Excerpts from the speech of the Supreme Religious Authority on the martyrdom anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family
On Sunday, 28th of Safar, the Supreme Religious Authority, Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Sadiq al-Husseini al-Shirazi, delivered a speech on the martyrdom anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family. Below are excerpts from His Eminence’s speech:
(1)
Allah Almighty said in his Noble Book: Muḥammad is no more than a messenger; other messengers have gone before him. If he were to die or to be killed, would you regress into disbelief? (Holy Quran 3:144)
I extend my condolences to the Imam of Our Time, the Promised Imam Mahdi, may Allah Almighty hasten his honorable reappearance, on the martyrdom anniversary of the most honorable of the prophets and messengers, our master Muhammad bin Abdullah, peace be upon him and his family. Also according to a narration, the martyrdom anniversary of his grandson, Imam Hassan al-Mujtaba, peace be upon him. Likewise, my condolences to all believers and the oppressed around the world. I ask God Almighty, by His grace, and by the patronage of the Fourteen Infallibles, peace be upon them, to hasten the reappearance of the Promised Mahdi, peace be upon him, so that humanity in the world may be saved from all problems.
(2)
In the beginning, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the efforts and services of all those who participated in the establishment of the Holy Arbaeen Pilgrimage, in which more than twenty-one million pilgrims participated, both in Holy Karbala, Iraq, Iran and all Islamic and non-Islamic countries.
(3)
The Arbaeen ritual was performed with majesty and grandeur, despite the obstacles that accompanied it. Indeed, the holy Arbaeen was held this year with all its greatness, but let us know that the efforts made in its regard are still few, and we must increase them, because Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, is not restricted to Shias or Muslims only, he is a light for the whole world.
(4)
Even in India, where the population of Shias is a minority, they made Ashura a holiday, and this – unfortunately – we do not see in most Islamic countries. We must pay attention to this matter, and we demand that governments make Ashura a holiday in all countries. We must not be negligent in this matter. Everyone is responsible for this, each according to his/her ability.
(5)
Until the last day of my stay in Iraq, the statistics for the Arbaeen Pilgrimage were one million pilgrims. Today, however, we witness the presence and participation of more than twenty-one pilgrims in this holy pilgrimage. This incident is unique, and if the obstacles are few, we will witness the participation of up to two hundred million pilgrims, so what obstructs it must be avoided.
(6)
The Arbaeen needs two essential services that can be provided over the coming days: The first: the means of land, air and sea transportation, free of charge. The second: free housing for pilgrims.
(7)
Among the commendable ceremonies is the establishment of the Arbaeen on behalf of the dead, but a question arises: Was something like that applied to one of the imams, peace be upon them, i.e. the Arbaeen ceremony?
(8)
As for Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is one of the signs of faith. What is striking in the narration of our master, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari, peace be upon him, is that he used to implement the Arbaeen ceremonies even before the time of Imam al-Askari, peace be upon him, and Imam al-Askari, peace be upon him, emphasized them, and they are like all the signs of a believer mentioned in the Imam’s narration.
(9)
There is a place in Hell that has been designated to imprison those who oppress the pilgrims of Imam Hussain, peace be upon him. According to the narration, the Husseinis who have been wronged will see the consequence of their oppression, and their hearts will be calmed. This is one of the characteristics of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him.
(10)
The Arbaeen is one of the Husseini characteristics, and we must strive for its elevation. Even those who borrow money for the Arbaeen and die with debts, they will not be held accountable, just as the Messenger of God and Imam Ali, peace be upon them and their family, borrowed for the sake of Islam, and they left the world with debts, and after them their debts were paid. Paying the debts of each of the Husseinis who borrowed for the Arbaeen is the responsibility of the Islamic rulers, and if they fall short, they have sinned.
(11)
The pilgrims enjoys a high position with the Messenger of God, Imam Ali and Lady Zahra, peace be upon them, so that the angels convey to him the greetings of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. Accordingly, it is not appropriate for the pilgrim to remain in the alleys and streets and not find a place to rest. In this regard, the determination must be doubled, so that such problems may disappear little by little.
(12)
With regard to our master, the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, I tell you what I personally witnessed in Iraq: In the year 1378 AH, in which the first coup d’état took place in Iraq, and the rule of the monarchy ended, there were many cases of torture, arrests and killings, which lasted for five years. They formed a court presided over by a judge, and all members of the previous government were sentenced to death. At that time, the religious authorities denounced the death sentences, because Islam does not condemn the execution of every criminal, and secondly, it is not permissible for anyone to submit to execution. So put such events alongside the event of the conquest of Mecca by the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, which lasted for only three days, and compare how to deal with it.
(13)
The handling and style of the greatest Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, in the three days of the conquest of Mecca, includes hundreds of educational issues, and if its parts are studied, we will need an encyclopedia of several volumes. This is what we should get out of the history books and make it known to the worlds.
(14)
The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, even pardoned the heads of the polytheists and the enemies in the conquest of Mecca, including: a person who carried out anti-Prophet cultural media for 20 years, and some of the companions wanted to arrest him, but the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, pardoned him. Delivering such treatment to the world is the responsibility of everyone, on top of whom is the believing youth, male and female.
