RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i warned against acts of terrorist during the upcoming days of Arba’in al-Husayni saying, “The warriors showed their love for Imam al-Husayn in the fight against the terrorists and imposed heavy defeats on them.”
The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani in Karbala added, “Millions of pilgrims and lovers of Imam al-Husayn are on their way to Karbala on foot to make to pilgrimage to the [grave of the] ‘Master of the Martyrs’ [Imam al-Husayn]. While expressing our welcome to them, we thank and appreciation all those who are involved in the ceremony of Arba’in al-Husayni.”
He stated, “Pilgrims tolerate many difficulties in their walk and journey so they must be familiar with and give importance to the objectives of the pilgrimage [to the grave of] Imam al-Husayn despite their sufferings and risks they have encountered.”
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said, “The Arba’in pilgrimage is based on the purpose of renewing one’s allegiance, guardianship, obedience, assistance and emphasis on sacrifice and the continuation of the foundations of the movement of Imam al-Husayn. This pilgrimage is one of the best times for self-perfection and reform based on the ethics and principles emphasized by the Master of the Martyrs.”
The revered Iraqi scholar emphasized, “A pure and a sacred soul is in the shrine of Imam al-Husayn. Therefore, pilgrims must reform themselves and repent of their past mistakes so that they visit him with a pure soul.”
He called for pilgrims not to have a sense of pride in relation to each other and said, “Pilgrims, mourning groups and Husayni camps should carry out their actions with sincerity and without any hypocrisy. Servants should treat the pilgrims with good morals and praise and words and deeds must not sadden them.”
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i continued, “This walk, pilgrimage and the setting up of Husayni camps in the presence of God Almighty has a high value and status. Therefore, they must not be negligent in carrying out these acts and this ceremony must be given its rights and nothing should be done to weaken it.”
His Eminence said, “The number of pilgrims is increasing every year and pilgrims from many dozens of foreign countries participate in the ceremony of Arba’in al-Husayni. Some pilgrims come to the ceremony for the first time so they must be treated in such a way that they will not forget the Islamic ethics they encountered when returning to their countries and regions.”
He said, “The true pilgrim of Imam al-Husayn is the one who cares about his language and behaviour towards any inappropriate word, speech, and absence. Pilgrims must give serious efforts to performing their religious duties, especially prayers. The presence of missionaries, both brothers and sisters, on the path of Arba’in al-Husayni is a good opportunity to correct one’s acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting.”
Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i called for women not to mix with men who aren’t related to them, to preserve their modesty, chastity and observance of good ethics and added, “Attention to cleanliness, protecting the treasury and public services and installing camps in suitable places are other important issue that pilgrims and owners of the camps must pay close attention to.”