 Imagine that you are in the city of Medina and the year is 11 after Hintra. Our Prophet he has just passed away and the event of Saqifah has just occurred. Now the shia of Imam Ali alayhi salam are being forced to pledge allegiance to the new ruler. I want to ask you what do you think you would do in that situation? Would you speak up you know risking your life and the lives of potentially your friends and your family or would you take another approach for example you give bayat on the taqiyyah and help the ahlul bayt alayhi salam in secret? What do you think you would do? I think I would try and find out what the general consensus was from everybody else around me and how they felt about pledging allegiance to this man and if I could see that there was disharmony or disagreement then I would try and explore that more but I think you need more than one person to help move things forward so if there wasn't anyone on my on the same page then I would perhaps try and like try and chat to people about it and get to understand why they are going to pledge allegiance and perhaps you know put my view across without pushing it on them I think if they were to come directly to me and ask me which side you're going to choose it's so hard to put yourself in that position but I would love to say that I wouldn't pledge allegiance and that at the end of the day life is fleeting anyway and every day that we're here is a blessing so to know that the the reward of standing up against oppression is far greater than being silent I think inshallah in that in that time it was that kind of moment I would would like to think that I would stand up against it yes it's it's interesting that you say that because Imam Ali alaihi salam he said that if he only had 40 individuals who were willing to support him then he would have challenged for the caliph and the caliphate now I want you to picture that you are standing outside the house of Fatima to Zahra alaihi salam this blessed house that we can only imagine where our Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa alayhi wa alayhi would go every day and greet his family with such affection and such love I want you to imagine that you're standing outside and the enemy and you see the enemy come towards the house and you hear that the threat is made against them and Fatima to Zahra alaihi salam she refuses to allow them into her house I want you now to picture that the door has been broken and that Fatima to Zahra is behind the door and you hear her cries I want you to imagine that now they've set the house on fire and they're charging into attack how would you feel seeing such a thing and how do you think you would react to that I think I would be in shock and be confused why why they wanted to attack her I guess it was is their way of getting to Imam alaihi salam I would I think in that moment I would be just sheer horror and I would probably just break down I don't think that I would have felt I was in the power to do something at that point when the house is in fire but I mean I would try and get help and you know especially if her sons were in we're still in the house you know making helping making sure that everyone can get out trying to get help it's it's it's truly cowardly when you think of it that Fatima to Zahra alaihi salam this young woman they chose to attack her in the way that they did it's it's nothing short of cowardly and it's almost because they knew that they couldn't get to Imam alaihi salam so they would get to the thing that he loved most in this world I want you to imagine now that the attack has taken place and now you're walking inside of the house and you see Fatima to Zahra on the ground and she's in so much pain and her children are around her as well and they're crying and they're so traumatized by what they have just seen what do you think you would do to try and make that situation easier and more bearable I think your initial reaction is to remove them from the situation so take them away from their mother but in my heart I also think that nothing could take them away from her at that moment I think that I would try I would you know call for help or you know try and find Imam alaihi salam at that point he's not aware of what's happened you know try and comfort her see if there's something that you can do for her try and help manage the bleeding you know wet towels or whatever what you just said it reminds me of a narration I once heard where the angels could not bear to see Imam al Hussain that little boy on the chest of his mother Fatima alaihi salam and it makes you wonder if the angels could not bear to see that sight how did they bear to see Shema sitting on the chest of Aba Abdullah on the day of Ashura finally sister I would like you to again picture that you are in Medina but this time you are with Imam Mehdi may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala hasten his reappearance and make it easy for him I want you to imagine that you are walking beside him and you say to him yebna Rasulullah where are you taking me and he tells you I'm taking you to visit the grave of my grandmother Fatima alaihi salam this blessed grave that we don't know where it is due to the oppression she faced in her life she was buried at night in secret with only a handful of individuals knowing where she was buried and how much our hearts yearn during this time to be beside our lady I want you to imagine that you're standing by that blessed grave now if you could say anything to her what would you say to her you would be lost for words it's really a hard thing to imagine we've stood in front of Imam al-Hussain and Aba al-Fadlil al-Abbas in Qadbala Imam Ali in Najaf Imam Rida in Mashhad Sayyid Zaynab in Syria yet we do not know what it is like to stand in front of our lady Zahra'a alaihi salam I thank you so much sister that you joined me today here for imagine and I thank you so much for your thoughtful and wonderful contribution to this show and I pray that our lady Fatima Zahra'a alaihi salam is pleased with you and your efforts may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala keep us all firm and steadfast on the path of the Ahl al-Bayt alaihi salam despite the trials of this dunya and may he hasten the reappearance of our Master Sahib Az-Zaman so that he may bring goodness and justice to this world as it has been filled with evil and injustice currently