Arba'in

Millions of Shia Muslims gather around the Husayn Mosque in Karbala after making the Pilgrimage on foot during Arba'een. Arba'een ( , means "forty"), or Chehlum , as it is known by Persian -speaking and Urdu Muslims in Central Asia and south-east Asia, is a Shi'a Muslim religious observation that occurs 40 days after the Day of Ashura , the commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn bin Ali , the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad which falls on the 20th day of the month of Safar . Husayn and 72 supporters died in the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (680 CE), killed by Yazid 's army. Forty days is the usual length of the time of mourning in many Islamic cultures. The occasion reminds the faithful of the core message behind Husayn's martyrdom: establishing justice and fighting injustice, no matter what its incarnation—a message that strongly influenced subsequent Shi'a uprisings against the tyranny of Umayyad and Abbasid rule. In the first Arba'een gathering in the year 62 AH, Jabir ibn Abdullah , a companion of the Prophet , was one of the people who performed a pilgrimage to the burial site of Husayn. Due to his infirmity and probable blindness, he was accompanied by Atiyya bin Saad . His visit coincided with that of the surviving female members of the Prophet's family and Husayn's son and heir Imam Zain-ul-Abideen , who had all been held captive in Damascus by Yazid I , the Umayyad Caliph. Imam Zain-ul-Abideen had been too ill to participate in the Battle of Karbala. He later devoted his life to Azadari and spreading the message of Imam Hussain's supreme sacrifice. The city of Karbala in Iraq , the third holy place of Shi'a Islam, is the center of the proceedings where, in a show of humility, many crawl through the streets of the city while others fall on their hands and knees as they approach the Shrines of Husayn and his brother Abbas ibn Ali . Many pilgrims travel miles on foot to reach Karbala. Observance of Arba'een in Karbala was banned for many years when Saddam Hussein , a Sunni Muslim, was president of Iraq . Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq , the observance in April 2003 was broadcast worldwide. In 2008, approximately nine million religious observers converged on Karbala to celebrate Arba’een. However, in 2009, the number of people visiting Karbala on Arba'een significantly increased. According to the official website of BBC News and Press Tv (Iran), over ten million people had reached the city of Karbala one or two days before Arba'een. The number of pilgrims was expected to rise to 14 million during the next two days. Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival . Official website of Multi-National Force - Iraq BBC News - In pictures: Arbaeen in Karbala Press TV - 10 million pilgrims commemorate Arbaeen

Millions of Muslims gather around the Husayn Mosque in Karbala after making a pilgrimage on foot during Arba'een. Arba'een ( , "forty"), Chehelom ( , , "the fortieth [day]") or Qirkhi , Imamin Qirkhi ( , "the fortieth of Imam") is a Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura . It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali , the grandson of Muhammad , which falls on the 20th or 21st day of the month of Safar . Imam Husayn ibn Ali and 72 companions were killed by Yazid I 's army in the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE). Arba'een or forty days is also the usual length of mourning after the death of a family member or loved one in many Muslim traditions. Arba'een is one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on Earth, in which up to 31 million people go to the city of Karbala in Iraq .

Arba'een ( ), Chehelom ( , "the fortieth day") is a religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura . It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali , the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad , who was killed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram . Imam Husayn ibn Ali and 71 of his companions were killed by Yazid 's army in the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE). Arba'een or forty days is also the usual length of mourning after the death of a family member or loved one in many Muslim traditions. Arba'een is one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on Earth, in which up to 45 million people go to the city of Karbala in Iraq . The significance of the number 40 has roots in a saying ( hadith ) of Muhammad: "On the day of judgment, among my people, God will consider whoever memorized forty Hadiths as an erudite man". Numerous Islamic scholars have gathered collections of forty hadith, quoting from the prophet and the Imams , who followed him through the Shia sect.

Shia religious observance In Shia Islam , Arba'in ( ) marks forty days after Ashura , which is the death anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali , grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam . Husayn was killed, alongside most of his relatives and his small retinue, in the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH (680 CE ) against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ( r. 680–683 ). The battle followed Husayn's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Yazid, who is often portrayed by Muslim historians as impious and immoral. In Shia Islam, Karbala symbolizes the eternal struggle between good and evil, the pinnacle of self-sacrifice, and the ultimate sabotage of Muhammad's prophetic mission. Arba'in coincides with the twentieth of Safar , the second month of the Islamic calendar , and its commemoration is rooted in early Islamic funerary traditions. Shia Muslims annually observe the day through mourning gatherings, dramatic reenactments of Karbala narratives, and charitable acts. Arba'in is also a day of pilgrimage to the shrine of Husayn in Karbala , Iraq . Pilgrims arrive there in large numbers, often on foot, and many from the city of Najaf , some eighty kilometers away, home to the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib , the first Shia imam. The Arba'in pilgrimage, banned under the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein , has grown after his deposal in 2003 from two million participants in that year to around twenty million in 2014. As with Ashura, Arba'in can be an occasion for Sunni violence against Shia Muslims.

Shia religious observance In Shia Islam , Arba'in ( Arabic : الأربعين , lit. ' fortieth ' ) marks forty days after Ashura , which is the martyrdom anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali , grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam . Husayn was killed, alongside most of his relatives and his small retinue, in the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH (680 CE ) against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ( r. 680–683 ). The battle followed Husayn's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Yazid, who is often portrayed by Muslim historians as impious and immoral. In Shia Islam, Karbala symbolizes the eternal struggle between good and evil, the pinnacle of self-sacrifice, and the ultimate sabotage of Muhammad's prophetic mission. Arba'in coincides with the twentieth of Safar , the second month of the Islamic calendar , and its commemoration is rooted in early Islamic funerary traditions. Shia Muslims annually observe the day through mourning gatherings, dramatic reenactments of Karbala narratives, and charitable acts. Arba'in is also a day of pilgrimage to the shrine of Husayn in Karbala , Iraq . Pilgrims arrive there in large numbers, often on foot, and many from the city of Najaf , some eighty kilometers away, home to the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib , the first Shia imam. The Arba'in pilgrimage, banned under the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein , has grown after his deposal in 2003 from two million participants in that year to around twenty million in 2014. As with Ashura, Arba'in can be an occasion for violence against Shia Muslims .