RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers and mourners in the Iraqi city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i referred to the upcoming commemoration of Arba’in, the fortieth day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Husayn, saying: “As we approach Arba’in, we will witness millions of the lovers of Imam Husayn walking toward his holy shrine and the renewal of their pledge of allegiance to the Ahlul-Bayt and their divine values.”
Arba’in is a Shi’a Muslim religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. Arba’in is one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on Earth, in which up to 20 million people make a pilgrimage to the city of Karbala in Iraq, many walking for days.
The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani's advised pilgrims, calling on them to adhere to the Islamic principles and teachings of Islam that Imam Husayn was martyred for – a profound understanding of religion, obeying God, the Prophet and the Imams, performing religious obligations and avoiding religious prohibitions.
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said that in the ceremony, as before, groups of scholars and seminary students will explain religious rulings, ethical teachings and lead prayers and pilgrims must use this divine journey and pray their daily prayers at the beginning of their appointed times and not allow their mourning for Imam Husayn on the day of Ashura to prevent them from praying on time as the heat of battle did not prevent Imam Husayn and his companions from praying on time.
He added that the sacrifice of life, property children protect Islam and are from the teachings of Ashura. We call on the mourning delegations and pilgrims to manifest the behavior of the Ahlul-Bayt, to protect public property, refrain from the harassment of transport vehicles carrying pilgrims, avoid excess and waste, avoid unnecessary mixing with those of the opposite sex and commit to fulfilling the sanctity of these holy days.
The Iraqi scholar called for all sides to offer their full moral and material support to those fighting against Takfiri terrorist groups, and added: “Without doubt, the war against ISIL is one of the most beautiful scenes. These warriors have renounced the material world and have sacrificed their lives for their homeland, sanctities and fellow citizens.”
Karbala’s Friday prayer leader stated that the Shi’ite religious authorities have repeatedly warned that ISIL is the greatest threat to Iraq and now we see that their crimes have reached Russia, Beirut and Paris where their terrorist attacks have killed hundreds of innocent people in recent weeks.
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said Iraq is at the forefront of the fight against Takfiri terrorism and stressed that certainly the final victory will be with the people of Iraq, saying: “Everyone must fight to prevent the deviation of the war against ISIL and not allow the outbreak of sedition and internal conflict.”
He also strongly condemned the clashes occurred in the predominantly Shi’ite city of Tuz Khormato in Salahuddin province, saying that the recent events in this city can have very dangerous consequences and everyone must not allow such incidents to be repeated.
After engaging in sporadic attacks on Tuz Khormato, Kurdish Peshmerga forces eventually entered the town with dozens of armored vehicles and occupied parts of it over the course of the last week.
The custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam Husayn referred to Ayatollah al-Sistani’s fatwa wherein the senior Shi’ite authority called on the Iraqi people to stand up against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists and expel them from their country, saying that the response of the people this edict led to Iraq’s salvation from ISIL.
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