Arbaeen breaks across ethnic, racial, religious, and national barriers. Although it is initiated by Shia Muslims as spiritual reawakening, the participants include Sunnis, Ibadis, Christians, Jews, Yazidis, and Zoroastrians as both pilgrims and volunteers in service of the devotees.
Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic once said in a historic message that Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, once said in a historic message that mourning ceremonies held in memorial of Imam Hossein (PBUH) creates harmony and strengthen the expression of unity in the society.
It is clear that people from all walks of life see Imam Hosein as a universal and meta-religious symbol of courage, compassion, love, and freedom.
Arbaeen is biggest annual gathering where largest number of people fed for free, largest group of volunteers serving a single event.
Arbaeen memorializes the end of the 40-day mourning period for the martyrdom of Imam Hosein (PBUH), the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and third Shia Imam over 1300 years ago.
It is on a lunar calendar and falls on November 9th this year.
Millions of people from around the globe gather in holiest city of Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen, one of the most revered Islamic religious occasions.
This annual event of Arbaeen, which atrracts millions each year goes peaceful. Each year, millions of the pilgrims began their journey on foot from Najaf, 80-kilometers away, a distance that takes 3 to 5 days, towards Karbala.
Pilgrims come on foot from other places as far as Basra, 510 kilometers from Karbala.
Throughout their journey, the pilgrims were served with free water, hot meals, foot massages, and housing by nearby Iraqi local residents who consider the acceptance of such offers as a bestowing honor on them.
it draws out more pilgrims in masses displaying of faith in humanity never seen before anywhere around the world.