Millions of Muslims observe Arba’een to reaffirm their commitment to Imam Hussein
Millions of Muslims globally observe Arba’een, commemorating the 40th day following the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Every year, pilgrims from various nations make a journey on foot to reach Imam Hussein’s sacred shrine in Karbala, Iraq, to honor the occasion, which this year falls on a Sunday.
The Arba’een pilgrimage stands as one of the most significant yearly religious gatherings globally, where attendees honor Imam Hussein (AS) for his enduring legacy as a symbol of resistance against injustice, oppression, and tyranny.
The third Shia Imam and his 72 companions were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD while resisting the much larger army of the despot Umayyad ruler of the time, Yazid.
In Tehran, the capital of Iran, individuals participating under the slogan “Those left behind from Arba’een” engage in a symbolic procession towards the sacred shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim Hasani, located in the southern town of Rey.
A number of individuals at Tehran’s march donned keffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags to express solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip, who have been facing a genocidal offensive from Israel since October 2023.
In an X post on Sunday, Nasser Kan’ani, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, stated, “Arba’een teaches us to pursue the path of truth, stand with the oppressed, and denounce the modern-day Yazidis, whose acts of violence have resulted in the martyrdom of over 40,000 innocent Palestinians, primarily women and children, in Gaza over the past eleven months.”
“The suffering of the oppressed Palestinians will triumph over the Yazidis’ instruments of tyranny, God willing,” he stated.
