What is Arbaeen? When we think of the world’s largest pilgrimages, different traditions may pop into your mind. Maybe the most notable would be Umra and Hajj, the pilgrimages to the birthplace of Islam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Perhaps you may think of Christian traditions and the pilgrimages to the Vatican, or even the Camino Di Santiago in Portugal and Spain. While these pilgrimages are extremely iconic and partaken by millions each year, there is one pilgrimage that exceeds all others in terms of the amount of people participating. What is Arbaeen? Arbaeen is the world’s largest pilgrimage and is a Shia tradition.
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What is the difference between Shia Islam and Sunni Islam?
There are many different sects of Islam, however the main divide between the Sunni and Shia faiths relates to the death of the Prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) grandson. This topic is very raw and controversial to many people, as well as long and detailed. However, we cannot ask what is Arbaeen without knowledge of the events that lead to the divide between Sunni and Shia islam. For the sake of knowledge, the main reasoning behind the split can be found in the following paragraph. If you are looking for a more indepth explanation, I recommend listening to Conflicted: A History Podcast’s episodes on the Sunni and Shia split.
Both Sunni and Shia groups have the Quran as their holy book, believe in the prophets and in one God. The difference stems from a familial battle that took place more than a thousand years ago.
When the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was on his deathbed, he did not appoint a successor to lead Islam into the new era. There were two clear options – Prophet Muhammed’s (PBUH) dear friend, father-in-law and the first person to revert to Islam, Ali Bakur, or the Prophets beloved son-in-law Ali who gifted the Prophet grandsons and was a fierce, fair and chivalrous warrior who always stayed by the Prophets side.
Due to internal politics, the successor chosen was Abu Bakur. He saw over the Islamic world until his death. He was replaced by another, then another leader – all who saw not great endings. Ali was constantly rejected for the leadership role.
Ali and the Prophet’s favourite wife, the daughter of Abu Bakir, Aisha did not always get along. In fact, they despised each other for different reasons. Aisha despised Ali because he had once, upon rumours of Aisha’s infidelity, encouraged the Prophet to divorce her. He also was married to Fatima, the Prophet’s child from his first wife before his revelations, Khadijah. Aisha was unable to have any children for the Prophet, which some historians said made her very jealous. Ali on the other hand, resented Aisha as he saw her as cunning and able to persuade the Prophet significantly.
Unfortunately, even though Prophet Muhammeds (PBUH) forbade violence between muslims, Aisha and Ali were locked into battle. After a defeat, Aisha removed herself from politics of the Islamic World and lived a peaceful life until her death. Ali, on the other hand, was receiving death threats from extremist groups who saw Ali as weak. His whole life he had wanted to lead the Islamic world, but the fabric of society seemed to be ripping at the seams now more than ever under his leadership.
Once Ali became the 4th leader of the Muslim world during a very turbulent time. He lost his life in the act of prayer, killed by Ibn Muljim. Mu’awiya was the leader of Damascus and was a wealthy man from Mecca, converting to Islam for convenience as a vessel for increasing power. His son Yazd took over the Umayyad Caliph after his fathers death. He demanded both of Prophet Muhammed’s grandsons kneel before him.
Husayn refused to comply and left Medina for Mecca in 679 CE to seek refuge. The people of Kufa sent him letters, inviting him to lead them and pledging their loyalty. While en route to Kufa with 72 followers, his caravan was intercepted by a 1,000-strong force and redirected to Karbala on October 2. Soon after, a much larger Umayyad army arrived. Negotiations collapsed when Husayn refused to submit to the caliph’s authority. On October 10, a battle ensued, resulting in Husayn’s death along with most of his companions, while his surviving family members were taken captive.
Ali and Husayn are seen by many as the most righteous men.
What is Arbaeen?
What is Arbaeen? Esentially it is the martyrdom anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali. After the Battle of Karbala, Yazid’s forces captured Hussain’s family, parading the women and children in chains through cities like Kufa and Damascus, where they endured public humiliation before being imprisoned.
Although Hussain was killed, his mission lived on. His sister Zainab and son Ali ibn Hussain courageously denounced Yazid’s oppressive rule in his court, unsettling his officials. Realizing that keeping them captive would only further damage his reputation, Yazid was forced to release them. Hussain’s family spent the rest of their lives spreading his message of justice and resistance against tyranny.
Arbaeen is believed to be the day they returned to Karbala to mourn their fallen loved ones and pay their final respects.
Who attends Arbaeen in Karbala and Najaf?
Each year there are approximately 25 million Shias who travel to Iraq for Arbaeen. Pilgrims walk 88km from Najaf to Karbala which usually takes 3 days. In this period, you would be hard pressed to pay for anything – food, accommodation, water, everything is provided by the goodwill of other people.
Pilgrims mostly come from Iran, Pakistan, India, Lebanon and other countries with large Shia populations. In this period, it is rather uncomplicated for pilgrims to travel to Iraq to take part in the pilgrimage.
The challenges of Arbaeen
You may ask what is Arbaeen, beacasue it was outlawed for 30 years under Sadaam Hussein’s dictatorship. There was no official pilgrimage and those who decided to walk by foot or travel regardless, risked arrest and disappearance.
The practice of Arbaeen is controversial and there are a lot of schools of thought that debate the event. Regardless, for many muslims it is a very important part of the year which honours who many believe to be one of the most righteous men of all time and who sacrificed everything for human rights and to defeat corruption.
Visiting Najaf and Karbala with YPT
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We run 4 tours a year which can be done stand-alone or can be combined with Iraqi Kurdistan!
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