Muslims commemorate Arba’een

Millions of Muslims in Iran and other countries around the world have commemorated Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH].

Thursday marks the final day of the annual rituals for mourning the demise of Imam Hussein (AS), who was martyred along with his 72 companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I.

The day of the tragedy, also known as Ashura, was marked this year in August.

Every year on Arba’een, millions of people from around the world flock to Iraq's holy city of Karbala, which is home to the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS), many of them travelling on foot to take part in the religious ritual.

This year, however, the Iraqi authorities imposed a cap on the number of foreign pilgrims in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and only 1,500 pilgrims per country are allowed to fly into the country.

SQ/MG