Iran Press/ Commentary: These loving pilgrims have come step by step, they have reached Karbala; on this route, it was not only their feet that were moving towards Karbala, and it was not these bodies that were in the turmoil of reaching Karbala. Rather, it was these devoted hearts that, for the love of Imam Hussain (AS), drag their bodies and legs towards the holy shrine in Karbala. The love of Hussain (AS) inspires an indescribable joy in the hearts, and the hardships of the road, blisters on their feet, and wounds are no reason to stop from this significant path.
In this way, every pilgrim becomes like a drop of an ocean and follows an experience of assimiliation in the will of Allah. Pedestrians go to Karbala to melt in the devotion of Hussain (AS), purify ,souls and clear their minds of everything but love for Imam Hussain (AS). They go to pay respect to their holy Imam and to understand the sufferings inflicted on Imam Hussain's family.
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They visit the holy graves of Imam Hussain (AS) and Abbas (AS), the family and the loyal companions of Hussain (AS), and mourn all the hardship inflicted upon Hussain (AS) and his family. Pilgrims go to share in the sorrow of the Ahl al-Bayt and with Zainab (AS) and Imam Sajjad (AS) muttering: "we wish we were present in Karbala on that day and would sacrifice ourselves for you, Imam Hussain (AS)."
There are different religions in the world and more than 80% of the world's population hold religious beliefs and are bound by religion. Each of these religions and religious sects has its own ceremonies and rituals, and their followers have kept that religion alive by performing religious rituals and ceremonies. It can be said that one of the religious manifestations of religion is the gathering of followers and holding the religious rituals of that religion.
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One of the biggest religious and spiritual ceremonies in Islam, which is held every year with indescribable passion and warmth, is the Arbaeen march. Arbaeen is the largest annual religious march and public gathering in the world. In this magnificent ceremony, Muslims and even non-Muslims from various Asian, European, African, American and even Australian countries arrive in Iraq to be present in Karbala on the 20th of Safar and the day of Arbaeen. The great march of Arbaeen from Najaf to Karbala is held with more enthusiasm every year. In the teachings of Islam, one of the signs of being a Muslim is to attend the shrine of Imam Hussain (AS) on the day of Arbaeen and read the pilgrimage of Arbaeen in that holy shrine.
In the following, we discuss some religious communities and their differences in the Arbaeen march. In different religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there are gatherings for holding religious ceremonies. For example, every year Buddhists celebrate their New Year from April 13 to 15 in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. In this ceremony, people celebrate the arrival of spring and pray for rain. Part of the ritual is the release of fish and singing birds (as symbols of good fortune) and the taking of sand to certain temples to wash Buddha statues. This ceremony continues until late at night in the streets and people will be busy with foot stomping.
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Zoroastrians, who consider religion to be intertwined with life, even consider festivals as an opportunity for sanctity and prayer. The most important and common mass prayer among Zoroastrian followers is Gahanbar Gahambars, which is the name of six festivals six times per year and is held with the aim of forgiveness and solidarity among Zoroastrians.
In Judaism, Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish religious festival, is celebrated. Yom Kippur is considered a holy holiday that is celebrated every year on the tenth of the month of Tishri (in the Jewish calendar). This Eid is actually known as the day of repentance and fasting, and the followers of the Jewish religion on this day, individually or collectively, engage in special prayers and supplications.
In Christianity, Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ is a day of celebration and joy and even worship in the church. During this twelve-day religious celebration, which lasts from December 25 to January 6, Christians go to church and perform religious hymns and thanksgiving in the streets. These days are more associated with celebration and happiness than performing religious and spiritual ceremonies.
In addition to the huge gathering during Hajj, every year during the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) in the months of Muharram and Safar in the Islamic calendar, Muslims hold traditional and religious ceremonies for Imam Hussain (AS) and his family. Extensive mourning rituals in the streets and holy places are full of spirituality, passion and love. Arbaeen march is the most obvious manifestation of this passion and love. Even though the Arbaeen march has become a global event for many years, unfortunately, due to specific political reasons, it is severely censored at the global level, and its greatness, grandeur, and significance are not covered properly.
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One of the other religious ceremonies that take place in the world with large crowds is the Kumbh Mela in India. which is well covered by international news agencies and is referred to as the largest religious gathering. In this ceremony, Hindus, believing that their sins will be washed away, wash in the Ganges river and celebrate the victory of the gods over the demons. This event is held every three years alternately in the cities of Hyderabad, Allahabad, Nashik and Yujne, and the peak of gathering crowds usually occurs in Hyderabad every 12 years. And on a particular day, up to 30 million people have been reported. Although the comparison of Hosseini's Arbaeen and Hindu Kumbh Mila, especially in terms of spirituality, motto and purpose, is not a correct comparison, from a quantitative point of view, it can be said that the Arbaeen ceremony is held annually. And more than 25 million people participate in the Arbaeen Day procession and it has become an international community.
Crowd gathering Imam Hussain's Arbaeen in Karbala
As in other religions, religious gatherings are held for various reasons such as rain, forgiveness and repentance, thanksgiving, etc; in Islam, It is as if Hussain (AS) is pulling hearts towards the truth and nature so that they wake up and revive human and spiritual values. In the Arbaeen march, people of different colors, races and nationalities, and even other religions stand next to each other on a path to pay their respect to Hussain (AS). This tendency should be sought in the character of Imam Hussain (AS) and his unique sacrifice for the cause of truth. Since the logic of Imam Hussain (AS) is the logic of defending the truth and standing up against oppression, misguidance and arrogance, it has taken a place in the hearts of different nations of the world.
Today, when the nations and especially the youth of the world are thirsty and need the spirituality and logic of Hossain (AS), they come to him to better get a glimpse of Hossain's uprising in terms of knowledge and logic and introduce it to the world. Imam Hussain (AS) is not only for Shias, but belongs to all Islamic religions, both Shia and Sunni, and belongs to all humanity across the world.
Ms. Samira Kamer, who chose Islam after many studies, is now a pilgrim who came from America to attend Arbaeen march. She describes her spiritual feeling as follows: "Unfortunately, this huge gathering of Arbaeen, in which millions of Muslims are present, is boycotted by the television channels and media of European and American countries. Because they know that if they portray this love and devotion to Imam Hussain (AS); certainly, many questions raise in the minds of other people with different religions regarding the events of Arbaeen and Ashura, and the love of Imam Hussain (AS) will conquer many hearts for sure."
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