No Darkness Can Last Forever When the Light Refuses to Surrender
A Universal Message of Resistance, Dignity, and Divine Truth
Inspired by Sayyida Zainab (سَلامُ اللهِ عَلَيها) – The Voice of Karbala
In the wake of the most harrowing tragedy in Islamic history — the massacre at Karbala — one luminous figure rose against the storm of injustice with a strength that shook empires and awakened sleeping consciences. That figure is none other than Sayyida Zainab bint Ali (سَلامُ اللهِ عَلَيها), granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, daughter of Imam Ali (عليه السلام), and sister of Imam Hussain (عليه السلام).
She was not only a witness to the unjust slaughter of her family but became the guardian of their legacy, the eloquent voice of resistance, and the spiritual mother of revolution.
She Spoke When Silence Was Safer
As a prisoner, paraded from Karbala to Kufa and then Damascus, Sayyida Zainab (S.A.) stood in the face of tyranny and spoke truth with a tongue sharpened by divine knowledge. Her sermons remain a beacon of justice, wisdom, and spiritual defiance.
Sermon of Sayyida Zainab (S.A.) in Kufa
(Source: Ibn Tawus – Al-Luhuf, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 45)
After the tragedy of Karbala, as the captives were brought to Kufa, crowds gathered. They expected silence from the prisoners — but Sayyida Zainab shattered that silence.
“يا أهل الكوفة، يا أهل الختل والغدر، أتبكون؟ فلا رقأت الدمعة، ولا هدأت الرنة. إنما مثلكم كمثل التي نقضت غزلها من بعد قوة أنكاثاً…”
“O people of Kufa! O you who deceive and are treacherous! Do you weep now? May your tears never stop and your wailing never cease. Your example is like the woman who unravels her thread after it has been spun strong…”
She condemned their hypocrisy, for they had invited Imam Hussain (A.S.), and then abandoned him.
Sermon of Sayyida Zainab (S.A.) in the Court of Yazid
(Source: Balaghat al-Nisa’, Bihar al-Anwar Vol. 45)
Before the tyrant Yazid, in the luxurious court of Damascus, Sayyida Zainab gave the speech that would echo throughout the centuries. She stood firm, without fear, and said:
“أظننت يا يزيد حيث أخذت علينا أقطار الأرض وآفاق السماء فأصبحنا نساق كما تساق الأسارى أن بنا هوانًا على الله، وبك عليه كرامة؟”
“Do you think, O Yazid, that since you have surrounded us from all sides and driven us like captives, that we are disgraced before Allah and you are honored?!”
She continued:
“فَكِدْ كَيْدَكَ، وَاسْعَ سَعْيَكَ، وَنَاصِبْ جَهْدَكَ، فَوَاللهِ لَا تَمْحُو ذِكْرَنَا، وَلَا تُمِيتُ وَحْيَنَا…”
“Plot whatever you wish, strive as you can, and exhaust your efforts. By Allah, you will never erase our memory, nor will you destroy our revelation!”
These words silenced Yazid’s court . A prisoner in chains became the conqueror of conscience.
Qur’anic Anchors of Her Message
Sayyida Zainab’s courage fulfilled the message of the Qur’an:
“وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتاً بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ”
“Think not of those who are slain in Allah’s way as dead. Nay, they are alive, finding sustenance in the presence of their Lord.”
— (Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:169)“كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ”
“Stand up firmly for Allah, bearers of witness with justice.”
— (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:8)
A Voice for All Ages and Nations
She reminds humanity:
That truth has a voice.
That dignity cannot be chained.
That a woman’s strength can shake tyrants.
That martyrdom is not death, but life eternal.
Sayyida Zainab (S.A.) proved that even in apparent defeat, the moral victory belongs to those who uphold justice.
A Message for Humanity
Let the oppressed of every land know:
Zainab’s light did not fade in Yazid’s palace; it rises in every cry for freedom.
Let every woman who resists injustice remember:
You are daughters of Zainab (S.A.).
Let the tyrants of every age tremble:
You cannot erase the truth. You cannot silence divine light.
📿 صَلُّوا عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
هزاروں درود و سلام محمد و آل محمد پر
Endless blessings upon Muhammad and the purified household.
Rasheed Ahmad Chughtai
www.rachughtai.com
Sources & References:
- القرآن الكريم
- نهج البلاغة – Sermons of Imam Ali (A.S.)
- اللوف في قتلى الطفوف – ابن طاووس
- بحار الأنوار – العلامة المجلسي، المجلد 45
- بلاغات النساء – أبو الفضل أحمد بن أبي طاهر
- Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3775