2. Karbala & His Imamat
Inhislateteensandearlytwenties,healsoobservedthesuppressionand
persecutionunderwhichhisfatherlivedduringthereignofMu’āwiyah.
Asyouhavealreadyreadinthelastlesson,ImamZaynu’l-‘Ābidīnwas
theonlysonofImamHusayntosurvive,forhisothertwobrothers‘Ali
Akbarand‘AlīAsgharwhowasasucklingbabyweremartyredduring
theeventofKarbala.TheImamhadalsoaccompaniedhisfatheronthe
journeythat terminatedfatallyinKarbala,butbecauseofsevereillness
andtheinabilitytocarryarmsorparticipateinfightinghewaspreven-
ted from taking part in the holy war and being martyred.
TheYazidiforceshadtakenthewomenfolkofAhlulBayt(a.s.)ascap-
tivestoKufaandfromtheretoDamascuswiththeintentofhumiliating
theholyfamilyandalsopresentingthemasanexampleforanypotential
oppositiontoYazid’srule.ButAllahhadplanneditotherwise:thejour-
ney of the captives turned, instead, into an opportunity for the Ahlul
Bayt(a.s.)topresenttheirinnocencetothepeople,convey themessage
ofHusaynandenlightenthemassesabouttheatrocitiesoftheYazidire-
gime.ThecaravanofthecaptivesfromAhlulBaytexposedthetrueface
ofYazidandhisestablishment. The mostimportant roleplayedin this
awakeningofthemasseswasbyZaynabbint‘Ali,Husayn’ssister,and
Imam Zaynu ’l-‘Ābidīn.
ThespeechesoftheholyImaminthecityofKufa,inthecourtofIbn
Ziyād (the governor of Kufa), in Damascus and in the court of Yazid
himselfareexcellentexamplesofhow ImamZaynu’l-‘Ābidīnwasable
togainvictoryforHusaynandexposethetyrannyofYazid.Andallthis
was done while he was a prisoner!
Here we shall just present a part from the speech given by Imam
Zaynu ’l-‘Ābidīn in the court of Yazid in response to a speech by a
speakeroftheestablishmentwhohadtriedtocreatehatredintheminds
andheartsoftheaudienceagainstImam‘AlibinAbiTālibandhisfam-
ily.TheImamwentonthepulpitshackledinchainsandintroducedhim-
self as follows:
“... Those who know me, they know me... And those who do not
know, then listen: