ARBAEEN WALK FROM NAJAF TO KARBALA 2018

ARBAEEN WALK FROM NAJAF TO KARBALA 2018 A journey of lovers. The longest dining table in the world. An all-inclusive resort in the midst of the arid, scorching Iraqi desert. These are just some of my descriptions attributed to the mesmerizing walk from the cities of Najaf to Karbala to mark the occasion of Arba’een (the fortieth).So how much money should you take with you to pay for this wonderful hospitality? None. The currency on this walk is servitude and kind-hardheartedness. Every single volunteer you encounter will be more grateful to the visitor than vice-versa, for it is the biggest honor to aid and attend to the guests that make this journey. Once you realize this, your heart will melt and you appreciate the Godly values of peace and harmony of Imam Hussain’s legacy has left. Everyone who has been on this walk will have a story to tell you, so allow me to share with you mine. As I got split up from my group and I neared Karbala, admittedly I was tiring and perhaps it was showing, a stocky Iraqi man grabbed me from the crowd and sat me on a bench. Speaking in a local dialect which I couldn’t understand, he began removing my shoes and socks for me. I was startled. I noticed what looked like a metal trough, in which there was a thick, soapy-looking water. The man gently caressed warm water on my feet whilst massaging them, as I sat speechless and embarrassed that an elder would do this for me. As I watched him smile and thank God for allowing him to wash my feet, I could only well up with tears and kiss his forehead, thanking God for letting me be able to partake in this mesmerizing trip.