Arbaeen is a Shia religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Muhammad, who was martyred on the 10th day of the month of Muharram.

Imam Hussein (AS) and his 72 companions were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid.

Every year on Arbaeen, millions of people from around the world flock to Karbala. The ceremony falls on September 6 this year.

The city of Karbala in Iraq is the center of the proceedings which many pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach. As of 2016 “between 17 million and 20 million” pilgrims usually attend Arbaeen there, including about three million foreigners, most of whom are Iranians.

Arbaeen is consistently among the largest peaceful gatherings in history. Every year, huge crowds of pilgrims travel to the city of Karbala on pilgrimage to the Imam Hussein holy shrine in Karbala on Arbaeen Day.

It is traveled annually on foot by Iraqi pilgrims, which takes two weeks, or approximately one month to come from other countries like Iran. The crowds become so massive that roads are blocked for hundreds of miles.

This day is a national holiday in Iran. Shia mourns on the day of Arbaeen and mourning groups rally on the streets. In recent years, the great procession of Shia who tries to arrive in Karbala on the day of Arbaeen has become one of the most important mourning ceremonies of Shia around the world and it has even turned into one of the largest religious processions on a global scale. Currently, the majority of foreign pilgrims in this procession are from Iran.

Shia Muslims in Iran observe several rituals during the Arbaeen event including, gathering on the streets and marching in long processions and beating their chest, preparing food for the poor, as well as attending Ta’ziyeh which is a kind of street theater in a costume inspired by historical events that happened in Karbala battle.

The Arbaeen pilgrimage aims not just to visit the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS). The ziyarat symbolizes the commitment to the Imam’s beliefs and manner of living. Arbaeen pilgrims renew their allegiance with Imam Hussein (AS) as they visit his shrine.

Iraq has a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. But Arbaeen pilgrims hold the walk in any weather conditions. All people from any range of ages, with any physical and health situations, take part in the Arbaeen rally. This issue has no other justification except for expressing love and devotion toward Imam Hussein (AS).

People of different nations who participate in the Arbaeen pilgrimage also set up Mawkibs (voluntarily prepared stations) to provide the pilgrims with different kinds of services. Some Mawkibs offer the pilgrims places to rest, while several others provide them with food or medical services. All these services are free and the pilgrims won’t pay a penny to use the Mawkibs.

The majority of Arbaeen pilgrimage’s Mawkibs are hosted by Iraqis and Iranians but this even goes beyond religious and national boundaries and people of other religions and nations also help to hold the Arbaeen march as glorious as possible.

Last year, it was estimated that around 1.5 million people crossed Iranian land and air borders into Iraq seven days before Arbaeen. The figure stands at more than two million people this year.

Apart from the main and secondary routes leading to Karbala, even unofficial routes and houses on the outskirts of the holy shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf have also turned into stalls to welcome and accommodate pilgrims.

Imam Hussein (AS) brings the international community closer and peacefully unites them during the Arbaeen Walk. Millions of people from across the globe come to the deserts of Iraq, holding their countries’ flags in their hands, and walk 50 miles between the cities of Najaf to Karbala to show that Imam Hussein is not a role model only for Muslims or the Shia community.

Reported by Amin Mohammadzadegan Khoyi