World’s Biggest Pilgrimage that
You’ve Never Heard of !
By
Sayed Mahdi al-Modarresi, Huffington Post UK
It’s not the
Muslim Hajj, or the Hindu Kumbh Mela. Known as Arbaeen, it is the
world’s most populous gathering and you’ve probably never heard of it! Not only
does the congregation exceed the number of visitors to Mecca (by a factor of
five, in fact), it is more significant than Kumbh Mela, since the latter is
only held every third year. In short, Arbaeen dwarfs every other rally on the
planet, reaching twenty million last year.
That is a staggering 60% of Iraq’s entire population, and it is growing year after
year.
Above all,
Arbaeen is unique because it takes place against the backdrop of chaotic and
dangerous geopolitical scenes. Daesh (aka ‘Islamic State’) sees the Shia as
their mortal enemy, so nothing infuriates the
terror group more than the sight of Shia pilgrims gathering for their greatest
show of faith.
There’s another
peculiar feature of Arbaeen. While it is a distinctively Shia spiritual exercise, Sunnis, even Christians, Yazidis,
Zoroastrians, and Sabians partake in both the pilgrimage as well as serving of
devotees. This is remarkable given the exclusive nature of religious rituals,
and it could only mean one thing: people regardless of color or creed see
Hussein as a universal, borderless, and meta-religious symbol of freedom and
compassion.
Why you have
never heard of it probably has to do with the fact that the press is concerned
more with negative, gory, and sensationalized tabloids, than with positive, inspiring narratives, particularly when it
comes to Islam. If a few hundred anti-immigration protestors take to the
streets in London and they will make headlines. The same level of airtime is
awarded to a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong or an anti-Putin rally in Russia.
But a gathering of twenty million in obstreperous defiance of terror and
injustice somehow fails even to make it into the TV news ticker! An unofficial
media embargo is imposed on the gargantuan event despite the story having all
the critical elements of an eye-catching feature; the staggering numbers, the
political significance, the revolutionary message, the tense backdrop, as well
as originality. But when such a story does make it through the editorial axe of
major news outlets, it creates shockwaves and touches the most random people.
Among the
countless individuals inspired by it, is a young Australian man I met several
years ago who had converted to Islam. Evidently, no one takes such a
life-altering decision lightly, so upon inquiry he told me it all started in
2003. One evening, as he was watching the news only to be drawn by scenes of
millions streaming towards a holy city known as Karbala, chanting the name of a man he had
never heard of: “Hussein”. For the first time in decades, in a globally
televised event, the world had caught an glimpse into previously suppressed
religious fervor in Iraq.
With the Sunni
Ba’athist regime toppled, Western viewers were eager to see how Iraqis would
respond to a new era free from dictatorship persecution. The ‘Republic of Fear’
had crumbled and the genie had irreversibly escaped from the bottle. “Where is
Karbala, and why is everyone heading in its direction?” he recalls asking
himself. “Who is this Hussein who motivates people to defy all the odds and
come out to mourn his death fourteen centuries after the fact?”
What he
witnessed in that 60-second report was especially moving because the imagery was unlike any he had ever
seen. A fervent sense of connection turned human pilgrims into iron filings,
swarming together other as they drew closer to what could only be described as
Hussein’s irresistible magnetic field. “If you want to see a living, breathing,
lively religion, come to Karbala” he said.
How could a man
who was killed 1396 years ago be so alive and have such a palpable presence
today that he makes millions take up his cause, and view his plight as their
own? People are unlikely to be drawn into a dispute (much less one that
transpired in ancient times) unless they have a personal interest in the
matter. On the other hand, if you felt someone was engaged in a fight over your
right to freedom, your prerogative to be treated justly, and your entitlement
to a life of dignity, you would feel you had a vested interest and would
empathize with him to the point where conversion to his beliefs is not a
far-fetched possibility.
The Ultimate
Tragedy
Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is revered by Muslims as the “Prince of Martyrs”. He was killed in Karbala 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.
Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is revered by Muslims as the “Prince of Martyrs”. He was killed in Karbala 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 in the most macabre manner, a graphic tale
recounted from pulpits every year since the day he was slain. Their bodies
were mutilated. In the words of the English historian Edward Gibbon: “In a
distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Hussein will awaken
the sympathy of the coldest reader.”
Shia Muslims
have since mourned the death of Hussein, in particular on the days of Ashura,
then, forty days later, on Arbaeen. Forty days
is the usual length of mourning in many Muslim traditions. This year, Arba’een
falls on Friday 12 December.
Long Trek
I travelled to Karbala, my own ancestral home, to find out for myself why the city is so intoxicating. What I witnessed proved to me that even the widest-angle camera lens is too narrow to capture the spirit of this tumultuous, yet peaceful gathering.
I travelled to Karbala, my own ancestral home, to find out for myself why the city is so intoxicating. What I witnessed proved to me that even the widest-angle camera lens is too narrow to capture the spirit of this tumultuous, yet peaceful gathering.
An avalanche of
men, women and children, but most visibly black-veiled women, fill the eye from
one end of the horizon to the other. The crowds were so huge that they caused a
blockade for hundreds of miles.
The 425 mile
distance between the southern port city of Basra and Karbala is a long journey
by car, but it’s unimaginably arduous on foot. It takes pilgrims a full two
weeks to complete the walk. People of all age groups 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. Flags and
banners remind them, and the world, of the purpose of their journey:
O self, you are
worthless after Hussein.
My life and death are one and the same,
So be it if they call me insane!
My life and death are one and the same,
So be it if they call me insane!
The message
recalls an epic recited by Abbas, Hussein’s half-brother and trusted
lieutenant, who was also killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680AD while trying to
fetch water for his parched nieces and nephews. With security being in the
detrimental state that makes Iraq the number one headline in the world, no one
doubts that this statement is genuine in every sense.
Free lunch..
And dinner, and breakfast!
One part of the pilgrimage which will leave every visitor perplexed is the sight of thousands of tents with makeshift kitchens set up by local villagers who live around the pilgrims’ path. The tents (called ‘mawkeb’) are places where pilgrims get practically everything they need. From fresh meals to eat and a space to rest, to free international phone calls to assure concerned relatives, to baby diapers, to practically every other amenity, free of charge. In fact, pilgrims do not need to carry anything on the 400 mile journey except the clothes they wear.
One part of the pilgrimage which will leave every visitor perplexed is the sight of thousands of tents with makeshift kitchens set up by local villagers who live around the pilgrims’ path. The tents (called ‘mawkeb’) are places where pilgrims get practically everything they need. From fresh meals to eat and a space to rest, to free international phone calls to assure concerned relatives, to baby diapers, to practically every other amenity, free of charge. In fact, pilgrims do not need to carry anything on the 400 mile journey except the clothes they wear.
More intriguing
is how pilgrims are invited for food and drink. Mawkeb organizers intercept the
pilgrims’ path to plead with them to accept their offerings, which often
includes a full suite of services fit for kings: first you can a foot massage,
then you are offered a delicious hot meal, then you are invited to rest while
your clothes are washed, ironed, then returned to you after a nap. All
complimentary, of course.
For some
perspective, consider this: In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, and with
worldwide sympathy and support, the UN World Food Programme announced delivery
of half a million meals at the height of its relief efforts.. The United States
military, launched Operation Unified Response, bringing together the massive
resources of various federal agencies and announced that within five months of
the humanitarian catastrophe, 4.9 million meals had
been delivered to Haitians. Now compare that with over 50 million meals per day
during Arbaeen, equating to about 700 million meals for the duration of the
pilgrimage, all financed not by the United Nations or international charities,
but by poor laborers and farmers who starve to feed the pilgrims and save up
all year round so that visitors are satisfied. Everything, including security
is provided mostly by volunteer fighters who have one eye on Daesh, and another
on protecting the pilgrim’s path. “To know what Islam teaches,” says one Mawkeb
organizer, “don’t look at the actions of a few hundred barbaric terrorists, but
the selfless sacrifices exhibited by millions of Arbaeen pilgrims.”
In fact,
Arbaeen should be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in several
categories: biggest annual gathering, longest continuous dining table, largest
number of people fed for free, largest group of volunteers serving a single
event, all under the imminent threat of suicide bombings.
Unmatched
Devotion
Just looking at the multitudes leaves you breathless. What adds to the spectacle is that, as the security conditions worsen, even more people are motivated to challenge the terrorist threats and march in defiance. Thus, the pilgrimage isn’t a mere religious exercise, but a bold statement of resistance. Videos have been posted online showing how a suicide bomber blows himself up in the midst of the pilgrims, only to have the crowds turn out in even greater numbers, chanting in unison:
Just looking at the multitudes leaves you breathless. What adds to the spectacle is that, as the security conditions worsen, even more people are motivated to challenge the terrorist threats and march in defiance. Thus, the pilgrimage isn’t a mere religious exercise, but a bold statement of resistance. Videos have been posted online showing how a suicide bomber blows himself up in the midst of the pilgrims, only to have the crowds turn out in even greater numbers, chanting in unison:
If they sever
our legs and hands,
We shall crawl to the Holy Lands!ξ
We shall crawl to the Holy Lands!ξ
The horrific
bomb blasts which occur year-round, mostly targeting Shia pilgrims and taking
countless lives, illustrate the dangers facing Shias living in Iraq, and the
insecurity that continues to plague the country. Yet the imminent threat of
death doesn’t seem to deter people – young and old, Iraqis and foreigners –
from making the dangerous journey to the holy city.
It isn’t easy
for an outsider to understand what inspires the pilgrims. You see women
carrying children in their arms, old men in wheelchairs, people on crutches,
and blind seniors holding walking sticks. I met a father who had travelled all
the way from Basra with his disabled boy. The 12-year-old had cerebral palsy
and could not walk unassisted. So for a part of the trek the father put the
boy’s feet on top of his and held him by the armpits as they walked. It is the
kind of story out of which Oscar-winning films are made, but it seems Hollywood
is more concerned with comic heroes and with real life heroes whose superpower
is their courage and commitment.
Golden Dome of
Hussein
Visitors to the shrine of Hussein and his brother Abbas are not driven by emotion alone. They cry be reminded of the atrocious nature of his death, in doing so, they reaffirm their pledge to his ideals.
Visitors to the shrine of Hussein and his brother Abbas are not driven by emotion alone. They cry be reminded of the atrocious nature of his death, in doing so, they reaffirm their pledge to his ideals.
The first thing
that pilgrims do upon reaching his shrine is recite the Ziyara, a sacred text which summarizes the
status of Hussein. In it, they begin the address by calling Hussein the
“inheritor” of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. There is something
profound in making this proclamation. It shows that Hussein’s message of truth,
justice, and love for the oppressed is viewed as an inseparable extension of
all divinely-appointed prophets.
People go to
Karbala not to marvel at the city’s landscape – lush with date palms, or to
admire the mausoleum’s physical beauty, or to shop, be entertained, or to visit
ancient historical sites. They go to cry. To mourn and experience the angelic
aura of Hussein. They enter the sacred shrine weeping and lamenting the
greatest act of sacrifice ever seen.
It is as though
every person has established a personal relationship with the man they have
never seen. They talk to him and call out his name; they grip the housing of
his tomb; they kiss the floor leading into the shrine; they touch its walls and
doors in the same manner one touches the face of a long-lost friend. It is a
picturesque vista of epic proportions. What motivates these people is something
that requires an understanding of the character and status of Imam Hussein and
the spiritual relationship that those who have come to know him have developed
with his living legend.
If the world
understood Hussein, his message, and his sacrifice, they would begin to
understand the ancient roots of Daesh and its credo of death and destruction.
It was centuries ago in Karbala that humanity witnessed the genesis of senseless
monstrosities, epitomized in the murderers of Hussein. It was pitch black
darkness v. Absolute shining light, an exhibition of vice v. a festival of
virtue, hence the potent specter of Hussein today. His presence is primordially
woven into every facet of their lives. His legend encourages, inspires, and
champions change for the better, and no amount of media blackout can extinguish
its light.
“Who is this
Hussein”? For hundreds of millions of his followers, a question this profound,
which can cause people to relinquish their religion for another, can be
answered only when you have marched to the shrine of Hussein on foot.
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sayed-mahdi-almodarresi/arbaeen-pilgrimage_b_6203756.html
