After her speech in Kūfah before ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād, Sayyidah Zaynab bint ʿAlī رضي الله عنها — granddaughter of the Prophet ﷺ — was brought as a prisoner to Damascus, the seat of Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah’s rule. The journey from Kūfah to Damascus was itself a form of humiliation intended to demonstrate the completeness of the victory of those who had ordered the massacre at Karbala. When the prisoners arrived, Yazīd held court, celebrated his apparent triumph, and addressed the captives. What Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها said in that court — recorded in classical biographical and historical sources — is one of the most powerful speeches in Islamic history.
The Court of Yazīd
Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah received the prisoners of Karbala in his court in Damascus with an attitude of triumph that the classical sources record with disgust. He struck the head of Sayyiduna al-Ḥusayn رضي الله عنه with a cane. He recited poetry celebrating his victory. Members of his court praised him. The scene was designed to communicate the finality of the defeat of the Prophet’s grandson. But Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها was present — and she was the granddaughter of the Prophet ﷺ and the daughter of Sayyiduna ʿAlī رضي الله عنه, who had once said: “If I were to find a valley full of scorpions, it would be more beloved to me than the company of the unjust.”
The Speech
The classical sources record that Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها addressed Yazīd directly with words that cut through his apparent victory like a blade. She began: “Praise be to Allāh, Lord of all the worlds, and salutations upon my grandfather, the master of prophets.” She then addressed him: “O Yazīd — do you think that by closing the earth and sky upon us, and by driving us like prisoners, that we are humiliated before Allāh and that you are honoured? You are puffed up with arrogance and pleased with yourself because you see the world submitting to you — forgetting that Allāh ﷻ has said: ‘Let not the disbelievers think that our giving them respite is good for them; We only give them respite that they may increase in sin. And for them is a humiliating punishment.'” She then said: “Do what you will. By Allāh, you will never erase our memory, you will never extinguish our light, and you will never reach our heights.”
The Response of Yazīd’s Own Court
The classical sources record that some members of Yazīd’s own court were moved to tears by Sayyidah Zaynab’s رضي الله عنها words. One scholar present — recorded in classical sources as Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥakam — muttered that those imprisoned in their camp were more deserving of the caliphate than those who exercised it. Yazīd had to silence members of his own court. The woman he had expected to arrive broken had arrived bearing the full authority of prophetic lineage — and nothing in his court could withstand it.
History’s Verdict
Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah is remembered in Islamic history as the one who ordered the killing of the Prophet’s grandson, struck his head with a cane, and celebrated the imprisonment of the Prophet’s granddaughter. Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها is remembered as the woman who stood in his court, in chains, and declared the ultimate irrelevance of his power. She was right. Fourteen centuries of Islamic history have confirmed her judgment.
What did Sayyidah Zaynab say to Yazīd in Damascus?
She addressed him directly — after praising Allāh and the Prophet ﷺ — declaring that his apparent triumph was an illusion, citing the Qurʼānic warning that Allāh gives respite to the unjust only to increase them in sin. She declared: “By Allāh, you will never erase our memory, you will never extinguish our light, and you will never reach our heights.”
How did Yazīd’s court respond to Sayyidah Zaynab’s speech?
Some members of his own court were moved to tears, and at least one scholar present muttered that those imprisoned were more deserving of authority than those who held it. Yazīd had to silence members of his own entourage. Her words had force that his apparent victory could not neutralise.
Is the Damascus speech different from Sayyidah Zaynab’s Kūfah speech?
Yes. The Kūfah speech was delivered before ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād — the governor who ordered the massacre. The Damascus speech was delivered before Yazīd — the ruler in whose name it was carried out. Both are recorded in classical sources, and together they represent Sayyidah Zaynab’s complete refusal to allow the events of Karbala to be presented as a final defeat.