 Imagine the year is 11 after Hidra and you are in the blessed city of our Prophet, Medina. Our Lady Fatima Tassahra, alayhi salam, has just passed away from her martyrdom and of course our Lady Zaynab alayhi salam, she was only a small child when her mother passed away. I want you to imagine that you are in the house of the Ahlul Bayt alayhim as-salam and Sayyida Zaynab is asleep in her bed while Imam Ali alayhi salam is burying the blessed body of his love Fatima Tassahra in that blessed graveyard of Jannah al-Baqi. Imagine that Sayyida Zaynab has woken up from a dream and she's so distressed and crying, where is my mother, where is my father and you are the only one there to comfort her. What would you do to bring her comfort and ease her pain? I think I think I would with her some Qura'an to calm her down because when I'm when I'm very upset or stressed I like to read Qura'an to calm myself down and I think I also would I think I also would talk to her about her mother so she could get everything out how she feels and to not keep it all in because obviously losing your mother is very hard it's extremely painful because your mother is like the light of the house so I think I would just ask how are you feeling? I would think I would ask her I would I think I would ask her to tell me stories about her and her mother because I know that would make her happy remembering her mother. That's a lovely suggestion about reciting the Qura'an because the Prophet says the Qura'an is like a polish for your heart and whenever you read it or listen to it it does bring a calmness in your chest and it's sorrowful as well when you think of how history repeats itself say the Fatima alaihi salam lost her mother say the Khadija at a very young age and then the same thing happened with say Dizaynab with her mother. I now want you to picture that you are now in the city of Khufa that city which is the cradle of history so many prophets and the Ahl al Bayt have graced those streets you are in the city of Khufa and it is the night of the 21st of Ramadan and Imam Ali he has just been martyred he has died from the stroke of Ibn Muljum Imam Ali alaihi salam was like a father and mother to say a Dizaynab alaihi salam so you can imagine how she would have felt on a night like this what would you say to her in that moment when she's feeling so lost and hurt and alone I think I would tell her to stay patient I also think I would tell her that God gives the most challenging fights for the bravest warriors I think I would tell her that I think I also would not only just tell her all this and try to calm her down I think I would take her with me get flowers and we would go to the graveyard maybe that would also come her down it is true that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when he loves someone he afflicts them with hardships and you can imagine the love that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bears to this great lady who we know as Umul Masayyimp the mother of sorrows as difficult as this is now sister I now want you to imagine that you are standing on the plains of Qadbala now the year is 61 after Hidra and the day is the 10th of Muharram Sayyid az-Zaynab alayhi salam she is lost Imam al-Hasan alayhi salam years earlier she saw the poison rip through his body and she saw the men shoot arrows towards his janaza and stop him from being buried next to his grandfather she has lost Abul Fadlil al-Abbas the brother who shielded her whose greed protected her his body is lying by the furat with no hands with no one to look after him and now Abba Abdullah al-Hussain alayhi salam Sayyid al-Shuhadah he is making his way to the battlefield and he turns to Sayyid az-Zaynab alayhi salam and says oh sister bring me my horse I want you to imagine that you are the one holding the horse of Imam al-Hussain and Sayyid az-Zaynab comes up to you and says please give me the reins of this horse so I may take it to Abba Abdullah how would you feel how would you feel in that moment if she had said that to you I think I would be completely devastated I would have no words actually I would have no words at all I really don't know how she could deal with that because I would stand there frozen I don't know I think I think I would really just hug her and comfort her because I am if I was in her situation I would never be able to even say a word because because that's just so hard and painful so maybe I think I would just hug her because I would have no words what a situation to be in when you think of the fact that Sayyid az-Zaynab alayhi salam is asking you to do something surely you would rush to do it straight away yet in this situation you think I don't want to give this horse to her because you know that horse will take Imam al-Hussain to his death now I want you to imagine that you are standing on the streets of Shahm and everyone around you is joyous they are celebrating as if it is a day of Eid yet you can see the caravan of the Ahlul Bayt alayhim salam walking down those streets captive and in chains riding on camels and horses with no saddles you see Sayyid az-Zaynab alayhi salam the light of the eyes of Imam alayhi alayhi salam with no veil to cover her face and all these strange men looking at her you see the men slap the cheeks of Sayyid az-Zaynab you see the whips of shimmer on the caravan you see the cruelty and the jeering of these crowds towards this blessed family if you were standing in that crowd and you saw this what do you think you would do if it was possible I would want to go and defend them I would stand up for them I would tell them everything they're doing wrong I would stand up for Sayyid az-Zaynab and I would tell them how can you do this to a woman how someone that comes from from such an honoured family she's the daughter of Fatima to Zahra and Imam Ali and her grandfather is the prophet of Islam I really I just I would try to defend her I would bring all the courage I have in me and just try to stand up for them and for the children as well and I think I would also tell Sayyid az-Zaynab to stay strong for the children as well and tell her and remind her about what God has written in the Qur'an about patience and that he really has given this fight for his strongest warriors I would keep reminding her that because I want her to stay strong for them and for everyone to show that yes she's a woman she's a woman and yes she's lost everyone she's lost her mother her father her grandfather her brothers but she still has this patience in her which shows everyone else that you know when you're going through things just stay with with Allah and know that Allah has something good for you isn't it strange that Yazid on that day rejoiced at the death of Imam al-Hussain alaihi salam because he thought that he had killed the voice of justice from Ahlul Bayt and yet Imam alaihi salam had left that daughter Zaynab behind Zaynab who was the essence of Haidah the essence of that bravery and patience and dedication that we know and love today as hard as it is to narrate and reflect on the sufferings of our Lady Sayyid az-Zaynab alaihi salam one thing we all we must always remember is that one day these crimes will be avenged for by the Imam of our time the use of of Zahra Imam al-Mehti may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala hasten his reappearance on the earth now all of us want to be companions of Imam Mehdi we want to bring joy to his heart we want him to be pleased with us what qualities that you have seen in Sayyid az-Zaynab alaihi salam would you hope to display to our to our Imam Imam Az-Zaman Sayyid az-Zaynab really cared about her modesty so I think I would really I really would secure my modesty she also she was really really strong when I came to reading Quran praying so praying on time reading every single day that's something I would do also her patience is something very significant whenever something happens to me I will always remember her I remember God and know that the reason I would actually try to be very happy about it because I know that God didn't just give me this so just so I can go through it no it's because I I'm going to learn through it and experience and grow to become a better person out of it that's one thing I would also do I thank you so much sister for agreeing to be with me on Imagine today and I thank you for your honest your and mature way of thinking and for expressing your love of our great lady and I pray that Sayyid az-Zaynab al-Qubra alaihi salam is pleased with your efforts and that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la will continue to guide you to be the best Muslima that you can be and may Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la keep us all firm and steadfast on this blessed path of the Ahlul Bayt alayhim wa Salam a path that we don't deserve to be on and yet by his grace we have this in the palm of our hands and may he hasten the reappearance of our Lord and Master Sahib Az-Zaman may he remove this grief of occultation from this community and may he bring justice to this world and avenge those horrific incidents of Karbala and Shah