Only Beauty
Some remarks on Duʿāʾ Kumayl (part 7)
wa-bi-ʿizzatika allatī lā yaqūmu lahā shayʾun
[I beseech you] by your might, which nothing can resist
The Quran attests to the fact that might belongs entirely to God, who is its source and the source of all power. God bestows might upon whomever he wills and however he chooses. Anyone who is mighty and venerable is so by virtue of God’s might. On the fifteenth of Rajab, which is the day on which we commemorate the martyrdom of Zaynab bint Ali, we beseech God in the following words:
“O you who have arrogated sublimity and highness, whence your friends take pride in your might (fa-awliyāʾuhu bi-ʿizzihi yataʿazzazūn).”
One can see might and honor in the words and actions of God’s friends even when they’re faced with severe hardship. After the Battle of Karbala, when the captives were brought before Ibn Ziyad, he said, “Who is this woman?” They replied, “She is Zaynab bint Ali.” Ibn Ziyad asked, “What did you think of what God did to your brother and your household (kayfa raʾayti ṣunʿa allāh bi-akhīki wa-ahli baytik)?” According to Ibn Tawus, Zaynab replied, “I saw nothing but beauty (mā raʾaytu illā jamīlan).”
Al-Ṭabarī tells the story as follows:
When the head of Husayn was brought—with his children, sisters, and women—before Ibn Ziyad, Zaynab had worn her shabbiest clothes. She remained unnoticed among her maids, who stood around her. When she entered, she sat down. Ibn Ziyad asked, “Who is this woman who is sitting?” She did not reply. He repeated his question three times, but she said nothing. One of her maids then replied, “This is Zaynab, the daughter of Fatimah.” Ibn Ziyad then said to her, “Praise be to God who disgraced you and killed you and exposed the falsehood of your claims!” She replied, “Praise be to God who honored us with Muhammad and purified us thoroughly. Unlike what you say, God only disgraces the open sinner and exposes the lies of the degenerate.” He asked, “What did you think of God’s treatment of your household?” She replied, “Death was written for them so they hastened to the places of their martyrdom. Soon God will gather you and them, and you will each present your arguments to him and explain your actions before him.”