The Arbaeen Gathering is a highly participated ceremonial event occurring every year in the West Asian country of Iraq by a wide variety of nations. Starting from the city of Najaf and ending in the city of Karbala, millions of people walk through this 80 km long path, leading to a 30 million strong gathering in the destination at Karbala on the day of “Arbaeen” to mark this day as a day of allegiance to Imam Hussain’s holy and valuable goals.
Today, almost 1400 years later, the Day of Arbaeen is mourned by millions of people around the world. It is marked as a day to pay tribute to the sacrifice of Hussain for social justice. Typically, on this day people organize large marches in cities across the world to symbolize the eternal nature of Hussain’s revolution and to show they stand for social justice, honour and peace. The Arbaeen Day is now the largest annual peaceful gathering in the world, with numbers set to increase significantly every year.
Over the years, this walk has developed into the largest annual peaceful gathering, with 20-25 million people walking towards the shrine of Imam Hussain. Along this journey, one witnesses the grandest display of humanitarian values, such that it has left witnesses in absolute awe.
Emily Garthwaite's Reflections on the Arbaeen Walk
Emily Garthwaite (born 1993) is an award-winning English photojournalist focusing on humanitarian and environmental issues. She has a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the University of Westminster. Emily has walked over 500km through Iraq twice and co-directed “The 40th Day,” a documentary covering Arbaeen, the world’s largest annual pilgrimage through Iraq.
The Battle between Right and Wrong
What Is the Road to Karbala?
It is a path of mourning for the wounds are deep and the arrows are plentiful that pierce the flesh of Hussain Ibn Ali and his companions on Ashura. On that day Yazid’s army controlled the battlefield. Hard to call it a battlefield, a massacre, really. What do you call 30,000 soldiers against the bravest 72 people who ever lived or ever will live?
It was Yazid’s day. The day of might. The day of brute force. The day of overwhelming numbers. The day of treachery. The day of deceit. The day of control.
“You will do this because we say!”
That is the cry of every authoritarian despot everywhere. Authority rules. Not truth. Not democracy. Not reason. Not love. Not compassion. The authoritarians use those words and make a mockery of them. And they fool the masses. They fool the 30,000. But those who are aware know, the minority, the 72. They know.They know because their heart knows. Their heart knows because they know the grandson of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They know because they have seen the love and beauty that is Imam Hussain (AS). So few. So few really know. As Hussain told his sister Zainab:
“Falsehood can buy many supporters, but truth has only a few friends.”
But when I walked the road to Karbala in October 2018 I was surrounded by millions. Poor and wealthy alike from around the world, walking to make their visit to the man who opened our eyes to the meaning of justice, of truth, and of sacrifice. They walked mourning, weeping, for Hussain and his family, for their suffering, for their courage, for their commitment to Allah at all costs.
Hussain calls out today to everyone, to Muslims, to me a Christian:
“Hal Min Nasirin Yansurna. Is there anyone to help me?”
Dr. Chris Hewer Talks about Imam Hussain and Arbaeen
Certainly, behind every great and historic event lies an important story, in fact, a great motive.
Arbaeen, the world’s largest gathering, is not exempt from this fact.
Lady Zainab is the founder of this universal human movement, which nurtures the ultimate goal, that is, human salvation.
Don’t answer lightly, dear mourner of Hussain.
How can I say, “Labbayk Ya Hussain! Here I am Hussain!?”
Do I mean it?
Do I mean it, really?
Am I really here for Hussain when it means going against the grain, resisting the lies, challenging the powerful, seeking the truth, the real truth?
Honestly, more often than not I don’t really mean it. The cost is too great. I hedge my bet.
Labbayk Ya Hussain! Here I am Hussain! (As long as I don’t have to sacrifice too much).
Here I am Hussain! (As long as it doesn’t take away my comforts).
Here I am Hussain! (As long as my life isn’t disrupted by the cry of the suffering).
Here I am Hussain! (As long as I can safely blend in with the crowd).
I mourn for Hussain because I was too late for the battle.
I mourn for Hussain because I know I am not like Hussain.
I mourn for Hussain because the world is mired in injustice, deceit and cowardice, and I am a part of it.
I mourn for Hussain because it is just easier to be on the side of Yazid.
I mourn for Hussain because mourning is about all I can do.
The Heavenly World
A beautiful musicvideo created by “Montazerane Monji” Institute on the topic of Arbaeen.
What is the road to Karbala?
It is the road, if we let it, to be a road of honesty.
I felt summoned by Hussain when I touched his shrine and I was assisted because I couldn’t quite reach it. A hand took my hand and put it against the grate amidst the surging crowd. It was a moment of unity. A Christian from America welcomed. Hussain is for everyone. I felt summoned by Hussain to seek what is true and just. I felt confident that I could. But following Hussain is not an easy road.
Two years have passed since I made the ziyarat to Imam Hussain (AS). The world has changed dramatically in these two years. It feels as if we are under a spell. Something is very, very wrong and we don’t seem to know what it is. We are being deceived by the powers of this world as Yazid’s army was deceived.
What is the road to Karbala?
So again I ask: What is the road to Karbala?
It is the road of awakening. It is the road of the free man and the free woman. It is the road of hope for humanity when the odds are so against it all seems lost. Hussain showed the world what it means to be a true, free human being when the world was at its darkest.
“Labbayk Ya Hussain!” is not really about us and what we think we can do. We are too late. But we are bearing witness to a promise. We are bearing witness to the revealing of Imam Mahdi and the return of the Prophet Jesus.
It is a matter of faith. We are summoned to trust that Allah has not given up on us.
That may be the hardest task of all—to hope for humanity when humanity is under attack. Perhaps that is what Hussain may be asking of us now. To keep hope alive. Hussain wasn’t defeated at Karbala. He was victorious. Yazid won this world with its deceptions and corruption. Hussain won the world to come with freedom and truth for humanity under the compassionate, watchful eye of Allah.
This world to come is coming soon, inshallah.
John Shuck, a Christian pastor, attended Arbaeen in 2018 thanks to the sponsorship of the Husayniah Society of Seattle and Sister Zahra Abidi. John and his partner, Josh Townsley, made a film about the visit called “For Love of Hussain (AS)” available on YouTube.
The Arbaeen Walk: a Jounrney Like No Other
A documentary on The Arbaeen Walk. Here, you will see what this spiritual journey is all about and how vastly different it is to anything you have experienced.
Glad Tidings of Arbaeen
Following the abolition of Iraqi tyrant, a revolutionary movement with legendary dimensions was formed in Iraq. This holy movement has sleekly evolved and has turned into the powerful and sacred movement of Arbaeen, a global movement with international dimensions. Different sects of Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, Jews, Hindus and even Atheists from about 90 countries participate in this massive and unprecedented movement. This impressive larger-than- life movement has a great deal of blessings for Muslims and other people of the world. The beginning of these glad tidings goes back to a historical act of Lady Zainab. When Imam Hussein (a.s) and his loyal followers were martyred in the plains of Karbala, their household including women and 4 children were captured and taken to the palace of the tyrannical and despotic Yazid. The captive leader, Lady Zainab, shamed and demeaned Yazid’s might and delivered her historical blessed speech as follow:
انّی اَستَصْغرُک، فَوالله لا تَمحو ذِکرنا و لا تُمیتُ وَحینا
“I denigrate you, and swear to God that you can never annihilate our legacy and destroy our revelation.” Lady Zainab’s glad tiding predicts the continuation of the reformative action and the movement of Imam Hussain (a.s) as we witness today. The other aspect of such a claim draws attention to the global magnitude of Imam Hussain’s movement. Today, the movement of Arbaeen, with its Shiite roots, is no longer limited to Shiites, but it expands to all religions and spritual groups, who increasingly play an active, noticeable role. No power can gather tens of millions of people voluntarily and passionately from all over the world in the name of our infallible Imam. This crowd of religious and spiritual individuals marches in peace and harmony towards the shrine of the perfect man. No power can prevent the formation of such massive global community with empathic attitudes towards each other. In this article, we are going to briefly outline the Arbaeen glad tidings for Muslims as well as followers of other religions in the world.
The Melody Of Steps
“Arba’een, a Prelude to the Promised Advent”
by Muhammad Shojaee
Arbaeen 2023
1 thought on “What is Arbaeen”
Hello
Your site is very good and useful.
I enjoyed it.
I hope we all can visit imam Hussain’s(peace be upon him) holy shrine.
Thank you and good jobjob🌷