Arbaeen Symbolizes Standing Up Against Injustice, Tyranny: Professor

IQNA – The Arbaeen procession, like the movement of Imam Hussein (AS), is a symbol of resistance against tyranny and injustice, says a professor religious studies.

Arbaeen is one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, with recent pilgrimages drawing over 21 million devotees to Karbala, Iraq.

“I think that Arbaeen itself symbolizes that standing up against injustice and tyranny,” Professor Liyakat Takim of McMaster University in Canada told IQNA, adding that this message should be conveyed to the whole world.

Every year, believers—mostly Shia Muslims—walk nearly 80 km from Najaf to Karbala over several days, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and the end of a 40-day mourning period. Along the way, volunteers offer free food, shelter, and medical care, embodying generosity and solidarity.

What follows is the full text of the interview:

IQNA: Professor Takim, Arbaeen is often described as the largest annual peaceful gathering in the world. What, in your view, distinguishes Arbaeen from other religious pilgrimages—not just in scale, but in meaning and message?

Takim: The reason why Arbaeen is different from other religious pilgrimages it's not just in scale, but its meaning and its message. The meaning and the message referred to the spirit of sacrifice. Not only the spirit of sacrifice, but the spirit of standing up to injustices, of standing up to oppression.

I think that this in many ways tells us that physical victory may be there and temporary, but the real victory is a moral victory, that you stand out for the truth, then in the final analysis you will win because a oppressor might win temporarily, but the final and eternal victory is when you stand up for justice, for equality, and for the truth, and you do not give in to oppression.

IQNA: How do you interpret the theological significance of Arbaeen in the broader framework of Shi‘i spirituality? In what ways does it serve as a continuation of the Karbala narrative beyond Ashura itself?

Takim: The answer to this was already given in the first question. What I would add is that we need to look at not only Imam Hussein's values, but also his complete submission and dedication to Allah (SWT). This is the spiritual significance of Arbaeen and of Karbala in general, which is that even to the last night, Imam Hussein asked for one extra night in order to worship, submit, and pray to God.

Moreover, even on the battlefield, he stopped the battle, at least on his side, in order to pray. This shows us the spirit of spirituality in Shia Islam in general, and in the case of Imam Hussein in particular. It is up to us to continue the Karbala narrative in our present lives.

IQNA: How has Arbaeen become a unifying axis for the global Shi‘i community, including the diaspora, and how is this reflected in the rituals or narratives shared on the route?

Takim: Arbaeen has become definitely a unifying axis because you find Shias from different parts of the world coming in, from literally hundreds of countries, in order not only to share in the grief of Imam Hussein and to mark his sacrifices, but also to connect with each other, to be able to see how different Shias live, how they have all sacrificed for Imam Hussein, and at the same time to be able to connect with each other at a very deep spiritual level and to share the rituals.

The basis of Shia Islam is the same. There are cultural differences, obviously, because people come from different countries. But what happens is that Arbaeen has become a unifying symbol of Shias from different parts of the world. Everybody comes there to mark the supreme sacrifices of Imam Hussein.

IQNA: In today's media and political climate, Arbaeen receives minimal international attention despite its magnitude. Why do you think such a powerful display of devotion is often overlooked or marginalized in global discourse?

Takim: I think part of the problem is us; that is, we, the followers of Imam Hussein, and the followers of Ahl al-Bayt, have not gone to the media and explained to them who Imam Hussein was and what he sacrificed.

We need to have a much more pronounced and more emphatic presence in the media at different levels, whether it is social media, television, or it is in newspapers, any kind of journalism or media. And today, social media is very, very powerful.

I don't think that we have truly used social media to get people to understand the sacrifices of Imam Hussein and why Arbaeen is so important for us.

IQNA: The hospitality shown by ordinary Iraqis—through thousands of moukebs offering free food, medical care, and lodging—has become one of Arbaeen's defining features. What ethical or spiritual principles in Shi‘i thought underpin this tradition of selfless service?

Takim: I believe that what this has told us is the supreme sense of sacrifice and giving and kindness and love for each other, that Imam Hussein not only binds us together, but that he has established values that we can share the values of not only giving or offering free food and medical and lodging etc. but also that of love and affection for each other; we are bound by our love for Imam Hussein we are bound by our love for the Ahl al-Bayt, and of course we become one in our love for Allah (SWT).

That despite our differences, our differences are mainly cultural, superficial; at the inner, more spiritual level, we share a deep sense of connectedness. And this is because of Imam Hussein and Arbaeen.

IQNA: How can we understand the symbolism of Arbaeen as a response to injustice and tyranny in contemporary contexts, especially as movements for justice worldwide increasingly reference Karbala as a moral framework?

Takim: This question is very important. I think that Arbaeen itself symbolizes standing up against injustice and tyranny. And again, this is a message that we need to convey to the whole world. That Arbaeen itself is a sense. That's why we do the mourning. It's a way of connecting with or identifying with the suffering of Imam Hussein; that we will give our blood, we will give everything, but we will not let the values of the prophet, the teachings of the prophet, and the values of Allah, which he has instilled in us, be removed or obliterated.

In other words, the symbolism of Arbaeen is that we cannot stand silent or keep quiet in the face of injustices.

And therefore, we find in the case of Gaza, it is mainly the Shias in Iran and other parts of the world who have not only shown their disdain for what has happened, but who have actually helped out the people of Gaza as much as possible and stood up against the oppressors.

IQNA: Finally, what message do you believe Arbaeen holds for non-Muslim audiences today? Can the legacy of Imam Hussein (AS) and the Arbaeen journey serve as a bridge for deeper interfaith or humanistic dialogue?

Takim: This is an important question because, especially in the West where we are, there is a lot of dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims. It is important that we bring the Karbala narrative into this dialogue. In other words, we see Imam Hussein not only as a Shia figure, but as a human figure, because the values he stood for are shared by all human beings, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.

And yes, the sacrifice of Imam Hussein can and must act as a bridge for deep interfaith dialogue at a different level. But we need to make sure that during dialogue, during our lectures, during our schools, or whatever we teach, that we bring Imam Hussein into the picture and explain to non-Muslims, especially as to who Imam Hussein was. Why is it that we mourn up to today? Many people ask why do you cry for Imam Hussein? 

And we should try and explain to them that this is done in order to make sure that these sacrifices and the supreme examples that Imam Hussein has said for us can never ever be forgotten, and more importantly, that we instill and we embody those values in our daily lives.

The views and opinions expressed in this interview are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of International Quran News Agency.

Professor Liyakat Takim, originally from Zanzibar, Tanzania, is the Sharjah Chair in Global Islam at McMaster University, Canada, and an internationally recognized scholar on Islam. Author and translator of eight books—with a ninth on Qur’anic exegesis in progress—he has published over 140 scholarly works and spoken at more than 120 academic conferences worldwide. His research spans Islamic reform, Qur’anic interpretation, Islamic law, diaspora communities, mysticism, Islamophobia, and gender issues.

Interview by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas