Some of the heartfelt reflections I had penned down at the blessed shrine of Sayyida Zaynab s.a.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Tucked away in a corner sitting next to an orphaned child, feeling so tiny and helpless amidst the thousands of those internally displaced having a heart to heart of the horrors and unending miseries to their beloved mother, Ummul Masaaib, Lady Zaynab s.a.
Each pilgrim visiting from afar and nearby holding on so tightly to the blessed dhareeh whilst rivers of tears flowing.
I felt the shivers and numbness in my body and my heart ached, what can I do? Why is there so much pain and suffering on a colossal scale, yet we fret, complain and selfishly think about our own small stuff. I could feel the pain behind those smiles of the orphaned children and the widows’ plight and plea. Despite all the chaos, they had the resilience and power of Tawakkul in Allah swt.
With the Tawfeeq from Allah swt, I started writing my humble thoughts at her blessed shrine and time just stopped for me
Questions that crossed my mind, the chaos in the world, so what is my role in the grand spectrum? What is secular feminism? What does God want from me as a woman? What Is this authentic feminine power that we as women need to hold on to?
And I looked at her Majesty, her beauty and the ABUNDANCE MINDSET unravelling through her, O the Beauty of Ameerul Mu’mineen, O Zaynab, the heart cried out aloud with whispers of Zaynab
Deconstructing these timeless words by her holiness “I saw nothing but beauty of God“. What beauty can one see amidst the chaos?
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. You find the beauty in her unflinching faith and surrender to Allah swt.
Within her, you witness her purity, her true love and devotion immersed for her Rabb, Allah swt and her tawwakul journeys to God can only be be perceived when we ourselves can take a deeper look into her ‘Zaynabic Soul’.
From the time she opens her eyes into this world, she is on a journey of ordeals and adversities. But she just doesn’t settle for any less and she doesn’t ask why! She is fully immersed in the Tawheedi Islam, “La Ilaha Illa Allah”, she traverses, journeys towards the path of servitude to God through her humanness. She goes through these human experiences just like what we go through every single day. But we find her soul immersed with Her Rabb, manifesting her jamaali and jalali traits at its peak on the Day of A’shura when she stopped at the severed body of her beloved brother, Imam al-Husayn (a), and expressed her firm faith by saying:
اَللّهُمَّ تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا هَذا الْقُرْبَانَ.
“O Allah, accept this offering from us.”
These words have been the best example on the sublimity of the prophetic inheritance. The family of Ahlulbayt a.s. embodied the reality of True Islam through the lessons that each sacrifice must be purely offered for Almighty Allah’s sake.
Her female power is attached to a higher calling, a celestial and divine movement whereby millions of hearts soar towards that timeless journey during Arbaeen of Imam Husayn a.s. in the heavenly plains of Karbala.
When we plug into her angelic and feminine power will help us to find this beauty in our daily struggles. It is when the earthly and angelic dimensions align together, there is an equilibrium within one’s self that helps one navigate towards the path of God centredness.
This pure, intrinsic love and volition towards this Zaynabic school of thought will help us re-align our roles as women who are constantly battling within, struggling every day and seeking instant comfort and some sort of validation through other women or perhaps finding that temporary buzz through instant gratification.
If we take a cursory glance and look deeper in the divine agency, Allah swt praises the Godly men and women in the Holy Qur’an:
اِنَّ الۡمُسۡلِمِيۡنَ وَالۡمُسۡلِمٰتِ وَالۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَالۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ وَالۡقٰنِتِيۡنَ وَالۡقٰنِتٰتِ وَالصّٰدِقِيۡنَ وَالصّٰدِقٰتِ وَالصّٰبِرِيۡنَ وَالصّٰبِرٰتِ وَالۡخٰشِعِيۡنَ وَالۡخٰشِعٰتِ وَالۡمُتَصَدِّقِيۡنَ وَ الۡمُتَصَدِّقٰتِ وَالصَّآئِمِيۡنَ وَالصّٰٓـئِمٰتِ وَالۡحٰفِظِيۡنَ فُرُوۡجَهُمۡ وَالۡحٰـفِظٰتِ وَالذّٰكِرِيۡنَ اللّٰهَ كَثِيۡرًا وَّ الذّٰكِرٰتِ ۙ اَعَدَّ اللّٰهُ لَهُمۡ مَّغۡفِرَةً وَّاَجۡرًا عَظِيۡمًا
(33:35) Surely the men who submit (to Allah) and the women who submit (to Allah), the men who have faith and the women who have faith, the men who are obedient and the women who are obedient, the men who are truthful and the women who are truthful; the men who are steadfast and the women who are steadfast, the men who humble themselves (to Allah) and the women who humble themselves (to Allah), the men who give alms and the women who give alms, the men who fast and the women who fast, the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard their chastity, the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah much: for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and a mighty reward.
Lady Zaynab s.a. personifies this inner and outer beauty. It is for us as individuals and as collective souls to sail through this this path of God’s Beauty.
As women, we are so blessed to be manifesting this Jamaali phenomenon! As many of us journey through life as wounded healers, we need to infuse ourselves in loyalty , compassion, we thrive in empathy, love, we forgive, we move on, and as caregivers and caretakers we nurse emotional wounds, we cultivate souls, we irrigate purity and nurture our families and communities.
Many of us are battling with real life challenges. Domestic violence, bullying, Islamophobia and Hijab phobia are real! As nurturers, we are given a significant role to play as ‘Rabbatul Bayt’. Especially as mothers, this is not a small task, and we need His Help and support. We need God on our side. At the same time, we need to consciously do our part.
When we are going through our daily storms in parenting our children and life in general, let us take some comfort by turning to Sayyida Zaynab, talk to her, believe me she understands our trials and pain. Take heart. Above all, Allah swt knows our pains and trials. Let us find Peace through Him.
There were so many thoughts running through my mind on that day and as I was just about to finishing my reflections for the day, I made a heartfelt prayer for those surrounding the blessed shrine asking Allah to fulfil the needs of the orphans and protect these beautiful pilgrims.
Until next time we meet at her holy shrine,
With peace and prayers to you all dear seekers of God’s Light.
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