The Day of Faith: The Life, Struggle & Spiritual Legacy of Lady Bibi Zohra Al-Siddiqa

On the 3rd of February, 2026, we gathered as a believing family under the blessed invocation, “In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.” This was a birthday celebration, but more than that, a day of gratitude, remembrance, and honoring our faith. It was proclaimed a national day of remembrance: “The Day of Faith” — honoring a woman whose life embodies steadfast devotion in its purest form: Lady Bibi Zohra, also known as “Lady Layla”.

To us as a believing family, Lady Layla’s birth is much more than the arrival of a child into the world - we see it as the beginning of a spiritual legacy. Her life has been one divinely destined to nurture, support, and fortify a community that would one day stand firmly behind the vicegerent of God on earth today - Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq. In the words of our Imam, “Her birthday is the birthday of faith itself.”

Who is Lady Layla?

What distinguishes Lady Layla in our eyes is the practical application of her faith.

Lady Layla is an incredible example for all believers - a true supporter of the Qaim of the Family of Mohammed, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq. She is the matriarch of a great tribe of dedicated souls that followed her and joined the community of Aba Al-Sadiq.

They have walked by his side in support and faith - thanks to her guiding hand and wisdom. Her journey is remarkable and filled with inspiring lessons. In the eloquent words of Aba Al-Sadiq, Lady Layla “held tight to the garment of Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed,” and this couldn’t be truer. In joining the blessed community of Aba Al-Sadiq, against all odds, she truly boarded the “Ark of Salvation,” a metaphor used within certain Shia traditions to signify steadfast allegiance to the divinely appointed Imam.

When others faltered under pressure, she remained calm. When metaphorical thunder clapped and lightning struck, when doubts circulated and fear spread, she did not waver.

Roots of Faith: The Early Life and Trials of Lady Layla

Lady Layla’s story begins far from the halls where she would one day be honored. It began in 1954, in the quiet village of Muftian Syeda, nestled in the fertile plains of Punjab, Pakistan — the land of five rivers. She was born the eldest of five siblings — four sisters and one brother — into a devout Shia Syed family.

From an early age, Lady Layla understood that her identity carried both honor and responsibility.

Lady Layla’s parents divorced while she was still young, dividing the family. At just eleven years old, she found herself stepping into motherhood in all but name, caring for her infant sister and shielding her siblings from the ache of absence. When her mother remarried, and her father later passed away alone, the lessons of endurance began to etch themselves deeply into her character.

She married the man she would later describe as her universe — her backbone, her companion, and her greatest earthly blessing. 

Shortly after marriage, she moved to the United Kingdom. 

Now was the moment she would see a great transition. The cultures differed, the social norms felt unfamiliar, even the food was strange. But she did not cross that threshold alone. Her husband’s presence turned foreign streets into shared ground, and unfamiliar seasons into a home built together.

Over the years, they were blessed with seven children — three sons and four daughters. She raised her children upon love for the Ahlul Bayt, teaching them reverence for the Twelve Imams, loyalty to the Family of Mohammed, and patience in hardship.

In September 1991, while visiting relatives in Pakistan with two of her daughters, tragedy struck without warning. Her husband died suddenly of a heart attack. She was thirty-four years old. Just twenty days after her husband’s death, her father also passed away. Two pillars of her life were gone within weeks. Despite these trials, and in her firm faith, she became, in her son Waqar’s words, a mountain: outwardly firm even when inwardly trembling.

Returning to the United Kingdom as a widow, she devoted herself entirely to raising her children, ensuring they grew not only educated but spiritually grounded. She spoke often of the hardships endured by the family of the Prophet, reminding her children that patience is most meaningful when it is hardest.

At the time, she believed this season of widowhood and loss was the greatest trial she would ever face. She could not yet know that even greater spiritual tests lay ahead.

But in those years, the foundations were laid. Faith was no longer inheritance alone; it was survival. And through that crucible of loss, Lady Layla’s quiet resilience began shaping the legacy that would later be honored as a living example of steadfast devotion.

Trials Upon Trials: A Mother Tested Again

As if widowhood and loss had not already carved their mark upon Lady Layla’s life, another storm arrived, sudden and without warning.

One ordinary evening after dinner, her eldest son, Waqar, was overtaken by something no one could explain. Within moments, his entire body became paralyzed. He could not move. Panic filled the house. Soon he was transferred to a major hospital in North Wales, where doctors struggled to determine how a healthy young man could lose all mobility so abruptly.

The months that followed were defined by uncertainty.

Even in the hospital corridors, Lady Layla radiated calm. The doctors could offer no satisfying explanation for Waqar’s sudden condition. 

Waqar remembers vividly the final day before his mother returned home to care for his children. She leaned toward him and said, “Son, I am putting you in the care of Lady Fatima Al-Zahra.” The reference to Fatima, the revered daughter of the Prophet, became his anchor through four long months of rehabilitation.

Nine months after the paralysis began, Waqar returned home. Adjustments were made to accommodate his needs. The family rallied around him, embodying the very values Lady Layla had spent decades instilling: love for the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and devotion to his household. Not once did she see her son surrender to despair. Just as he had stepped forward as the man of the house after his father’s death, he now bore this trial with quiet resolve.

The Loss of Her Son Zawar

In 2007, her second son, Zawar, then only thirty-two years old, was diagnosed with blood cancer — lymphoma. The diagnosis struck like lightning. The family pursued every possible avenue of treatment. Her son Najjam accompanied Zawar to the United States in search of specialized care, sparing no expense. Hope rose and fell with each medical consultation.

But the illness advanced relentlessly. Soon, Zawar passed away.

This was a moment where the faith of Lady Layla was seen in practice. Her response to the tragic incident was beautiful: “God, You gave me this son of mine in the first place, and now he is Yours.”

These words uttered by this great lady and mother are an example for every believer in God. 

The Call of 2015: A Turning Point

In 2015, what began as an ordinary day would become one of the most defining moments of Lady Layla’s life.

She was in Pakistan when her eldest son, Waqar, called her from the United Kingdom. He spoke of the arrival of the Imam of the time, Imam Mahdi.

And how did Lady Layla respond?

There was no hesitation. No internal debate. No skepticism wrestling for dominance. She accepted it instantly.

Later, she would describe the experience not as blind belief but as recognition. It was as though something within her aligned completely with what she was hearing. The news filled her with an overwhelming joy she could not explain. It was a certainty that bypassed ordinary reasoning and settled directly in her heart.

Without delay, she resolved to return to the United Kingdom. Every passing hour felt elongated by anticipation. She longed to understand what her son had discovered and to see with her own eyes what had so convinced him.

Upon her arrival, Waqar presented the Holy Will of Prophet Mohammed. As she read it, conviction overtook her.

She later explained that her conviction was not emotional fervor alone. To her, the pattern of divine appointment described in the Will mirrored what she had learned throughout her life: that God appoints His representatives directly. From Adam to Jesus, Jesus to Mohammed, Mohammed to the Mahdi, divine authority, in her understanding, had never been left to popular vote or human selection. It was always designated by God Himself.

This recognition, she believed, placed the matter beyond doubt.

For Lady Layla, 2015 was not simply the year of a theological shift. It was the year her faith moved from inherited tradition to allegiance. And once again, as in every previous chapter of her life, she chose certainty over comfort.

Hijra: Choosing the Community Over Comfort

In the later chapter of her life, Lady Layla would say she had been blessed with many gifts. Above all, she counted her family as the greatest of them — children and grandchildren whose hearts beat with love for the Ahlul Bayt. 

When the call came to migrate — to make hijra — the decision became a sacred undertaking.

Together, the family packed their belongings, sold their possessions, and organized their affairs. Their intention was to travel to where the Qaim from the Family of Mohammed stood.

Then, at what felt like the most hopeful moment, illness intervened.

Lady Layla was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease. She became dependent on dialysis. Hospital schedules replaced travel preparations. The physical toll was immense. For many, such a diagnosis would have marked the closing of doors. But not for Lady Layla. For her, it became a test of faith. She refused to let illness become the reason she would not meet the Imam of her time. She began preparing once more.

Eventually, Lady Layla found herself in Germany. Hijra, for Lady Layla, was not about escaping hardship. It was about choosing allegiance over ease — Imam over comfort — certainty over fear. And even with failing kidneys, she walked forward. She endured the death of her son. She battled diabetes. She confronted cancer. She survived heart attacks. Her body weakened; her organs struggled. She faced disbelief and opposition from relatives and acquaintances who did not share her convictions. Yet, none of these trials succeeded in pulling her away from what she believed to be the truth.

Her story is living proof that faith is not theoretical — it is tested in hospital rooms, in moments of grief, in whispered prayers when strength appears to be fading. It is the fuel she provides to everyone around her to believe more, try harder, and stand stronger. A light in the darkness that tells us to believe in God.

Service Despite Suffering

Despite dialysis, heart complications, and cancer, she insisted on serving the dawah. When a satellite channel and studio were established, she volunteered to present an Urdu program called “Kashti e Nijaat” or “The Ark of Salvation”, a show dedicated to the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq which is widely watched till today and has a following of Urdu speaking believers worldwide. She adjusted her dialysis schedule to accommodate filming. Her dedication truly leaves no excuse for anyone when it comes to serving this blessed Call.

I will never forget the commitment this great lady displayed - she humbled us, and I thank God for the honor of having been able to sit on her show and discuss the blessed religion of Imam Mahdi by her side.

Her perseverance embodies the teaching attributed to Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan: “Work until you are breathless.”

Recognition by Religious Leadership

Lady Layla’s stature was further elevated through statements from Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, the first of the Twelve Mahdis, who said: “She is pure, and her entire family is pure.”

During the February 3rd ceremony, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq made an announcement that filled our hearts with joy and pride. He formally declared Lady Layla a saint — a waliya (friend of God). He bestowed upon her the title Al-Siddiqa (The Truthful One), symbolically placing her name alongside revered women in Islamic sacred history:

• Maryam (Mary, mother of Jesus)

• Asiya

• Zaynab bint Ali

• Fatimah

This is a true declaration of Lady Layla’s spiritual elevation. 

The Simplicity and Power of Certainty

People have asked: How did a seemingly simple woman attain such rank? The answer given is equally simple: through faith free of hesitation.

She is someone who did not require complex theological proofs once she believed she had identified divine truth. When told that a man carried the Will of the Messenger of Allah, that was sufficient for her. She did not allow fear, doubt, illness, or social isolation to cloud what she believed was clarity. For Lady Layla, the truth is clearer than the midday sun, just as the narrations state.

In a world where many hesitate due to inconvenience or discomfort, or delay allegiance until certainty feels socially safe, her example was presented as the opposite: conviction first, comfort second. She is the glue of her family and tribe — the unifying presence that holds others together during hardship. She is a grandmother, a mother, and a support to those who love Aba Al-Sadiq. 

A Legacy of Loyalty

The Day of Faith was not meant to be a one-time event. 

Her birthday, February 3rd, is a national holiday for us. It is the memory not merely of a person, but of a principle: that faith under trial is necessary. Through the actions of Lady Layla, she has successfully become synonymous with loyalty, and this is the way every believer should be - someone whose name becomes a reminder of how we need to be better.

Whether viewed as saint, matriarch, symbol, or source of inspiration, Lady Bibi Zohra Al-Siddiqa now occupies a permanent place within the narrative of her community. And as the gathering closed with prayers upon Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed, one message echoed above all: Faith, when rooted deeply enough, outlives sickness, survives storms, and leaves a legacy that death itself cannot erase.

Peace be upon Lady Layla.