The Arbaeen March (5)
Oct 27, 2018 08:51 UTC
Welcome to the fifth episode of a 7-part series titled “The Arbaeen March” on the annual gathering in Karbala on the traditional 40th day of the epic of Ashura at the holy shrine of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS), the younger grandson and 3rd Infallible Heir of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).
If you remember, yesterday, while presenting to you an eyewitness account of this spiritual journey, we said the pilgrim on entering Iraq via the Iranian border of Mehran, first visited the holy city of Kazemain, north of Baghdad, and after performing pilgrimage to the blessed shrines of Imam Musa Kazem and Imam Mohammad Taqi (peace upon them) the Prophet’s 7th and 9th Infallible Heirs respectively, visited the holy city of Samarra, where repose in eternal peace the Prophet’s 10th and 11 Infallible Heirs, Imam Ali Naqi al-Hadi and Imam Hassan Askari (peace upon them).
The pilgrim next left for Najaf to perform pilgrimage to the blessed shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet’s Divinely-Designated Vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). He then set off for Karbala in the company of hundreds of thousands of devotees covering the 80-km distance on foot, while others from far off places in Iraq even walk for 20 or more days to reach Karbala.
As I got up the next morning, I looked at the Najaf-Karbala road and the unending columns of pilgrims progressing towards the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS). For the last time, I looked at the golden dome of the shrine and bid farewell to the Commander of the Faithful. I passed by Wadi os-Salaam, the world’s largest cemetery and perhaps the oldest, where from several thousand years prophets, saints, scholars, martyrs and the faithful, are being laid to rest. Of the two known messengers of God in this cemetery, are Prophet Houd and Prophet Saleh. Among the tombs of scholars are such great personalities like Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ali Aqa Qazi Tabatabai, the teacher of renowned exegete of the Qur'an, Allamah Seyyed Mohammad Hussain Tabatabai.
On both sides of the road leading from Kufa to Karbala there were myriads of tents and stands to render services and foodstuffs to the pilgrims. As if everybody had taken part in a contest for gaining more and more divine rewards and satisfaction through helping and serving the pilgrims. The more interesting matter was that many of the Iraqi people would humbly invite you to be their guest for the night. There was drizzle but it could not stop the devotees from continuing their march.
What is the mystery behind this much love and affection for Imam Husain? It is obvious his great sacrifice that saved Islam and all humanitarian values. Only God Almighty knows the rewards for the pilgrims.
The columns at regular intervals on the Najaf-Karbala road have been numbered. They total 1452. When you proceed, you see the old and the young, the children and the toddlers, and even infants in the arms of their mothers or strollers, moving like a huge sea towards Karbala. There is no difference between the poor and the rich, as all are devotees, and without any feeling of superiority or inferiority or class distinction, they rub shoulders with each other, sit at the same table to eat, and sleep in the same camps.
There are pilgrims from many world countries. I myself saw the flags and people from Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Thailand, Belgium, Tanzania, Australia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Lebanon, Norway, Sweden, China, Azerbaijan Republic, the US, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and so on. According to the reports, the year there were pilgrims from more than 40 countries.
The so-called mainstream media of the West, rarely covers this annual spiritual march which is the world’s largest gathering. It means global arrogance and their local agents are afraid of this grand display of faith, and moreover many media outlets are paid by Washington, London, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to ignore the Arba’een March.
Almost the entire route was flanked by tents or temporary structures. Religious groups from all over the world are in charge of these tents. Of course, over 90% of these tents and groups belong to the Iraqi tribes. Iraqis call such religious groups Mowkeb. These tents and groups render services to the pilgrims depending on their amenities and wealth. While I was taking steps I remembered the calamities Imam Husain, his Ahl al-Bayt and his companions bravely and patiently endured, without yielding to the pressures of the cowardly enemy to acknowledge the illegal and un-Islamic rule of the tyrant Yazid. Here, it is not just the feet that cover the route, but the hearts.
I left my family and friends to join the lovers of Imam Husain (AS) in this limitless ocean of human beings. If you were there, you would understand that Arba’een is a multisided move. First, it is a gathering of devotion that symbolizes the infinite love of the masses for Imam Husain and the Ahl al-Bayt. Second, it is a move stems from proper cognizance and deep knowing of the uprising of Imam Husain (AS). Third, it is a unifying move which links the hearts to each other. The Arabic phrase beautifully describes this event, "Hobb-ul Husain Yajma'una" meaning: "Husein's love has gathered us together".
Within a few days, over 200 million meals are distributed among pilgrims. Serving the pilgrims is not limited to these meals but the hospitality of Iraqis goes beyond this. Places for reposing, sanitary services, bathrooms, fruits, tea, coffee, beverages, medical services, massaging and so on are also available in different parts of this route.
If there converge some 3 million pilgrims annually during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, it is estimated that over 20 million pilgrims from all over the world gather together in Iraq all of whom march toward an invisible but very powerful magnet called "Husain". Last year there were nearly 27 million pilgrims in the Arba’een March and it is predicted that this year's number will be much more.
I decided to take a rest as my feet and legs were tired. I entered a tent. There was a young man who was resting as well. After a short while, we began conversing. He was an Indian. He said, "One of the miracles of Imam Husain is that he doesn't pay attention who you are and where you have come from. It suffices that you are the pilgrim of Arba’een. These people who are at the service of the pilgrims, humanely, open the doors of their houses for the guests of Imam Husain. In cold weather they stand outdoors, welcome us and invite us inside. In a world where nobody spends time for anybody; there people have offered all their time, money, house and all their properties for the pilgrims. Just for the love of Imam Husain."
I'm overjoyed by this much beauty. I like to go and reach soon, to go inside the shrine of Imam Hussein and be lost among the throng of mourners.
RM/AS/ME
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