AlhamdoLillah this year, Imam Hussein (AS) invited me to visit his holy shrine during Arbaeen 2016. More than 20 Millions of Muslims from across the world have gathered in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate Arba’een, the 40th day after Ashura (the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam).
These are some photos I've taken during walking towards Karbala.
Arbaeen 2016 - Ashura 40th - Start of the Road Najaf-Karbala
Arbaeen 2016 - Ashura 40th - Largest International Gathering
About 12 days left until Arbaeen 2016; but pilgrims just started their spiritual journey towards Imam Hussein (AS)... Lots of people from Iran, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Pakistan, India, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain and Western countries began their walking from around 10 days before. They want to experience the best travel of the world. A travel on foot towards the heart of the earth, Karbala; where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is.
Last year more than 26 million pilgrims walked towards Karbala to take part in the mourning rituals of Arba’een in Iraq (4 December 2015). (Ref: Arbaeen 2015 Gathering)
This year, hopefully I am one of the millions of Pilgrims of Imam Hussein (AS) InshaAllah.
Areal Photo from Karbala During Arbaeen 2015
What is Arbaeen
Arbaeen is the 40th day after Ashura
in which Imam Hussein (as) and his companions martyred. In Arbaein, due
to some historical documents, Imam Sajjad (AS), Seyeda Zeinab (the
sister of Imam Hussein), and some other relatives of the Imam, came back
to Karbala and mourned for Imam and other martyrs of the battle of Ashura.
After Saddam, walking to
Karbala was released. Since then, every year, millions of Shia Muslims
from all over the world travel to Karbala, the holy city of Iraq, to
commemorate the religious ceremony of Arbaeen.
The walk from Najaf to Karbala
is one of the most enlightening acts of worship a pilgrim can perform.
The suffering and hardship imposed on the family of Imam Hussain (as)
and the grandchildren of Prophet Muhammad (s) is felt in every step, and
thus the love and respect for this holy family increases in the heart
of the believer with every step that is taken towards the holy land of
Karbala.
100 Years old man walking lots of kilometers towards karbala - Arbaeen 2014
Every year, at the first Friday of Muharram, Shia Muslims commemorate the Global day of Ali Asghar (AS). Yesterday was the first Friday of Muharram and Iranian Shia as well as other Shia throughout the world, marked this international day.
Abdullah Ali al-Asghar ibn Husayn or simply Ali Asghar (d. 10 Muharram 61 AH (10 October 680 CE)) was the youngest child of Imam Hussein ibn Ali (grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam) and Rubab (daughter of the chief of the Kinda Imra al-Qays tribe). The six month old Ali Asghar was killed during the Battle of Karbala and is commemorated in Shia as the "personified quintessence of the innocent victim".
The following are some photos from the Global day of Ali Asghar in Iran during Muharram 2016.
A fantastic video from ShiaTv.net, a great video sharing site for Shia Islam in different languages.
Link in ShiaTV.net: Moon on Spears - Video About Imam Hussein
Similar link in YouTube with English subtitle: The Moon Upon The Spears
.... Arbaeen
is coming and millions of pilgrims are walking towards Hussein;
however I can't travel to Karbala this year. May Allah grant me this
opportunity next year.
Dec-2-2015 is Arbaeen of Imam Hussein. I hope this year, western media send some reporters to see what is happening in Iraq during these days. Millions of Shia Muslims are traveling on foot towards Hussain from hundreds of kilometers away; but almost no TV channel or News site talks about it (they only see Self Flagellation!). Why? Because they think that this kind of Islam will change the world and if it is spread around the world and people know Who is Hussain, Capitalism will be diminished and Islam will be extended throughout the world...
Some records for Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (as):
The largest annual gathering in the world (about 20 million pilgrims)
The longest continuous dining table (about 500 km)
Largest number of people fed for free
Largest group of volunteers serving a single event
Longest travel on foot (from 80 km to 500km and more)
#Arbaeen2015
#Arba'in2015
#اربعین
See more photos about Arbaeen Here
Arbaeen 2015 is coming; KEEP READY for the best travel in the earth. Fortunately I experienced this spiritual travel on foot previous year, Arbaeen 2014. I hope traveling again ,this year during Arbaeen 2015, to the heart of the world, Karbala, the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (as).
Don't miss the following documentary about Arbaeen and Imam Hussain:
What is Arbaeen (Arba'in)?
It’s not the Muslim Hajj, or the Hindu Kumbh Mela... Known as Arbaeen (or Arba'in), it is the world’s most populous gathering and you’ve probably never heard of it! Arbaeen Pilgrimage is the largest religious gathering which is held every year. It is held at the end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura, the religious ritual for the commemoration of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hossein ibn Ali's death in 680.Arba'een marks a "pivotal event in Islamic history" in which the pilgrims make their journey to Karbala on foot, where Husayn ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia, and his army were killed and beheaded by the army of Yazid.
There are a lot of campaigns in the world; most of them for physical human needs and a little for the sake of Allah. Who is Hussain is such campaign which is created for spiritual purposes. They influenced by the sacrifice of Imam Hussein, the third Imam of Shia Muslims, in the day of Ashura.... The campaign is introduced as follows:
Who is Hussain is a global organization dedicated to letting the world know about an inspirational man who lived fourteen-hundred years ago. A man called Hussain.
We aim to inspire people through the timeless example of Hussain and bring positive change in the world we live in. Our reps and volunteers organise events to give back in their local communities, ranging from blood donation drives to feeding the homeless and much more.
You can join this campaign by sharing their resources, by donating them or by involving in their events (Involve in WhoIsHussain Campaign).
Every time I look at Google for the word Ashura or Ashoora, I see lots of bloody photos of people who are flagellating themselves with chains of blades, sword, knife or other sharp metal things! Now the question is that:
Is Self Flagellation in Ashura Legal in Shia Religion?
Is this the truth about Shia and Ashura? That means do all the Shia Muslims flagellate themselves during Ashura? It seems so crazy and unbelievable, since that I am a Shia Muslim and I never did it and never see somebody flagellate himself in our Shia cities during my life! So why Google shows these Images in its first page and why it never filters them while they contain violent and rough images.
Answer is so clear. Google doesn't like Shia thoughts to be spread throughout the world. Google is under supervision of Zionists and it is not acceptable for them that the religion of resistance, Shia, which is against Israel (Hizbullah, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq) has a good face in Google results! So it shows images of Hindu men that believe in No Pain, No Gain and mutilate themselves in Muharram procession!
What Western Media and Google See for Ashura.
Most of those people flagellating themselves are Hindu, not Shia! Self-flagellation is forbidden in Shia according to Fatwas of their grand Ayatollahs like Ali Khamenei and Ali Sistani ( see http://Tatbir.org )
Largest group of volunteers serving a single event
These are some records that must be registered in the Guinness Book for Arbaeen (+). All of these are under the imminent threat of suicide bombing and ISIS in Iraq.
About 20 million Muslims from about 10 days before, started a march towards the holy city of #Karbala to be over there for Arbaeen_2014. Last year about 18 million pilgrims visited the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) in Arbaeen. Karbala is the city in where Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) , and his companions were martyred in 61 AH. Unfortunately western news channels close their eyes on such important annual event, just because it may spread the culture of Islam and specially Shia... But as Holy Quran says, they can't do so:
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّـهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّـهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
I ask you dear Muslim brothers, please propagate this procession in social networks in such a way that satellite and TV channels were forced to show photos and videos of this ritual. You know that lots of people, even non Shia Muslims, are unaware of such a great gathering. Labbayk Ya Hussein
Enjoy these photos from current wave towards Hussein in Arbaeen 2014 :
Arbaeen 2014, the 40th day after martyrdom of Imam Hussein in 61 AH, is so near. It's not the Muslim Hajj, or the Hindu Kumbh Mela.. Known as Arbaeen, it is the world's most populous gathering and you've probably never heard of it! Not only does the congregation exceed the number of visitors to Mecca (by a factor of five, in fact), it is more significant than Kumbh Mela, since the latter is only held every third year. In short, Arbaeen dwarfs every other rally on the planet, reaching twenty million last year. That is a staggering %60 of Iraq's entire population, and it is growing year after year.
I am ready to visit the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) in Karbala for the first time, After Saddam, every year the world's biggest pilgrimage takes place in Arbaeen.
Insha Allah. I recommend you listening this song to find the atmosphere of Iraq in the days before Arbaeen.
Welcome dear walker pilgrims, I will register your names and help you later in the day of Judgement. So welcome my pilgrims.
Today is the day of martyrdom of Roghayya, the little girl of Imam Hussein (AS). She and other captives of the battle of Karbala in Ashura were in a house (like a prison) near the Yazid palace. She was crying so hard. Companions of Yazid take head of Imam Hussein for her to be calmed down. But she embraced head of her father and psalmed with him. She cried and cried until she dead.
Today after about 1400 years the largest Nazri food table was provided in the city of Qom in memory of Seyyeda Roghayeh :
This series is based on Mukhtar Al-Thaqafi who was an early Islamic revolutionary who led an uprising against the Bani-Umayyah Caliphs (60s AH or 670s AD). During the battle of Karbala, Mukhtar was in the prison of Ibne-Ziad. A few years later, he gathered his companions and decided to take vengeance for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS).
He killed almost all of the important people, participated in the battle of Karbala against Imam Hussayn (AS). Finally he took the leadership of Kufah for a short time.
He was the Arab hero who could overcome the events and lead the greatest social revolt. He adopted political and social justice, and accomplished equal opportunities among the people, regardless of their nations and religions.
If you want to be familiar with some Shia beliefs, the event of Ashura in Karbala, and several uprisings after it, we recommend to see this interesting series.
This film is in Persian / Farsi with English subtitles and The film was also approved by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. You can watch or download the whole series, in Qul site: Mukhtar Narrative. Also you can find this series in YouTube: Mukhtar Narrative HQ:
Please see the first part here:
Arbaeen is the 40th day after Ashura
in which Imam Hussein (as) and his companions martyred. In Arbaein, due
to some historical documents, Imam Sajjad (AS), Hazrat Zeinab (the
sister of Imam Hussein), and some other relatives of the Imam, came back
to Karbala and mourned for Imam and other martyrs of the Ashura.
After Saddam, walking to
Karbala was released. Since then, every year, millions of Shia Muslims
from all over the world travel to Karbala, the holy city of Iraq, to
commemorate the religious ceremony of Arbaeen, the 40th day after the
martyrdom of the third Shia Imam.
The walk from Najaf to Karbala
is one of the most enlightening acts of worship a pilgrim can perform.
The suffering and hardship imposed on the family of Imam Hussain (as)
and the grandchildren of Prophet Muhammad (s) is felt in every step, and
thus the love and respect for this holy family increases in the heart
of the believer with every step that is taken towards the holy land of
Karbala.
The following video from AhlulBayt TV is an interview with people dealing with the event of Arbaeen 2013 in Iraq:
On Arbaeen 2013 about 18 Millions pilgrims walked from Najaf to Karbala. Nowadays Iraqi People are preparing for Arbaeen 2014 on December 13.
Imam Hussain (AS), the third Imam of Shia Muslims, martyred in the battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 AD). His holy shrine in Karbala is the most interested place for Shia Muslims to be visited. Before he was martyred, he said that his martyrdom will produce a movement within Muslims and whenever a believer recalls the event of Ashura, he will cry for it. Now, after about 1400 years, Muslims mourn and lament for Imam Hussein and take Majalis for him and his companions:
Imam Hussein (AS)
I KILLED FOR TEARS; EVERY BELIEVER WHO REMEMBERS ME, WEEPS FOR ME
In Muharram 2014, Supreme leader of Iran held some Majalis in his Husseiniye. In these meetings, some prominent Shia mullah speaks about Ashura uprising and scarifices of Imam Hussein and his companions. Then he talks about disasters imposed on Hussein (AS), his followers, women and daughters and people cry on these sorrows. After this, a Maddah sings some poetry and people mourn for Imam Hossein and his companions in Karbala. Typical Mourning in Iran is striking on chest with hands, known as SinehZani. Some other types of mourning like Tatbir (Self-mutilation, Flagellation or GhameZani) which may be seen in other countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and India are forbidden in Iran, due to the Fatwa of Imam Khamenei.
The following photos are taken in the day of Ashura 2014 in Beyte-Rahbari (Husseiniye of Imam Khomeini in Iran):
.jpg "The leader Mourns for Imam Hussein in Ashura 2014")
.jpg "Supreme Leader crying for Hussein in Ashura")
.jpg "We are revolutionaries [As Hussein taught us].")
.jpg "Photo of Mourning in Ashura in Iran")
.jpg "Lamentation of People in Ashura 2014")
.jpg "Photo of Mourning in Ashura in Iran")
.jpg "Listening to the Lecturer talking about Ashura and Imam Hussein (AS)")
.jpg "Ashura")
.jpg "Shia Muslim blog: Imam Khamenei and other top authorities Mourning in Ashura")
.jpg "Shia Muslim blog: Imam Khamenei Tears for Imam Hussein (AS)")
.jpg "Sineh-Zani in the Day of Ashura - Shia Muslim blog")
.jpg "Shia Muslim blog: Sineh-Zani in the Day of Ashura")
.jpg "Shia Muslim blog: Striking On Chests in commemoration of Imam Hussein and Karbala")
.jpg "Shia Muslim blog: Striking On Chests in commemoration of Imam Hussein and Karbala")