Salaam dear young friends and heartfelt condolences to you all. You know the occasion for consoling you, and what makes our heart full of grief these days.
     For the information of our foreign friends, especially the readers of our weekly column abroad, particularly in non-Muslim societies, we are on the threshold of a poignant anniversary that has renewed the moist in our eyes, whether the children amongst us, or whether the grownups.
     Yes, there are still three days to go for Arba’een – the traditional 40th day of the anniversary of the heartrending tragedy of Ashura. This means, our hearts are turned towards Karbala in Iraq, towards the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), towards each these days everyone seems to be trekking.
     In this long and large march on foot by many, are devotees of all ages. The young and the old, the toddlers clinging to the hands of their parents, the babes in prams, the briskly walking teenagers, men and women in the prime of life, the grey-haired, the elderly, and even those walking on crutches or traversing on wheelchairs, braving the scorching heat of the sun in daytime and the bone chilling cold of the desert at night.
     Their hearts are beating with the love for Imam Husain (AS) and those martyred along with him in 61 AH (680 AD), including his infant 6-month old son Ali Asghar (AS).
     This year as many as 20 million pilgrims, from all over the world, are expected to be in Karbala this Thursday and Friday to pay homage to the Chief of Martyrs.
     Many are walking the 80 km distance from Najaf from the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), towards Karbala. This is indeed the experience of a lifetime. People of all age groups, even toddlers in their strollers are accompanied by their parents through
     Pilgrims come to Karbala not to admire the physical beauty, or to shop, or to be entertained, or to visit ancient historical sites — but to cry and mourn. They come to join the angels in their grief. They all enter the sacred shrine crying, weeping, and lamenting. It is as if every person has established a personal relationship with Imam Husain (AS). They talk to him, call out his name and touch the walls and doors near his tomb the way one touches the face of a long lost friend.
     On the roads leading to Karbala, the local people, for the sake of God, offer whatever they can and beseech the pilgrims to accept their offerings as the honourable guests of Imam Husain (AS). Residents often offer free of charge accommodation, food, drinks, medical services, use of phones and chargers, and repair prams or shoes for the pilgrims.
     Sects, ethnicities, language barriers, conflicts, and other fault lines are forgotten as millions of devotees march shoulder to shoulder. It’s not just Shi’a Muslims but our Sunni brethren also, as well as Christians, Zoroastrians, Sabians, and Hindus, who undertake the journey.
     Everyone is welcome and it is indeed a great lesson in brotherhood for all humanity.