Karbala Pilgrimage - Arba’een       

Muslims across the world observe Muharram as the first month of the lunar Hijri calendar, which marks the start of the Islamic New Year and is one of the four most sacred months of the calendar where fighting is prohibited.

The Shia Muslims consider Muharram to be the period of mourning and remembering martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain. The period of mourning starts from the 1^st night of Muharram and continues for the next 2 months and 8 days. Nonetheless, the first ten days of Muharram have more significance & mark the deadly battle of Karbala, where Imam Husain Ali, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was brutally assassinated together with his family and supporters thousands years back at the Battle of Karbala which took place in the year 61 AH/ 680 CE on the 10^th day of Muharram, that is denoted as Ashura.

Shia Muslims dress in black regarded as the color of mourning dresses on the first day of Muharram and attend majlis (assemblies) where the orators narrate incidents of the battle of Karbala, Hazrat Imam Husain and his people. People assemble at mosques and in special assembly halls that are known as Imambaragah or Hussainia where sorrowful and poetic recitations, such as marsiya, noha, latmiya and soaz are performed to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain. Speeches are delivered about the battle of Karbala and people are advised to learn from these lessons of courage, patience and perseverance. 

Shia Muslims considered Imam Husain as their spiritual leader since he was a direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad (grandson of the Prophet). Hence, Shias felt that Imam Husain should lead the community as Caliph (political and spiritual leader) as per the tradition. However, the present ruling Caliph, Mu’awiyah, son of one of the Prophet’s enemies refused to agree to Imam Husain as the next Caliph. On the death of Mu’awiyah, the Caliphate passed on to his son, Yazid who demanded Hassan (Husain’s elder brother) and Husain to pay homage (Bay’at) to him and accept him as their rightful leader.

To Yazid’s surprise, Imam Husain refused to swear allegiance to Yazid and decided to travel to Kufa in Iraq to lead his supporters there against the Caliphate. On this side, Yazid ordered his army to stop Husain from reaching Kufa. Both the forces met at Karbala where Husain, together with his entire family and followers, were surrounded Yazid’s large troops. On being countered in such a situation, Husain still refused to swear allegiance and as a result, 72 armed men, 18 family members and 54 supporters were trapped in the harsh desert without water or any other supplies. They did not receive any help from the Shias of Kufa who promised to do so while sending the message to Imam Husain.

When Husain refused to swear allegiance to Yazid, the second Umayyad Caliph, he and his army were brutally massacred while traveling from Medina to Kufa. The battle took place on the 10^th day of Muharram. The Shias consider this day as a sorrowful and grieving occasion. For them, the martyrdom of Imam Husain is a religious occasion.

Arba'een or Chehlum is a Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs 40 days after the Day of Ashura.  It commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.  Husayn and 71 supporters were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (680 CE), killed by Yazid’s army. Arba'een is also observed 40 days after the death of a family member or loved one. Forty days is the usual length of the time of mourning in many Islamic cultures.

Arba'een is consistently among the largest peaceful gatherings in history. According to the official website of BBC News and Press TV (Iran), over 18 million people had reached the city of Karbala last year.

The occasion reminds the faithful of the core message behind Husayn's martyrdom: establishing justice and fighting injustice, no matter what its incarnation - a message that strongly influenced subsequent Shi'a uprisings against the Umayyad & Abbasid rule.

In the first Arba'een gathering in the year 62 AH, Jabir ibn Abd-Allah, a companion of the Prophet, was one of the people who performed a pilgrimage to the burial site of Husayn. Due to his infirmity and probable blindness, he was accompanied byAtiyya bin Saad. His visit coincided with that of the surviving female members of the Prophet's family and Husayn's son and heir Imam Zain-ul-Abideen, who had all been held captive in Damascus by Yazid, the Umayyad Caliph. Imam Zain-ul-Abideen had been too ill to participate in the Battle of Karbala. He later devoted his life to Azadari and spreading the message of Imam Husayn’s supreme sacrifice.

Muslims across the world observe this day with great religious significance and the death is mourned & grieved by the Shia Muslims worldwide who commemorate Arba’een as the day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husain Ali and his followers. On this day, Shia Muslims take out large processions through the streets carrying banners and colorfully decorated taziyahs (bamboo and paper replicas of the martyrs) embellished with gilt and mica. They even carry colorful replicas of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Husain at Karbala. To express their grief on the death of Hazrat Imam Husain, they beat their chest with hands, known as matam chanting ‘Ya Husain’ weeping loudly and walk barefoot on the roads, while the drums are beaten in the background. 

The city of Karbala in Iraq, the third holy place of Shia Islam, is the center of the proceedings where, in a show of humility, many crawl through the streets of the city while others fall on their hands and knees as they approach the Shrines of Husayn and his brother Abbas ibn Ali. Many pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach Karbala.

On this 17 day trip, you will have the opportunity to visit most of the historically places & shrines associated with the martyrs of Karbala and observe Ashura in the sanctified domain of Mashhad al- Husayn and other notables. There is time for a side trip to Iran, if you want to.