The journey of the captives of Karbala and the eternal message of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her)
On the 19th of Muharram in the year 61 AH, the caravan of captives from the household of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), after staying a few days in Kufa, was sent toward Damascus by the order of ʿUbayd Allah ibn Ziyad. It was a caravan of grieving women and children who had left behind the bodies of their loved ones on the plains of Karbala and were being taken away in chains and under the cruelty of the enemy.
The route from Kufa to Damascus was a long and painful journey, one the enemy intended to use as a display of their outward power. Yet in reality, this journey became the embodiment of the triumph of blood over the sword and the beginning of a new era of human awakening. And the narrator of this chapter was the noble lady of Karbala, Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), the honorable sister of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him).
On this journey, Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) manifested a profound image of divine patience and conscious courage. Raised in the school of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), she understood that if the message of Ashura did not reach the ears of the people, the truth of his uprising would be lost beneath the dust of forgetfulness. Therefore, with steadfast steps and a heart overflowing with faith, she transformed every stop along the way into a pulpit of enlightenment and awakening.
In Kufa, with a fiery sermon, she tore the veil from the face of hypocrisy and awakened the heedless people. Along the road to Damascus, she preserved her divine dignity in the face of the enemy’s humiliation. And in Yazid’s court, even as a captive, she exposed the falsehood of his rule with steadfast speech and words inspired by God.
Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) showed that true power lies in faith and awareness, not in the sword or domination. Through her message, she proved that Imam Hussain ’s (peace be upon him) uprising was not merely a battle fought on the battlefield, but a movement to awaken human conscience and keep the truth alive throughout the history of humanity.
If it were not for Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her), the tragedy of Karbala might have remained only on the pages of history, but it would not have come alive in people’s hearts. She carried the cry of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) to the ears of the world and transformed Ashura from a historical event into a path—a path that every free-spirited human being can choose to walk.
The message of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her) is clear for us as well: even in the most bitter circumstances, it is possible to keep the truth alive. Whenever we stand against injustice and wrongdoing, we are in fact continuing the path of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her). Ashura began with the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and was immortalized through the message of Lady Zaynab (peace be upon her).