What is Arbaeen?

What is Arbaeen?

40 days after the Day of Ashura coincides with the 20th day of Safar in the Islamic calendar, known as Arbaeen (Arabic: أَرْبَعِيْن). After Imam Hussain (p) and his companions were martyred on the Day of Ashura, their families were taken as captives on a long and exhausting journey on foot from Karbala to Damascus. After eventually being freed, they headed towards the grave site of the martyrs of Karbala. Their arrival back in Karbala coincided with the 40th day after Ashura, which later became known as the Day of Arbaeen. In a hadith from the 11th Imam, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (p), states that one of the signs of the faithful is visiting the grave of Imam Hussain (p) on Arbaeen. 

Visiting the grave of Imam Hussain (p), especially on the Day of Arbaeen, became a source of spiritual and moral inspiration. Inspired by the sacrifice and stance Imam Hussain (p) took on the Day of Ashura, it is a day Muslims renew their pledge of standing against injustice with all their means and working for the sake of justice, in anticipation of the return of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his return) so that he completes his mission of filling the world with justice and peace. We see throughout history that tyrants used persecution and torture as deterrents to stop this tradition. Yet, year after year the passion lovers of Imam Hussain (p) only grew to the extent that in recent years the number of visitors on the Day of Arbeen has exceeded 20 million, becoming one of the largest religious processions on a global scale.