DID YOU KNOW THE WORLDS LARGEST PEACEFUL GATHERING IS UNDER WAY NOW?

OVER 25 MILLION PEOPLE EMBARK ON A 50 MILE WALK PAYING RESPECTS TO A REVOLUTIONARY LEADER WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE FACE OF TYRANNY & CORRUPTION

WOULD YOU STAND UP FOR JUSTICE? HUMAN RIGHTS? EQUALITY? TO WHAT EXTENT? AT WHAT COST?

The Day of Arbaeen marks forty days after the Day of Ashura, the day Hussain ibn Ali gave us everything, including his life fighting for social justice. The arabic word ‘Arbaeen’ (pronounced Arr-ba-een) translates to forty (ie fortieth day).

​Every year today, almost 1400 years later, the world’s largest peaceful gathering takes place in the city of Karbala, Iraq to commemorate the stand he took. The Day of Arbaeen is remembered by millions of people around the world.

So why haven't you heard of it?

I'm a Christian pastor but because of my encounter with Iman Hussain I have received a renewed faith in the work of Jesus and Hussain, peace be upon them both for justice and truth.

Jesus and Hussain are brothers, they are one. If the human race is going to survive we all must be one.

-Pastor John Shuck

​DIVERSITY

While it is a distinctively Shia spiritual exercise, Sunnis, even Christians, Yazidis, Zoroastrians, and Sabians partake in both the pilgrimage as well as serving of devotees. This is remarkable given the exclusive nature of religious rituals, and it could only mean one thing: people regardless of color or creed see Hussain as a universal, borderless, and meta-religious symbol of freedom and compassion.

HOSPITALITY

One part of the pilgrimage which will leave every visitor perplexed is the sight of thousands of tents with makeshift kitchens set up by local villagers who live around the pilgrims' path. The tents (called 'mawkeb') are places where pilgrims get practically everything they need. From fresh meals to eat and a space to rest, to free international phone calls to assure concerned relatives, to baby diapers, to practically every other amenity, free of charge. In fact, pilgrims do not need to carry anything on the 400 mile journey except the clothes they wear.

The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that Hussain and his companions were rigid believers in God. They illustrated that the numerical superiority does not count when it comes to the truth and the falsehood. The victory of Hussain, despite his minority, marvels me!

-Thomas Carlyle

SO WHO IS HUSSAIN?

For hundreds of millions of his followers, a question this profound, which can cause people to relinquish their religion for another, can be answered only when you have marched to the shrine of Hussain on foot.

“Let humanity awaken and every tribe will claim Hussain as their own" - Josh Malihabadi

SIGN UP TO LEARN MORE

* Indicates required field

Site powered by Appnector