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The Bábà women of Zanján
No account of the BábĂs of Zanján would be complete without highlighting the role of the women. Besides their role in the fort [see “Conditions in the Fort” in Section 4 above] they ventured out into the battlefield. NabĂl records:
In the midst of a tumult in which the boisterous enthusiasm of the companions of Hujjat faced the fury and barbarism of an exasperated enemy, the voices of [BábĂ] women, who were struggling side by side with the men, could be heard from time to time, animating the zeal of their fellow disciples. The victory that was miraculously achieved on that day was, in no small measure, attributable to the shouts of exultation which those women raised in the face of a mighty foe, shouts which acquired added poignancy by their own acts of heroism and self-sacrifice. Disguised in the garb of men, some had rushed forward, in their eagerness to supplant their fallen brethren, while the rest were seen carrying on their shoulders skins full of water, with which they strove to allay the thirst, and revive the strength, of the wounded. 70_ACT14
Story of young Zaynab
In those days, women were not allowed to bear arms and fight. In this regard, amongst the BábĂ women of Zanján, one young woman stood out. NabĂl records:
Her name was Zaynab, her home a tiny hamlet in the near neighbourhood of Zanján. She was comely and fair of face, was fired with a lofty faith, and endowed with intrepid courage. … Donning a tunic and wearing a head-dress like those of her men companions, she cut off her locks, girt on a sword, and, seizing a musket and a shield, introduced herself into their [the men’s] ranks. No one suspected her of being a maid [unmarried young woman] when she leaped forward to take her place behind the barricade. As soon as the enemy charged, she bared her sword and, raising the cry of “Yá Sáhibu’z-Zamán!” flung herself with incredible audacity upon the forces arrayed against her. Friend and foe marvelled that day at a courage and resourcefulness the equal of which their eyes had scarcely ever beheld. Her enemies pronounced her the curse which an angry Providence had hurled upon them. Overwhelmed with despair and abandoning their barricades, they fled in disgraceful rout before her. 71_ACT14
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