The Importance Of The Arbaeen Visitation In Karbala - By Yusha’u Ibn Shaikh

As-salamu ‘alayka ya Aba ‘Abdillah. As-salamu ‘alayka ya ibn Rasulillah. As-salamu ya ibn Amir al-Mu’minin. As-salamu ‘alayka y...

As-salamu ‘alayka ya Aba ‘Abdillah. As-salamu ‘alayka ya ibn Rasulillah. As-salamu ya ibn Amir al-Mu’minin. As-salamu ‘alayka ya ibn Sayyidat Nisa’ al-‘Alamin. As-salamu ‘ala al-Husayn. Wa ‘ala ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn. Wa ‘ala awlad al-Husayn. Wa ‘ala ashab al-Husayn. Wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. La‘ana Allahu man qatalaka. Wa la‘ana Allahu man zalamaka. Wa la‘ana Allahu man sami‘a wa radiya bi-qatlika. Wa da‘afa ‘alayhim al-‘adhab al-alim. A‘zama Allahu ujurana bil-Husayn ‘alayhi as-salam, wa ja‘alana min at-talibin bi-tha’rihi ma‘a waliyyihi al-Imam al-Mahdi min aal Muhammad ‘alayhim as-salam. As-salamu ‘alayka ya Aba ‘Abdillah. As-salam. Wa ‘ala al-arwah allati hallat bi-fina’ik. As-salamu ‘alayka ya Aba al-Fadl al-‘Abbas ibn Amir al-Mu’minin. As-salamu ‘alayka ya ibn Sayyid al-Wasiyyin. As-salamu ‘alayka ya ibn awwal al-qawm Islaman wa aqdamihim imanan wa aqwamihim bi-din Allah wa ahwatihim ‘ala al-Islam. As-salamu ‘alayka ayyuha al-‘abd as-salih al-muti‘ lillahi wa li-Rasulihi wa li-Amir al-Mu’minin wa al-Hasan wa al-Husayn salla Allahu ‘alayhim wa sallam. As-salamu ‘alayka wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu wa maghfiratuhu wa ridwanuhu wa ‘ala ruhika wa badanika. As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Ayyuha al-ikhwa wa al-akhawat az-za’irin wa al-hadirin fi hadhihi al-munasabah as-sanawiyyah.

Peace be upon you, O Abu Abdullah. Peace be upon you, O son of the Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O son of the Commander of the Faithful. Peace be upon you, O son of the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds. Peace be upon Hussein, and upon Ali son of Hussein, and upon the children of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein. And the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah curse those who killed you. May Allah curse those who wronged you. May Allah curse those who heard of your killing and were pleased with it. And may He multiply upon them the painful torment. May Allah magnify our reward through Hussein, peace be upon him, and make us among those who seek his vengeance with his guardian, Muhammad al-Mahdi from the family of Muhammad, peace be upon them. Peace be upon you, O Abu Abdullah. Peace. And upon the souls that settled in your courtyard.

Peace be upon you, O Abul-Fadl al-Abbas, son of the Commander of the Faithful. Peace be upon you, O son of the Master of the Successors. Peace be upon you, O son of the first of the people to accept Islam, the foremost in faith, the most upright in the religion of Allah, and the most protective of Islam. Peace be upon you, O righteous servant, obedient to Allah, to His Messenger, to the Commander of the Faithful, and to Hasan and Hussein—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah, His blessings, His forgiveness, and His pleasure, and upon your soul and your body.

Peace be upon you all, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our master Abul-Qasim Mustafa Muhammad, and his pure and purified family—especially our master the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds Fatimah al-Zahra, the two grandsons of mercy Hasan and Hussein, the People of the Cloak, and those who follow them until the Day of Judgment.

It gives me joy and honor at the beginning to extend the most beautiful greetings and the highest expressions of appreciation and respect to the leadership of the holy Shrines of Imam Husseini and that of his Brother Abul Fadl al-Abbasi, as well as to our great religious authorities, the distinguished scholars of Islam, and the leadership of the Islamic Ummah in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We ask Allah the Exalted to protect you, care for you, guide your steps, grant victory to the truth through you, and elevate the word of Islam through you.

The Arbaeen Visitation is among the greatest act of ibadat and the most prominent manifestations of loyalty to Imam Hussein ibn Ali, peace be upon him. It is the visitation performed on the twentieth of Safar—that is, forty days after the tragic event of Karbala. On this day, millions of believers from various parts of the world head to holy Karbala to visit the shrine of the Master of Martyrs and his righteous companions.

The roots of the Arbaeen Visitation go back to the narrations reported from the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them. It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, that he said: “The signs of the believer are five: praying fifty-one rak‘ahs {17 for five daily obligatory prayers and 34 for daily nawafil – supererogatory- prayers }, the Arbaeen Visitation, wearing the ring on the right hand, prostrating on the sand (forehead), and reciting ‘Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim’ aloud.” Thus, the Arbaeen Visitation is among the signs of the believer and of faith. It is also narrated from him regarding the virtue of the visitation that whoever visits Hussein ibn Ali, peace be upon them both, Allah (SAW) writes for him a thousand thousand (i.e. a million rewards of performing ) Hajj with (Imam) Qa’im (a.s.), and a thousand thousand (i.e. a million rewards of performing )‘Umrah with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family; and the (reward of) freeing of a thousand souls; and the (reward of) equipping of a thousand horses in the path of Allah. Further, Allah (SWA) names him “My truthful servant who believed in My promise.” The angels also chat that : “So-and-so person is a truthful one whom Allah has purified from above His Throne.” And it is proclaimed on earth that: “So-and-so person has been purified by Allah from among those who precede him.” It was also narrated that whoever comes to the grave of Hussein, peace be upon him, while knowing his right, Allah forgives him what has preceded of his sins and what follows. It is also narrated that the angels receive the visitors of Hussein, peace be upon him, on Arbaeen and pray for them, and that the visitor emerges from his sins as on the day his mother bore him if he comes to the visitation with humility.

Among the virtues of visiting Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in general, and especially during the days of Arbaeen, is that it necessitates the forgiveness of what has preceded of sins and what follows; that the visitor is written the reward of a thousand accepted Hajj and a thousand accepted ‘Umrah; that it frees him from the Fire; and that it grants him security on the Day of the Greatest Terror (i.e. the day of Judgement). It is also narrated that whoever comes to the grave of Hussein walking (trekking), for every step a thousand good deeds are written for him, a thousand evil deeds are erased from him, and a thousand degrees are raised for him. In other narrations, for every foot he lifts and places, the (reward of ) freeing of a neck (person)from the descendants of (prophet) Isma‘il (a.s.) is written for him.

It is also narrated that Allah the Exalted has assigned to the grave of Hussein thousands of angels who weep for him, pray near him, accompany the visitor, visit him if he falls ill, and seek forgiveness for him until the Day of Resurrection. Among the distinctions of this visitation is also what has been narrated: that whoever visits the grave of Hussein while knowing his right, his needs are fulfilled, his life is extended, his provision is increased, and calamities are averted from him. In short, visiting Hussein is a connection to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family) and to his Ahl al-Bayt; it brings joy to them; and it is among the greatest manifestations of loyalty and love.

Historical sources indicate that the first to visit Imam Hussein on Arbaeen was a companion of prophet (SAW) Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari. Then the visitations continued through the ages until it became a great rite that combines remembrance, loyalty, and sacrifice. The Arbaeen Visitation has become the largest peaceful human gathering in the world. This year alone, the number of visitors approaches twenty million. All of them are united by one slogan: “THE LOVE OF HUSSEIN—and THE LOVE OF HUSSEIN UNITES US. This massive gathering consolidates the values of mutual support, unity, and tolerance among different peoples, races, and schools of thought. The range of Maukibs and Husainiyyat along the trekking routes that provide free food, water, shelter restaurant and other humanitarian services reflect the spirit of giving and selflessness that Imam Husain, peace be upon him, called for.

This visitation is not only a religious ritual; rather, it is a renewal of the covenant with Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, and a continuous declaration of rejection of injustice and tyranny, and adherence to the values for which he was martyred—namely justice, freedom, dignity and humanity. The Arbaeen Visitation grants the visitor a unique opportunity for spiritual purification and reflection. The long walk in the heat, the physical endurance, and mixing with millions of people all remind a person of the weakness of this world and the strength of will when it is connected to Allah. The visitation also plants in the souls the values of patience, selflessness, and humility, and makes the visitor live a state of emotional and doctrinal attachment to Imam Husain and his Ahl al-Bayt. The visitation also carries a universal message against injustice and despotism, and reminds humanity that the blood shed in Karbala was not in vain, but was the price of freedom and dignity. The Arbaeen Visitation is not merely an annual occasion; rather, it is a renewed school that teaches generations the meaning of sacrifice, loyalty, and steadfastness upon the truth. Everyone who participates in it—whether by walking, serving, or visiting—has shared in reviving the message of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, which remains alive in the consciences of the believers.

The Middle East is currently witnessing a major military escalation between the Islamic Republic of Iran on one side, and the United States, Israel, and their allies on the other. It began with joint American-Israeli attacks targeting Iranian facilities and the assassination of its leaders, foremost among them is the martyrdom of the Leader of the Ummah and the Supreme Leader, Sayyid Ali Khamenei (may his secret be sanctified). This war is not only between the Iranians and America–Israel. Rather, it is a fight between Islam and disbelief; between faith and hypocrisy; between truth and falsehood; between justice and dignity on one side, and global injustice and tyranny on the other. Indeed, it is a fight between the Husainis and their supporters, and the Yazidis and their followers. In these recent critical times, disbelief, hypocrisy, injustice, and global tyranny have emerged to extinguish authentic Islam, justice, dignity, and humanity—but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, even if the tyrannical, oppressive, arrogant ones dislike it. The American-Israeli attacks continue to pour down successively upon the Islamic Republic of Iran, and indeed upon beloved Iraq, occupied Palestine, southern Lebanon, and Yemen.

We, under the leadership of Sayyid Ibrahim al-Zakzaky (May Allah protect him), renew our loyalty to Imam Husain, to his path, and to his reformist and Islamic movement. We pledge to continue upon the path of Imam Husain, InshaAllah. We also express our solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran and condemn what the United States of America is committing against the Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and Yemeni peoples, and indeed against all the oppressed peoples of the world. We are upon the covenant—Labbaik Ya Husain! We are upon the covenant—Labbaik Ya Husain!! We are upon the covenant—Labbaik Ya Husain!!!

Finally, we ask Allah the Exalted to grant victory to Islam and the Muslims, to faith and the believers, and to the mujahidin and the resistance fighters in Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere. O Allah, grant them victory over the enemies of truth, faith, and justice.

O Allah! Grant us the visitation of Husain, peace be upon him, in this world and his intercession in the Hereafter, and make us among those who walk upon his path and remain steadfast upon his loyalty. Peace be upon Husain and upon the souls that settled in your courtyard. May Allah not make this the last of our covenant of visiting you, InshaAllah.

21 Safar 1448 AH (4 August 2026 CE)