The final days of the Arba'een mourning period are upon us. This marks the forty-day mourning period following the martyrdom of the third Imam (divinely appointed leader) of the Shi'a faith, commemorated every year by millions of believers all around the world. He stood against a 30,000-strong army with seventy-two companions on the tenth of Muharram 61AH, over 1300 years ago, each of which were deprived of water for seven days and slaughtered on the hot plains of Karbala, modern-day Iraq. Their women and children were looted, chained, taken upon unsaddled animals, paraded through the streets of Damascus, and imprisoned. Their crime was their refusal to pledge allegiance to the tyrant of the time, Yazid (la) and siding with the grandson of the final Prophet of God, Muhammad, and everything they were subject to as a result was intended to extinguish their legacy. Yet, to this day, the blaze lives on. His legacy inspires millions to this day, and to commemorate the tragedy of Karbala they come en masse during these forty days, walking the roughly eighty kilometres from Najaf to Karbala. Many set up Mawakib (stations) along the way where food, water, shelter, massages, and other services are generously provided for free, out of love for God and His slain representative on the earth. The legacy of Arba3een is a testament to the undying and inextinguishable love in the hearts of Husayn's inheritors, and a renewal of their covenant towards him to stand by the forces of justice unconditionally, even if it means sacrificing their lives. It is a message to the enemies of truth that they cannot threaten people who see martyrdom as their greatest honour with death. When the Ba'athi army led by Saddam Hussein (la) entered the Holy Shrines and murdered thousands of pilgrims and innocents for uprising against his tyrannical government, did the mission of Husayn die out? No, it only grew stronger. When !5!5 (LA) entered Iraq and Syria and murdered millions of civilians (primarily Shi'a, as they were the only ones fighting against them!!!), did the mission of Husayn die out? No, it only grew stronger. When you-know-who exerted military aggression upon South Lebanon in 2023, detonating pagers and phones, conducting airstrikes on their civilians, assassinating their resistance leaders, buying out their government, along with many other unprecedented crimes, did the mission of Husayn die out? No, it only grew stronger. In the face of tyranny and oppression, will the mission of Husayn ever die out? No, it will only continue to grow stronger.
Fun fact: the largest annual gathering in the world is Arba3een, attracting over 20 million lovers and inheritors of the legacy of Imam al-Husayn every year (search it up!). Despite this fact, it is nowhere to be heard of in the media. This photo was taken last year along the Najaf-Karbala walk when I had the honour to go to Iraq during this time. Many people carry banners and flags to symbolise their devotion and political solidarity. To this day the battle between truth and falsehood continues, though the arenas may change, and again, only the former will persist. "And those that have wronged will come to know the fate they will meet, and the ultimate outcome is with the righteous."
