mam Khomeini advised that, “Keep alive Karbala and the blessed name of His Holiness the Doyen of the Martyrs. His memorial and sacrifices have kept alive Islam.”
Imam Khomeini’s disciples who used to accompany Imam during his exile in the holy city of Najaf say that his eldest son who himself was a great Muslim scholar and interpreter of holy Quran, used to walk and paved the way between the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on foot with great devotion along groups of mourners on the eve of Arba’een. The great leader of contemporary Muslim world also emphasized that the Islamic Revolution had been deeply inspired by message of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of the holy prophet of Islam. The massive gatherings on Ashura and Arbaeen occasion in Karbala had been a prediction of Imam Khomeini which became true.
Each year, in the heart of Iraq, an event unfolds on a scale almost too vast to imagine, and yet, you've likely never seen a headline about it. No breaking news alerts. No live coverage. No prime-time documentaries. But this is Arbaeen, a pilgrimage that draws over 20 million people from across the globe. A peaceful walk. An ocean of humanity. A spiritual protest. And a story that, for the most part, the Western media doesn't tell.
Arbaeen takes place 40 days after Ashura, the day marking the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. In 680 AD, he and 72 of his companions were killed in the desert plains of Karbala by the forces of Yazid, a tyrant of the Umayyad dynasty.
Arbaeen, which marks forty days after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam, who was killed 14 centuries ago by the second Umayyad Caliph, Yazid Ibn Muawiyah.
Every year on Arbaeen, millions of pilgrims from different countries travel tens of kilometers on foot to get to Imam Hussein's shrine.
The tradition is meant to sympathize with the Imam on the pains he endured in the event of Karbala, where he and 72 of his companions were slaughtered by Yazid's army.
Based on Islamic references, the Karbala tragedy was sparked after Imam Hussein refused to pay allegiance to Yazid, because the caliph did not practice Islam as taught by Prophet Mohammad.
Every year, an average of 16 million people from across the world visit the holy shrine of Imam Hussein on Arbaeen, some 3 million of them come from Iran.
This year, Iranian religious entities predict that between 3 to 5 million Iranians will visit Karbala to mark Arbaeen.
Arbaeen is one of the largest human gatherings in the world, which narrates an age-old love for Imam Hussein. A love that never seems to fade away, as Muslims believe the legacy of the third Shia Imam is a timeless source of lessons about humanity and chivalry that transcends his time and place.