Arbain, the gathering of the lovers of Imam Hossein(A) and Imam Mahdi(AJ), is an event where masses of 20-25 million people from around the world come together, an occurrence that many dark and evil powers openly acknowledge and accept as a reality. This event represents a light, unity, strength, and spirituality that grows each year.
The most popular route for Arbain is a pilgrimage on foot from the shrine of Imam Ali(A) in Najaf to the shrine of Imam Hossein(A) in Karbala. Arbain is a spiritual march where Imam Mahdi(AJ) is present, and thousands of angels have descended, extinguishing any negative force. As a result, these forces suppress the ego within us and allow the true, sincere soul to reflect onto others. Since every person carries a mirror facing others, every good gesture is reflected back in an unlimited cycle, reaching all of creation.
During Arbain, it is easy to become overwhelmed by excessive eating, drinking, and acts of kindness to the extent that we forget the essence of the march. Arbain is about reflecting on our dark veils, identifying their branches and seeds, in order to remove what blocks our spiritual growth and prevents us from becoming what we are meant to be—reaching a state of human perfection, superior to that of angels. The more sincere we become in reflection and actions, the closer we get to God and our own perfection.
Towards the end of the march, a deep, heartbreaking feeling arises near Imam Hossein’s shrine. At the same time, the Arbain atmosphere fades, and most people return to their original earthly selves, often the selves they had before Arbain. We see here that many people are no longer as genuinely merciful, as willing to share, help others, or offer affection as they did during the spiritual march. This is because those unique heavenly forces of positivity have vanished, and consequently, our ego reemerges.
However, if during the march we have managed to burn away our egos (I-nesses) through reflection, exposing and admitting then we will notice the effect when we reach the shrine. We will no longer be the same. An long-lasting inner peace will be established, where we can see God in every person and creation, just as we did during Arbain. This is why the best way to get the most out of Arbain is to start our journey well before the event. In our daily lives, we should reflect on ourselves and consistently train, both ethically and spiritually, to remove vices and evil traits. Then, during Arbain, with the help of our tawasul to Imam Ali(A) and Imam Hossein(A), we will be blessed with a much higher divine capacity and station.
وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَل لِي مِن لَدُنكَ سُلْطَاناً نَصِيراً
And say: ‘My Lord! cause me to enter a goodly entrance and cause me to go out (of) a goodly exit, and grant me from Your part a (powerful) authority to assist (me)’.” (Sura Isra, vers 80)
