A message from Ali Jaffri of the Idara-e-Jaaferiya Mosque and Community Centre about Arba’een.

Arba’een (pronounced Arr-ba-een), is one of the world's most populous gathering and you've probably never heard of it! It reached twenty million worldwide in 2016 and is growing year after year. This year, Arba'een falls on Friday 10 November.

The history

Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is revered by Muslims as the "Prince of Martyrs". He was killed in Karbala around 1400 years ago, on a day which became known as Ashura, the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, having refused to pledge allegiance to the corrupt and tyrannical caliph, Yazid.

He and his family and companions were surrounded in the desert by an army of 30,000, starved of food and water, then beheaded – a graphic tale recounted from pulpits every year since the day he was slain. Shia Muslims have since mourned the death of Hussein, in particular on the days of Ashura, then, forty days later, on Arba’een. Forty days is the usual length of mourning in many Muslim traditions.

How it’s commemorated

Shia Muslims mark the event by walking the 425 mile distance between the southern port city of Basra and Karbala, taking pilgrims a full two weeks to complete the walk. People of all ages trudge in the scorching sun during the day and in bone-chilling cold at night. They travel across rough terrain, down uneven roads, through terrorist strongholds, and dangerous marshlands. Without even the most basic amenities or travel gear, the pilgrims carry little besides their burning love for "The Master" Hussein. There is a more popular route from the southern city of Najaf which is roughly 50 miles and takes 3 days to walk.

Thousands of tents with makeshift kitchens are set up by local villagers who live around the pilgrims' path. The tents (called 'mawkeb') are places where pilgrims get everything they need – meals, a place to rest, free international phone calls to assure concerned relatives and practically every other amenity, free of charge. In fact, pilgrims do not need to carry anything on the journey except the clothes they wear.
 

What happens in Karbala

The first thing that pilgrims do upon reaching his shrine is recite the Ziyara, a sacred text which summarises the status of Hussein. In it, they begin the address by calling Hussein the "inheritor" of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. This shows that Hussein's message of truth, justice, and love for the oppressed is viewed as an extension of all divinely-appointed prophets.

In Tooting, we have the Ashura procession on the 1oth day of Muharramm and Arba’een is marked on the 40th day with a big event at the mosque, with about 1,000 people attending. Prayers are offered, poetry is recited to remember the historical events and talks are given by scholars to mark the occasion. We also discuss on how we can learn to be better human beings and fight injustice, which was the message of Hussein. Food is sometimes served and everyone is welcome to attend. You’re all invited – we hope to see you there.

The Idara-e-Jaaferiya Mosque and Community Centre is located at 18 Church Lane, Tooting, SW17 9PP. For more information, call 020 8672 5373.

For more detailed information about Arba’een, visit https://whoishussain.org/ or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arba'een_Pilgrimage