Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly referred to as Shi’ite Islamic sect has announced that it will commence the annual Arbaeen festival on Wednesday, 21st August, 2024.
The annual Arbaeen is a symbolic trek being performed annually as a religious commitment that Muslims or Non-muslims should not surrender to a tyrannical rule or a tyrant leader.
According to the Bauchi state representative of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Malam Ahmad Yusuf Yashi, the annual religious rite event affects all Muslims globally.
He explained while speaking to Journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday that, “Arbaeen Trek is a Shiite annual religious practice usually conducted on 20th Safar of Islamic calendar to mark the 40th day of the murder of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the Grandson of Prophet Muhammed who was killed on 10th Muharram.
Malam Ahmad Yusuf Yashi who was speaking prior to the symbolic trek day scheduled to commence on Wednesday, said that the Pambegua axis of the annual event comprised of five states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Nassarawa, Plateau and Taraba with their meeting point at Pambegua from where they are trekking to Zaria in Kaduna state.
He stressed that “If you go round this country, Nigeria, you can see that the event is marked by Muslims and Shi’ite in particular, but if you take the World at large, all Muslims use to do that.”
“For instance, in Islamic Republic of Iran, Christians used to avail themselves in this trekking, both Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims, and the non-muslims alike, there are Christians population in Iran, they conduct this trekking together side by side,” he added.
Ahmed Yusuf Yashi added, “This event doesn’t concern only the Shi’ite Muslims, it affects everybody because the Holy Prophet belongs to everybody. Therefore, when the Holy Prophet had been alive when this incident happened, he would have shared the grievances with everybody, meaning he would have conducted everything in remembrance of the commemoration of his grandson”.
The Islamic Cleric therefore called upon all the Muslims to come together and share their grievances on the day of the symbolic trek in Nigeria which is being conducted in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
He said, “I would like to emphasise one of the impacts of this event, that, it is coming out frankly to say no to separation, no to tyranny, is a very good lesson, which needs to be extended to the general populace, the whole human population, not only the Muslims community”.
The Bauchi Chief Islamic Movement representative recalled that the genesis of the Iranian revolution started with the Ashura commemoration, and therefore appealed to mankind to take up the lesson, saying “We need to read in this regard”.
He explained that the symbolic trek in Nigeria is an Islamic culture, which is part of the religion, and it is not a violent procession, as is being translated in certain quarters, and just like coming out to pray, thus how they consider the event, stressing that “If anything happens, it is more to the side of the government, not the movement.”
Yusuf Yashi said, “As usual, having found ourselves in the month of Safar, the Islamic Movement under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky is about to embark on what we call symbolic trek. Just as the name implies, it is to symbolize what is actually taking place in Iraq presently.”
“But we here, due to some economic constraints, we would not be able to find ourselves there at Iraq, therefore we would do what we can do in our locality here,” he emphasised.
According to him, “Under this opportunity, the Movement used to categorize the whole country under seven axes that the Muslim brotherhood use to gather and conduct this trek, we have the Kano axis, Malumfashi/Katsina, Funtua axis, Kaduna, Pambegua among others.”
He emphasised that, “It is an annual event being undertaken over a long period of years. It is called ‘Arba’een Trek’ under the Islamic tenent. It is usually being observed 40 days after the demise of a person, which started after the assassination of Imam Hussyein who was killed on the 10th of Muharram, 61 years after the Wafat of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).”
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