SAEDNEWS: Dr. Chris Hewer calls the Arbaeen Walk a glimpse of the unity and justice promised in the End Times, where millions gather to honor Imam Husayn beyond borders and beliefs.
When people first hear about the Arbaeen Walk, the thing that amazes them is the sheer number of people who take part; in recent years in the realm of twenty to twenty-five million! They all have the single goal of reaching Karbala and paying their respects to Imam Husayn and the other martyrs who are buried there, but the walk itself and the conduct of the walkers have many lessons to show us about how human life might be lived.
The diversity of people amongst the walkers raises many grounds for reflection. Most obviously, they comprise men, women and children of all ages. People come from different ethnic groups, nationalities and languages. Some are young and fit, but there are others on crutches, walking with a stick, or riding in a wheelchair. One sense of determination binds them all together. Not so easy to identify visually is the fact that many Sunni Muslims are to be found amongst the largely Shi’a gathering, as well as people from other faiths: Christians, Jews and Hindus. Finally, some people who would profess no faith but are attracted by the human ideals by which Imam Husayn lived come to do him honour. This abundant diversity is a critical reminder to everyone that we are all the Children of Adam and called to ‘the natural way of life in obedience to our Creator’s guidance’ that we call the din al-fitra. To be present for the Arbaeen Walk is to be forced to break out of the narrow groupings that divide humankind today and to be brought back to the spiritual reality of our oneness before God.
Many of the things that seem to obsess people today, especially in the materially rich countries, such as seeking money by exploiting others, considering that we are superior through virtue of our military or economic strength, and arrogantly assuming that ‘God is on our side’, are challenged and turned on their head during the Arbaeen Walk. People with little give what they have to their guests, who have far more material wealth. Those who can afford to pay for water to be purified and sealed in plastic tubs, not to be sold for profit and self-advancement, but to be given away to the walkers. Those with skills in mechanics, health or catering, who in other parts of the world would be selling their services to the rich, come here to offer their services without cost to the assembled gathering. This challenges onlookers, participants and those who read about or watch the Walk to reconsider their own values. Must the rich always have a much larger share of the good things of the earth, whilst others, the majority, scrape along a bare existence? Should my good fortune in terms of ability and education mean that I should provide my services only to those who can afford to pay? How can a ‘civilised’ man or woman go about their business knowing that ‘just over the hill’ there are other human beings who are denied sufficient food and water to survive? We have created a world in which material riches seem only to be accumulated at the exploitation of others in our own country or around the world. By delving into the values exhibited during the Arbaeen Walk, we are challenged to ask who are the tyrants today and what are the means of modern oppression? Devotion to Imam Husayn should lead to spiritual reflection and growth, which in turn must lead to action to promote the good in global society.
In several religious traditions, there is an understanding of the End Times, that is the time when the Messiah or Imam al-Mahdi will appear to bring humanity back to the path of human living according to the guidance of God. In that time, there will be an end to exploitation, tyranny, and oppression. The good things of the earth will be shared so that all may have their needs met. Justice will reign and so there will be a real and abiding peace amongst all people on earth. Then the human family will be one in all our diversity. Does that not sound attractive to the human breast? If we reflect on the Arbaeen Walk from this perspective, then we can have a glimpse, a foretaste of what life would be like if the Children of Adam lived by the God-directed virtues of justice, equity, and peace. Do we really think that we can go on just as we are today with the pious hope that ‘one day all will be well’ when the Mahdi appears? As we remember at this time the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his companions, the amazing strength of character that made Lady Zaynab into the spokesperson for the survivors, and recall those principles by which they lived and died, surely this should be a time for humanity to wake up and see how far short we fall and thus what needs to be done to move now, today, towards that way of life that we long for in the End Times.
Dr. Chris Hewer comes from a background in Christian theology, education, Islamic studies and inter-faith studies and has worked in the field of Muslims in Britain and Christian-Muslim relations since 1986.
