After the massacre of Karbala on the 10th of Muḥarram 61 AH, the survivors — the women and children of the Prophet’s family ﷺ — were taken as prisoners to Kūfah. And in the mosque of Kūfah, before the governor ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād who had ordered the massacre, Sayyidah Zaynab bint ʿAlī رضي الله عنها — granddaughter of the Prophet ﷺ, daughter of Sayyiduna ʿAlī and Sayyidah Fāṭimah رضوان الله عليهما — spoke. What she said is recorded in the classical sources as one of the most powerful speeches in Islamic literary history.
The Setting
ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād sat in his court surrounded by his officials. The prisoners of Karbala were brought before him — the women and children of the Prophet’s household ﷺ, in chains, their men dead on the plains outside the city. When he saw Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها, he asked who she was. She did not answer at first, out of disdain. When he asked a second time, those around her told him who she was.
The Speech
The classical sources record her address — delivered with the composure and authority that her lineage, her character, and her grief gave her. She said, addressing the crowded court: “Praise be to Allāh and salutations upon my grandfather Muḥammad ﷺ and his noble family. As for what you say, so it is — Allāh has written death for these people, and they went to their resting places. Allāh will gather you with them, and a plea will be raised, and a quarrel will be settled. See then who will triumph on that day — may your mother mourn for you, O son of Ziyād.” She continued: “Do you make us grieve, O enemy of Allāh? You have killed our men and torn our veil. Do you think you have humiliated us? By Allāh, such harm cannot touch us. Our honour comes from Allāh, and what Allāh has given can never be taken by the likes of you.”
Ibn Ziyād’s Response
The classical sources record that Ibn Ziyād — shaken — moved to have Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها silenced. Members of his court intervened, reminding him that she was in grief and that punishing a grieving prisoner of her station would be a further disgrace. He backed down. The woman he had expected to stand broken before him had instead spoken his judgment to his face in his own court, before his own officials, and walked away unbroken.
The Historical Significance
This speech — delivered in Kūfah, distinct from her later address in Damascus before Yazīd himself — was the first public declaration after Karbala that the Ahl al-Bayt’s honour could not be taken from them by force. Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها claimed, before the man who had ordered her family’s deaths, that his victory was an illusion. History has confirmed her judgment. Ibn Ziyād is remembered as the murderer of the Prophet’s grandson. Sayyidah Zaynab رضي الله عنها is remembered as the woman who refused to let him forget it.
What did Sayyidah Zaynab say to Ibn Ziyād in Kūfah?
She addressed him with fearless directness — praising Allāh, invoking the Prophet ﷺ, and declaring: “Do you think you have humiliated us? By Allāh, such harm cannot touch us. Our honour comes from Allāh.” She told him that what Allāh had given could not be taken by the likes of him, and called on him to consider the Day of Judgement when the truth would be established.
How did Ibn Ziyād respond to Sayyidah Zaynab’s speech?
He was shaken and moved to have her silenced, but members of his court intervened — pointing out that she was a grieving prisoner of high station and that silencing her would be a further disgrace. He backed down. Her words stood in his court, before his officials, unretracted and unchallenged.
Is this speech different from Sayyidah Zaynab’s speech before Yazīd?
Yes. The Kūfah speech was delivered before ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād — the governor who ordered the massacre. The Damascus speech was delivered before Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah — the ruler in whose name the massacre was carried out. Both are recorded in classical sources, and together they represent her two great acts of public witness on behalf of the Ahl al-Bayt.