Lady Zainab (as) & the Power of Media
Sayed Mohammad Baqir Al-Qazwini
الَّذِينَ يُبَلّـِغُونَ رِسَالاَتِ اللَّهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلاَ يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَداً اِلاَّ اللَّهَ وَكَفَي بِاللَّهِ حَسِيباً
Those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him, and do not fear any one but Allah; and Allah is sufficient to take account.
[Surah Al-Ahzab 33; Verse 39]
Lady Zainab is undoubtedly a shining star of the Ahlulbayt. She is an incredible role model that has many lessons to teach humanity even up to this day.
There are deeper motives as to why Imam Hussain (as) took the womenfolk and children with him towards the plains of Karbala. Some reasons are as follows:
To demonstrate the sincerity of his sacrifice—that is was purely for Allah (swt) and not politically motivated.
To ensure that Zainab was the truthful tongue of Islam after Ashura. In essence, Lady Zainab and the womenfolk acted as the media of Imam Hussain (as), propagating the reality of the advent and exposing the falsehood and wickedness of the tyrants.
Look at how the media has the capacity to shape public opinion today, especially towards defaming Islam and the Muslims, which has led to a great proportion of Americans harbouring negative views towards Muslims (approximately 50%). Numerous surveys and polls show that Muslims are the most misrepresented people in the media. Unfortunately, such negative propaganda has the capacity to mislead many people who will otherwise, not make an attempt to assess its validity, but rather accept it as truth.
In reality, the percentage of Islamic-based violence compared to the rest of society is statistically insignificantly. So why then, is Islam presented in such a way where it appears to be predominantly violent and terrorizing? Why is its positive face never displayed in the media? It is extremely important to note brothers and sisters, that many people have become so engulfed by the falsehood and lies of the media that they genuinely believe Islam is a religion which incites violence.
Therefore, it is a duty upon us to transmit the truth and dispel many of these misconceptions. One extremely effective method which can be utilised is through social media. It is an advantageous platform that allows us to voice our concerns and reject falsehood. In fact, it is an obligation to use these tools to correctly represent ourselves and to reject misinformation in society.
The Prophet Muhammad (saws) said:
“One who rises in the morning and is unconcerned about the affairs of Muslims around the world, is not a true Muslim.”
The same way Lady Zainab was the voice of truth and a rejector of falsehood, let us follow in her footsteps and make a commitment to represent Islam in the way it ought to be represented, and reject the falsehood which prevails in society. There are countless methods which we can utilise to promote the truth, so let’s use them effectively.