When people first hear about Arbaeen Walk, what surprises them is the huge number of people participating. In recent years, it has been in the 20 to 25 million range! They all have a single goal of reaching Kalbara and paying respect to Imam Hussain and the other martyrs buried there, but the walking itself and the behavior of pedestrians have many lessons for us about how human life lives.
People’s diversity among pedestrians has many grounds for reflection. Most obviously, they are made up of men, women and children of all ages. People come from a variety of ethnic groups, nationalities and languages. Some people are young and healthy, but there are others on crutches. One sense of decision combines them all. It’s not that easy to visually identify. It is the fact that many Sunni Muslims are found primarily in Shia gatherings, among other faiths, among Christians, Jews and Hindu people. Finally, some people do not publicly declare their faith, but are attracted to the human ideals that Imam Hussain lived in. This rich variety makes us an important memory for everyone that we are all Adam’s children and what we call “a natural way of life following the guidance of our creator” Din al-Fitra. To attend the Albain Walk is to be forced to escape from the narrow group that divides humanity today, and to be brought back to the spiritual reality of our oneness before God.
Especially in a materially rich country, such as seeking money by exploiting others, many of the things that seem to be obsessed with people today are challenged and raised their heads during Aaaain’s walk, taking the arrogant assumption that “God is by our side” as they arrogantly assume that “God is by our side.” The little people give their guests what they have. Those who can afford to be purified and sealed in plastic tubs and sealed to be given to pedestrians rather than sold for profit or self-advocacy. People with mechanics, health and catering skills come here to provide services to the rich in other parts of the world, without spending any cost to gatherings. This challenges onlookers, participants, and those who read and watch about walks to rethink their worth. Rich people should always have a much larger proportion of the good things on the planet, but do other people, the majority, rub along the naked being? Should my fortune from a competency and education perspective mean that I need to provide my services only to those who can afford to pay? How can a “civilized” man or woman go to their business knowing that there are other people on the hill that are denied enough food or water to survive “just on the hill”? We have created a world in which material wealth appears to be accumulated through the exploitation of others in our country and around the world. By delving into the values exhibited during the Arbaeen Walk, who is the tyrant today and what is the means of modern oppression? Devotion to Imam Hussain should lead to spiritual reflection and growth, which should lead to actions to promote the goodness of a global society.
In some religious traditions, it is the ending age, when the Messiah and Imam al-Mahdi appear to return humanity to the path of human life, following the guidance of God. Meanwhile, exploitation, tyranny and oppression are put to an end. The good things on the earth are shared so that everything can meet their needs. Justice governs, so there is a true existence of peace among all people on earth. After that, the human family becomes one of all our diversity. Doesn’t it sound attractive to a human breast? Looking back at Albain’s walks from this perspective, we can get a glimpse into what life would look like if Adam’s children were living by virtue of justice, equality and peace. Do you really think we can continue as we are today with the respectful hope that “everything will go well one day” when Mahdi appears? Remember at this point Imam Hussain and his fellow martians, the incredible strength of the character that made Mrs. Zainab a spokesman for the survivors, and the principles they lived and died.
Dr. Chris Heawer has come from the background of Christian theology, education, Islamic studies and interfaith studies and has worked since 1986 in the Muslim field of British-Christian Muslim relations.