islamic wallpapers: November 2010

Queen Zainab (AS)

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Name: Zainab

Title: Siddiqa-e-Sughra

Kunyat: Umm-ul-Massaib

Born at: Medina on 5th Jamadi ul Awwal

Fathers Name. Hazrat Ali-Al-Murtaza (AS)

Mother's Name: Janab e Fatema Zahra (AS)

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Hazrat Zaynab (SA) and Karbala

At the death of the Mu’awiyah I, Imam Hussein (AS) set out from Medina to Kufa to claim the leadership of the Muslim community. Hazrat Zaynab (SA) accompanied him, as did most of his household. After Imam Hussein’s death at the Battle of Karbala, Hazrat Zaynab (SA) was taken prisoner by the army of Yazid I, Mu’awiyah’s son and successor. Hazrat Zaynab (SA) and the other survivors of Imam Hussein’s expedition, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus, Yazid’s capital, where they were held prisoner. Hazrat Zaynab (SA) was in anguish due to the death of her brother Imam Hussein (AS) and her sons Aun and Muhammad.

Eventually Yazid released his captives and allowed them to return to Medina. It is said that Hazrat Zaynab (SA) did not long survive the return, and died circa 682 CE. The anniversary of her death is said to be either the 11th or 21st of Jamadi uth-thani, the 24th of Safar, or the 16th of Dhu’l-Hijjah.

Lecture in Kufa

On Muharram 11 (October 11, 680 CE), all captives including all women and children were loaded onto camels without neither saddle nor sunshade and were moved toward Kufa. And when they approached Kufa, its people gathered to see them. Some women of Kufa gathered veils for them upon knowing that they are relatives of the Prophet Muhammad (S).

Hazrat Zaynab (SA) pointed at the people to be quiet. Everybody halted and kept silent. Then she addressed the people of Kufa:

The praise is exclusively attributed to Allah. And greetings to my father (grand father), Muhammad, and to his pure and benevolent family. And then, Oh people of Kufa! Oh deceitful and reneger people! Do you weep? So let tears not be dried and let groans not be finished. ... Beware, such a bad preparation you have made for yourself that Allah became furious of you and you will be at punishment forever. Do you weep and cry? Yeah, by Allah, do weep numerously and do laugh less! Since you brought its shame and fault on yourself and you will not be able to cleanse it forever…

Lecture in Damascus

Yazid I recited the blasphemous poetic verses of Abdullah bin Zab’ari Sahmi which he had composed while he was an unbeliever and also added some poetic verses of his own and said openly that he wanted to take revenge upon the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (S) because the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his companions had killed his polytheist ancestors.

Hazrat Zaynab (SA) rose and began speaking and said:

“O Yazid! Allah and His Prophet have said that committing sins and considering the signs of Allah to be false is ridiculing them”, i.e. deny the sign of Allah today and hold them in derision and have become happy, and recite poetic verses on account of the martyrdom of the children of the Holy Prophet just as the polytheists of Mecca became happy and sang songs because of the martyrdom of some Muslims in the Battle of Uhud, and talk about taking revenge upon the Holy Prophet. This is how you become like them and how you have reached this stage? You have reached this stage because you have committed too many sins. Whoever treads the path of sin and persists in committing sins will, according to the verdict of the Quran, deny the signs of Allah one day and eventually will ridicule them and then deserve Divine punishment.

She added: “O Yazid! Do you think that we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us, and we have been made captives and are being taken from one place to another, do you think that Allah has taken away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing the godly persons you have become great and respectable and the Almighty looks at you with special grace and kindness? For this reason and on account of this wrong thinking you have become elated and arrogant. You have become boastful because you have seen that the matters have taken a turn in your favor. You have, however, forgotten what Allah says: The disbelievers must not think that Our respite is for their good We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment.” (The Holy Quran, Surah 3: Verse 178)

Then lady Hazrat Zaynab (SA) reminded Yazid that on the day of the conquest of Mecca which took place in 8 AH the Prophet Muhammad (S) did favor to all the men and women of Mecca and set them free. Yazid himself was a descendant of those very freed persons. His father Mu’awiya, his grandfather Abu Sufyan and Mu’awiya’s mother were among those who were set free at the time of the conquest of Mecca. On that day the Prophet Muhammad (S) set all of them free irrespective of what they had done in the past and said: “Go, for all of you are free”.

In the second part of her speech the daughter of Imam Ali made the conquest of Mecca her topic and said: “O son of the freed ones! Is it justice that you keep your women and slave-girls in seclusion but have made the helpless daughters of the Holy Prophet ride on swift camels and given them in the hands of their enemies so that they may take them from one city to another”.

Then she said: “Why shouldn’t Yazid be spiteful against us, it is he, who looks at us with hostility. You say with perfect intrepidity and without imagining that you are committing a sin: ‘I wish that my ancestors who were killed in Badr had been present here today’. Then you strike Imam Hussein in his teeth with a stick in your hand! Why shouldn’t you be like this, although you have done what you wanted to do and have pulled out the roots of piety and virtue! You have shed the blood of the sons of the Holy Prophet and have hidden the brilliant stars on the earth from amongst the descendants of Abdul Muttalib under the clouds of oppression and injustice. However, you shall go before Allah soon. You shall meet your ancestors and shall also be taken to their place. At that time you will wish that you had been blind and dumb and had not said that it was a day of rejoicing for your ancestors”.

At this stage the daughter of Imam Ali (AS) prayed to Allah and said: “O Lord! Procure our right and take revenge upon those who have oppressed us”. Then she turned to Yazid and said: “By Allah you have pulled off your skin and cut off your flesh. You will soon go before the Prophet of Allah and will see with your own eyes that his children are in Paradise. It will be the day when Allah will deliver the descendants of the Holy Prophet from the state of being scattered and will bring all of them together in Paradise. This is the promise which Allah has made in the Holy Quran. He says: Do not think of those who are slain for the cause of Allah as dead. They are alive with their Lord and receive sustenance from Him. (The Holy Quran, Surah 3: Verse 169.)

O Yazid! On the day when Allah will be the Judge and Muhammad will be the petitioner, and your limbs will give evidence against you, your father, who made you the ruler of the Muslims, will receive His punishment. On that day it will become known what reward the oppressors earn, whose position is worse and whose party is more humble. O enemy of Allah and O son of the enemy of Allah! I swear by Allah that I consider you to be humble and not fit even to be reprimanded and reproached. But what am I to do? Our eyes are shedding tears, our hearts are burning, and our martyrs cannot come to life by our reprimanding and reproaching you. My Hussein has been killed and the partisans of Satan are taking us to the fools so that they may get their reward for insulting Allah. Our blood is dripping from their hands and our flesh is falling down from their mouths. The sacred bodies of the martyrs have been placed at the disposal of the wolves and other carnivorous animals of the jungle. If you have gained something today by shedding blood, you will certainly be a loser on the Day of Judgment. On that day nothing but your deeds will count. On that day you will curse Ibn Marjana and he will curse you. On that day you and your followers will quarrel with one another by the side of the Divine scale of Justice. On that day you will see that the best provision which your father made for you was that he enabled you to kill the children of the Prophet of Allah. I swear by Allah that I do not fear anyone except Him and do not complain to anyone else. You may employ your deceit and cunning efforts, but I swear by Allah that the shame and disgrace which you have earned by the treatment meted out to us cannot be eradicated”. The daughter of Fatima Zahra ended her speech with offering thanks to Allah. She said: “I thank Allah Who has concluded the task of the chiefs of the youths of Paradise with prosperity and forgiveness and accommodated them in Paradise. I pray to Allah that He may elevate their ranks and favor them more with His kindness, for Allah is Omnipotent”.

Shrine of Hazrat Zaynab (SA)

Several cities boast shrines said to be built over Hazrat Zaynab’s grave. One shrine is located in Damascus, Syria. There is also a shrine to Hazrat Zaynab (SA) in Cairo, Egypt. Other traditions say that she was buried in Medina.

Hazrat Zaynab’s shrine in Damascus is a pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. The Shia revere Hazrat Zaynab (SA) and tell many stories detailing her love of Imam Hussein (AS) and her defiance of Yazid.

Ziyarat of Hazrat Zainab (AS)

The following ziyarat (verbal salutation) for Bibi Zaynab (AS) is traditionally recited to obtain divine blessing while visiting her shrine (in this case, in Damascus, Syria). It can also be recited at any other time in remembrance of the example of courage and submission that she presented to the world, particularly on the acknowledged days of her birth, death, and during the month of Muharram.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the Chief of prophets.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the Master of the sanctuary and the banner.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of him who was made to ascend to (highest) heaven and reached the station of two bows' length (to Allah) or even closer.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the Leader of the pious.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the support of the sincere friends (of Allah)

Peace be upon you. Oh daughter of the Leader of the Deen.

Peace be upon you. Oh daughter of the Commander of the faithful.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of him who struck with the sword of two blades.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of him who prayed towards the two qiblahs [Jerusalem, then Mecca].

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of Muhammad, the chosen.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of Ali, the content (with the decree of Allah).

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of Fatima, the radiant.

Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of Khadija, the elder.

Peace be upon you. Oh righteous one, pleasing (to Allah).

Peace be upon you, Oh learned, rightly guided one.