 Karbala we're walking, we his aynab talking Ya Hussan, Ya Hussan To your grave we're flocking, on your door we're knocking Ya Hussan, Ya Hussan On the 10th of Muharram 61AH The grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Hussain Ibn Ali along with his family and companions were massacred on the desert plains of Karbala by the tyrannical leader Yazid son of Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufiyah Only 50 years after the death of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa'ala The religion of Islam had witnessed the so-called caliph of the Islamic state butchering the family of a very man who brought the religion to the world Ya Sayyidi, Ya Abul Hussan We are blessed to be in this holy city of yours You've accepted us as your zuwar, Muawlai We are following on your footsteps and going towards the city of liberation of martyrdom, of freedom You are the one who reached Karbala lifted the soil of Karbala wept and cried and said from this soil there are martyrs who will be resurrected on the day of judgement and shall enter Jannah without accountability Sayyidi, Ya Abul Hussan We are heading towards the shrine of your beloved son Sayyidi, Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen We would like you to accept our ziyarah We would like you to call us back We want to be of your zuwar We want to be of the ones who cast our eyes on your golden dome Do not make this our last opportunity to visit your blessed shrine Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen Ya Imam al-Muttaqeen Ya Ya'soob al-Deen We are now walking towards Sayyidi Shuhada about Abdullah al-Hussain We are honoring your son Abul Fadl al-Abbas We are walking in the footsteps of Zainab and Zain al-Abideen Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen We know that what we are about to do pleases you We know that what we are about to do places happiness in your hearts Ya Amir al-Mu'mineen We wish to pledge to you and pledge to Sayyidi Shuhada about Abdullah al-Hussain pledge to the master of our time Ya Imam Sahib al-Hussri al-Zaman that every ounce of our existence every drop of our body every single element of our life will be dedicated towards the Ahl al-Bait and with that commitment with that determination with that focus we are moving towards Karbala we are responding to the call of Aba Abdullah hal min nasir yansuruna hal min moghi thinyoghi thuna My name is Muhammad Abbas and I am a GP from London Alhamdulillah I've been in Ziyara before in and out of Aruba'een time I think Aruba'een, if we talk about Aruba'een specifically it's a very special time and it's always been a special time the other Ziyaras are often a time for us to introspect to look at ourselves and talk about things and speak to the imams on a one-to-one level and really often talk about our own issues but Aruba'een is probably the only time I think in the calendar when you get to meet so many other people who love Imam Sain al-Islam and sometimes you get in your mind that it's just you but actually when you're there walking with them it's the most amazing thing you're walking with millions of other people and it's not just the same person it's the young, the old from all the areas of the world and they're all coming because they love Imam Sain al-Islam and there's so many things about the walk that just inspire you this is truly the walk of love which everyone knows that but why is it the walk of love because everyone there is in love with Imam Sain al-Islam they're walking for three days or even more and their bodies are aching and yet they'll do anything for you and even to serve you even other fellows who are it's because they love Imam Sain al-Islam they're walking in one direction it's just a single mass movement of love and seeing the people on the road the people who are trying to help you it's the most unbelievable experience because in every other walk of life people are always grabbing you and saying please come here I'm trying to sell you something must buy something come it's really good for you they're saying please come and sleep in my house come and use my bathroom and just think about when would you ever have that concept in your own self of saying to someone please say if the shoe was on the other foot and it was in London someone came when would you say please come and sleep in my bed take my food eat my clothes wear my clothes eat my food stay with me etc it's something that's so alien but the love for Imam Sain al-Islam just drives all of the Iraqi people here to just do everything an estimated 20 million people from over 60 countries will make their way to the city of Karbala in Iraq to mark the 40th day after the martyrdom of Hussain son of Ali 15th of November 2016 and we have just departed Najaf we've given our last salam to Amir al-Mu'mineen Sayed Abul Hassan Sayed Abul Hassan Imam Ali al-Islam and we have departed with the group for Karbala and it's currently 9.30 am and inshallah we plan on walking about 450 poles to our first mocap where we inshallah spent the night and on the way we will be hosted by the people of Iraq and the rest of the mocap that are here along the way and their endless hospitality that has no ulterior motive has no recompensation or no repayment that is required what could possibly drive 20 million people to leave their homes and walk through desert plains in the midst of a war zone facing the threat of suicide bombing and terrorist attacks it is indeed nothing but a demonstration of love for a man who through his sacrifice for righteousness left nations eternally besotted nations who promise to give their lives in service for Hussain alayhis salam the master of martyrs nations who vow even in a matter of life or death to never forget the four to you Bismillah my name is Shabaaz Khan I'm from south London I hope you to be specific proud of it as well I'm here in Karbala in Karbala this is my I think fourth time I came once during the time of Saddam and I've come this is now my third Arba'een and I come for one Arshala as well that's actually five times hundred so blessed so blessed oh my god if you want me to compare the time of Saddam I was eight years old when I came in 2002 I remember one thing so specifically we were sitting on Thile Zainabiyah and my dad comes up to me taps me on the shoulder and he goes shabbs recite that know-how about Bibi Zainab and I started reciting the know-how about Bibi Zainab which is in Thile Zainabiyah and it goes on to Shami Ghareeba and it talks about Saddam Zainab looking on to the the killing of Imam Al-Sainab the killing of Ali Al-Aqbar Al-Salab and what she did after and the whole fact that Imam Sajjad's first ruling as an Imam was based on the question from Saddam Zainab do I protect my hijab or do I save my life so this is the know-how that reside in Urdu, Punjabi Sariqi he's got a mixture of all three I was reciting and I was reciting softly and people started crying and then they went from crying to wailing because the words become so strong and when they got to the point of wailing the guards came and picked me up and took me straight out I was so scared I was so scared because they wanted to stop anything they wanted to stop everything you weren't allowed to hit yourself you weren't allowed to do the Lebek Dihah Zain you weren't allowed to do any of that I remember even on Arba'in day we were going into the harem and one of my uncles had me on his shoulders and I'm reciting and everyone's crying and the guard turned his gun to me and said stop and I was like oh my god genuinely and you know what and then when I came the first time for Ashura was the second time I came and that was in 2013 and to see so many people surrounding the harem of Aba'abdillah I'm telling you on Arba'in day I was sitting in there I'm holding the dharia I'm reciting Zia'at al-Arshura during the time so that the harem is empty the harem was empty there's bullet holes and crates from bombs and everything all over the place from the attack in 91 it's exactly the same the place is an absolute wreck and then to come again in 2013 and see all the renovations to Aba'abdillah to see the new gold Abbas's minarets it was absolutely mind blowing and as a comparison I think there's literally a difference between hell and heaven it is incredible incredible and to see how many people that could express their love for Aba'abdillah after the end of Saddam was absolutely amazing beyond any comprehension it's just made my craving for Karbala that much more now we're here walking a few moments ago the streets were full of Diyazan the call to prayer and it reminds us of Diyazan of Khaled Ali al-Aqbar on the day of Ashura there are millions of people that are walking today to Karbala and everything has stopped life has come to a complete and everyone is heading for the washroom heading for the Hussainiyah heading to the Imamabad to pray this is one of the most important acts because we stop thinking about all of our worldly desires and we focus only on Salah only on Namaz and that is the importance of this walk to bring us back to our roots to bring us back to what is important to bring us back to what is wajib and has been decreed upon the common practice of walking towards the city of Karbala sometimes barefoot originates from the very footsteps of the family of Hussainiyah led by Zainab the daughter of Imam Ali and Ali Zainalabadin the son of Hussain the remaining family members return to Karbala on the 40th day after the martyrdom of Hussain Ali Hussain after being released as prisoners of war from the shackles of the ruler Yazid the 40th is historically noted in some traditions as the first time the family of Hussain Ali Hussain were allowed to publicly mourn the death of their family members in some narrations the companions of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam such as Jabir ibn Abdullah Lansari were also amongst those who reached the city of Karbala on this day the first gathering of lamentation took place in Karbala on this day and thus it continued as a tradition for the followers of the family of the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam throughout the generations which up until today fulfills the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that states that God will create a nation that will mourn Hussain Alaihi Wasallam until the day of judgement we are at 217 for our resting point for today Alhamdulillah this is my first walk it's been a great experience so far inshallah we're praying that all goes well for the rest of the day we stop at 217 tonight inshallah i think so far so good words can't describe what kind of experience i'm going through i don't know i don't know what to say feet are sore, back is sore but i want to keep going with this walk hopefully the next two days the love of Hussain will motivate us to keep going and hopefully carry on my name is Ammar i come from London i'm a mechanic, buses, cars this is my fourth time visiting Imam Hussain on the Arba'een i've been in other times but in terms of Arba'een this is the first one, first time was made a couple of friends this is with a group at the moment spiritual journeys i think everyone has a personal relationship with Imam Hussain Alaihi Wasallam and everyone comes for different reasons but probably one of the main reasons is to meet Imam Hussain Alaihi Wasallam and renew our allegiance with him and show our appreciation for what he's given us and tell him that we stand with him and stand for what he stood for generally speaking when you're in Najaf personally like i said everyone has a personal relationship but personally i feel like Najaf is a place of calm serenity, peace when writing for i mean i write my own poetry i tend to write most of my poetry either on the walk or surrounding the days of Arba'een or surrounding the days of Maharram throughout the year i don't really write much i try to but nothing comes up so i'm not sure what that is but i'm coming to Imam Hussain Alaihi Wasallam it's just sadness that's all you feel sometimes you'll be walking you walk on your own or with a group and suddenly you'll just start crying throughout the walk you'll just remember a moment and you'll just connect with him and refocus on him and begin to cry and go through different visualizations of the day of Ashurah and what happened that tends to happen quite a lot when you're walking you'll see a lot of people just walking and reciting know-how to themselves in terms of reciting you're right next to the Imam you're in his Haram in the vicinity of his sanctuary whether you're in Karbala or not you're approaching his sanctuary and that has a i think that there is a feeling that comes with it that you can't control there is something in the air there is definitely some sort of connection some spiritual connection when you're in the vicinity of the Haram that you just feel this sadness comes every now and then I don't know what else I've never asked him for anything ever I've always gone to say thank you that's it, that's all I go for so when it comes to why I go there I have searched myself and I've come to the conclusion that I just come to thank him and that's all I can do I can't really give him anything more than he's giving me and I pray that I will be a servant to him inshallah whatever small small we can do that's what we hope to gain we are on the road from Najaf to Karbala and we are now at 217 we got here before our group this is our Mulkib where we're going to be staying tonight and I'm standing here on the road just to make sure that none of our group, none of us are far from our group go past this point inshallah we'll stay here we'll have a medialist tonight we'll start making our way for the second day of this trip we intend to be in Karbala by Saturday inshallah so we're taking three days to make our journey we have just arrived at our Mulkib the poll number 217 we started at poll number zero this morning at about 9.30, 10 o'clock it's taken us a few hours to get here but we've finally reached the Mulkib so we're going to be staying behind you you have the polls that we are organised by so we have polls one to ten and poll number one is at the front two, three, four going all the way to ten covering us so that people who walk at different paces are covered if you want to walk fast there is the poll number one and poll ten for people who want to take their time experience all the different services all the different foods all the different khedme we've just reached here everybody is a little bit tired but excited we can't wait to reach Karbala inshallah tomorrow is the main day, the longest day but inshallah the energy will be up, we're about to have a Mejilis I'm going to say a Hadith to and it's hard for me to say this Hadith but one of them when I said to me he said he don't say this Hadith regularly but we are on our way to Karbala my mom and brother say he don't tell me I wish about everything that happened in Karbala I don't know about it Ibrahim left his family in a barren land so did Iba'am de laa and that's why when Imam al-Sahab rode Ziyarat Wahab it's something of that barren land hurt Imam al-Sahab because in the last few days before Imam al-Sahab died they kept on oppressing Imam al-Sahab they kept on torturing him how would they torture him, not physically in jail they tried to burn that house of Imam al-Sahab while he wasn't alive Imam al-Sahab was one of the soldiers that bring his daughters the house of Imam al-Sahab so one of the soldiers came he lit the fire in the house of Imam al-Sahab our hearts are in Medina with him they lit the house on fire Imam al-Sahab what Hadith mentioned ran from one part of the house to the other carrying the daughters of Imam al-Sahab carrying the daughters of Imam al-Sahab he could imagine Imam al-Sahab carrying the daughters of Imam al-Sahab carrying the daughters of Imam al-Sahab until he eventually left the house when he left the house you could imagine the state of Imam al-Sahab that fire all over his dress fire all over the daughters of Rasulullah amongst those who went to see him one of them said I came to Imam al-Sahab he was crying after that day like I've never seen him I said to him what makes you cry what is it that makes you cry you are Muhammad have been through the worst of oppression but I see you cry like I've never seen you cry before he said to him I don't cry because of what's happened to us what is it that makes you cry he said rather I cry because when I was going around collecting my daughters rather when I was going around collecting my daughters with their dresses on fire I thought to myself what happened to Zainab on the night of the 11th of Ramadan when she carried the daughters of Rasulullah from one side to the other he said I now pictured the night of the 11th of Ramadan when I saw my aunt Zainab running from one tent to another I'm so old sisters, it is right now 10.30pm at night we have just finished a Majlis with Dr. Saeed Ammar Nashwani as well as some Matam Latmiya by Sayed Hyderal Jayzani Mullah Ammar Nashid and we are absolutely exhausted at the moment we are here at pole number 217 so we did about 400 poles today and if you could just spin the camera that way and take a look at all of these people that are already knocked out inshallah we have a lot of brothers here who have been walking all day by Alhamdulillah we are 400 poles closer to Imam Nashain and inshallah tomorrow we will begin with day 2 of our walk towards Aba Abdullah and Abul Fadil Allah inshallah right now it's about 5.30pm in the morning day 2 of the walk we are all just waking up getting ready for Salat al Fajr after the Majlis we are going to have food breakfast and then we are going to head out our goal is to reach Mokhab 808 by the end of the day as per tradition Iraqi natives leave their families and their homes in order to set up tents known as Mokhibs to simply serve the lovers of Hussain on the roads towards Karbala services such as handing out free food distributing water providing shelter to the pilgrims or carried out by locals and people of all ages who come from various different countries simply to serve Hussain alayhis salam and his pilgrims be it through life or in the face of death nothing prevents the continuation of honouring the 40th of Hussain alayhis salam it's day 2 of the walk love you just see how many people there are every morning you wake up and you are so humbled to be here again you give me the opportunity to come to Aba something there you just feel that you want to come back to Karbala all the time but then sometimes you forget that you're not the only person you love to Aba and you see that you love the amount of people who are devoting themselves physically, mentally, spiritually, financially everything they have to come to see Aba to serve Aba and people who are also walking and serving people who are working and devoting people who are helping from home and giving money it's just something so humbling to be part of and to be here again it's just such a blessing really the thing about this walk is amazing you've seen so many denominations of people from different places around the world all driven by the love of Allah wanting to be with Him but wanting to be with each other hugging each other holding each other can't help but think of this walk we're doing the sooner of this walk is the sooner of the museum the communications and those who are the guiding lights are the ones who helped us so much we're treated in the worst of ways and we or at least myself the worst of people are treated in the best of ways it just makes you think it just breaks your heart because this is this is just not the right way and the thing that strikes me is the depth and the number and the range of Zuhwa it just never ceases to amaze me I think this year I've seen so many small two three-year-olds who are giving out tissues who are standing in a row with their parents saying I'm a big young saint trying to encourage the Zuhwa's to kind of keep going and be motivated and giving out juice and I've taken pictures of all these young young Zuhwa's but also those lovers of Moms Saint because it's just so fascinating and inspiring to see how the love of Moms Saint is brought into them from such an age and then on the other side you see just today I was walking and I was walking next to some man and he was really old and the more I walked the more I realised he was taking two or three steps for every one step everyone else was taking so we kind of tried to say you know can we help you can we give you a hand his head was bent down he had a small stick and he was just going to help he said no Moms Saint and he was drawing power for Moms Saint the closer he got you could feel he was getting more energy and strength and it was something just miraculous to see as a scientist as well I think there's something to be said about the food that we eat you know when you walk you break down or when you do any exercise you break down your muscle your protein breaks down and then as you eat you replenish that protein yeah with whatever you eat this food is special and I tell people people say to me should I eat on the walk because you know you're a doctor would you advise I say eat everything eat everything obviously don't overeat eat in a nice way don't do us rough but eat everything try everything one the people who are who are offering it to you are so in love with Imam and Ahlul Bayt Leysam there when you when you just have a bit of their food they feel so happy they feel like their sacrifice has been accepted and you feel connected to them give them that reward for the efforts they've made but two and this is the bit that is amazing is that but the end of this three days spiritually you're walking and every time you walk you think this is hard but Imam Sajjad Leysam went through something harder this is hard but say the same this is harder and she had all of those expectations and importance and the whole Islam was riding on their shoulders if anyone had an opportunity to stop is Imam Sajjad he's seen everything he's got all these aches and pain he's been whipped he's the best of creation being treated in the worst of ways we are the worst I am the worst of creation the sinful being treated in the most loving of ways and yet Imam Sajjad continues we must continue follow his steps I want to go too far ahead and like number two gets closer see flag number two coming just down the road so if yours will now go ahead try and keep everyone together so we don't lose anyone this year I was blessed to come and participate in the blessed walk from Najaf to Karbala 2016 this is my first time for the Arbaeen walk towards Karbala I came to Karbala once before in December 2002 Saddam was still alive at that time and the difference between my experience now compared to back then is a major difference I see that this year a lot more stronger here the more confident and more open in practicing their faith Alhamdulillah and also coming towards Karbala back then when I came for the first time I was only 16 years old so I had a limited knowledge of Karbala and its significance this time coming now a more mature man with more understanding of the battle of Karbala more understanding of the Mount Hussain more understanding of the struggles it means so much more to me it's more significant and also more personal I'm coming to Arbaeen for my first experience and the first time I'm actually experiencing Mokim's and the Khidmah and it's really like a hot woman how they come they stop you in the middle of the road and they're like come come eat drink whatever you need we'll provide for you we'll give you massage we'll give you food we'll give you a place to stay we'll give you wifi cigarette whatever you want we'll provide for you and it's really humbling and it shows you the love that they have for Imam Hussain that they love Imam Hussain so much and the guest of Imam Hussain is treated like a king like a king in his homeland it's a beautiful experience very humbling the walk is very very different to what you see here on television because on television it's very easy to look at anything in the comfort of your own home in the comfort of your sofa with your cup of tea the heating on the window or the fan on when it's the summer but being here actually experiencing the struggle actually experiencing the steps walking forward actually experiencing the hospitality you know it gives it such more of a sentimental touch and a more personal touch I'm actually here I'm breathing in like that air that Najafi air that Qarbala'i air you know I'm actually experiencing the mohkibs coming up to me saying oh you are Zawar Imam Hussain come pull in my arm this way pull in my arm that way you know being here is so much more beneficial right there's only a limited amount you can experience much in television but actually being here soaking in the atmosphere me as I started you know I would do it with my knee and I'm walking towards Imam Hussain just thinking about that relationship you have with Imam Hussain that bond strengthens as you get closer and closer and closer which you're not going to get saying how much in television or even in Majlis it's limited of being here it's limited of being here it's limited of being here and being here and I'm walking towards Khardulat that bond is inside me of the Zaharat Trust serving the Zawar of Aba Abdullah Hussain as they are doing Alhamdulillah one of the many mohkibs who are being set up for several weeks to try and provide services amongst the number of many projects that the Zaharat Trust organized may Allah SWT bless them and this is such an honor to be able to serve these Zawar of Aba Abdullah Hussain in the millions this year destination towards Karbala Aba One of the more familiar stations during the route is the Zaharat Trust station or mohkib The Zaharat Trust has helped over 50,000 refugees provided more than 10,000 hot meals launched over 96 aid projects and has more than 5,000 registered orphans to look after and yet they come every year without fail to volunteer their time and serve the pilgrims of Imam Hussain that is First year at the Arbaid Mashallah this is the most amazing experience Anyone can ever get Alhamdulillah I've been given the chance to serve my mohla Imam Hussain I'm currently in Zaharat Trust mohkib hoping that the Zawar giving them food giving them something to drink you know because you are a walker yes but you're also a Khadim you're a servant of Allah you have to help everyone that's walking By doing this your iman goes I'm telling you it's an amazing amazing experience Any of you that have any doubt of coming to Al-Ba'ayn during the mashayah I'm telling you leave that all behind and come and visit your border amazing experience you won't regret just the light the people that you see it's just it's another world it's another world you know first thing we must understand Say the Zainab I will say never had a choice she had no choices we come here and some of us are tired on my leg hurts we sit down and we rest and we hungry and we want food to walk remembering Imam Hussain but also remembering Zainab it's not a question of do you feel pain do you feel anything do you you walk this walk and you say the more pain I feel the closer I get to why I came and we must understand that Imam Zainab he wasn't given a choice no one said to him do you want a rest or are you thirsty or do you want a cup of tea or in my case coffee and you say to someone I want hot water no one did that they didn't care they just dragged them and took them and didn't give two hoots about what they felt what their needs are so when we're walking we must keep in our mind that we're walking the walk of no choices so don't make choices for yourself don't say oh I'm in pain I want to walk this walk when it's 45 degrees and I want to collapse because I know my Imam collapsed time and time again the first thing I do when I reach Karbala and I see that these shrines these golden magnificent doms that give heaven their life is I do my Sajdah to Allah to thank Him that I managed to actually fulfill this walk I completed this walk and that I was blessed to be able to do this walk then I look at my Imams and I turn around and look at them and I say don't make this my last time my Zahra because if I don't come back that would be my death because I can't take separation from them my love for them is at a level where I cannot explain to anybody and I don't come to ask for them I come to visit them I don't want anything I don't want any I don't want money I don't want health I don't want anything I haven't come to ask them anything come to visit them I've come to say to them look I am your servant in this world I'm your servant in the hereafter this is my allegiance I will take every stress pain to come and visit you to say to you that if I was there in Karbala I would have given my life before anybody else I don't want nothing I haven't come to ask them for anything I come here just to say to visit you remember me remember that I visited you and my mom if hell is what is destined for me then all I ask from them this is the only prayer I say just once let me meet you and kiss you and then let me watch today again my name is Mufad al-Dalal I'm from Dubai right now I'm walking on day 2 around 8pm I've been like the last guys feel like a bunch of five of us stayed back absorbing the whole thing this is my third year actually back to back on my first year on the walk I met one of the sayids and just outside about Dila's home and he told me that you've been here for the first time you are actually on the guest list you're the special people who've been invited to gain this opportunity and he said that you've come here inshallah first time you'll be here for the next 40 years a stupid question came out like you know I would be like 75 then and he said that it's about Dila he's gonna keep bringing you in so alhamdulillah this is my third year first three years when very scot-free no blisters on the way very helpful all is the worker of the Imam and all his du'as he's been helping a lot very motivated very picked up and alhamdulillah my name is Hossain Jihanna from Minneapolis Minnesota I came here because I feel like honestly I was one of my Imam Hossain this is the only year I could come for next year I'm starting from the Jala Master's Degree and so I figured I guess I just got married as well and my wife said that let's go to Karebala we'll do the walk and I said that of course so alhamdulillah I'm here now it's the second day it's a little chilly but not too bad we're still awake it's about almost nine o'clock and there's people still walking they've been walking for days and it's alhamdulillah tomorrow it's the last day of walking so we're hoping to get there about two o'clock but it's just amazing to see so many people giving from their hearts they don't have much but the people here they really really love Imam Hossain and they love this Imam Hossain which is something I think that's very very rare if even like exists anywhere else in the world so I'm so glad to be here it's my first time and I want to come every single year inshallah that happened to the love of Imam Hossain but alhamdulillah alhamdulillah we're 12 I'd have love to go on to day 3 but unfortunately I can't so inshallah next year we're about 25 to 30 kilometers from the holy city of Qalab-e-Lah inshallah today we intend to get to Qalab-e-Lah around the bandwagon in time which is about 5.36 o'clock so if I visit Hossain it is as if they are visiting Qod the Almighty in his throne may Allah bless you and your efforts and your dedication