By Junaid Sharfadi
From Nana A’ishah (R.A) to the Queen Mother, there is a longlist of excellent, honorable and valuable women that another Michael H. Hart should have written a book for this precious gender to portray their influence on humanity. Thus, a quick gander at the unwritten list leaves me with a deluge of amazing names afloat. However, when separating the shark from the guppies, Zainab Al-Kubra stood out.
For beginners, she was the daughter of Sayyida Fatima and the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The demure lady was admired by many for standing firmly against tyranny and injustice when she followed her brother on a difficult journey that some would doubt to begin even today. She was with him until his gruesome murder.
I am fascinated by her shrewdness, sheer piety, passion for justice, devotion to family, indomitable spirit and impeccable eloquence. In fact, when they were captured and arraigned before Yazid, her brave and eloquent speech was what brought the esteemed lady to the fore of history.
It could be a herculean task for anybody, even under the comfort of our smart phones and social media, to speak up against the unsheathed sword of a ruler like Yazid. But Zainab, armed with fearlessness and deep understanding of their status in the religion, was equal to the task. A weak and impromptu piece like this can’t capture the content of her speech. Please look it up.
She remains a model and salient example of strong women for everyone to emulate. This is dedicated to Zainab Yakubu Musa.
Happy International Women’s Day.
