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-plus pilgrims, from all over the world, are expected to be in Karbala 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.
Pilgrimage to the holy shrine on the Day of Arba’een is indeed a clear path towards paradise, as promised by the Prophet and testified by many a hadith.
This is the reason that among the pilgrims there are many Sunni Muslims and even Christians, Izadis, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Sabians.
As Arba’een is near, here we would like to share a famous hadith from the Prophet’s 11th Infallible Heir, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS): There are five signs to recognize or determine a true believer, and recitation of the special ziyarat (or salutation) for Imam Husain (AS) on the Day of Arba’een is one of these signs.
The other signs of a true believer: are recitation in raised voice of the Qur’anic ayah Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem during the ritual prayers; performance of 51 raka’at of ritual prayers in a single day at different times (that is, 17 obligatory and 34 recommended); prostration on soil or clay; and wearing of ring in a finger of the right hand.
The special Arba’een Ziyarah has been related on the authority of Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), the great-grandson of the Martyr of Karbala and the 6th Infallible Heir of the Prophet. It was dictated to his disciple Safwan Jammaal.
So dear friends, please remember us when you visit the holy shrine of Imam Husain (AS) and share with us your experiences of this spiritual journey.