By SAIFUL SIDEK
KARBALA, Iraq – From August 1 to 6, I witnessed millions of pilgrims converge on Karbala for Arba’in, walking long distances in intense heat to honour a man killed more than 1,300 years ago.
I arrived in Iraq seeking to understand what could inspire such extraordinary devotion across countries, cultures and generations.
I returned with the understanding that Arba’in is not simply an annual act of mourning and Karbala is not merely a story about death.
At its heart is an enduring moral message about love, sacrifice, dignity, justice and the courage to resist oppression.
Observed in Iraq this year on August 4, Arba’in falls on the 20th day of Safar, 40 days after Ashura. It commemorates Imam Husain ibn Ali, the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was killed alongside members of his family and a small group of companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Before making the journey, I carried many questions.
What exactly is Arba’in? Why are millions of people willing to travel so far and walk for kilometres through punishing heat and physical exhaustion to commemorate an event that took place more than 13 centuries ago?
Who was Imam Husain, and why does his name continue to inspire such extraordinary devotion?
More importantly, what happened in Karbala that transformed the deaths of Husain and his companions into one of the most enduring moral narratives in Islamic history?
I went to Karbala with these questions.
What I encountered there offered answers that went far beyond the history books.
A Love That Has Outlived Empires
Perhaps the most striking feature of Arba’in is its extraordinary expression of love and devotion.
Along the roads leading to Karbala, elderly pilgrims walk slowly beside young people and families carrying small children. Some continue despite exhaustion, discomfort and the relentless summer heat.
They come from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Gulf states, Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond.
They speak different languages, come from different cultures and belong to different ethnic communities. Yet the name of Husain creates an unmistakable emotional bond among them.
Observing this vast gathering led me to reflect on a fundamental truth of history: political power is often temporary, but moral influence can endure for centuries.
Governments come and go. Dynasties rise and fall. Even the most powerful armies eventually become chapters in the historical record.
Yet a legacy founded on principle, sacrifice and moral courage can survive long after the structures of political power have disappeared.
The rulers associated with Husain’s death once commanded armies and territories. Today, their power is remembered largely through the tragedy of Karbala.
Husain, by contrast, possessed neither a vast army nor the machinery of a state. Yet more than 13 centuries later, millions still travel to Karbala in his name.
Perhaps therein lies one of the enduring truths of Arba’in.
The pilgrims are not simply remembering how Husain died. They are seeking to connect themselves with what they believe he represented.
Where Giving Becomes an Honour
Another remarkable dimension of Arba’in is its immense culture of service and volunteerism.
Thousands of mawakib, or temporary service centres, are established along the pilgrimage routes to assist those making the journey.
Food and water are distributed free of charge. Accommodation and places to rest are offered freely. Medical assistance is provided. Volunteers wash clothes, clean the roads and massage the feet of exhausted pilgrims.
Many Iraqi families open their homes to complete strangers.
Few questions are asked about a pilgrim’s nationality, ethnicity, social standing or financial circumstances. Payment is neither expected nor requested.
Indeed, many volunteers appear genuinely honoured when pilgrims accept the food, water or assistance they offer.
In an age dominated by commerce and personal gain, Arba’in presents an unusual social phenomenon: people competing not to acquire, but to give.
One person cooks out of devotion. Another distributes water. Someone cleans the streets, while another tends to the tired and injured.
Each serves according to his or her ability. No contribution appears too small.
The scale of this generosity raises an important question: what might happen if such a culture of service were carried into everyday life?
Helping neighbours, caring for the poor, assisting travellers and standing beside those facing injustice could transform communities in profound ways.
Seen from this perspective, Arba’in is more than a religious ritual. It is also a vast social exercise in building a culture centred on serving others.
Volunteers prepare food for pilgrims at one of the thousands of mawkibs operating along the Arba’in pilgrimage route. These rest and service stations welcome travellers day and night with free meals, drinks, shelter and places to rest—an extraordinary expression of hospitality and volunteerism. Photo courtesy of Saiful Sidek.
Beyond the Sunni-Shi’a Divide
From a distance, it is easy to regard Arba’in primarily as a Shi’a religious gathering.
There is truth in that perception. The overwhelming majority of participants are Shi’a Muslims, and the commemoration of Karbala occupies a particularly important place in Shi’a religious tradition.
Yet the reality on the ground is more complex.
Along the pilgrimage routes, one may also encounter Sunni Muslims, Christians and visitors from various religious and cultural backgrounds.
Some participate as pilgrims, while others come as observers. Some are drawn by their love for Husain; others are attracted by what they see as the broader humanitarian message of Karbala.
Witnessing this led me to reflect on how often Muslims today view one another primarily through sectarian labels: Sunni and Shi’a, or one school of jurisprudence set against another.
Yet at the centre of Karbala stands a figure who belongs to the history of the entire Muslim community: Husain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Muslims may differ on matters of jurisprudence, theology and religious tradition. But they share the Qur’an, turn towards the same qiblah and profess faith in the same God and the same Prophet.
There is no dispute that Husain was the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Arba’in therefore offers a timely reminder that Muslim societies may benefit from first recognising what unites them before magnifying what divides them.
Saiful Sidek, right, with fellow influencers and participants from Indonesia, Canada, Russia and the United States. Different nationalities and backgrounds were brought together by a shared journey and the experience of Arba’in. Photo courtesy of Saiful Sidek.
Karbala’s Message to Humanity
The significance of Karbala need not be confined to Muslims.
At its heart, the story raises universal moral questions.
What should individuals do when political authority becomes oppressive?
What is the value of principle when upholding it carries a heavy personal cost?
Is personal security more important than defending what one believes to be right?
At what point does compromise with injustice become morally unacceptable?
These are not exclusively Islamic questions. They belong to the wider human experience.
This may help explain why the story of Husain has also attracted interest among non-Muslim thinkers, writers and communities.
One does not have to be Shi’a to understand courage.
One does not have to be Muslim to understand sacrifice.
And one does not have to come from Karbala to understand the moral significance of resisting oppression.
In this broader sense, Husain can be understood not merely as a symbol of one religious community, but as a moral figure representing the refusal to surrender human dignity in the face of unjust power.
Karbala asks what a person is prepared to defend when silence, submission or compromise would be safer.
Husain’s answer came at the highest possible personal cost.
A giant pink backpack bearing the inscription “#Minab168” commemorates the victims of the February 28 attack on a primary school in Minab, Iran. Displayed during the Arba’in pilgrimage, the installation serves as a poignant reminder that children and other civilians often bear the heaviest cost of war. Photo courtesy of Saiful Sidek.
When Memory Becomes Moral Consciousness
Another dimension of Arba’in deserves serious consideration: the relationship between collective memory and social behaviour.
Every year, the events of Karbala are narrated anew.
The name of Husain is repeated. The sacrifice of Abbas ibn Ali is remembered. The courage and resilience of Zainab binti Ali are retold.
Public mourning, religious gatherings, pilgrimages and the Arba’in walk are observed and passed from one generation to the next.
Some may reasonably ask why an event that occurred more than 13 centuries ago should continue to occupy such a significant place in contemporary life.
The answer may lie in how human cultures are formed.
Stories repeatedly told become part of a community’s collective memory.
Collective memory shapes values.
Values shape character.
And character, in turn, influences behaviour.
If generations are raised with a narrative teaching that dignity cannot be sold, oppression should be resisted and sacrifice in defence of the oppressed is honourable, those principles may eventually become embedded in the social consciousness of a community.
This is perhaps why Karbala has never remained confined to the seventh century.
For those who commemorate it, Karbala is continually brought into the present. It becomes not only an event to be remembered, but also a moral test to be applied to every generation.
Who embodies Husain’s principles in our time?
Who represents the power and injustice associated with Yazid?
Who are the oppressed of our generation?
And when injustice occurs, on which side do we choose to stand?
Saiful Sidek, left, with Sergei Smolianinov of Arig Us television, a broadcaster based in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, during the Arba’in pilgrimage in Iraq. Photo courtesy of Saiful Sidek.
The Answer I Brought Home
I went to Arba’in seeking to understand why the memory of an event that occurred more than 1,300 years ago could still move millions of people.
I returned with a different understanding.
Perhaps Arba’in has endured not simply because people continue to remember how Husain died, but because every generation continues to ask what Husain stood for.
The pilgrims walking towards Karbala are therefore doing more than retracing a historic journey. Through their devotion, service and sacrifice, they are carrying its moral questions into the present.
Political power may command obedience for a time. Moral courage can inspire humanity for centuries.
And for as long as the world continues to confront oppression and wrestle with questions of dignity, justice and conscience, the message of Karbala will not disappear.
Saiful Sidek is an analyst specialising in geopolitics and Middle Eastern affairs. He writes exclusively for TNS News.
Disclaimer: The views and interpretations expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of TNS News. References to historical, religious and geopolitical matters are presented as part of the author’s personal observations and analysis. TNS News remains committed to responsible journalism, religious sensitivity and respect for all communities.
Saiful Sidek, right, with British academic Matthew Alford, left, during Arba’in in Iraq. Alford’s research examines the relationship between Western governments, war and the media. Picture courtesy of Saiful Sidek
- TNS NEWS