Issue No: 106
13th January 2012
19th Safar 1433 A.H
Salamun alaykum,
The number Forty:
"Whoever dedicates himself to Allah for forty days, will find springs of wisdom sprout out of his heart and flow on his tongue." (Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa SAWW)
Amongst the traditions reported from Ahlul Bayt a.s; it is seen that the number forty has significance to the spiritual development of the nafs / self of a person. There are certain recitations such as duas, ziyarat which are recommended to be recited for forty days. Some recitations are recommended to be completed for forty times or for forty people to gather to recite.
A reason for this may be that the effectiveness of the deed of supplication is highly increased for Divine response.
Our Ceremonies of Azadari: 20th Safar: Arba'in:
Today in the evening we shall commence to observe Arba'in:- the forty days since the martyrdom of the Chief of Martyrs Imam Husayn a.s. together with his close family and devoted companions on the day of Ashura.
Arba'in : Its significance :
- On this day Jabir bin Abdullah Al-Ansari, a renowned companion of holy prophet, arrived in Karbala to perform ziyarat /visitation of the graves of Imam Husayn and the martyrs.
- After being released from captivity in prison of Sham, the caravan of the survivors from the tragedy of Karbala led by Imam Zaynul Abidin reached Karbala after having been freed from prison in Sham.
- We have performed Azadari / observed forty days of mourning over the martyrs of Karbala.
A recommended deed on the occasion of Arbain is the recitation of Ziyaratal Arba'in. Among the five signs of a mumin, as related by our eleventh Imam Hasan Al Askari, is the recitation of Ziyaratal Arba'in.
Re-iterating our role model: Imam Husayn:
Whilst reciting the Ziyaratal Arba'in, after re-iterating the lofty status of Imam Husayn, some of the lines read as follows:
"I bear witness that you are the Imam who is the upright, the pious, well pleased with Allah, the pure and the rightly guided.....I am a friend of whoever befriends him.....I am an enemy of whoever is his enemy .....
I declare that I have full faith in you....... I am fully committed to the laws of my religion, certain of my deeds, my mind and heart ready for your return and my affairs carried out in the light of your instructions....together with you, along with you, not with your enemies ...... "
The Vision of the tragedy of Karbala does not end by observing Arba'in ceremonies including the recital of Ziyaratal Arba'in. For it is the values and message of Ashura which need to be upheld by us at all times in line with the saying: Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala. As we sincerely recite the Ziyaratal Arba'in and re-assert our pledge of loyalty and obedience to the holy Imam in the foregoing words, let us reflect how committed our deeds are to uphold the values of Islam, how worthy is ones' self of being by the side of Imam Husayn a.s. and ones commitment to always be with Aba Abdillah, InshAllah.
A'dhamallahu ujurana wa ujurakum bi musaabina bil-Husayn alayhis salam (May Allah make great our reward and your reward, for our grief on Husayn a.s.)
Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah
Fazle Abbas Datoo
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Resident Alim
Wessex Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat