اربعین

What it means

اربعین (arba’in) is Arabic for “forty” or “fortieth.” In Shia Islamic practice it refers specifically to the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the third Shia Imam, who was killed at the Battle of Karbala on the 10th of Muharram 61 AH (680 CE). The 40th day falls on the 20th of the month of Safar in the Hijri calendar, roughly two months after the Day of Ashura.

The ritual

Arba’in is one of the largest annual gatherings in the world. Each year millions of pilgrims walk from Najaf to Karbala in Iraq, a distance of roughly 80 kilometers, to visit the shrine of Imam Hossein on the 40th day after his death. The walk takes 2 to 4 days. Along the route, Iraqi families set up مواکب (mawâkib), free service stations offering food, water, tea, foot massages, sleeping space, and medical aid. Iranian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Afghan, and other Shia pilgrims join. In recent years the gathering has reached an estimated 20 million people in some years, a number difficult to verify but widely cited.

The ritual is also observed in Iran and the Iranian diaspora through prayer gatherings, recitation of the Ziyarat Arba’in (the Arba’in pilgrimage prayer), reading the maqtal (the historical narrative of the killing), and serving free meals (نذری, nazri) to the community. Some mosques and hosseiniyehs hold all-night sessions of prayer and lamentation. Black banners hang in streets. Television channels run documentaries and recitations.

Cultural context

The number 40 carries weight across Iranian culture, both Islamic and pre-Islamic. The 40-day mourning period is observed for ordinary deaths as well: the چهلم (chehelom, fortieth-day memorial) is a major commemoration on the 40th day after a relative’s death, with a meal served, prayers read, and visitors received. Forty also appears in Persian mysticism, the چله (chelle, 40-day spiritual retreat) practiced by Sufis, and in folk tradition, the چله بزرگ (chelle-ye bozorg, the long forty days of winter). Arba’in for Hossein is the same number, scaled to the central tragedy of Shia history.

How to use it

• اربعین حسینی (arba’in-e hoseyni) “Hosseini Arba’in”
• پیاده‌روی اربعین (piyâde-ravi-ye arba’in) “the Arba’in walk”
• اربعین رفتم کربلا (arba’in raftam karbalâ) “I went to Karbala for Arba’in”
• زیارت اربعین (ziyârat-e arba’in) “the Arba’in pilgrimage prayer”
• نذری اربعین (nazri-ye arba’in) “the votive food of Arba’in”

Related expressions

محرم (moharram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar, when the mourning of Hossein begins. عاشورا (âshurâ) is the 10th day, the day of the killing. صفر (safar) is the second month, in which Arba’in falls. چهلم (chehelom) is the 40th-day memorial for any deceased person. حسینیه (hoseyniye) is the building where mourning gatherings are held. تعزیه (ta’ziye) is the Iranian passion-play tradition reenacting Karbala. زیارت (ziyârat) is pilgrimage to the shrine of an Imam or saint.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab