab pbuh saw Kufa, she remembered the period of
her father.
The caravan reached the court of Ubayd Allah son of
Ziyad on the 12th of Muharram 61 Hijra. Ubayd Allah son of
Ziyad, the governor of Kufa ordered the streets to be
decorated, while there was a huge crowd on the streets of Kufa,
jeering and making fun of the prisoners. There was commotion
in the court of Kufa due to the oration of Zainab pbuh. The
speeches of Zainab pbuh where she commented on the
faithlessness and cowardice of the Kufees made them cover
their faces in their clothes in shame and misery.
But when some of the people saw the head of Imam
Hussain pbuh on the spear they turned their heads and started
to cry. They felt guilty that they allowed this to happen to
Imam Hussain pbuh when this same Imam was ready to help
them when they needed him. It was noon and the sun was
blazing hot. The