Text:Sermon of Lady Zaynab (a) in Kufa

Hudhaym al-Asadi said: 'By God, I have never seen a woman speak with such eloquence, as if her words were flowing directly from the tongue of Ali (a). She asked people to be silent, and with that, the breaths hushed, and the bells fell silent. Then, after praising Almighty God and sending blessings upon His Messenger (s), she began to speak:	قَالَ حِذْيَمٌ الْأَسَدِيُّ: لَمْ أَرَ وَاللَّهِ خَفِرَةً قَطُّ أَنْطَقَ مِنْهَا كَأَنَّهَا تَنْطِقُ، وَتُفْرِغُ عَلَى لِسَانِ عَلِيٍّ (ع)، وَقَدْ أَشَارَتْ إِلَى النَّاسِ بِأَنْ أَنْصِتُوا، فَارْتَدَّتِ الْأَنْفَاسُ، وَسَكَنَتِ الْأَجْرَاسُ، ثُمَّ قَالَتْ بَعْدَ حَمْدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالصَّلَاةِ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ (ص):
O people of Kufa, O you who are deceitful and treacherous: Do you shed tears? May your tears never dry up and your loud lamentations never cease	يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ يَا أَهْلَ الْخَتْلِ وَالْغَدْرِ وَالْخَذْلِ أَلَا فَلَا رَقَأَتِ الْعَبْرَةُ وَلَا هَدَأَتِ الزَّفْرَةُ
You are like the woman that unravels to bits the thread which she has firmly spun. Your faith is nothing but deceit and betrayal.	إِنَّمَا مَثَلُكُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَها مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنْكاثاً تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ
Are there any among you but the immodest, disgraced, proud, spiteful, adulator, enemy and reviler? There are among you those who are as guileful as a beautiful plant growing in filth, or the silver on a grave.	هَلْ فِيكُمْ إِلَّا الصَّلَفُ وَالْعُجْبُ وَالشَّنَفُ وَالْكَذِبُ وَمَلَقُ الْإِمَاءِ وَغَمْزُ الْأَعْدَاءِ أَوْ كَمَرْعًى عَلَى دِمْنَةٍ أَوْ كَفِضَّةٍ عَلَى مَلْحُودَةٍ
Certainly evil is that which your souls have sent before for you. Allah is displeased with you, and in punishment shall you abide.	أَلَا بِئْسَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ أَنْ سَخِطَ الله عَلَيْكُمْ وَفِي الْعَذَابِ أَنْتُمْ خَالِدُونَ
Now you are crying aloud and wailing over my brother!? Indeed, by Allah. Do cry endlessly and laugh but little, for your deed was so horrendously disgraceful that you will never be able to atone for it.	أتَبْكُونَ أَخِي؟! أَجَلْ، وَالله فَابْكُوا فَإِنَّكُمْ أَحْرَى بِالْبُكَاءِ فَابْكُوا كَثِيراً وَاضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا فَقَدْ أُبْليْتُمْ بِعَارِهَا وَمُنيْتُمْ بِشَنَارِهَا وَلَنْ تَرْحَضُوهَا أَبَداً
How can you wash away the crime of murdering the son of the Seal of the Prophets, the essence of the message, the lord of the youth of Paradise, the refuge of your nobles, the refuge to whom you resorted during affliction,	وَأَنَّى تَرْحَضُونَ قَتْلَ سَلِيلِ خَاتَمِ النُّبُوَّةِ وَمَعْدِنِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَسَيِّدُ شَبَابِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَمَلَاذُ حَرْبِكُمْ وَمَعَاذُ حِزْبِكُمْ
and the sanctuary of your peace, the ultimate arbitrator at the time of your mutual disputations.	وَمَقَرُّ سِلْمِكُمْ وَآسِي كَلْمِكُمْ وَمَفْزَعُ نَازِلَتِكُمْ وَالْمَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِ عِنْدَ مُقَاتَلَتِكُمْ-
He was the basis of your talks and actions and the source and guiding principle of your arguments	وَمَدَرَةُ حُجَجِكُمْ وَمَنَارُ مَحَجَّتِكُمْ
Indeed, what your souls have presented to you is evil, and on the Day of Resurrection, it will be this very evil that you will face	أَلَا سَاءَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لَكُمْ أَنْفُسُكُمْ وَسَاءَ مَا تَزِرُونَ لِيَوْمِ بَعْثِكُمُ
So miserable, miserable, and miserable, your efforts have gone wasted, and your hands are perished. You have transacted a losing trade. You have become the victim of Allah’s wrath and have fallen into ignominy and degradation.”	فَتَعْساً تَعْساً وَنَكْساً نَكْساً لَقَدْ خَابَ السَّعْيُ وَتَبَّتِ الْأَيْدِي وَخَسِرَتِ الصَّفْقَةُ وَبُؤْتُمْ بِغَضَبٍ مِنَ الله* وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ
Woe to you! Do you know how you tore the liver of the Apostle of Allah? Which pledge you have broken? Whom of his womenfolk you exposed? Whose honor you have desecrated? What blood of his you shed?	أَ تَدْرُونَ وَيْلَكُمْ أَيَّ كَبِدٍ لِمُحَمَّدٍ ص فَرَثْتُمْ وَأَيَّ عَهْدٍ نَكَثْتُمْ وَأَيَّ كَرِيمَةٍ لَهُ أَبْرَزْتُمْ وَأَيَّ حُرْمَةٍ لَهُ هَتَكْتُمْ وَأَيَّ دَمٍ لَهُ سَفَكْتُمْ
Are you surprised that the sky rain blood? Certainly the punishment of the Hereafter is infinitely more abasing, and you shall not be helped. Don’t make light of the delay of punishment, in that it is not hastened by the fear of missing the taking of revenge. Most surely Allah is watching.	أَ فَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ تُمْطِرَ السَّمَاءُ دَماً وَلَعَذابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَخْزى‏ وَهُمْ لا يُنْصَرُونَ- فَلَا يَسْتَخِفَّنَّكُمُ الْمَهَلُ فَإِنَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَا يَحْفِزُهُ الْبِدَارُ وَلَا يُخْشَى عَلَيْهِ فَوْتُ النَّارِ كَلَّا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَنَا وَلَهُمْ لَبِالْمِرْصادِ
O Kufians! What reply would you give at that time when the Prophet (s) asks you, “What did you do? You were the last Ummah. Why did you treat my family, my progeny and my sanctity like this? Why did you hold some of them as captives while made others bathe in blood?	ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَتْ تَقُولُ (ع‏): مَا ذَا تَقُولُونَ إِذْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ لَكُم مَا ذَا صَنَعْتُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ آخِرُ الْأُمَم‏ بِأَهْلِ بَيْتِي وَأَوْلَادِي وَتَكْرِمَتِی مِنْهُمْ أُسَارَى وَمِنْهُمْ ضُرِّجُوا بِدَمٍ‏
Was it the reward for my service as a messenger that you behaved like this with my relatives? I fear that you do not become rightful to that chastisement, and it befalls on you like the one revealed on the community of Āad.	مَا كَانَ ذَاكَ جَزَائِي إِذْ نَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَخْلُفُونِي بِسُوءٍ فِي ذَوِي رَحِمِي‏ إِنِّي لَأَخْشَى عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ يَحُلَّ بِكُمْ مِثْلُ الْعَذَابِ الَّذِي أَوْدَى عَلَى إِرَمٍ‏
After delivering her passionate speech, Zaynab (a) turned away from them. I looked around and saw people stunned, gnashing their teeth in grief and regret. Hudhaym adds: 'I turned to my side and saw an old man shedding tears, his beard soaked with them. At that moment, he raised his hands to the sky and said:	ثُمَّ وَلَّتْ عَنْهُمْ- قَالَ حِذْيَمٌ فَرَأَيْتُ النَّاسَ حَيَارَى قَدْ رَدُّوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِي أَفْوَاهِهِمْ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ شَيْخٌ فِي جَانِبِي يَبْكِي وَقَدِ اخْضَلَّتْ لِحْيَتُهُ بِالْبُكَاءِ وَيَدُهُ مَرْفُوعَةٌ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ
May my parents be sacrificed for you! Your elders are the finest of elders, your women the noblest of women, and your youth the most virtuous of youth. Your lineage is pure and honorable, and your grace and dignity are unparalleled	وَهُوَ يَقُولُ بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي كُهُولُهُمْ خَيْرُ كُهُولٍ وَنِسَاؤُهُمْ خَيْرُ نِسَاءٍ وَشَبَابُهُمْ خَيْرُ شَبَابٍ وَنَسْلُهُمْ نَسْلٌ كَرِيمٌ وَفَضْلُهُمْ فَضْلٌ عَظِيمٌ
Then she recited this poem:	ثُمَّ أَنْشَدَ:
Your elders are the finest of elders, and your lineage is the most esteemed. Among all lineages and generations, yours will never be destroyed or tarnished.	كُهُولُكُمْ خَيْرُ الْكُهُولِ وَنَسْلُكُمْ • إِذَا عُدَّ نَسْلٌ لَا يَبُورُ وَلَا يَخْزَى
Ali b. al-Husayn (a) turned to his aunt and said: "Aunt, come down. The history of the past is a lesson for those who remain. Thank God, you are a knowledgeable scholar, but not just a learned scholar—you are a wise woman, not merely one of learned wisdom. Crying and wailing will not bring back those who have gone	فَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ يَا عَمَّةِ اسْكُتِي فَفِي الْبَاقِي مِنَ الْمَاضِي اعْتِبَارٌ وَأَنْتِ بِحَمْدِ الله عَالِمَةٌ غَيْرُ مُعَلَّمَةٍ فَهِمَةٌ غَيْرُ مُفَهَّمَةٍ إِنَّ الْبُكَاءَ وَالْحَنِينَ لَا يَرُدَّانِ مَنْ قَدْ أَبَادَهُ الدَّهْرُ
Then (with these words from the Imam), Zaynab (a) calmed, set up her tent, brought her women inside, and entered the tent.	فَسَكَتَتْ- ثُمَّ نَزَلَ (ع) وَضَرَبَ فُسْطَاطَهُ وَأَنْزَلَ نِسَاءَهُ وَدَخَلَ الْفُسْطَاطَ.