The granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), Zaynab bint Ali is one of the most famous women in early Islamic history. Born in 626 CE (AH 5), her mother was Fatima, The Prophet’s daughter, and her father was Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and one of his most trusted companions. Zaynab is renowned throughout the Islamic world for a number of reasons - she is considered a figure of sacrifice, strength, and piety. She is also revered because she is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt, Prophet Mohammed’s biological line. Throughout her life, even after her marriage, she maintained strong familial ties, following her father to Kufa when he became the Caliph. She also became an important role model for women in the Islamic world at the time, holding sessions with women in her community, helping them to study the Quran and to learn more about Islam. Zaynab is most famous perhaps, for her selfless nature and her utter defiance in the face of oppression, which at one point caused her to throw her body across her nephews (and one of the last male descendants of the Prophet) when he had been sentenced to death. Another example of her defiance is seen in the sermon she gave while held captive in Yazid’s court, criticizing Yazid’s oppression of the women of the Prophets household and his utter disdain for the lives of his fellow Muslims. She began her sermon with a response to Yazid’s question of “who is this arrogant woman” to which she replied “why are you asking them? Ask me. I’ll tell you who I am. I am Muhammad’s granddaughter. I am Fatimas daughter.”