By: M.K.
Arba’een, meaning “forty” in Arabic is the fortieth day that marks
the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s) in the Shi’ite Islamic sect. It is
also commonly referred to as ‘Chehelom’ in Urdu or Persian. In
commemoration of the third Shi’ite Imam (a.s), Arbaeen constitutes of a
large gathering that usually occurs in the Islamic month of Safar. In
Muslim traditions, Arba’een or a period of forty days is also the
customary time frame that is spent in mourning a family member who has
passed away and the fortieth day then marks the loved one’s death
anniversary. However, Arba’een of Prophet Muhammad’s (s) grandson is no
ordinary gathering. It neither the Islamic Hajj nor the Hindu Kumb Mela,
it is the world’s most crowded gathering one would ever come across.
Surpassing the statistics of Mecca pilgrims annually and Kumb Mela that
only occurs every third year, Arba’een holds millions of visitors each
year at the shrine of Imam Hussain (a.s) in Karbala, Iraq. Briefly
accounting historical data, the visitors had been 8 million in the year,
2009 with the numbers increasing rapidly each year. Last year witnessed
a hefty population of 20 million pilgrims in Karbala with the numbers
expected to increase this year following the escalation trend. Arba’een
being unique in light of its large population of visitors particularly
encompasses intriguing attributes that are worth mentioning. Iraq, a
region with political disturbances and home to terror groups such as
‘Daesh’ or ‘Islamic State ‘ host Arba’een’s visitors year after year.
The Daesh view the Shia as their mortal enemy, however nothing deters
the faith of these pilgrims who passionately carry out their
commemoration surrounding the grave of Imam Hussain (a.s) despite the
danger lurking in the shadows. Let us now examine a few more attributes
of Arba’een. While this commemoration event is Shia-dominated, other
groups including the Sunnis, Christians, Yazidis and Zoroastrians as
well as Sabians also partake in the Arba’een pilgrimage (ziyarat) in
addition to attending other customs, namely serving of devotees. The
preceding attribute is remarkably exclusive in its religious ritual
nature and articulates the following fact: regardless of religion or
color, people see Hussain (a.s) as a symbolic evidence of universal,
unconfined and meta-religious portrayal of freedom as well as
compassion.
The Arba’een is truly amazing. The ziyarat itself constitutes a long
trek to the shrine of the Holy Imam (a.s). There is a 425 mile distance
to be covered from the southern port city of Basra to Karbala. Long as
it is by car, it is even more difficult on foot. Pilgrims perform this
journey within a full two weeks’ time frame and groups include all age
groups. Whether it is the sun’s scorching heat during the day or the
night’s bone-chilling cold, the pilgrims perform the ziyarat with sheer
love for Hussain (a.s). Therefore, the rough regional terrain, uneven
roads, dangerous marshlands and terrorist strongholds are no game
against the compassion of Hussain’s (a.s) visitors who show unmatched
devotion for their martyred Imam and Master. Moreover, the food served
by the locals as part of Arba’een ritual is a sight to witness. For a
comparative perspective, let us consider the aid offered by major
organizations such as the UN World Food Programme and the military-based
Operation Unified Response by United States to victims of natural
disaster following the Haitian Earthquake. While the UN delivered half a
million meals as their maximum effort, the collaborated efforts by
United States had managed to deliver 4.9 million meals to Haitians. At
Arba’een, 50 million meals per day are offered to the pilgrims with a
total of 700 million covering the pilgrimage duration. And these meals
are not offered by any world aid agencies; rather the Iraqi locals
including poor laborers and farmers compile these meals by starving
themselves the entire year in order to save food for Hussain’s (a.s)
pilgrims.
Fourteen hundred years ago, the son of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s) was
martyred in an attempt to erase traces of all teachings of Ahlul-bayt
(a.s) with his followers suffering a tragic end at the hands of the
Umayyad empire and yet fast-forwarding the time clock, Hussain’s (a.s)
mourners inspiringly gather from all walks of life in astonishing
numbers every year. Therefore, if the world understood Hussain’s (a.s)
message and his sacrifice, they will be enlightened about the Daesh’s
ancient roots as well as its motto of death and destruction. Hussain’s
(a.s) presence on the other hand has been and continues to be solidly
marked by Arba’een. His legend is not only encouraging and inspiring but
it challenges the greatest of champions in patience, dedication and
strength to heroically serve a mission – all for the sake of his love
for the divine God.
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