Arbaeen marks the Zenith of the Revolution of Ashura

 

 

In His Name, the Most High¹

Peace be upon the intimate friend of God and His beloved!
Peace be upon the close friend of God and His confidant!
Peace be upon the choicest confidant of God, and the son of the choicest confidant [of God].
Peace be upon Husayn, the oppressed, the martyr.
Peace be upon the hostage surrounded by the tightening circle of sorrow and grief, killed by a horde of savages.

A Portion from Ziyaraat Arbaeen² of Imam Husayn³

Arbaeen marks the zenith of the revolution that started in Ashura. It is a culmination of the victory of blood over the sword.

But what does this even mean?

Why is it that nearly 1400 years after an event, you have tens of millions of people, gathering, marching, moving – not just Muslims or Shia, but from all denominations – what drives these people? What is located in the city of Kerbala that attracts all these millions?

Those who are unable to visit Kerbala in these days, get together in their mosques and gathering halls, and commemorate the events of Kerbala and seek to learn from these events. But why? After 1400 years – what makes this event so powerful and so eternal?

In order to understand this, we have to first understand a basic human trait. By default, the human being is attracted towards beauty, towards Truth, towards righteousness – even if the person being attracted doesn’t actually know or comprehend that this is what they are being attracted to; they just know they are being attracted.
In a world that is rife with corruption, that lacks any sort of morality; that declares that which is a lie to be true, and the truth to be a falsehood.

In order to understand this, we have to first understand a basic human trait. By default, the human being is attracted towards beauty, towards Truth, towards righteousness – even if the person being attracted doesn’t actually know or comprehend that this is what they are being attracted to; they just know they are being attracted.

In such a world, we see the politicians and governments, rule with coercion, with lies with corruption.

The governments who hold dominion over the population of their countries under the guise of so-called democracy⁴ live in opulence; while the people – who according to the definition of democracy have the authority in theory⁵ – live in abject poverty and squaller.

Where the rich usurp the rights of the poor; and where we know that a tiny group, known colloquially as the 1%⁶ control 99% of the world’s wealth and resources. Where the strong bully the weak, and where the basic milk of human kindness, where a person helps his/her brother/sister up when they have fallen is considered something that breaks the social order.

Yet all the while, we see the people being fed a lie – as I’ve said – they are fed a lie which they are told is the Truth, and they are told that what they consider to be the Truth is, in fact, a lie.

This situation that the world is in; is the same situation that was described by Imam Husayn when he rose to make his revolution in Kerbala, back in 680CE.  He said:

“Do you not see that the truth is not acted upon and falsehood is not refrained from?”⁷

Imam Husayn also categorically stated in his letter to his brother Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah:

“I am not going out for merry-making and amusement or to create mischief. I am also not perusing the path of oppression. I have come out to reform the followers of my grandfather”⁸

Therefore, we can see that Imam Husayn was compelled to make his revolution and was compelled to stand up for the Truth, to stand against tyranny, oppression and injustice.

A mere 50 years after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad, the situation of the Muslims had become dire and problematic. 

The government was held by a despotic tyrant who didn’t care about the situation of the people, and who manipulated and corrupted the divine teachings of Islam; who usurped the rights of the people and acted with contempt for all decency and morality.

As a result, Imam Husayn had no choice, but to rise up, to take a stance, and to ensure that Truth was always understood as Truth, and falsehood was always exposed as falsehood. 

This stance by Imam Husayn and his very few companions⁹ against the overwhelming military might of the illegal Ummayad Caliph Yazeed was a stance of the Pure, the Righteous, the Truthful and the Good, against the Unjust, the Tyrannical, the Despotic and the Evil.

The fact that on a temporal level, Imam Husayn and his companions were massacred brutally, after having been forced to endure great thirst and hunger for three days on account of being blocked from the waterways by the forces of Yazeed; the fact that even to the last breath, Imam Husayn continued to try to advise and reform the enemy, and to educate them and teach them; this is a great and powerful and indeed eternal event. 

An event that laid the foundation of what it means to rise up and stand firm against injustice and tyranny, and to always side with the Truth, regardless of the consequences¹⁰.

After all the will that Imam Husayn left to his son Imam Ali ibn Al-Husayn Zayn al-Abedeen (and indeed the wills of all of the Saints, the Imams and Prophets to their sons and daughters) have all said:

“Stand for Truth even if it is bitter”¹¹

This is clear instruction, that to the honourable person, the Truth is the most important element.  Even if that truth testifies against themselves.

In the Quran, God says clearly:

“O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if against yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, God takes care of both. So do not follow your desires, lest you swerve. If you deviate or turn away—then God is Aware of what you do.”

Quran, Chapter 4 (An-Nisa / The Women), Verse 135¹²

There is a necessity for the Truth¹³.

This necessity was not bound only for the time of Imam Husayn, and only against the despotic and Neronian rule of the Ummayad Caliph Yazeed, not at all. 

Truth is a universal element and is not bound by time or space.  

Rather Truth is something that is for all time and all places.  The same is the case with Justice, which in reality is connected to the Truth, for without Truth there can be no justice; and without justice, there can be no Truth.

As a result; this message delivered by Imam Husayn and the martyrs of Kerbala in 680CE resonates even in 2019 and will continue to resonate through the universes for as long as the universes and time exist.

This stance by Imam Husayn and his few companions on the plain of Kerbala was the most perfect and pure stance of Truth against falsehood and stands as an eternal example of how to stand against falsehood and injustice.

However, there is a problem.

Given that Imam Husayn and his few companions were all massacred on the plain of Kerbala, how can this be considered any form of victory? 

How did the message of the event get to the wider population, and indeed to us today?

How is it that people know about this event, and indeed as has been said, march in their tens of millions towards Kerbala, especially in this time of 40 days after the massacre of Ashura, also known as Arbaeen?

This is where the second and key component of the revolution of Imam Husayn comes into the equation.

The movement for Truth has two core components:

1. The Husayni Component; and
2. The Zaynabi Component

While the Husayni component reached its zenith on the 10^th of Muharram 61AH (680CE) with the massacre of Imam Husayn and his companions; the ongoing path, the ongoing task which was made up of the Zaynabi component continues to this day.

But what is the Zaynabi Component?  What does this mean?  The Husayni Component can be understood, it was the stance of Imam Husayn against the forces of terror and oppression led by Yazeed the Ummayad Caliph, but what is the Zaynabi Component?

The Zaynabi Component was what ensured that the message and sacrifice of Imam Husayn and his companions in Kerbala were not wasted; that it’s lead up, it’s raison d’être¹⁴ was made known, and that the movement towards Truth and Justice was always active and was understood.

The Zaynabi Component ensured that the despots and tyrants knew that they would be opposed and resisted, and it gave the oppressed the impetus and strength to resist.  It proved that while on the temporal level, those who resist tyranny and oppression might be killed, the ultimate victory is for the Truth, and as the Quran also tells us:

“Do not consider those killed in the cause of God as dead. In fact, they are alive, at their Lord, well provided for.”

Quran, Chapter 3 (Aal-i-Imraan / the Family of Imraan), Verse 169¹⁵

The message of Lady Zaynab, the sister of Imam Husayn, who was along with members of his household and his ill son, Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn, who were captured, bound in chains and paraded through the streets of the various towns between Kerbala (in modern-day Iraq) to Damascus (in modern-day Syria) via the city of Kufa (in modern-day Iraq)¹⁶; is what ensured that the victory of blood over the swords on Ashura became a reality; and that the event of Ashura, the stance of Imam Husayn was not lost to the passage of time.

During this arduous journey of more than two thousand (2000) kilometres that the family of the martyred Imam and his companions had to endure, they were stopped and paraded in the streets of a number of cities and villages along the way.  At each of these steps, no matter how injured and harmed, upset and broken, these heroic personalities – led by Lady Zaynab the sister of Imam Husayn and Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad, the son of Imam Husayn – the people were informed of the reality; the news of what had transpired and more importantly WHY it had transpired was delivered to the people.

This was to ensure that the deluded and duped people, were not misled by the media machine of the Ummayad regime, a regime that professed to be operating on Islamic principles, but that had nothing to do with Islam.

At this juncture, I am reminded of an event that happened on the day of Ashura (10^th Muharram 61AH (680CE)), that is pertinent to narrate here; and which shows the reality of the lies being pushed by the Ummayyad regime.

During the battle on the day of Ashura, the time for the afternoon prayers arrived.  From the camp of Imam Husayn, the sound of the call to prayer was heard.  Those in the midst of battle from the side of Imam Husayn called out to the enemy generals and said:

“It is time for prayer. If you agree, we can have a brief ceasefire, while we go and pray and you can catch your breath, and then let us continue this battle after prayers.”

To this, the forces of Umar ibn Sa’d¹⁷ agreed, and a ceasefire was called.

As the soldiers and commanders of Yazeed’s army returned to their side, a senior commander from them named Shimr ibn Dhiljawshan¹⁸, returned to Umar ibn Sa’ad and advised him that they had broken the battle and agreed to a ceasefire, so that those in Imam Husayn’s camp could complete their prayers.

Umar ibn Sa’ad initially agreed to this ceasefire, but he was approached by his son Hafs (or perhaps another one of his senior soldiers or advisors¹⁹), who asked him:

“Have you really given them permission to pray? If that is the case you have already lost the battle!”

To which Umar ibn Sa’ad said:

“Prayer is a mandatory component of the religion of Islam, and you cannot obstruct someone from performing their prayers.”

Hafs responded to this:

“Well then you have totally lost this war, because you gathered all these soldiers and convinced them to fight against Husayn, by telling them that Husayn had left the fold of Islam; if they come to learn that you have now agreed to a ceasefire with Husayn so that he can pray, then they will leave you, since they will realise that the reason you used to recruit them was a lie”

Umar ibn Sa’ad and Shimr ibn Dhiljawshan looked at each other and declared:

“What a remarkably mature mind this young man has, he is right, if we let them pray, then the army will desert as they will realise we had lied to them!”.

Umar ibn Sa’ad then instructs Shimr to not agree to the ceasefire and to attack the camp of Imam Husayn, even though they might be praying; and of course, then, that which should never have happened sadly happened.

Now, the reason for narrating this portion from the events of Ashura was to show the strength of the media machine; the strength of lies, when information is either unavailable or inaccessible; or that people choose to not seek out the information, choose to not seek out the truth.

In this case, the forces ranked against Imam Husayn – and accounts vary as to their size, but the consensus seems to be around the figures of between 10,000 and 60,000, with the most reliable accounts being that of 30,000²⁰ – were conscripted and many were made up of regular people from the city of Kufa and it’s surrounding areas.

These people were given a story, propaganda if you will, that they had to rank themselves against someone who had come out in open rebellion against Islam and against the Caliph Yazeed, they were further told that they were standing against someone who had departed from, and had left Islam.

Unfortunately, many of these people didn’t verify the information; and of course, there was great coercion on the part of those recruiting for the army being raised by Umar ibn Sa’ad, but the people accepted the narrative they were given and failed to make any sort of resistance.

This was a fear that the Generals of the army of Yazeed had, that should the people realise that Imam Husayn and his companions had not left Islam, but that they had risen up against the despotic tyrannical Ummayad Regime, there was every possibility that the people – for the most part – would have refused to fight against him; and worse yet, they would have joined ranks with Imam Husayn’s cause and fought against the despotic regime of Yazeed.

This is a similar case to what we have in our time, and what has been the case across generations.

Today, we have the media, declaring one person or group as a “terrorist”, whereas others are declared “freedom fighters”.  When a group serves the interests of the despots, they are declared as “freedom fighters” but when a group stands against the injustices of the despots and calls them to account, and makes resistance against them, they are immediately declared as “terrorists”.

This is no different now as it was then.  It is a deliberate covering up of the Truth; and feeding of the population interest-based information, that is divorced completely from the Truth and indeed from reality. 

The truth is extremely inconvenient in this regard; as it will expose the despots for what they are.  So the people are kept deluded.

The mainstream media constantly either refuse to cover the crimes of the despots, or it glosses over them, and passes the blame onto others.

  Recent examples can be found in the way the mainstream media has covered the situation in Syria and the crimes of the despots in Washington, London and Tel Aviv in Syria while blaming the Syrian government and people.

In Occupied Palestine, the situation is the same, when the Zionist occupiers commit atrocities against the occupied people – even if the people are only coming out in peaceful protest – the crimes of the Zionists are glossed over, and the blame is constantly passed onto the Palestinians and those who support the righteous Palestinian cause of resistance against the illegal occupation.

With Yemen, once more the scenario is repeated; when the Yemeni people rise up and make a resistance against the Saudi American terrorism being inflicted upon them, the blame is passed onto the Yemeni people and those who support them, even if it is by just narrating their tale and speaking of their plight to the global population; in this case, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Indeed, the Islamic Republic of Iran seems to constantly get the blame for anything which harms the despotic regimes, that have no interest in the rights of the people; though they talk about and pay lip-service to the idea of human rights incessantly.

This media war, this soft war, has been explained in great depth by Imam Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and indeed the Husayn of our time²¹.

It is the same style of a misinformation campaign that was raised by the forces and allies of Yazeed against Imam Husayn. Indeed it was akin to the campaigns of disinformation raised by the father of Yazeed, Muawiyyah ibn Abi Sufyan²², during the time of the Caliphate of Imam Ali, the fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs²³.

The situation at that time became such that, when Imam Ali was martyred on the prayer mat in Kufa by an extremist terrorist, Ibn Muljim al-Muradi²⁴ from the Khawarej terrorist faction (similar to DAESH/ISIL in our times)²⁵, the people in Damascus, where Muawiyyah had his seat of power, declared that when told that Imam Ali died on the prayer mat in the Mosque of Kufa:

“Oh did Ali pray?”²⁶

This illustrates, that the Truth, as in a reality, was upturned and made into a falsehood, and that falsehood was made to prevail.  A primary reason for this was that people didn’t ask questions, they didn’t investigate when they were given information – regardless of the source and what biases that source may or may not have. 

They didn’t think critically and analyse the information they were given, rather they accepted it blindly and without question; behaviour that is beloved by the despots and hated by the Truth-seekers.

Imam Husayn, and Lady Zaynab and indeed the Epic of Ashura and Arbaeen deliver this key lesson, that we should know where the Truth lies and where the Falsehood lies so that we cannot be duped and manipulated by the despots who seek to harm us, by feeding us lies as truth and telling us the truth is a lie.

This is a clear situation in today’s world. 

A pertinent example is that which is transpiring in the United Kingdom today, with the issue of the Brexit fiasco. People were encouraged to vote in a referendum on whether the United Kingdom should stay in the European Union or not, but there were campaigns of disinformation telling the people that it would be good to leave, and that no harm would come, and that staying was harmful and so on²⁷.

My point is not whether Brexit is a good thing or a bad thing, that is not relevant here; what is relevant is that the leaders and elites of a country, blatantly lied and manipulated the Truth in order to get the people to act in a particular way²⁸.

Something very similar to what was done by the forces of Umar ibn Sa’ad in recruiting his forces to rank against Imam Husayn in Kerbala.

So, coming back to the Arbaeen commemorations, the march as well as commemorations made at various centres and mosques across the world, and the Zaynabi Component of the Ashura Movement.

We can see in one of the locations where Lady Zaynab and the caravan of prisoners were taken, in this case in Kufa, when she was accosted by the governor of Kufa, an ardent supporter of Yazeed and responsible for a great deal of oppression and terror in Kufa, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad²⁹, who asked her (Lady Zaynab)³⁰:

“How do you see that which God has done to your brother?”

She replied, bravely and firmly, with words that showed her triumph against the despotism and terror of the Ummayad regime and its agents:

“I saw nothing but beauty …”³¹

This is because she understood, that no matter the difficulty, the Truth had prevailed, and been made manifest, she knew and was communicating – not only to the governor of Kufa, to his master Yazeed, but also to the world – present and future – that standing for the Truth will never result in defeat, because the Truth is something that cannot be stopped or blocked out.

The Truth will always prevail.

So, no matter how dark things might look, no matter how hopeless a situation might be, no matter how powerful the despots might be, always know that the Truth will without a doubt always prevail.

More recent examples of this can be seen in the eight-year war and 40+ years of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, that while certainly painful, have not resulted in the capitulation and break up of the Islamic Republic system, but have rather made the Islamic Republic stronger, due to it’s lack of reliance on the technology and products of the oppressors, and instead by having a strong reliance on God, and upon it’s own abilities.

We can see the same with the Islamic Resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine. While these movements have been declared “terrorist” entities by the so-called “civilized world”, the world is now seeing the reality that the occupation entity – the Zionist Entity – is, in fact, the terrorist entity³²

In Yemen, we can see the true face of the terrorists occupying Arabia³³, who like Yazeed profess Islam, but act contrary to Islamic teachings of kindness and compassion, of justice and equity and of being completely against oppression.

This is what is meant by the Zaynabi Component. 

To take the Truth, and tell the world.  To take something that perhaps at one time you had to whisper quietly, and shout it from the rooftops because the Truth cannot and will not be suppressed.

Today, close to 1400 years after the event of Ashura, we can see the tens of millions marching towards Kerbala.  We can see yet more tens – if not hundreds – of millions gathering at their mosques and centres – in every corner of the world – to remember the revolution of Ashura, to allow the lessons of Ashura – lessons that were delivered close to 1400 years ago – to come into their lives and to empower them and renew their hope of the ultimate victory of truth against falsehood.

We can see the child in Yemen, in Palestine, in Bahrain, in Kashmir and elsewhere, make resistance against the despots occupying and harming his land and people, even if it be just by shouting at the oppressive occupiers, and this is because the Truth has been understood by this child.

This Truth is not exclusive to one Islamic School of Thought or to the Muslims only, this is a completely inclusive Truth, that includes every human being, who has ever lived, currently lives and will live; this is the innate Truth that every human is born with; that tells us what is right and what is wrong; but that sadly we forget.

But the epic of Ashura and the movement of Lady Zaynab brings together and injects the veins of humanity with the spirit of Truth.  This is the real victory.

And there is yet more evidence to this fact.

When you examine the lack of coverage of this global gathering, that by all accounts is the largest gathering of humanity in a single location³⁴ for a single purpose, this reveals the reality of the global arrogance and those who support and nurture it.

Indeed, you see those in the global media, which is but the propaganda arm of the powers of Global Arrogance, manufacture documentaries in an attempt to defame this powerful, human and indeed revolutionary gathering³⁵.

The global mainstream media refuses to cover this gathering objectively and fairly for one primary reason. 

Covering such an event will encourage and enthuse the population to find out what and why there is such a great gathering.  This will make the population look at who Imam Husayn was and what was the Epic of Ashura, and ultimately, it will wake up the world population.

Wake the world population to understand who the Yazeed of their time is and who the Husayn of their time is, and the natural condition of people is to go towards the good and avoid and reject that which is evil.

This event brings people together, from different schools of thought, Sunnis and Shias, from different religions, from Christians, Jews and others.  It opens the eyes of people to who the real oppressors are; and to who the real Yazeeds of our age are. 

It exposes those who are working to harm the population.  To delude them, to present to the people truth as falsehood, and falsehood as truth.  To present that which is natural as unnatural, and that which is unnatural as natural. 

This is the underlying fear.

The reason – one of the core reasons – for this; is that on account of the Zaynabi component, a major victory was achieved 40 years ago in a place that was completely controlled by a Yazeed of that time.  That is the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Shah of Iran was an asset of the Yazeed of that time (and indeed the same Yazeed is around today in the form of the American Administration).  He served the Empire and cared nothing for the people of Iran.  In fact in the Shah’s time, a regular Iranian civilian had fewer rights than an American dog in Iran, and Iranian natural resources were being squandered, either by the Shah and his associates or directly by the American Administration.

Interestingly,  this is the same as the approach that was attempted in Iraq following Saddam’s removal – who was also an asset of the American Administration, but who had outlived his usefulness, and of course, this hasn’t been as successful as the despots would have liked.

In the same way, we can see the way that the American administration in recent days discarded their allies from the Kurds, who had on behalf of the Americans occupied swathes of Syrian territory and indeed enacted a regime of terror upon the people of North-Eastern Syria. But as they became less useful to the American Empire, they were discarded the same way garbage is discarded³⁶.

However, within the countries of the Persian Gulf, such as the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and off course Saudi Arabia; this is definitely the case. These countries are true vassal states of the American administration and do nothing without approval from Washington. They also massively squander the natural resources – which are the property of the people of the countries (and not the ruling families who are essentially occupiers and illegal at that) – and now we are told that they pay the United States to act as mercenaries on their behalf³⁷. Killing and harming men, women and children across the entire region, including (but not limited to), Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, etc.

In light of this, we can see that the miracle of the event of Ashura and the stance of Imam Husayn, the awakening brought about by the event of Arbaeen and the stance of Lady Zaynab and Imam Al-Sajjad.

The multitude of people that make this walk and hold the commemorations – both on Ashura and especially on Arbaeen – terrify the despots; because these activities will awaken the curious minds and hearts into the subjects I’ve discussed herein, and as a result, will inspire humanity towards rejecting the occupiers and despots and moving towards the Truth and Justice.

This is also another reason why the stance of Imam Husayn and Lady Zaynab are eternal and so powerful.

Finally, we also know that regarding the Islamic Revolution and its victory, Imam Khumayni is known to have said:

“The whole unity of expression that was at the base of our victory came about by the grace of these (Ashura) mourning rites and meetings, as well as the sessions for the propagation and spread of Islam.”

Imam Khumayni³⁸

These events of Ashura and Arbaeen – these gatherings, these processions, these multi-million strong marches to the shrine of Imam Husayn in Kerbala from all corners of the World and by people of all denominations; these are a sign that the universal message of Truth, of Justice and of Resistance against the despots, tyrants and real terrorists, is one that joins all of humanity as a unified fabric against the small number of tyrants who seek to dominate over humanity, both physically and psychologically.

These events prove that the despots have a limited shelf-life, their time is ending rapidly; and that the word of Truth will not and cannot be suppressed.

Even with the attempts made by the forces and media powers of Global Arrogance to sideline such monumental events like Arbaeen, efforts by the enemy which in the short-term appear to be successful; in the same way that in the short-term Yazeed and his forces considered that their massacring of Imam Husayn and his companions was a victory for them, the reality says something very different.

An important series of verses of the Holy Quran comes to mind here, where God is speaking about how He helped and indeed bestowed favour and liberated the children of Israel, supporting them to overcome Pharoah and liberate themselves from his tyranny, and how His promise is eternal:

“Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions. He persecuted a group of them, slaughtering their sons while sparing their daughters. He was truly a corrupter.
But We desired to favour those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors.
And to establish them in the land; and to show Pharaoh, Hamaan, and their troops, the very thing they feared.”

Quran, Chapter 28 (Al-Qasas / The Narrations), Verses 4 to 6³⁹

It is indeed Imam Husayn who we are speaking about, and about Lady Zaynab and her stance against Yazeed that we remember and draw inspiration from, nearly 1400 years after it took place; and Yazeed and his minions; they are held in complete contempt and forgotten as the rubbish that they are.  Hated for generations and marked as examples of unjust rulers and the most debased of creation.

The name of Imam Husayn, the stance of Imam Husayn, the name of Lady Zaynab, and the efforts that she exerted to spread and propagate the message of Imam Husayn, the message of Truth, of Resistance, is alive and well, and getting stronger with each generation.

We can see, when the latter-day Khawarej⁴⁰ terrorists invaded – with the blessing and indeed support⁴¹ of the despotic powers of Global Arrogance – Syria, with a view to destroying that country, and bringing it into the orbit of Global Arrogance; groups came about, from within the Muslims and Christians, who named themselves after Lady Zaynab⁴², and vowed to protect the innocent from the preying schemes of the terrorists, and who have been instrumental in defeating DAESH and related terrorist groups in Syria.

This same group, Liwa Zaynabiyoun⁴³ along with other groups who have fought and defeated the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq are now designated as terrorist groups themselves by the American Administration and its allies⁴⁴.

The reason for this is very simple. 

When you stand against the despots, the despots will try to vilify you, they will try to insult you and break you; but know that if you are moving towards the Truth, towards Justice, towards helping the oppressed, towards enjoining the good and forbidding the evil; then your movement is a Husayni movement, and it is a Zaynabi movement, and as a result, cannot be suppressed, and is guaranteed victory.

After all, God, the Most Sublime, says in the Holy Quran:

“They want to extinguish God’s light with their mouths, but God refuses except to complete His light, even though the disbelievers dislike it.”

Quran, Chapter 9 (Tawbah / Repentance), Verse 32⁴⁵

And from God alone is all ability and He has authority over all things and He is a Witness over everything.

1. This article was initially published on ShiaFollowers – https://shiafollowers.com/index.php/2019/10/18/arbaeen-marks-zenith-revolution-started-ashura/
2. Ziyarat/Ziyarah means both visitation and salutation (from near or afar) and is a means for greeting/saluting special personalities – like Prophets, Saints, Imams, Righteous Islamic Scholars and such.
3. Ziyarat Arbaeen (the Salutation of Arbaeen), Shaykh Saleem Bhimji – https://www.al-islam.org/arbaeen-imam-husayn-shaykh-saleem-bhimji/ziyarat-arbaeen 
4. For the classical definition of democracy see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy which indicates that the authority in a democratic system is the people.
5. Ibid.
6. Forbes, One Percent by State Income Inequality https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2016/06/16/one-percent-by-state-income-inequality/
7. See: Ashura: Research and Analysis on the Uprising of Imam Husayn, Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Al-Asifi, translated by Umar Kumo – https://www.al-islam.org/ashura-shaykh-muhammad-mahdi-al-asifi/imam-husayn-ass-portrayal-islamic-society-during-umayyad-rule
8. A Probe into the History of Ashura, Dr Ibrahim Ayati, Chapter 6 Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah https://www.al-islam.org/probe-history-ashura-dr-ibrahim-ayati/chapter-6-muhammad-bin-hanafiya
9. The Martyrs of Kerbala, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Martyrs_of_Karbala also Statistics for Imam Husayn’s Companions, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Statistics_of_the_Battle_of_%27Ashura%27#Statistics_for_Imam_al-Husayn.27s_.28a.29_Companions
10. Discourse of Patience, Imam Khamenei, Chapter 2 – The Importance of Patience in Light of Traditions, First Narration – https://www.al-islam.org/discourses-patience-ayatullah-sayyid-ali-khamenei/chapter-2-importance-patience-light-traditions 
11. Ibid.
12. See translation from Itani, Tanzil Online Quran – http://tanzil.net/#trans/en.itani/4:135
13. The Necessity of Truth, Shabbir Hassanally – https://shabbir.hassanally.net/2017/05/01/the-necessity-of-truth/ 
14. See the definition from The Free Dictionary – https://www.thefreedictionary.com/raison+d%27etre
15. See translation by Itani from Tanzil Online Quran – http://tanzil.net/#trans/en.itani/3:169
16. A Probe into the History of Ashura, Dr Ibrahim Ayati, Chapter 25 Journey of Ahl al-Bayt to Kufa and Damascus – https://www.al-islam.org/probe-history-ashura-dr-ibrahim-ayati/chapter-25-journey-ahlul-bayt-kufa-and-damascus
17. The Ummayad General who was leading the army against Imam Husayn in the Battle of Kerbala. He was the son of Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas a one time companion of Prophet Muhammad, and who was instrumental in the conquest of Persia in the time of the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab. More on who Umar ibn Sa’ad was can be found on WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/%27Umar_b._Sa%27d
18. A commander from the army of Yazeed who was particularly brutal against Imam Husayn and his companions on the day of Ashura and subsequently was extremely abusive and nasty against the captives including Lady Zaynab and Imam Sajjad, more can be found on WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Shimr_b._Dhi_l-Jawshan
19. Historical accounts vary on these minor details.
20. WikiShia, Statistics for the Battle of Ashura, Statistics for Umar ibn Sa’ads Army – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Statistics_of_the_Battle_of_%27Ashura%27#Statistics_for_.27Umar_b._Sa.27d.27s_Army
21. Soft war is an undeniable phenomenon, Imam Khamenei, Official Website of Imam Khamenei – http://english.khamenei.ir/news/6165/Poster-Soft-War-is-an-undeniable-phenomenon
22. Muawiyyah ibn Abi Sufyan, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Mu%27awiya_b._Abi_Sufyan
23. The Rashidun Caliphs, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Rashidun_Caliphs
24. Ibn Muljim al-Muradi, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/Ibn_Muljam_al-Muradi
25. The Early Khawarej Sect and the Takfiris of Today, Abdul Qadir Baksh – https://lutonislamiccentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Early-Khawaarij-Sect-The-Takfeeris-Of-Today-Abdul-Qaadir-Baksh.pdf 
26. I am unable to find an English language reference to this, but it is mentioned in some books of history and in the books of traditions in Arabic and Farsi.
27. Here’s an A to Z of Brexit lies, GQ Magazine, 15th February 2019 – https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/list-of-brexit-lies 
28. What Brexit should have taught us about voter manipulation, The Guardian, 17th April 2017 – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/17/brexit-voter-manipulation-eu-referendum-social-media 
29. Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, WikiShia – http://en.wikishia.net/view/%27Ubayd_Allah_b._Ziyad 
30. Lady Zaynab, Badr Shahin, published by Ansariyan Publications, Qum, Lady Zaynab in Captivity, Before the Governor – https://www.al-islam.org/lady-zaynab-badr-shahin/lady-zaynab-captivity 
31. Opinions on the Ashura Uprising, “I saw nothing but beauty”: Zaynab al-Kubra, Imam Khamenei speech February 8, 2010, Official Website of Imam Khamenei – http://english.khamenei.ir/Opinions/AshuraUprising
32. Dissident Voice, Israel is a Terrorist State, Jonathan Cook, 13th October 2015 – https://dissidentvoice.org/2015/10/israel-is-a-terrorist-state/ and Counter Currents, Israel’s Secret, Elias Akleh, 20 August 2019 – https://countercurrents.org/2019/08/israels-secret 
33. Kayhan International, 24 September 2019, Yemen Exposes Saudi Hypocrisy – http://kayhan.ir/en/news/44565/yemen-exposes-saudi-hypocrisy 
34. Arbaeen Pilgrimage, Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arba%27een_Pilgrimage
35. I will not provide more details about the documentaries here to prevent giving them publicity, suffice it to say that while there are some negative practices that take place, they are not practices that are within the realm of Islam, and while there are some people who might be references as “Islamic Clerics” by the mass media, that doesn’t mean that they are; even if they wear such clothes. After all, it is well known that people have masqueraded as doctors in hospitals and resulted in harming the population. See Former California college student, 23, accused of pretending to be a doctor at a children’s hospital and even diagnosing a patient, the Mail Online, 31 August 2018 – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6118727/Man-23-charged-pretending-doctor-diagnosing-patient.html and more examples at Oddee, 10 people who pretended to be doctors, 22 February 2016 – https://www.oddee.com/item_99612.aspx. The timing and manner of the documentaries that I am talking about are what is a problem; they are timed to create more strife and sedition when it serves the agenda of the despots. In this case, the government of Iraq getting closer to the Islamic Republic of Iran and refusing the US Sanctions regime against the Islamic Republic results in Iraq being defamed (and ultimately Islam being defamed as a net result) by the propaganda arm of the so-called Empire.
36. Trump on Abandoning Kurdish Forces: The Kurds didn’t help us in WW2, Huffington Post, 10 October 2019 – https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/trump-kurdish-forces-world-war-ii_n_5d9e624ce4b087efdba7a1c3 – though it should be noted that the situation of the Kurds and their being abandoned by the US is somewhat more complicated and needs an article in and of itself to elaborate on. Perhaps at a later stage, I will attempt this.
37. A mercenary is one who is paid to fight on behalf of another see the definition from the Free Dictionary – https://www.thefreedictionary.com/mercenary and the news article from Sputnick News 12 October 2019 Trump Says Saudi Arabia to Pay for Deployment of Additional US Troops – https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201910121077029929-trump-says-saudi-arabia-to-pay-for-deployment-of-additional-us-troops/ 
38. Muharram and Ashura in the words of Imam Khumayni, Published 15 February 2012, Tebyan – https://english.tebyan.net/newindex.aspx?pid=198858
39. See translation from Itani, Tanzil Online Quran – http://tanzil.net/#trans/en.itani/28:4
40. The Early Khawarej Sect and the Takfiris of Today, Abdul Qadir Baksh – https://lutonislamiccentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-Early-Khawaarij-Sect-The-Takfeeris-Of-Today-Abdul-Qaadir-Baksh.pdf
41. UN Report confirms Israel’s support for Terrorist Organisations in Syria, Muraselon, 21 March 2018 – https://en.muraselon.com/2018/03/un-report-confirms-israels-support-for-terrorist-organizations-in-syria/
42. Liwa Zaynabiyoun – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liwa_Zainebiyoun
43. Ibid.
44. Zaynabiyoun Brigade, IFTMAT, Entity Designated/sanctioned for Terrorism – https://www.ifmat.org/01/25/zaynabiyoun-brigade/
45. See translation by Itani from Tanzil Online Quran – http://tanzil.net/#trans/en.itani/9:32

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Arbaeen marks the Zenith of the Revolution of Ashura