The World Walks to Karbala: Millions Mark Arbaeen
Millions of pilgrims have converged on Karbala, with processions from Pakistan to Lebanon, Europe and North America — the largest annual gathering on earth
Millions of Muslims across the world are marking Arbaeen on Tuesday, the fortieth day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Husayn (AS), the third Shia Imam and grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S), in what is the largest annual peaceful gathering on the planet.
The heart of the commemoration is Karbala, southwest of Baghdad, where Imam Husayn and 72 companions were martyred at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, resisting the far larger army of the Umayyad ruler Yazid. Pilgrims converge on his shrine on foot, most walking the 80 kilometres from neighbouring Najaf, a journey that takes several days.
Millions of pilgrims have travelled from abroad for the occasion, arriving from Iran, Pakistan, India, Lebanon, the Gulf states, Europe, and North America, among many other countries — joined by millions more Iraqis taking part at home.
A country turned over to the walk
Iraq allocated 52.5 billion dinars, around $34.1 million, to the agencies overseeing the pilgrimage and the holy shrines, and leased 2,400 buses to move participants. The route itself is lined with thousands of mawakib — service stations run by volunteers offering free food, water, and medical care to anyone walking.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi joined the march from Najaf alongside ordinary pilgrims. Around three million pilgrims crossed Iran’s borders into Iraq this year, according to the country’s traffic police chief, Brigadier General Ahmad Karami-Asad, who put the figure at 2.947 million as of Saturday.
Marked far beyond Iraq
The commemoration extends well past Karbala. Pakistan observed Chehlum on Tuesday, with Sindh closing public and private schools for the day and Punjab police deploying more than 42,000 personnel to secure 730 majalis and 420 mourning processions.
In Tehran, those unable to travel gathered under the banner “Those left behind from Arbaeen” for a symbolic march to the shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim Hasani in the southern town of Rey. Processions and gatherings were also held across South Asia, the Gulf, Europe, and North America.
While Arbaeen holds its deepest significance for Shia Muslims, it is also attended by Sunni Muslims and by followers of other faiths as a gesture of solidarity — and religious scholars describe it as a reminder of universal values: justice, compassion, sacrifice, and human dignity, and of the obligation to stand against injustice.
This year’s gathering unfolds under the shadow of regional tension and fears of renewed escalation in the war between the United States and Iran — a backdrop that did not visibly diminish the turnout.
Reference: PressTv