A Glance at Arba’een Pilgrimage

We are commemorating the anniversary of Arba’een or the traditional 40th day of the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS).

Karbala is the cynosure of all eyes for the past few days and today Friday is the climax of the mourning ceremonies with over 25 million pilgrims saluting from the depth of their hearts, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). The standard form of salutation for the Prophet and the Imam is called Ziyarah or Ziyarath, and for your information for the day of Arba’een a special ziyarah has been prescribed for all devotees, whether those assembled at the holy shrine in Karbala or those saluting Imam Husain (AS) from all over the world.

In our today’s Arba’een programme, we highlight the important phrases of the famous Ziyarat-e Arba’een. Stay with us please.

A famous statement from the Prophet’s 11^th Infallible Heir, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), says: There are five signs to recognize or determine a true believer, and recitation of the special ziyarat (or salutation) for Imam Husain (AS) on the Day of Arba'een is one of these signs. The other signs of a true believer: are recitation in raised voice of the Qur'anic ayah Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem during the ritual prayers; performance of 51 raka'at of ritual prayers in a single day at different times (that is, 17 obligatory and 34 recommended); prostration on soil or clay; and wearing of ring in a finger of the right hand.

Thus it is clear that if ritual prayer is the pillar of religion, the pilgrimage of Arba’een and recitation of the special Arba’een ziyarah, whether from near or fat, is the pillar of Wilayah or devotion to the Prophet and his Infallible Successors, as commanded by God Almighty in the holy Qur’an.

The special Arba’een Ziyarah has been related on the authority of Imam Ja’far Sadeq (AS), the great-grandson of the Martyr of Karbala and the 6^th Infallible Heir of the Prophet. It was dictated to his disciple Safwan Jammaal.

Its opening phrase reads: Peace be upon the Friend of Allah… His distinguished!

Peace is among the Divine Attributes. When a pilgrim expresses this wonderful words to greet Imam Husain (AS), he/she is thus wishing peace, harmony, divine protection, and in the process is cleansing his/her own inner spirit and soul from worldly contamination, including the rejection of devils, idols, tyrants, oppressors, traitors, and hypocrites.

Peace  on  the  Chosen  of  Allah  and  son  of  His  Chosen!  Peace on Husain, the Oppressed, the Martyr.

Among the meritorious characteristics of Imam Husain (AS) is selfless and sincere devotion to God Almighty’s command and worship of the highest degree. These peerless traits naturally make him the Chosen of God, while the phrase “son of the Chosen”, is a pointer to the impeccable virtues of his father, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS). In other words, no person can attain perfection unless with purity of thought, sincerity of intention, and integrity of actions, which Imam Husain (AS) displayed throughout his life, with the climax being Karbala, where he endured extreme oppression and attained martyrdom.

In ayah 65 of Surah Kahf God considers true servitude as the source of Divine Mercy and says: “[There] they found one of Our servants whom We had granted a mercy from Ourselves, and taught him a knowledge from Our own.”

This ayah shows that servitude to God opens the gates of divine mercy and wisdom.

 “And You made Him a Leader from the Leaders… You bestowed (upon him) the inheritance of the Prophets.”

In Islam leadership is to guide from the front ranks, and set the practical precedents through personal qualities. Like his grandfather the Prophet, and father, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Husain (AS) led from the front, braving dangers, even if it cost him his life in the way of God. Such a death is not in vain, and earns immortality, as is the case of the Martyr of Karbala, who remains the Beacon of Guidance and Ark of Salvation, and above all the inheritor of the legacy of the Prophets.

“And gave His life in Your way to save Your servants from the yoke of ignorance and the evil of misguidance.”

This phrase is a clear indication of how Husain (AS) by refusing to bow to tyranny and acknowledge the unjust and illegal rule of the Godless Yazid, preferred to court death in combat. He thus sacrificed his life in order to the lasting example of mankind, and thus save the seekers of truth from the yoke of ignorance and the evil of misguidance, by opening to them the perfect path towards salvation. No wonder, Prophet Mohammad (blessing of God upon him and his progeny), did not mince any words when he said: “Husain is from me and I am from Husain.” It means, his grandson and the universal mission of Islam are harmoniously interlinked, and whatever Imam Husain (AS) did or stood for, was the path of the Prophet. In other words, those who harmed Imam Husain (AS) have actually done a great harm to the Prophet.  

 “I testify that Allah will indeed fulfill the promise He made to You and will destroy those who abandoned You and will punish those who killed You.”

This phrase refers to the heroic stand of Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala in fulfilling the Covenant of God. He sacrificed his life and that of his near and dear ones, including sons, brothers, nephews, cousins, kinsmen, and friends, in order to save Islam and all humanitarian values. Thus, the Martyr of Karbala remains supreme till this day with tens of millions of people from all over the world, assembling at his shrine to pay homage to him, while the fate of his killers and his enemies, has been miserable.

In every age and place, the enemies of the Martyr of Karbala have been humiliated and suffered a disgraceful death. In our own times, this is evident by the terrible fate of the cannibalistic Takfiri terrorists and their backers.

The accursed Yazid had tried to wipe out the Ahl al-Bayt, but today there is no trace of the graves of the Omayyads, let alone their palaces, and Insha Allah (God Willing) tomorrow there will no sign of the Saudis and all other Wahhabi heretics, while Imam Husain (AS) rules the hearts of the faithful all over the world, till the reappearance of his direct descendent the Promised Imam Mahdi al-Qa’em (AS), who will establish the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice by ridding Planet Earth of all vestiges of oppression and corruption. Amen

FK/AS/SS