By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

“Fortunate are those who are with Husain and unfortunate are those who leave him. Know that Husain is one of the gates of Paradise; and his enemies will be deprived by God of even the fragrance of Paradise.”
The above Hadith is indeed an excellent description of the merits and virtues in the Sight of God of the Younger of the Two Leaders of the Youths of Paradise, the grandsons of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to all mankind with the universal message of Islam, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS).
If the Elder was deprived of the caliphate or temporal/political rule of the Muslim world and then martyred in Medina through poisoning by the hypocrite Mu’awiyah in 50 AH, the Younger was cruelly martyred in Karbala on the battlefield, along with his brothers, sons, nephews, cousin, and loyal companions in 61 AH.
So great was the sacrifice of Imam Husain (AS) that the saga of his martyrdom has continued to resonate with increasing devotion every year, inspiring seekers of truth and inviting the firm of faith to his shrine from all over the world, especially on the occasion of Arba’een (Safar 20) or the anniversary of the tradition 40th day of the immortal epic of Ashura (Muharram 10).
They come in millions to Karbala, the rendezvous of martyrs, undeterred by the terrorists that threaten to trigger bomb blasts and the Coronavirus pandemic the evil minds of the contemporary world have genetically engineered to plunge the world in biological warfare and to disrupt such huge gatherings.
The pilgrims tread the footsteps of the Prophet’s loyal companion, Jaber ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, who in spite of his old age, poor eyesight, and the tyranny of Yazid’s rule, had left Medina for Iraq on hearing of what had befallen the Leader of the Youths of Paradise, and reached Karbala on the 40th day of the tragedy of Ashura, along with his companion, Atiyya bin Sa’d al-Kufi.
Imagine the spectacle that had greeted the Jaber on the first ever Arba’een as he stumbled at every step while making his way to the grave of Imam Husain (AS), after having bathed in the River Euphrates.
For Jaber it was the height of grief as he threw himself over the tomb crying incessantly with the words “habib man la ya’raf al-habib”, which means: “how could a friend not recognize a friend”.
In his salutation to the person whom he had often seen as a child in the lap of the Prophet, he outlined the lofty humanitarian ideals for whose preservation Imam Husain had sacrificed his life.
Today, in the footsteps of Jaber, devotees from all over the world, converge on Karbala on the Day of Arba’een to pay respects at the shrine of the Chief of Martyrs, with chants of “Labbayk Ya Husain (AS)”.
It means “Here we are O Husain” to your call that went unanswered on the Day of Ashura when surrounded by the bloodthirsty Omayyad army you raised the cry: “Hal min naserin yansurouni” (Is there any helper to help me).
This year less than a hundred thousand Iranian pilgrims have been given the permission to visit Karbala by the interim Iraqi government, citing the pandemic as the reason, although millions from all over Iraq have been allowed to march from all directions, even from far off places, walking for 20 or more days to reach the shrine of Imam Husain (AS).
Hopefully, next year the number of Iranian pilgrims will increase substantially, as well as for pilgrims from Pakistan, India, Lebanon, and other places, longing for Arba’een at the Gateway to Paradise.
Still, most of the faithful, especially those coming from southern Iraq, make it a point to cover the 80-km distance between Najaf and Karbala on foot, after paying respects at the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS).
On both sides of the road there are myriads of tents to render service and provide rest, refreshment, and meals to the devotees, as if the local people are taking part in a contest for gaining more and more Divine rewards by helping and serving the pilgrims.
There are columns at regular intervals on the Najaf-Karbala road, numbering 1452. The old and the young, the children and the toddlers, and even infants in the arms of their mothers or strollers, move like a huge sea towards Karbala. There is no difference between the poor and the rich, as all are devotees, and without any feeling of superiority or inferiority or class distinction, they rub shoulders with each other, sit at the same table to eat, and sleep in the same camps.
The so-called mainstream media of the West rarely covers this annual spiritual march which is the world’s largest gathering. It means global arrogance and their local agents are afraid of this grand display of faith, and moreover many media outlets are paid by Washington, London, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to ignore the Arba’een March.
They, however, cannot prevent it, since Imam Husain (AS) is indeed the Beacon of Light and the Ark of Salvation, as the Prophet had foretold about his younger grandson, devotion to whom links the hearts of the faithful to each other.
This is evident by the banners on the roadside that proclaim in bold letters the Arabic phrase “Hobb-ul Husain yajma’una” (love for Husain has gathered us together).
Today there is no trace of the graves of the Omayyads, let alone their palaces, and Insha Allah (God Willing) tomorrow there will no sign of the Americans, the Zionists, the Salafis and all other terrorists, while Imam Husain (AS) rules the hearts of the faithful all over the world, till the reappearance of his descendent, the Promised Imam Mahdi al-Qa’em (AS), who will establish the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice by ridding Planet Earth of all vestiges of oppression and corruption. Amen