Ziyarat Arba'een ( Arabic: زیارة الأربعین) is an annual pilgrimage that takes place in the holy city of

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

in Iraq. It is the world's largest pilgrimage, reaching an estimated number of over 22 million pilgrims in 2023. The pilgrimage seeks to honour the death of the third Shi'ite Imam,

Husayn ibn Ali Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

, who was a grandson of Muhammad. Husayn was killed during the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. In Arabic, "arba'een" means "forty", reverting to the 40th day after Husayn's death, and "ziyarat" means "visit".Mohd Faizal Musa, 'Axiology of Pilgrimage:Malaysian Shi’ites Ziyarat in Iran and Iraq', ''Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology'', Vol. 10, No. 1 (2013), pp. 67-84. While the visitation of Husayn is not considered an Islamic obligation, like the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

(pilgrimage to Mecca), it plays an integral role in the religious life of Shia. The culture as stated by a researcher provides ways to express social emotion Steven Gordon, L., 'The sociology of sentiments and emotion', ''Social psychology: Sociological perspectives'', (1981), pp. 562-592. and from sociological perspective, feelings rules are ″appropriate ways to express internal sensation". So, also the ziyarat is directly or indirectly used to express the mourning of Imams.

Importance of Ziyarat of Arba'een

The number 40 holds an important status in the light of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Quran emphasized the importance of 40: "And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights and perfected them by he addition often; so the term of his Lord was completed as forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, "Take my place among my people, do right y them and do not follow the way of the corrupters",Qura
7:142
/ref> while the Hadith also reported that the earth mourns a death of believer for forty morning. Also, according to the teachings of Ahlul Bayt, it holds a special spiritual significance. With respect to Imam Hussein, Imam Baqir reported that the heavens wept over Imam Hussein for forty morning, with the sun rising red and setting red.

Duties of the mourners

According to

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

Hasan al-Askari Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ( ar, الحَسَن بْن عَلِيّ بْن مُحَمَّدُ, translit=al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad; ), better known as Hasan al-Askari ( ar, الحَسَن ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ , translit=al-Ḥa ...

, the signs of a believers are five: * Performing fifty-one rakats of salaat (prayer) daily, * Reciting Ziyarah of Arba'een, * Wearing a ring in the right hand, * Placing the forehead on dust uring sajda * Saying "Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim" aloud in salaat. There are some duties that mourners have to observe during forty day of

Imam Hussein Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

. They are as follow: * Ziyaratul Arba'een * Use the ziyarat to link-up with the

and take him as a role model in everything. * Living in peace with others that are lovers of

* Rise against the oppression and come to the aid of oppressed. * Renew our pledge, love and bond with the Ahlul-Bayt.

References

External links

Ziarat Arbaeen

Ziyarat Arbaeen
{{Muslimholidays Islamic prayer Ziyarat Mourning of Muharram History of Shia Islam

Importance of Ziyarat of Arba'een

Duties of the mourners

See also

References

External links