 Salam, my name is Ali, I was born in the city of Isfahan, Iran. I currently live in Toronto, Canada, in the province of Ontario. I am 35 years old and I work as an art director in the field of advertising. I just got back from Urbain, Karbala, it was the most amazing experience ever. If you've never been, you have to go. There's nothing like it, really hard to describe the feeling. But one word that comes to mind is love, love for Imam Hussain, alaihi salam, especially when you're walking from Najaf to Karbala and you see so many people walk on that highway for three days straight, you sleep, you get up, you get on the highway again. And that's when I realize, wow, this is love, it just, it moves you. There's no other experience in the world like it. You know, you sleep in a mocap, either a tent or a building by the side of the road and then you wake up and when you wake up, there's already people on the highway walking. And you reflect, you kind of take a moment and think, wow, this is love, you know. We haven't even seen this man, Imam Hussain alaihi salam. What is it, what is it about this man? Why is it that so many people walk from Najaf to Karbala? I mean, us, I mean, but you have people from Basra, all these places, one week, two weeks, three weeks, they walk on foot to get to Karbala, to give their salams. We have not seen this man, but the love is there. It's such a miracle. And it's, as a Shia, we're so lucky to have that love for the Ahlul Bayt alaihi salam. So when I came back to Toronto, when I came back home, the first thing I told my mother was I want to go back again. I want to go back again. That was the first thing. And I remember calling her because they always say, you know, if you need something, make dua but then tell your parents to pray for you. So I called my mother, I said, you know, please pray for me. I want to go back. I know it's very stressful for you. You worry, all that stuff, but please, I want to go back one more time. That's all I wanted. I wanted to go back one more time. And inshaAllah, I've made the intention to go back this coming April. And I'm so looking forward to it. I can't wait to go back again. It's again, it's really hard to explain the meaning. The people watching, the people that have gone to Ziyatah will know what I'm talking about. And you have to go and experience it for yourself. So we're on the subway right now. We're going westbound. We're going to this Iranian brunch place called Takht-e-Tavuz. We'll have kelepajah here with one of my friends. So it's Jan 2nd. The city is waking up early. And then this is usually my routine. I'll be on Monday to Friday. We're on the way to work. I get on the subway. And as a freelance art director, I work at various agencies in town. So I get off at different subway stations. So as a freelance art director, my schedule is very flexible. It's up to me. So when I went to Ziyatah the first time last out of my evening, I took some time off from work, right before Christmas, evenings. And then the second time I went on Ziyatah, Bakht-e-Karabullah, it was in April of 2016, of 2015, the first time I went in 2014 for out of my evening. And again, very flexible. So I can go to Ziyatah and then come back. So I'm very fortunate like that. As a five-hour full-time, it'd be a bit harder. The max you get is like three, four weeks. So I'm very fortunate like that. My name is Samar Asawi. I'm 26 years old. I've lived and I'm born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I work in an authentic office for braces. Alhamdulillah, we were brought up into the religion of Islam. And I don't feel like I have that strong spiritual connection with Ahl al-Bayt. Praying, fasting, all the main things that Islam do. I feel more as if it's kind of rituals to me and not really something that I feel from within. I don't feel like all the actions that I'm doing, I feel with my heart to you. And I need that spiritual kick, that one little thing to give me a whole different perspective on life in Islam, especially living out here in the West. And I've always learned about them, heard about them in Majalis that we have with our families. Just read about them, seen pictures. I've always wanted to really just go there and experience it for myself. Because you hear it from people that go and come back and you see the changes. And I mean, inshallah, I hope when I do go, inshallah, and I come back, I have that spiritual attachment that I feel that I need in this time of my life right now. Looks like it's becoming a lot healthier. Looks like you have been practicing what you went over. Looks good. Looks nice. Well, what I've learned from Arbaeen itself is that to be more patient, to be more patient, to understand and appreciate everything that I have in my life. I mean, it's really hard to believe even myself that someone with all the sins that I have, I was granted to go to Karbala, you know, the land of paradise on earth. I still can't believe that I've already gone once. Because I know myself better than anybody else. Yeah, it's moving. So I've learned to be, you know, have more patience with everything. And especially during Arbaeen, because there's so many people, especially in Karbala, between bin al-Haramain and the streets. So you have to really take your time to walk slowly, to deal with a whole bunch of people. And one thing, masha'Allah, I've met so many new friends. I've made so many new friends actually. I went by myself and I didn't know anyone there. And you know, traveling was my first time traveling so far on my own. You get nervous, you don't know what to do. Obviously you prepare for it, you talk to different people, you watch lectures. But so fortunate to meet new people, wonderful people. Some friends from Toronto, some friends from Australia, some friends from Dubai, France, all around the world. But I'm sure I will learn more once I go again. Because the first time I went, it was so busy. It was so busy and everything was so new to me. So I'm looking forward to going again and experience more. And really take my time and really use the time that I have to visit the shrine more, to reflect more. Why am I in Karbala? So we're in Tafta-Tawoos, downtown Toronto. It's at Dufferin and College. It's Iranian brunch and this is the menu. And we're going to order kella pacha. It's a classical Iranian dish, kella pacha. So we're going to order it and then order some tea, chai, and then we'll go from there, inshallah. So I like places like this because as an Iranian, I grew up in Iran since the age of 11-12. So this is my culture. I feel very comfortable being at places like this. And it's really important to me to still have my roots. So I usually go hiking every Saturday morning to Hyde Park. And then on the way by, I come here, grab kella pacha or dizi, and then go to my local cafe. I get an americano and then just go home. So places like this are really important to me. I feel comfortable. When I was younger, it was more of a cultural thing. My faith because you're born into the religion. So it was more of cultural, just following what my parents did. But as I grew older, I wanted to explore. Some events happened in my life. And it was just like a spark in my mind. I reached out to my mother and my family. I started reading books. And then that really changed my life. So when I was younger, I was less practicing. And some events happened in my life. And that really shifted my lifestyle and the path to my future. So I became more religious. I took some classes in Toronto and I attended more events, more religious events. And I started reading more. And the classes really helped me to understand the faith, the religion much better. So I'm not just following my parents. I'm actually reading and understanding it. I think there's a, I could be completely wrong, but I think there's a Hadith by Amirul Mamluin where he says, religion has to make sense to like mentally with your brain. So it's really important that we're not just followers because of our parents or culture or whatever. That we actually understand the religion, Islam, like all the aspects of it, you know, why we follow it. Because it's a lifestyle. It's a complete lifestyle, you know, from the fruit we eat, telepathy to whatever. Everything has to be halal according to Islam. Right now, Tamia Imam Hussein, alaihi salam, is, he is in some sense to a certain limit a role model to me. I have, I do have the love for him, but I don't feel like it's the love that I should have for him or the love that he deserves from me, from one of his servants. And I feel like, I feel like I still, I feel even though I have all that love for Imam Hussein, alaihi salam, some, I still feel like he's a stranger to me. I don't have the level of love that I should have for him or the level of love that he deserves from me. And I feel like visiting Imam Hussein, alaihi salam, at this point in my life will clear my mind and give me a clear vision and a clear perspective of my love to him. And I feel personally that I owe it to him and to all of the Ahlul Bayt. I'm very much looking forward to being in Najaf again, being in the harem of Amir al-Mumineen because, oh my God, you know, now I'm in Toronto and I'm reflecting on the fact that I was in the shrine of Amir al-Mumineen. It's such a big deal. So it's really hard to believe that I was already there once and to go back there. I'll definitely, I'm going to be very emotional for sure and to go back in such a short time. It's going to be very emotional, very touching. I want to reflect more, I want to tell my friends that we're in the shrine of Amir al-Mumineen. As a kid, you know, you say, your mother teaches you to say, you're Ali, and to go back again is just, I can't wait to go back. So the first time that I went to Arbaen in 2014, I met a good friend. His name is Muqtaraq Shah. He lives in Dubai, a roommate. He started reading the Quran translation of it as a Muslim. I think it's really important that we understand what it says, the meaning of it. So a couple months back I started, I downloaded the, I started reading it chapter by chapter. So every time I'm on the subway going to work or going to see my mother or a family member or friend, I love my iPhone, the translation of it. I haven't been to Iran in a while, and the last time I went to Mecca to visit the shrine of Imam Raza, that was a long time ago, seven, eight years ago. And I prayed a lot to Imam Raza to invite us to ask his, to ask Imam Hussein to grant us the permission of going to Karbala. So I've asked Imam Raza a lot. So I'm looking forward to going to Mecca to Qom, visit both shrines, and just experience life and to travel more and just learn more about myself, about the Imams, what they went through. I've been listening to a lot of biographies. I'm looking forward to going to Kazemain a lot. Kazemain touched me so much during Erbayn. Kazemain was, you know, there's something so magical about Kazemain. And I'm so looking forward to going back to Kazemain. The people that have been to Kazemain exactly understand what I'm talking about. There's just, you know, Najaf is very special, Karbala is very special, but Kazemain, the two Imams, you know, when you go to Kazemain, you're walking through the streets and you ask the tour guides, you know, the Imams are buried here. How sad? Because they're in the middle of nowhere. And there's just so much destruction around the city, around the shrines, and you just, it touches you so much more because Karbala, you know, Masha'Allah, so much, the two shrines, bigger space, it's built more, same thing with Najaf, the shrine of Amid al-Mumine. And then when you go to Kazemain, it just hits you. You just feel so sad for the Imams. But then when you go in, it's so magical. When the first time I went to Kazemain, the first thing I said to my friends, I was like, oh, this is like Masha'Allah, just the outside of the shrine, the courtyard reminded me of Masha'Allah. So I was like, oh, this is very much like Masha'Allah, which was really exciting because I was like, oh, okay, okay, after Karbala and Najaf and Kazemain, we'll be heading to Masha'Allah. But Kazemain, yeah, I look forward to going back to Kazemain, insha'Allah. All right, so we had a delicious kello pacha. We had to eat it really quickly because the lineup was gone mad in the streetcar. So we've already experienced the bus and now we're on the streetcar. One of my favorite cafes. We'll get some tea and then we'll talk some more. And Alhamdulillah, I mean, the past 11 years, I feel like I've been becoming more religious. I've been doing more reading about Ahl al-Bayt, understanding them better and the stories of their life. And I feel like I've reached a level in my life where I need to progress into the next level, kind of you would say, just to get that strength in the spirituality that I have inside me. I'm asking for repentance, for using them as a wasseela to Allah, and just to meet the Ahl al-Bayt, to see their shrines. I mean, these are the ones, these are the people, the masumin, the perfect people that sacrificed their lives for us. They're one of the main reasons why we're still here today. And I feel like visiting them is an answer to their call, as well as a huge benefit to ourselves as well. Again, it's really hard to explain these things. It's the love that you have from when you're little, when you beat your chest, when the name of Imam Hussein, when you hear it as a kid, it's a God-given love to you. And in the recent years, I don't know what's happened to me, but the love has grown. And before going to Al-Bayt, before going to Qadrullah the first time, I was like, you know what, I got to go, you know, I call myself a Shia Muslim, this and that, but I haven't visited Qadrullah yet. I want to experience it. I want to know what it is. We're at Region Meals, sponsored by Muslim Welfare at 40 Oak Street, downtown Toronto. Region Meals is a program to feed the needy every Sunday, which sometimes I come in in the morning and volunteer. They open up at nine until one in the afternoon, and they serve lunch twice, starting 11 o'clock. This is done by the Muslims, Muslim Welfare. They have many programs, masha'Allah, and this is one of the programs that they do. It's called Region Meals, and they feed the needy that live in this neighborhood of Region Park. And they started this a year, so this is a year and approximately two months now. So volunteers come in the morning, they go in the kitchen and they prepare the food, from cutting the food, from washing it, making salad, stuff like that. And then we have volunteers in the background that serve the food to the guests. So it's very much like a restaurant where there's a hall, people will guest command, they sit down, we have servers, servers go to the kitchen, grab the food, the plate, come down, and then serve it to the needy. And then at the very end, they can also take, have takeouts, because some of them have bigger families. And what's great about this program is Muslims helping out everyone from every nationality, race, religion. And this is based, the building we're at is a Christian center, Christian community center, and they've been wonderful to us because they're giving us the space every Sunday to do this for the community. And inshallah, Muslim Welfare will have its own community center in Region Park, inshallah, in the coming year or two. It's a wonderful program. If anyone is interested, visit Muslim Welfare and then there's a tab for region meals where you can find out more information. Multiculture, as a Canadian, as a Toronto, is multicultural, but specifically this community, they are very different, different background and Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, everyone, but they don't look how we look like or what we believe. We stand only what we want to do together, what we want to improve, what we can do together. Like whatever it is, we have to fight to be one. Obviously I feel very excited to go back, very nervous, very humbling because, you know, what bothers me the most is from the time that I've come back, you know, when you go to Iqadrullah, you promise yourself that, you know, you're going to watch your actions, you're going to watch your mouth, but, you know, it's sad that I've already committed some sins that I had promised to quit, but I want to go back again and try again, apologize, and try again. I keep saying the word fortunate because, and I won't believe it until I go back again, and this time around I'm going with some friends from Toronto, so I won't be alone there. And it's really interesting, when I went out of rain the first time, my friends here were so jealous, so when I came back, and the first thing they asked me, they were like, Ali, are you going back? We know the tour is going in April, are you going back? And I was like, yeah, and they're like, you know, you better take us, we want to go, we want to sign up. So I have like so many emotions. For some reason I'm more nervous now than before, but mainly because of the promises that I gave to the Imam, but sadly, you know, I've gone back to committing those sins. No one is perfect, so I'm trying, insha'Allah, I'll have the permission because you have to be invited, so no matter, you know, if you buy your ticket, this and that, you have to be given the invitation, so I'm just looking forward to it, insha'Allah, I'll be invited. One of my fears of going, now that I'm going to Ziyar insha'Allah, is that number one, I'm going alone. I mean, some of my families tell me, don't go alone, you don't know anybody there, what if something happens, God forbid, and then you hear all these stories that are going on in Karbala and in Iraq, everyone telling you it's not safe, don't go, don't go. But regardless of all that, I mean, I feel like whatever happens to me, whatever may happen, God forbid, I feel like this is something, especially in this time of my life, something that I need to do, and I feel like I actually need to do this alone. I need to go alone just to find myself, to find my real meaning of why I'm here, what am I doing here? I need to find, like, what is my purpose in this world? Just to understand the reason why we're here, it's not just a matter of, okay, come here, live your life day to day, go to work, come back, it's more to it than that, it's a lot more to it than that, and there's a reason why we're here. And he's good? Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah, you know, we are so blessed, living in the West here, where us, Khanna and Talah, has given so many bounties to us, we frankly can't enumerate those bounties, nor can we be thankful enough. So certainly one of the things that has incumbent upon us here in the West, as Muslims and as people who have been giving wealth, is to be able to give back. And of course this is from the traditions of the beloved Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, you know, so many ahadith, about giving charity, about getting involved, about being a very positive part of the community. That's what we've been doing, we've been supporting the needs of those who are disenfranchised, those who are, for lack of better term, not part of the mainstream society. And at the same time be able to demonstrate really the essence of our faith, which is about being able to do good unto others, and we would have done unto us. So thank you so very much for your support, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. I don't know what's waiting for me when I get to Ziyarah, I mean, I am going alone, but you know, I'm going with an open heart, an open mind, and whatever happens happens, it's Allah's will. And I know that even though I'm going alone, I'm not really alone, I know the Ahlul Bayt will be with me, and Allah SWT is always watching over us. And I hope that I come back a better person, not just to myself, but to my family, and to my wife, and my son, and to the Ahlul Bayt, Alaihi Wasallam. Before going to Arba'een, I wrote my will, and I recommended to everyone to write your will, because that was really moving for me to think about the fact that I may not come back with the whole situation and with Iraq, and just traveling. So it took me a week to write my will, just to research, figure out, because I started from scratch. I got the form, and you don't necessarily need a lawyer if you want to save money. All you have to do is watch a couple of lectures, email your marja, you can do it on your own. Especially if you don't have a lot of property, stuff like that. But it was really moving. I went to different cafes after work to just write down my thoughts. And I swear to you, it made me cry a few times. I had to catch myself, like, oh wow, there's people around me. Because you reflect, you're like, when you start writing, you start that when you put the pen down to write whatever you owe to this person, to your family, you know. It was really moving because you realize, wow, you may not come back. This could be the end of it. And you realize how short life is, and it just, it moves you. It made me cry a few times. So I highly recommend you writing your will. I have one now. I had to adjust it for this next trip. Yeah, so that's really the last message that I have. I'm so grateful. I can never, you know, even if I don't go to this next visitation, one time visiting this shrine of Ababullah, it's just, it's enough. Allah, it's enough. And so if you haven't gone yet, you have to go no matter what age. And we all have problems, be it financial problems, be it timing, be it schooling, be it this and that. Make the intention. And if it's meant for you to go, everything will be taken care of.