By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz   
     
Peace unto you O’ Daughter of the Leader of the Prophets,
Peace unto you O’ Daughter of the Leader of the Vicegerents,
Peace unto you O’ Daughter of the Leader of the world’s women,
Peace unto you O’ Daughter of the Mother of all True Believers.
Peace unto you O’ Sister of the Two Leaders of the Youths of Paradise,
These phrases are on the lips of the faithful throughout the world with faces turned towards the holiest of shrines in Syria on the outskirts of Damascus, where reposes in eternal peace the Lady who revived Islam with her electrifying sermons in the courts of the tyrants following the heartrending tragedy of Karbala.
These days the capital of Syria is out of bounds for the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt. Even entry into the shrine of the Noble Lady whom we are saluting with the above phrases, is restricted.
The criminal clique in occupation of Damascus and Syria, though it prevents our physical presence, cannot stop our voices from reaching the threshold of the Granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and Hazrat Khadija, the Daughter of Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), and the Sister of Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS).
Hazrat Zainab (SA) transcends geographical and political barriers. Her God-given merits cannot be confined, neither her response to the earnest pleas of her devotees worldwide for alleviation of their problems, nor her reply to the sincere salutations and greetings of those aware of her virtues. 
It was on the fifth of the month of Jamadi al-Awwal she was born in Medina in the year 6 AH. The faithful all over the world celebrate her birthday with special ceremonies. 
In the Islamic Republic of Iran this day is marked as the “Day of the Nurse”, to honour the services to humanity of these paramedics, who strive day and night to ensure the recovery of patients suffering from various diseases. 
Although not a paramedic, the Heroine of Karbala possess the spiritual power and continues to provide remedies, whatever the maladies or needs of those seeking her intercession with the Almighty Creator.
It is beyond the power of ordinary mortals to pen the merits and virtues of Hazrat Zainab (SA). Her praise requires words as eloquent as that of the Holy Qur’an. A heart as soothing as that of the Prophet of Islam. A tongue as fluent as that of the Commander of the Faithful, A soul as serene as that of the world’s Noblest-Ever Lady. A largesse as magnanimous as that of the Munificent Imam. A spirit as indomitable as that of the Chief of Martyrs.
Last but not the least, a resolve as rational as that of her nephew, who expressed those immortal words to describe the insight and foresight of his aunt: “You are by the grace of God a scholar unschooled by anyone and a sage by connation.”
The merits of Hazrat Zainab (SA), who gave her two youthful sons Aun and Mohammad as sacrifices for the cause of Islam at Karbala, do not end here, in view of the fact that her husband was her first cousin Abdullah ibn Ja’far at-Tayyar known to the Arabs for both his valour and generosity.
Hazrat Zainab (SA) was too great to rest on family laurels. She explored a distinctive path of her own and that is the reason her virtues merited the title “Sani-e Zahra” or the Lady second only to her Impeccable Mother, Noblest Lady of all times.
Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), needed an Immaculate Deputy to demonstrate to the women of the world the greatness of Islam and the practical meaning of piety, virtue and feminine rights. This is why her elder daughter, Zainab (SA), rose to the occasion to carve out an immortal niche for herself in history, setting a lasting example of flawlessness and iron-resolve in the face of adversities. 
She was the embodiment of practical knowledge. The Iranian scholar Shaikh Saddouq, who flourished over a thousand years ago, writes: “People used to refer to her in [jurisprudential] matters related to the sanctioned and forbidden until [her nephew, Imam] Zain al-Abedin (AS) recovered from his illness).”
It means Hazrat Zainab (SA) was immune from any ignorance and possessed God-given knowledge with certitude. 
Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), in praise of her eloquent sermons in Kufa and Damascus when in the aftermath of the heartrending tragedy of Karbala the noble prisoners were brought before the Omayyad rulers, said the realities and finer points of God-given intelligence and knowledge that his aunt demonstrated is not easy to grasp by even the most erudite scholars. 
In view of these undeniable facts it is rightly said the immortal saga of Karbala would have remained incomplete if not for the endeavours of Hazrat Zainab (SA), whose holy shrine Insha Allah, will certainly be freed from the occupation of the Godless takfiri terrorists.