7-Kerbala

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

As Kerbala approaches, the nerves set in. After walking for 2 to 3 days straight, the anticipation of meeting your beloved Imam builds with each step you take forward.  I am arriving at your place of rest, oh Aba Abdillah, broken, tired, aching and desperate to be by your side. Not much further until you see those

beautiful golden dome reflecting their splendor and majesty over the city of martyrs.
The footpath gets wider, busier.  The number of Iraqis serving the zuwaar increase as well, until finally you

enter the boundary of the city.  Stick together with your group, recite dua, ask for forgiveness often, help those having trouble walking and make sure you  know the address of where you are staying in Kerbala.
The further in you get, the busier it is, head toward your lodging so you can drop your luggage and have your ghusl.

Some guidance on the manners of ziarat can be found on http://duas.org/ziaratiraq.htm.
If you have your children with you, I suggest that you do not leave them with anyone but yourself or someone else who you know to be 100% responsible.  Try and visit the shrines at off peak times, non-salat times, etc.  If you wish to pray salaat inside the shrines, expect to leave at least 2 hours before the time, as the queue to enter are very long.  Again, do not carry anything in excess and expect to delay things by carrying bags or purses filled with belongings. Phones and cameras are not allowed inside and must be kept in amanat.
Expect walking from your lodging, depending on the location, to take double the time it normally would.  Try and go in groups and hold on to one another, especially sisters. The men are very respectful and try and stay on one side, however, there are times, when it is so crowded with zuwaar that men and women end up in close proximity of one another.
Try to avoid shopping in the bazaar during busy times, I recommend doing your shopping in Najaf rather than Kerbala but if you must, then try and do this at off peak times (not right before or after salaat times).
If you get lost make sure you as a group choose a point of reference to always go back to. Either back to the lodging or a clock tower or a certain shoe stall (remember the shoe stall number).

On Arbaeen, the phone service doesn't work due to the large number of users.  Keep that in mind when trying to coordinate meeting places or times.  If you are not with a group, it is quite difficult to leave Kerbala the day of Arbaeen and probably the day after. You basically have to walk at least 10 miles out and then find a mode of transport to take you to the nearest town with available cabs.  We rode on those large yellow freight trucks, which fill up with zuwaar within minutes.

6-The Walk to Kerbala

Our flag to keep the group together

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

 'If one of our Shia goes for Imam Husain's (a.s.) Ziarat, then he will not return but all his sins will be forgiven. For every step that he or his mount takes, 1,000 virtues are written for him, 1,000 sins are forgiven and his status is elevated by a 1,000 degrees.' (Behaarul Anwar, vol 101, pg 25, tradition 26; Kamiluz Ziaraat, pg 134)

If you are planning on walking the some 80km to Kerbala to Najaf, it takes about 3 days. It is not easy but its something that every person should experience in their lifetime. If you have the opportunity to do so, then do it, you may not get the chance again. I saw many children walking as well. Most kids over 10 should have no problem. Keep them distracted, have frequent breaks, feed them often and make sure they are hydrated.

What to take
Plan on packing a comfortable shoe/trainer with good support, but don't buy a brand new pair that you haven't broken into because most likely it will break you in the form of callouses or other sores on your heel or toes.  We tend to worry too much, as even ordinary flip flops will do. I wore 5 year old worn out trainers-they did the job and I had a sense of humility in them whilst approaching Kerbala.

Only take essentials with you-(this list is if your group is not bringing your luggage to Kerbala for you)
-Spare undergarments-long sleeve t shirt/track suit bottoms/socks
-Hijab
-Towel-if you are staying at a Hussainiya
-Small bottle of soap and shampoo-depending on how long you are staying
-Photocopied Ziarat guide for Kerbala-(books can be heavy)
-Chapstick
-Small med kit (I took a few of everything and put in zip lock bag)
-Spare glasses or contacts
-Small roll of toilet paper
-Spare sheet (if you want to use in the tents that you stay at on the way)
-Phone charger and adapter

If your group is bringing your luggage then you need even less- use a backpack or sports sac so your hands are free
1) light book of dua
2)gloves/hat/scarf/shawl
3)socks
4)phone charger/adapter
5)small ziplock of any meds you need
6)chap stick
7)undergarments

We bought a flag in Najaf and made a make shift pole  to keep our group together. If you are travelling with a proper group they will have these.

What to Expect

We tend to panic about everything before we get there- will there be water? what will I do if I get tired? what if my feet hurt?, etc.
Be reassured that you will be experience such selfless generosity by the Iraqi people, including little children and the elderly, that your perception of humanity will indefinitely alter.

There were plastic chairs lined the walking route in case you needed a rest, tents set up, if you wanted to pray, sleep or eat. Whatever you needed at the time, seemed to telepathically appear before you like you were on a road of blessings and dua. Hot sugary Iraqi tea, containers of waters, biscuits, a hot meal of rice and dhaal and even a swig of perfumed oil.

My 13 yr old daughter waited
for 30 mins for those chips to
cook- some of the servers saw her
and brought it straight to her out
of all the crowd. May Allah(swt)
bless them.

Initially, you may worry, what if I get sick (which you may), what if the glasses are not clean, etc. I can only tell you this, people are doing this for the love of Imam Husayn(as) and you are walking for the same reason.  This is a selfless love that is rare in this world, let go of any fear you harbor and accept what is being graciously provided with a reciprocal love.

Massage station

When your feet get blistered and calloused there were medical stations ready to
assist. When your back and legs were aching there were massage stations set up willing to aid you in your discomfort.  Such beauty is the love of Imam al Husayn (as).

If you really are having difficulty and need to stop walking you can catch a van to Kerbala.

Most people walk between Fajr and Maghrib, we mainly walked throughout the night as we found it less crowded and easier to stick together.

Tents- Mawakib
They are set up everywhere, usually a tent with blankets and pillows.  If you are travelling with a group they most likely have specific camps to stop at.

Toilets
I found only Asian toilets but supposedly there are Western ones installed at specific poles.
The link for a listing of the poles:  http://www.duas.org/walkoffree.htm#List_westernwc

Excellent Resource Site: http://www.duas.org/walkoffree.htm- 

Najaf to Kerbala Walking Guide Summary Total Distance 80 Km Total Number of Poles 1452 Poles Distance Between Each Poles 50 meters [20 Poles = 1 Km] Approx. Walking Time Required 20 to 25 hours Estimated Time to Reach the Destination 2-3 Days Preferred Start Time 17th Safar  - After Fajr – 6:45 AM Expected Completion Time (InshaAllah) 19th Safar – Dhuhr – 12 PM Who Can Do This? Anyone (Male/Female/Families) Also at 15 shaban , Arafat, Ashura
Directions: Take an Exit from Imam Ali (AS) Haram from Bab-e-Tousi (Opposite to Bab-e-Qibla) and start walking straight on Shahra-e-Tousi - After about 500 meters, Wadi-us-Salam Cemetry will start - Keep walking straight and you will eventually get to the Highway, turn left, where hundreds of thousands of people will be walking towards Karbala – Join them and you will reach Haram of Hazrat Abbas (A.S) after about 75 Km. at Pole # 1452. Landmarks (Poles):
Poles Starts After	10 Km.
Pole # 1	Ministry Office on Left side of the Road
Pole # 345	Concrete Walls - Temporary Checkposts
Pole # 578	City of Haidariya - Haidariya Hospital
Pole # 647	Proper Permanent Washrooms
Pole # 960	Large Checkposts
Pole # 1183	Checkpost
Pole # 1237	Imam Ali (AS) City - Washrooms, Mosque, Rest Area etc.
Pole # 1252	Ministry of Import/Export - Office
Pole # 1285	Checking Checkpost - Entrance of Karbala
Pole # 1294	[Optional] Turn Right - Shortcut – After about 4 Km - Poles will again start from 1404 (Most People Do Take this Shortcut)
Pole # 1404	First Sight to Rosa e Hazrat Abbas (A.S) - People who Have Turn Right at 1294 will Join here (Note: Remove your Shoes in Respect to Haram)
Pole # 1452	End of Poles
50 Meters	Bab-e-Qibla - Rosa-e-Hazrat Abbas (A.S)

5- Najaf

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem

Najaf
Arbaeen is a particularly an extremely busy time in Najaf. 

Be prepared for extremely long security lines to get in the haram, specifically an hour before salaat times. Visiting in middle of the night proves to be the best time to go, 12am-3am, there is still a rush but not as dramatic. You can perform a beautiful salat ul Layl in the haram as well.

Essentials
Please use the same advice in my previous blogs on security- only take essentials and do not expect to be able to take your phone in- if you try they will send you to amanat and that puts you all the way back in the queue. 

Valuables
Be careful with any valuables you have, even the ones you have in your pockets, and pouches. I have heard of several instances of pilgrims being robbed (people actually picking pockets in all locations) in the all the pushing and pulling and crowd. Do not carry large sums of money inside, simple.

Group Scarves

Make sure you write your initials on your scarves

Wear a scarf (one that is different and stands out) that everyone in your group can be identified easily.
Specific and clear meeting points are essential.

Children
Keep your children with you and make sure they know what to do in case you lose each other. Also make sure they have the address of where you are staying as a precaution. Make them feel at ease by reminding them they are in a holy place and Allah (swt) has sent thousands of angels to serve and protect them.

Zari Rush & Etiquette
There are all kinds of pilgrims, ones who push and pull and even pinch to get near the zari and ones who will gently guide and help you through and out. Do not be the ones who are pushing and pulling, it defeats the purpose and changes the atmosphere of tranquility that resides near the tomb.

Surrender to Allah's will and gently go with the flow of pilgrims, recite salawat, make your dua, remind yourself where you are, who you are standing in the presence of, the thousands of angels circling the dome above you, you'll get there.

Once you are there, make your dua, cry your tears, rub your cheeks, deposit your sadaqa, and make room for others to have the same opportunity.  It can be tricky to get out once you are in, with pilgrims pushing in, find an opening and make your way. Try not to go against the flow of the crowd, you will most likely drop your glasses, or have your chador pulled off.

Timed Meeting Place
Have set times when to meet the rest of your group and location places- usually by the gates.

4: Travel to Iraq

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

Travel to Iraq-

Reciting Dua at the train station

2 feet and falling

As it snowed 2 feet the day of our flight from Mashad to Tehran, all flights going out were cancelled. We had to get to Tehran before our connecting flight to Iraq and there was absolutely no option of catching a later flight as this was beyond a busy time to travel to Iraq.We quickly cut short our farewell to the grandson of Imam Husain(as) packed and made our way to the train station, in hopes of catching a 12 hour train back to Tehran before the Iran Air flight to Najaf.  A feeling of helplessness fell over us as we realized that we may be denied the invitation that once seemed secure and safe.  With my sister in law handling the negotiations, we could only recite dua and ask Allah(swt) to grace us with some kind of divine alternative to get us to Tehran. We were going to have to prove our sincerity that day, our love and desire to be near Imam Husayn(as) on Arbaeen, marking the 40th day after his martyrdom.

By the grace of Allah(swt) our dua were accepted and we were permitted to sit on the train, in the staff chambers.  My dua to the train staff who gave up their quarters for us, we also prayed for them on our ziarat in Iraq, which is all they requested of us, mashAllah.

After our 12 hour train ride back, we had to catch a cab to the airport- all of which we were running with bags in toe.  Eventually, after a few hours wait at the airport we got our boarding passes for Najaf al Ashraf airport, alhumdulillah.  When booking an airport in Iraq, choose Najaf not Baghdad, as its safer and also not as chaotic.

Visa
Your group should organize your visa for you but if travelling on your own, as we did, you have to make the arrangements before. We were told we would get our visa upon arrival. After paying an extra $100 on top we were then issued the visa as they were to be organized beforehand.

Lodging
If making your own arrangements, organize them well in advance as Arbaeen is seriously the largest gathering in the world. If you plan on winging it, you are mistaken.  We made some last minute arrangements to stay at a Husaineyia but they were quite a distance from the city center and the haram itself and we would have to take a cab every time we wished to go.  Also when you are sharing a space with other pilgrims, its hard to have any privacy or keep your luggage safe.  There was also no place to have a shower, except with a bucket and a hole. These are all minor issues, as we are all gathered together for the same reason and should be considered blessed to even have gotten this far, especially considering I wasn't expecting to make it.

 We came to agreement that we would call a family member who was studying in Najaf and ask them if we could come and stay with them, which thankfully they insisted. They live within a stones throw of the haram as well.

3:Ziyarat in Mashad, Iran

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

The Holy Prophet (saws) is reported to have said, "A piece of my flesh will be buried in Khurasan.  Any faithful believer who visits him will win paradise as reward recorded obligatory by Almighty Allah(swt) and will have hellfire prohibited from consuming their body." (Tuhfat al Za'ir)

Train Travel

Travelling by train from Tehran to Mashad was by far the most memorable mode of travel I have been on. Each cabin had its own flat screen tv, bunk beds with pillows and bedding, tea, and dining service. The train would also stop for salat.  After eating, reading, chatting, and walking around the train, we opened out our bunks, laid the bedding and tried to sleep for the rest of the 12 hour journey. Admittedly, I found it extremely difficult to sleep that night. The elevation was effecting me, the closed chambers, lack of air circulation and my unknowing snoring cabin mates.  I would still rather travel this way than by car or plane, the anticipation builds, the distance obvious. The  8th Imam was coerced  to travel from the security of his own hometown of  Medina a distance of  1,881.5 miles. Summoned by the royal court of Mamoon to Khorasan (Mashad) and eventually martyred on the 17th Safar 203AH after having been invited to dinner and fed poisoned grapes.  Imam Redha's(as) popularity over shadowed that of Mamoon's.

Hotels/Security Checks

Once you arrive, check in to where you are staying.  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/iran/northeastern-iran/mashhad/hotels- link for a variety of places in the city. I would advise to choose according to proximity of haram to fully take advantage of your time there. After having a ghusl and washing up, take only what you need to perform the ziarat, I strongly advise not carrying a purse full of random things or any extraneous bags, as they will stop you in the security queue to enter and delay your entry. Carry a passport pouch, around your neck or waist, with your money, passport, key to your room, hotel card with address, and nothing more. They did let us enter with our phones-no camera- but you may get an overly cautious guard who asks you to put your things in amanat (deposit cubicles).  

Meeting Points/Zari

Be sure to pick an obvious spot to meet your whole group as the haram is huge- I got lost several times- use certain points of reference to find your way and remember the names of the gates. Meet the group you enter with (all female or male) inside the haram nearer to the actual zari.  A word to the wise- having gone to Medina, Iraq and Iran, I would say Mashad proves to be the most difficult to reach the zari unscathed. In fact I lost my daughter in the sea of pilgrims and found her 30 mins later having had her chador pulled off in between all the bodies pressing forward and back. There is a family area downstairs that is not as aggressive or daunting, ask someone and they will show you the stairs, its definitely worth inquiring about with small children. You will have access to the zari from a floor below. 

Zari - Downstairs Access

Dhastarkhan of Imam Redha(as)

You have the opportunity to eat a meal as a guest of Imam Redha(as). Be sure to go early in the morning to the Pilgrim's office (check a map or ask) with a passport for each guest (if travelling with a group- they most likely will make arrangements for this). You are allowed one meal.  You can also go to Naudharat (donation) office in Nawab Safavi St and make a donation to the shrine, you get one meal ticket per $50 donation.  

Museum

When you are visiting the pilgrim's office also be sure to get a ticket for the museum tour, I have missed this opportunity twice now, the first time due to time constraints and the second time due to 2 feet of snow altering our departure. 

There is a beautiful gift shop in the museum with lovely calligraphy pieces.  

Shopping

There is the Imam Reza bazaar, near the round about (with the sculpture of the firoza ring) outside the haram, near the Rezavi hotel.  This is a long stretch of indoor shops with jewelry, rings, scarves, nuts, saffron, etc.  If you speak a language other than English, I suggest you do so, to avoid getting ripped off. Sometimes they understand Urdu, if that's your native language. 

2: Ziarat in Iran

Inside the haram of Bibi-Masumah-Qum

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim

We traveled to Tehran, Iran via Istanbul on Pegasus Airlines, no they don't serve any meals, unless you want to spend 12 Pounds on a veggie sub. We stayed at a family friend's house in Qum and visited Bibi Masoomeh-e-Qum's shrine.  If you haven't been, I strongly suggest finding a way to get an Iranian visa and making your way to visit her and our 8th Imam. Her shrine is incredibly peaceful and one in which you feel instantly connected. She was an incredibly spiritual, intelligent daughter of Imam Musa Khadim(as), who after losing her father, longed to be reunited with her older brother, Imam Ali Redha(as), who was summoned to Ray (Mashad), by the caliph at the time Ma'mun, and therefore had to leave their home in Medina. She traveled with some companions but was ambushed and murdered on her way. The circumstances of the time period in which Bibi Masoomeh lived, was one of the genocide of the Shi'a of Ali. Genocide being defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, caste, religious, or national group". 

   In fact, all the shrines that you visit in Iran, either of the children of Imam Musa Khadim or his companions leave an everlasting scar deep inside your heart. Each shrine has its own story, of migration, refuge, and survival.  Their shrines scattered,  in the mountains, in the valleys, on the outskirts.   Thousands of years separate us but we can feel their anguish and the terror that lived through for loving the Ahlul Bayt, for having the name Ali or Hasan or Husayn.  The climate was so intense that the lovers of the Ahlul Bayt had no choice but to leave what was familiar and escape in order to save their lives and thus preserve the legacy of the Prophet (saws). And for that we are eternally grateful.

Qum- 

View from hill of Hazrath Khidr's masjid

Hazrath Khidr's(as) masjid

While you are in Qum, there is also a beautiful masjid built by Hazrath Khidr atop a hill on the outskirts of theby Hasan b. Mathleh Jamakarani, who had a dream that our 12th Imam requested him to build a mosque on that location.  There is also a well outside for your areeza (letter to Imam Zaman) if you wish.



city, which takes about an hour up and down.  Masjid al Jamkaran is also nearby to this site and was built in 393 AH,

Masjid al Jamkaran

Tehran

We then made our way back to Tehran to catch an overnight train to Mashad, I highly recommend this mode of travel, if you are travelling on your own. There are many ziarat locations on your way to Tehran, Imam Khomeni's, as well as various Imam Zadeh's in Tehran.  Its a surprisingly clean city, mashAllah, lined with beautiful playgrounds, gardens, streets, shops.  Surprising, because of all the sanctions choking the economy. 

 I was mesmerized by the snow capped jagged mountains grounded solidly in the distance while rows of white and green Iranian flags symbolically waved and flapped freely, uninhibited along the motorway. This is a country standing on its own, surviving patiently, facing and solving their own problems independently.  

We finally reached the train station and awaited to board. Final destination, Mashad.   

1: Mid-Life Crisis

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem

“And We have enjoined on man doing of good to his parents; with trouble did his mother bear him and with trouble did she bring him forth; and the bearing of him and the weaning of him was thirty months; until when he attains his maturity and reaches forty years, he says: My Lord! grant me that I may give thanks for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do good which pleases Thee and do good to me in respect of my offspring; surely I turn to Thee, and 

surely I am of those who submit.” (Suratul Ahqaf, verse 15)

Mid-life crisis-that's what its called when folks can no longer comfortably carry their sleeping kids up the stairs, when they can't brush their hair without spotting some grey, and when they have to constantly remind themselves that they no longer belong to the under 35 age group.  Aside from these obvious physical changes, turning 40 is also when our actions, good or bad, are much harder to change, stubbornly clinging and not releasing its hold over us. Whoever you are by that point, is who you are.

Going on Ziarat for Arbaeen was my pre-mid-life crisis in a sense. An opportunity to start again and try and eliminate things I didn't like about myself, find that path towards forgiveness and repentance.   Imam Jaf'ar Sadiq(as) has said, 'If one of our Shia goes for Imam Husain's (a.s.) Ziarat, then he will not return but all his sins will be forgiven. For every step that he or his mount takes, 1,000 virtues are written for him, 1,000 sins are forgiven and his status is elevated by a 1,000 degrees.' (Behaarul Anwar, vol 101, pg 25, tradition 26; Kamiluz Ziaraat, pg 134)

My intention was to join the Spiritual Journeys group again (see Ziyarat with Kids) but I wasn't able to collect the money needed by the deadline and decided I would have to wait until next year.  I would read Ziarat Ashura almost every night with the niyyat that somehow I make it to Imam Husayn (as) this Arbaeen.  December rolled around and my prospects were close to none as Arbaeen was falling on Jan. 3, 2013 that year until we received a phone call from my husband's nephew.  He was planning on going to Iraq, via Iran, with two of my sister in laws, and their families.  At first I gawked at the idea, after all, where would I come up with all the money? Would we get the visa in time? What would I do with my other kids? How could he possibly make all the arrangements less than a month before the largest peaceful gathering in the world? That's not something you could really organize last minute.

By the pure and genuine grace of the Almighty Allah(swt), within a few days, my nephew (in-law) managed to get the Iranian visas via Dublin, made all the necessary travel arrangements of flying into Iraq from Iran, and all the necessary accommodations.  My complete travel arrangements literally didn't materialize until the week before I was to fly out.  My husband found airfare for myself and all 4 kids to London (3 of them to be looked after by another sis-in law) and then tickets from London to Iran with my oldest daughter only.  What seemed impossible was unfolding into possibility and actuality, for which I am ever grateful.

As we would be travelling in the winter this time it wouldn't be as blazing hot during the day and the nights would be significantly colder.  I also packed as light as possible this time, there would be no group to help load the bags or carry them. Essential undergarments such as long johns, turtle neck tops, track suit bottoms, fleece jacket, a couple of chadors (an Iraqi and Irani one), gloves, plenty of warm socks, trainers and of course toilet paper. Please refer to the list in the blog 'Ziarat with Kids' for a detailed list (although that trip was during the warm season).

I also packed clothes to donate, but that didn't pan out as well as I thought.  Its better to have an organization to donate those items to, rather than distribute any clothing on the street.  Medicines are good to bring to donate as well to an organization.

Having performed Ziarat in Iran and Iraq some months before, I had all the written materials I needed. I compiled the main dua, ziarat and maps I needed into a concise ziarat pack, divided in sections, according to location.  I also used sticky tabs to mark the main ziarat duas I needed so I could quickly reference them as I needed.  My sister in law actually gave us all a Ziarat in Iraq mini book, by QFatima, however, I felt it wasn't detailed enough and had the short version of all the ziaraa.

My daughter and I were excited as well as overwhelmed with the enormity of the opportunity we had been gifted with.  When you are presented with something you are not expecting the gratification as well as the gratitude is magnified.  I would also be able to concentrate without having the responsibility of having my younger children with me. This would be a journey of self reflection and new beginnings for this mid lifer.