By: S. Nawabzadeh

The peaceful climax of the annual Arba’een assemblage in Karbala, where an estimated 25 million pilgrims gathered at the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS) to pay respects to the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) for having saved Islam and the concepts of faith, freedom, resistance, dignity, and social justice, was yet another firm proof of the fraternity between the two friendly neighbours – host Iraq, whose people selflessly served the faithful, and principal guest Iran, the devotion of whose people to the Chief of Martyrs, include providing solid security against all sorts of plots and terrorism to all seekers in the region and beyond.
As the Iraqi pilgrims retire to their respective villages, towns, and cities, after this great spiritual exercise, and as the Iranian pilgrims trek back to their homeland with gratitude for the people of the Land of Two Rivers, with whom they share the Divinely-commanded love and affection for the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, one thing prominently stands out as indication of their unbreakable bond.
It is the Emblem of Unity that was often shown on TV channels, depicting in a single banner the flags of Iran and Iraq, with God’s Majesty (Allah-o-Akbar) inscribed in the respective styles of the Arabic script of the two countries.
If this display of solidarity gladdened the hearts of the overwhelming majority of the Iranian and Iraqi Muslims, whose bonds of brotherhood have withstood the test of centuries – if not millenniums – for Global Arrogance and its agents (read traitors and hypocrites) in the two countries this might come as a massive heart attack.
The recent events on either side of the border confirm this. The anti-Iraq slogans a couple of years ago in Iran of those on the payroll of the Saudis and the Israelis, and the anti-Iran slogans of these same servants of the Wahhabis and Zionists in Iraq who earlier this month miserably failed in disrupting the grand Arba’een assemblage through acts of violence and murder in a bid to deviate the just grievances of the Iraqi people.
The western media, which greatly magnifies such stray cases of sedition, again ignored the highly disciplined Arba’een marchers, who this year came from over fifty countries, representing different denominations and even religions, thereby showing their increasing inclination for universalization of the values for which Imam Husain (AS) stood and gave his life in order to safeguard them for posterity.
As a matter of fact, Imam Husain (AS) and Arba’een reflect the gist of humanitarian values for the peace, security, social justice, and salvation of mankind, as taught in various ages and various geographical areas by the Messengers of God, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace upon them).
These values, which the grand assembly of Arba’een rekindles every year to jolt human conscience were institutionalized by Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) during his Farewell Hajj Pilgrimage in his sermon from atop Jabal ar-Rahma (Mount Mercy) on the Plain of Arafa on 9th Zilhijja he had elaborated the Qur’anic ayah that only piety not ethnicity is endeared by God, he said: "No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor a white-skinned over a black-skinned; we are all descended from Adam and Adam was fashioned out of clay.”
These words are food for thought, coupled with the declaration by the Prophet of Islam that he was leaving behind for guidance the "Thaqalayn” (Two Precious Things), the Book of God (holy Qur’an) and his Infallible Progeny the Ahl al-Bayt.
This is the message to the Ummah and to all humanity. Arba’een includes the Prophet’s proclamation 9 days later on 18th Zilhijja at the glorious gathering of Ghadeer-Khom that whomsoever he is Master, Ali is his Master.
Now we clearly understand the indomitable strength of the movement of the Martyr of Karbala which no sword, arrow, lance, or mace was able to severe.
We also better understand the emerging unity of the people of Iraq and Iran, of which the US and its agents are afraid, since they know that Arba’een is the harbinger of the solidarity of the nations of the region, where the Resistance Front, is going from strength to strength, and will soon have a single Emblem depicting the national flags of the other regional countries, thereby sounding the death knell for not just the CENTCOM terrorists but for the Zionists and the Arab reactionaries as well.