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karbala, iraq – september 27, 2021: photo of
imam abbas shrine in karbala city in Arbaʽeen ilgrimage cermony ©
Mohammed_Al_Ali / shutterstock.com |
Arba’een
should be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in several categories:
biggest annual gathering, longest continuous dining table, the largest number
of people fed for free, and the largest group of volunteers serving a single
event, all under the imminent threat of suicide bombings.
— Sayed
M. Modarresi, “World’s Biggest Pilgrimage Now Underway, and Why You’ve
Never Heard of It!”
We haven’t
heard of Arba’een because the media is primarily interested in negative news,
embellished tabloids and controversial matters. Positive news and inspiring
stories are often ignored, especially when they relate to Islam. When a few
hundred protest in Russia, China or Iran, it makes headlines. When millions
gather for the world’s greatest peaceful annual event, with the longest
continuous free dining table and sleep accommodations, none of it paid for by
any government or corporation, all in defiance of imminent terror, it routinely
fails to make a single headline. When it somehow does, it gives hope to
humanity that universal peace is achievable!
Last year,
despite the threat of the COVID pandemic still persisting and terrorist
bombings among crowds, around 21
million people from across the world gathered in Iraq and participated in the
event.
Pilgrims are
not inhibited by terrorists from participating in Arba’een. In contrast, it
draws out more pilgrims in masses in defiance, displaying a faith in humanity
never seen before anywhere around the world.
Arba’een
breaks across ethnic, racial, religious, and national barriers. Although it
began as a Shi’a Muslim pilgrimage, its participants include Sunnis, Ibadis,
Christians, Jews, Hindus, Yazidis and Zoroastrians.
Nevertheless,
Arba’een has its roots in tragedy. The festival marks the end of the 40-day
mourning period for the 7th-century barbarous killing of Husayn ibn Ali, the
Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third Shi’a Imam. That happened in Karbala,
Iraq, around 1350 years ago by the order of the tyrannical Umayyad Caliph Yazid.
This year,
Arba’een falls on Safar 20th in the Islamic lunar calendar, corresponding to
September 6th. Millions of people from around the globe will gather in Iraq’s
holiest city of Karbala to commemorate it, one of the most revered Islamic
religious occasions.
Who was Husayn ibn Ali?
The death of
Husayn is considered a formative tragedy in Islamic history. In The History
of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon said, “In a
distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Hosein will awaken
the sympathy of the coldest reader.” His heroic life and death inspired
countless generations.
To know
Husayn, we begin with when Muslims wanted to reward the Prophet Muhammad for
his services. Allah commanded him, “Say: I do not ask you for any reward for my
services except to love my blood family.” (Quran 42:23). The blood family of
the Prophet was above all Fatima, his only living child, her husband Ali and
their sons, Husayn and Hasan. Tradition
holds that the Prophet said of the lad, “Husayn is from me and I am from
Husayn.”
Husayn’s life
was tragic from the very start. In 632, when he was 6 years old, his beloved
grandfather, the Prophet, died.
Before his
demise, the Prophet gathered the Muslims and gave them his farewell speech. On
the return from his last pilgrimage to Mecca, he commanded all the over a
hundred thousand pilgrims to meet him there. He said that it was his last
pilgrimage and that he would leave them soon. People cried uncontrollably. In
his long speech, he reminded people about their religious duties and Allah’s
commands for them to love his blood family.
Then, he
introduced Ali, his son-in-law and Husayn’s father, as his heir and the leader
of all Muslims. At the end of the speech, the people rushed and gave their allegiance
to Ali. This paved the way for Husayn himself to eventually inherit his
father’s claim to leadership.
If the demise
of his grandfather was not painful enough for Husayn, another tragedy was in
waiting. Ignoring Ali’s claim, some men moved to the leadership for another
claimant. The ringleaders rushed to Ali’s house to secure his allegiance since
Ali’s influence was immense. According to Shi’a tradition, Fatima, Husayn’s
mother, intervened to save her husband. The men attacked her. She was badly
injured and miscarried her baby, whom the Prophet had named Muhsin.
Consequently, she died within six months of her father’s death. At 6, Husayn
had now lost both grandfather and mother within a short time.
Among
Muslims, Fatima has been considered something like a First Lady of Islam. The
outrage provoked by Fatima’s brutal death saved the rest of the Prophet’s family
and their small group of supporters, Shi’as, from being killed by the
authorities. However, they were mostly kept under house arrest.
After the
death of the third Caliph, Uthman, the people rushed to Ali’s house begging him
to take the power. Ali consistently refused. After three days of riots, Ali
finally consented under certain conditions, ruling only by the Quran and the
Prophet’s traditions. They all agreed.
Soon, the
rich and powerful people realized that Ali was not giving them any favors as the
previous Caliphs had done. They deserted him, rallying around the Umayyad
governor of Syria, Mu’awiya. Ali’s rule lasted less than five years. In 661,
while prostrating at the mosque of Kufa, a city in Iraq, Ali was fatally struck
in the head by an assassin’s poisoned sword. He died three days later from the
wound. Hasan, Ali’s oldest son, succeeded him, but Hasan’s rule lasted only a
few months before he was forced to abdicate in favor of the Mu’awiya, the first
Umayyad caliph. The group left Kufa and resettled in Medina.
In 670, Hasan
was poisoned and died. At 44, Husayn had lost his mother, father and brother.
Now, he was the only living son of Ali and Fatima. Husayn became the patriarch
of the Prophet’s family and leader of the Shi’as. Mu’awiya did not find Husayn
an existential threat to their power and chose to ignore him rather than force
allegiance on him.
A heroic death in resistance
to tyrants
In 680, all
that changed when Mu’awiya’s son, Yazid, ascended to power. He wanted
allegiance from everyone in the empire. Disobedience meant death. Husayn was no
exception.
When Yazid’s
ultimatum was formally presented to Husayn, he skillfully asked for a night
time to think over it. After tough negotiation, he got the time. That night,
when everyone was in deep sleep, he took his family and headed for the safe
haven of Mecca. Muslims were strictly forbidden to fight in the holy city. Many
of the Shi’as followed him.
In Mecca,
Husayn received many letters from the people of Kufa imploring him to come there.
He pondered over them. As the annual pilgrimage to Mecca neared, he realized
that the holy city was not safe, either. Yazid had sent spies among pilgrims to
kill him. Husayn hurriedly gathered his family and the Shi’as, and they
secretly headed for Kufa.
Yazid soon
learned of Husayn’s move towards Kufa. He sent one of his commanders, Hur, to
block Husayn’s path. Husayn and his company were forced to reroute to Karbala,
on the Euphrates River. There, Husayn and his male companions numbered about
one hundred. Within a few days, they were surrounded by over 30,000 armed
soldiers, all with orders to kill Husayn.
Husayn spoke
before the enemy soldiers reminding them of what the Quran and the Prophet have
said about him and his family. All fell on deaf ears, except for the ears of
Hur, who had a change of heart.
Husayn
managed to negotiate for one last night to be with his family and companions.
That night was critical. Husayn wanted to ensure those who would remain with
him truly believed in his mission. In a tent in the middle of the desert that
night, Husayn had all the males gathered. He frankly told them all that the
enemy wanted to kill him. They did not need to have themselves killed for his
sake and should feel free to leave him. He even asked whoever owed someone a
debt to leave. Then, he turned off the candles so that people would not feel
embarrassed to leave. Some people left, but those who stayed uttered words that
history would never forget. Zuhair ibn Qayn, Husayn’s devoted follower, said,
“By Allah, I would love that I be killed, then revived, then killed a thousand
times in this manner if it keeps you with the young ones from your family.”
On the next
day, Muharram 10, 61 AH (October 9, 680 AD), Hur along with a few of his
soldiers somehow deserted the camp and joined Husayn. He begged for
forgiveness, which Husayn readily accepted. For what he had done, he insisted
on being the first one to face the enemy. When Husayn consented, he and his
company fought bravely and killed many soldiers before they were killed.
Abu Wahab
Abdullah ibn Umayr, a Christian who had just married, overheard Husayn speaking
before the enemy forces. Wahab was touched, embraced Islam and joined Husayn.
When he was killed, his bride begged to go and fight the enemy. When Husayn
tried to discourage her, she replied, “Please do not ask me to go back! I
prefer to die fighting rather than to fall captive in the hands of the Umayyad
clan!”
When the
soldiers threw Wahab’s head to his mother, she threw the head back and said what
we have given for Allah, we do not take back. With that statement, she grabbed
a weapon and killed at least two soldiers.
The
companions begged Husayn to allow them to be the first to defend him. One by
one, they fought bravely until death. Next, his brothers volunteered, fought
and died. Abbas, Husayn’s half-brother, known for bravery, attempted to save
the family from thirst. He broke through enemy lines and reached the Euphrates.
On the way back, he was brutally wounded and killed. Today, his mausoleum is
across from that of Husayn.
There were
around 80 who died in defense of Husayn and his family on that day. Just like
today’s pilgrims, Husayn’s companions came from varied persuasions. They all
knew that Husayn was right, standing for justice and against oppression.
As the day
wore on, the hostile Umayyad force was restless and impatient to kill Husayn.
Husayn prayed
before facing the enemy: “I will be patient with whatever you decree, my Lord.
There is no deity but you. You are the helper of those who seek help. I have no
Lord except you, and no one to worship except you. I am patient with your
wisdom, O rescuer of the one who needs rescue. O you who are eternal and
everlasting. O you who bring the dead back to life. O you who observe the
action of every soul. Judge between me and them, for you are the best of
judges.”
Before being
attacked, Husayn looked at the enemy asking them why they were so determined to
kill him. According to Shi’a
tradition, they responded, “We will kill you out of hatred for your
father.” Husayn fought bravely, sending many of his assailants to their deaths.
Finally, he fell. Killing him did not satisfy the enemy’s thirst. They severed
his head and ran their horses over his corpse.
After the
ordeal, only one male, Husayn’s oldest son Ali, who was sick with fever,
survived.
Thereafter,
the forces ransacked Husayn’s tents, captured its inhabitants and took them as
slaves to Yazid in Damascus.
The Umayyads’
fury against the family of the Prophet knew no limits. They started the
tradition to celebrate the occasion by urging people to fast on that day.
Today, many Sunnis follow suit. Across the world, Shi’as follow the traditions
of mourning that day and feeding the poor and needy.
Despite
exhibiting the utmost savagery, though, the Umayyads spared the sick, women and
children. Today, military forces are more ferocious. They indiscriminately kill
men, women and children without feeling any remorse.
This year,
Muharram 10 fell on July 28. Millions of people from around the globe gathered
in Karbala to commemorate Husayn’s death. On September 6, they will break their
period of mourning in the peaceful festival of Arba’een.
Husayn’s words should be written in gold: “Anyone who keeps silent when others are being oppressed is himself considered to be guilty of oppression.” I am unable to locate the source of this popular quotation, but it certainly encapsulates the meaning of his famous Sermon of Mina in which he condemned the Umayyad tyranny and the lackeys who failed to oppose it. Husayn refused to be like them and submit, uttering the words which would become his epitaph: “Death with dignity is better than a life of abasement.”
BY MEHDI ALAVI
This article was originally published in Fair Observer on August 22, 2023.
