‘She Rebuilt the Narrative of Karbala’: Scholar on Zaynab’s Media-Leadership
Hojat-ol-Islam Meisam Ghasemi, a researcher and lecturer with a doctorate in Islamic studies, was reflecting on the role of Hazrat Zaynab (SA) in the movement of Imam Hussein (AS).
Speaking to IQNA, he emphasized that her actions should be understood within the larger framework of female leadership in Shia history rather than as isolated events.
“In this framework, women actors in Shia history not only fulfilled educational or emotional roles, but also played fundamental and lasting roles in social, political, cultural and media domains,” he said.
He argued that the tragedy of Karbala and its aftermath revealed how Zaynab (SA) and other female figures transcended mere support roles.
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After the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions in the battle of Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, Zaynab (SA) became a central figure. According to historical accounts, she supervised the welfare of women and children in the encampment, and after the massacre, she confronted the captors in the courts of Kufa and Damascus with powerful speeches that exposed the injustices and helped preserve the mission of Imam Hussein (AS).
The movement of Imam Hussein’s uprising is widely regarded as a defining moment in Shia Islam. It symbolised resistance against tyranny and reaffirmed principles of justice and sacrifice. Zaynab’s (SA) role after the battle — often described as “message-bearer of Karbala” — ensured that the narrative of the event was carried forward and not suppressed or forgotten.
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Ghasemi pointed out that Zaynab’s (SA) leadership had two primary dimensions: “the connecting role” in which she forged links between the survivors of Karbala, the household of Imam Hussein (AS) and the wider Muslim community; and “the sustaining role” in which she used oratory, emotional intelligence and moral clarity to guard the message from distortion.
“What Zaynab did was not merely a historical exposure; it was the reconstruction of a divine narrative that pulled truth from the heart of tragedy and awakened the conscience of history,” he said.
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