Thanks be to God, the notion of fighting and combating developed and was promoted through the self-sacrifices and martyrdoms [made], both in our country and across the Muslim world. Today you can witness the spirit of fighting, combating and readiness for martyrdom has spread, more or less in different areas. An example is the massive Arbaeen Walk: truly a phenomenon, a divine phenomenon, a spiritual phenomenon. Words cannot actually describe it; like many important divine phenomena, it is difficult to interpret it. That is, it cannot be analyzed. Only within a few years, a multimillion crowd is formed to set off the walk! The Arbaeen walk is not new; there were groups who did it; but the number of the pilgrims was more modest in the past. We know that in various periods, on Arbaeen or at other times, seminary students set off from Najaf or other cities of Iraq, and they formed a great crowd. Yet, this large multi-million crowd from all across the world—consisting of a few millions from Iran and several millions from Iraq and other countries—despite threats by terrorists, which has always existed and still exist today, is a great phenomenon, indicative of promoting the notion of endeavor for the sake of God and Islam and public readiness on this path. I hope that God the Exalted will bless this movement and the people [who join it in one way or another].
Now that we talked about the Arbaeen walk, I would like to, in addition to praying for this move to be accepted by God, express my gratitude to all those who participated in the walk this year. We offer our heartiest gratitude to the government of Iraq who prepared the facilities for this magnificent movement, the beloved Iraqi nation who hosted and welcomed the pilgrims of Aba Abdillah Al-Hussain (as) with such sincerity and willingness, the Iraqi youth, the Hashd al-Sha'bi (Popular Mobilization Forces), and the providers of security for the event as well as the officials at the pilgrimage sites of Najaf al-Ashraf and Karbala. We ask God to grant them with His divine blessings so that they can proceed with their efforts in the best possible manner.
November 13, 2017
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