تويت
This visitation is called “Arba‘een” (forty) because it commemorates forty days since the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) on the 10th of Muharram, in the year 61 AH.
This visit coincides with the 20th of Safar, the blessed day when the companion Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari traveled from Medina to Karbala to visit Hussein’s grave, becoming the first person to do so. On this same day, the family of Imam Hussein, who had been taken to Damascus, returned to Karbala under the leadership of Imam Zain al-Abidin, meeting Jabir. This marks the beginning of the Arba‘een pilgrimage to Imam Hussein’s shrine. It is also the day when the heads of the Prophet’s family—peace be upon them—were reunited with their bodies at Karbala.
It is reported that on the 20th of Safar, Jabir al-Ansari stood at the grave of Abu Abdullah Hussein, wept, and repeatedly cried, “O Hussein.” He said:
“Beloved One who cannot answer his beloved, how can you answer when your necks were severed from your bodies, and your heads separated? I testify that you are the son of the Seal of the Prophets, the son of the Master of the Faithful, the son of the covenant of piety, descendant of guidance, the fifth of the People of the Cloak, the son of the Leader of the Nobles, the son of Fatimah, Lady of the Women; and you deserve this upon being nourished by the hand of the Leader of the Messengers, raised in the embrace of the pious, suckled at the breast of faith, weaned by Islam. You were good in life, and good in death. Yet the hearts of believers are not at peace without your separation, nor do they doubt the goodness of your fate. Peace and Allah’s pleasure be upon you. I testify that you departed in the same manner as your brother al-Mujtaba, son of Zakariya.”
He then looked around the grave and said:
“Peace be upon you, O souls that have rested in Hussein’s courtyard, who fulfilled prayer, paid zakat, enjoined good, forbade evil, struggled against the atheists, worshipped Allah until certainty came to you. By Him who sent Muhammad as a prophet in truth, we share with you in what you have entered.”
Atiyah al-A‘ufi asked him: “How is that? We did not scale a valley or mountain, nor strike with sword, yet the people were beheaded, their children made orphans, wives widowed.” Jabir replied:
“I heard my beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) say: ‘Whoever loves a people is with them, and whoever loves the deeds of a people is counted among them.’ By Him who sent Muhammad as prophet in truth, my intention and that of my companions is to be with Hussein and his companions.”
Furthermore, the 40th day is a widely observed mourning period for the deceased. When this tradition appears in relation to Imam Hussein—whose loss was mourned by the sky for forty dawns in blood, the earth in blackness, the sun with eclipse and redness, and the angels in tears—we see a profound symbolism. Every woman refrained from adorning until the head of ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad arrived, and believers remained in sorrow .
But was Jabir’s visit on the 40th day coincidental? Or was it intentional due to the significance of ‘forty’?
We find “forty” mentioned multiple times in the Qur’an—for instance:
- Moses was appointed for forty nights
- The Israelite wandering lasted forty years
- Moses’s total time on Mount Sinai was forty nights
- A person reaches maturity at forty years
- The Prophet said the earth weeps for a believer for forty mornings.
- Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam al-Sadiq both said the sky wept over Hussein for forty dawns, the earth mourned in blackness, the sun darkened… angels wept forty mornings, and this continued until Ubayd Allah’s head returned .
Destruction and Rediscovery of Imam Hussein’s Grave
When caliph al-Mutawakkil destroyed Hussein’s shrine, he hoped to halt visitors. Though guards enforced this, divine intervention preserved the grave’s location. Ibn Kathir relates that after flushing water to erase its trace, the water dried up after forty days. A Bedouin from Banu Asad picked the soil piece by piece until he found the grave, exclaiming: “By my father and mother, how sweet this soil is!”
Al-Isfahani records that a man—after Mutawakkil’s death—took a risk visiting incognito, found the place marked by recognizable marks and the fragrance of the grave, then later the shrine was restored .
Pilgrimage and Political Movement
After Jabir’s visit, pilgrimage to Imam Hussein became a regular act of devotion—on ‘Ashura and on the 20th of Safar each year. Despite Umayyad repression and varying Abbasid tolerance, followers continued to make the journey. The Imams encouraged visitation; for instance, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq said, “Visit Karbala and do not abandon it…” The visits preserved the memory of Hussein’s revolution and inspired resistance to tyranny. In Iraq, the former regime feared the gatherings in Karbala during Muharram and Arba‘een, banning them—aware that visits rekindle the spirit of resistance. Mahatma Gandhi is quoted saying: “I learned from Hussein that even if oppressed, I must stand and triumph.”
✧ In summary
: Jabir ibn Abdullah’s pilgrimage on the 40th day was likely intentional, tied to religious and cultural significance of the number forty, reinforced by Qur’anic precedent and traditions surrounding mourning. Arba‘een continues today both as a devotional act and a symbol of resistance and commitment to the values Imam Hussein stood for.
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