Significance of Arbaeen
In an interview with the Shafaqna website, religious scholar Hojat-ol-Islam Mohammad Reza Nurollahian said in order to realize the importance of the day and the mourning ceremonies, one should look into Imam Hussein’s (AS) trip from Medina to Karbala and the reason why his family members accompanied him in the perilous journey.
He said many, including the Imam’s (AS) companions questioned and even opposed the decision to take women and children to Karbala.
The cleric said by studying the event of Ashura today, one would realize that Imam Hussein (AS) wanted the women of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) to become reporters of Ashura because men would be killed and if there was no one to convey what happened there, the event would be distorted.
He noted that the Umayyad rulers tried to portray Imam Hussein (AS) as a rebel and if the Imam’s family members had not been in Karbala to see what happened and report it to others later, the message of Ashura would have been forgotten.
Hojat-ol-Islam Nurollahian stressed that the members of Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) who survived the events of Ashura were truthful individuals trusted by people and that they conveyed the message of Ashura to people.
He reiterated that the importance of Arbaeen lies in the fact that the members of Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) who had been present when the events of Ashura happened, reported those events and that is why Arbaeen has remained alive in the minds of people after 1400 years.
The cleric noted that the reporters of Ashura (Imam Hussein’s (AS) Household) returned to Karbala on Arbaeen (40 days after Ashura) and related what happened on that day.
