Arbaeen in Pakistan, 2020

Seyyedeh Nakhat Razavi*
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

2020-10-21

Arba’een[1] had a different spirit in our country this year, because it coincided with a sharp difference between Shiites and some Salafis[2].

Pakistani clerics insisted that all Shiites attend the gathering, because a few weeks ago, a number of Wahhabis and Salafis marched for three days to honor some of the Companions of the Prophet, as well as Yazid, and insulted the infallible and pure Ahl al-Bayt. They also threw stones at one of the city's Husseiniyahs, chanting slogans such as the Shiites are infidels, and threatening to kill Shiite scholars; they also insult to a flag-like object attributed to Hazrat Abbas (PBUH). Under this condition, Shiite scholars insisted that all Shiites attend the Arba’een gathering.

Praise be to God, people did not stay at home this year and everyone came to Arba’een ceremony. People arrived at the ceremony on foot or by vehicle from everywhere. Shiite scholars were also present in shrouds and ready to be martyred, and this was a strong slap on the face of Wahhabis and Takfiris. On the path where people was walking towards the place of ceremony, several Moukebs[3] were set up and the people was served with food, fruit and drink.

Everyone was present at the gathering; old and young; man and woman, girl and boy; even infants.

In the 73-years history of Karachi, this number of people had never participated in Arba’een ceremony.

Each year, the gathering begins at the old Shah Najaf Husseiniyah in Karachi and ends in a district called Guromander. There are people in this district who consider themselves members of the Bani Assad tribe. Every year, these people make symbolic coffins for Imam Hussein (AS), Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS), Hazrat Qasim (AS) and Hazrat Abbas (AS) and turned them at the ceremony.

* Expert in Quranic and Hadith sciences from Al-Mustafa International University