Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Essence of Arbaeen Visitation Is Achieved Through Presence in Karbala

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Essence of Arbaeen Visitation Is Achieved Through Presence in Karbala
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Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Husseini al-Shirazi stated that the true meaning of the Arbaeen visitation of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is realized through physical presence in Karbala and visiting the holy shrine.

During his daily scholarly session held on Thursday, 15 Safar 1448 AH, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi responded to questions on various jurisprudential matters and explained the linguistic meaning of “ziyarah” (visitation) in Arabic, saying that it refers to “presence” and coming before someone.

He explained that if a person travels to Karbala on Arbaeen and stands at the shrine of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), this itself constitutes the Arbaeen visitation, even if they do not recite the phrase “Peace be upon you, O Aba Abdillah.” He added that reciting the specific visitation texts is a separate act, while the fundamental meaning of visitation is being present before the one being visited.

In Shia thought, the Arbaeen pilgrimage is regarded as a spiritual journey of loyalty and connection with Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) movement, symbolizing one of the grand acts characterizing faith, as per narration by Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him). The annual gathering in Karbala has become the largest religious events in the world, drawing millions of pilgrims.