Karbala Friday Prayer Leader:

Iraq close to final victory over Daesh

Rasa – Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said that this year, the Arba’in pilgrimage coincided with the “pleasing” victory of the Iraqi fighters and on this basis, we must not let those who guarantee the security of the pilgrims and the servants of the pilgrims be forgotten.

News ID: 425148

Date: 19 November 2016 - 12:07

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and crowd of believers participating in the Arba’in pilgrimage in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala’s Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbala’i described the final victory of the operation to liberate Mosul and Nineveh province as “near” and added, “We acknowledge and thank the security forces, Popular Mobilization Forces, Peshmerga and tribal forces for their courage and sacrifices. They have liberated dozens of areas in Nineveh province from the filth of the Daesh terrorist phenomenon.”

The representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani said that this year, the Arba’in pilgrimage coincided with the “pleasing” victory of the Iraqi fighters and on this basis, we must not let those who guarantee the security of the pilgrims and the servants of the pilgrims be forgotten.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i stated that pilgrims have resorted to faith and the honourable morals of the Ahlul-Bayt during the Arba’in pilgrimage this year and the pilgrimage is being held in a greater and more magnificent manner compared to previous years.

“Men, women, children, the elderly, sick and disabled are travelling on foot and enduring many problems and hardships to participate in this pilgrimage,” he said.

He called on the pilgrims to maintain the spirituality of the pilgrimage and let it effect their lives by adhering to the moral teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the Ahlul-Bayt and added, “The direction and goals of Imam Husayn are not just allocated to a specific time but rather we must adhere to the message of Imam Husayn in our lives in general and within our schools, markets, homes, offices and public places.”

The custodian of the Holy Shrine of Hadhrat Abbas urged the media to cover the Arba’in pilgrimage in better manner and stressed that the truth of this pilgrimage, which millions of people participate in, should be demonstrated to the world in order to overcome the assumptions that some people have that the Arba’in pilgrimage is only a popular festival.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Karbala’i said that the true dimensions of Arba’in must be determined and explained to the people. “This pilgrimage preserves human values so that the importance of preserving these values in human life can be reflected on,” he added.

In conclusion, he expressed his appreciation for the efforts by the servants of the pilgrims of Imam Husayn and said, “We are hopeful that that the servants of Imam Husayn in the following years will engage in greater efforts to promote Islamic culture and invite the pilgrims toward the conduct and ethics of the Ahlul-Bayt.”

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