Travel and Iraq
My 10-Day visit to Iraq
“We are going on a pilgrimage to Iraq and Iran,” my Dad announced.
Many Iraqi cities hold high religious significance to Shia Muslims and are visited by people from all over the world. I got super excited and started preparing for our trip.
I believe that to explore a country properly, one should be familiar with the native language. So, I started learning Arabic on my own from the internet and within a few months, I could speak basic Arabic!
It was in June 2014. We packed our bags and boarded a flight to Najaf with fellow other pilgrims to begin a trip that became the most memorable trip of my life!
Najaf
We landed in Najaf and boarded a bus from the airport to the hotel which was near the Imam Ali Holy Shrine. The first thing I noticed about Najaf was that everything was in Arabic! Most of the signboards were in Arabic and most of the locals were not familiar with English. However, this never became an issue because the locals were very helpful. Most of the time we communicated with the local shopkeepers using hand gestures which were fun! ( For me, the communication was a mix of broken Arabic, English and hand gestures).
Najaf is one of the holiest cities for Shia Muslims after Mecca and Medina. It is the resting place of Ali, the first Shia Imam(religious leader) after Prophet Mohammad(pbuh). Ali is respectfully addressed as Imam Ali(pbuh).
In the evening, we walked towards the shrine of our hotel. Due to security reasons, pilgrims are not allowed to take cameras or mobile phones inside many religious sites in Iraq. All the pictures of the inside of the shrine are released to the public by the Shrine Administration.
The Shrine complex comprises a courtyard, a seminary, and the main shrine building which contains the mausoleum where Imam Ali(pbuh) is resting peacefully. The area enclosing the mausoleum is divided equally into two sections, one for males and the other for females.
The courtyard is covered with carpets and as it was very hot at that time, big standing fans were set up which sprayed cold water on pilgrims to provide them some respite from the heat. The atmosphere inside the shrine complex was peaceful and the buzzing sound of prayers was soothing to ears. According to Shia beliefs, the shrine also contains the remains of Prophet Adam and Prophet Noah.
We also visited Wadi-us-Salaam (Valley of Peace) which is the largest cemetery in the world. It also hosts the tomb of Prophet Hud(pbuh) and Prophet Saleh(pbuh).
Kufa and the birthplace of Prophet Abraham
We went to Kufa from Najaf. Kufa, now a small city, was once the cultural and political hub of the Islamic world. Ali(pbuh) also lived in Kufa. Kufa was his capital. He was killed in the Great Mosque of Kufa when he was leading morning prayers.
A person named ibn Muljim who belonged to a religious extremist group(kharijite) of that time struck Ali(pbuh) with a poisonous sword. He died 3 days later and was buried in an isolated place slightly far away from Kufa which is known as Najaf today.
We also went to Imam Ali’s house and As-Sehla Mosque which is believed to be the future home of the 12th Shia Imam, Mahdi(pbuh) who is believed to be in occultation and will reappear along with Jesus(pbuh) to re-establish peace and harmony in the world.
We also went to the birthplace of Prophet Abraham(pbuh) which lies 10 miles outside the city centre of the province of Babylon. It is a cave and a green dome is built above it. The cave itself is covered in marble and there is a wooden grille above the place of birth.
There is a stone inside the wooden grille which is said to be used by the prophet’s mother to lock the cave, as Nimrud ordered every infant to be killed after his astrologers informed him that a newborn would destroy his kingdom.
A few hundred meters from the birth-site of Prophet Abraham, there is a hill and a group of large stone boulders, which is said to be the place where Abraham was thrown into the fire by King Nimrud. This place was the city center of Burs, or Bur Sebia, and the headquarters of king Nimrud. Abraham was thrown into the fire but the fire could not burn him.
We ordered, “O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!” — (Quran 21:69).
We stayed for 4 days in Najaf and then we headed to Karbala from a bus.
Karbala
Karbala literally means Karb(agony) and bala(afflictions) making it a land of agony and affliction. The city of Karbala has an emotional connect with Shia Muslims because it is the place where Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) and son of Imam Ali(pbuh) sacrificed his life along with his handful of companions.
Hussain is the 3rd Shia Imam . He refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, a tyrant and corrupt ruler of the Umayyad Dynasty. When Yazid came to power, he made some drastic immoral changes in Islam and forced people to pledge allegiance to him by terrorizing them.
He also tried forcing Imam Hussain(pbuh)for allegiance. Yazid ordered the army to either gain support from Hussain or kill him, but Hussain refused, saying that he cannot compromise truth with falsehood.
Hussain(pbuh) was forced to leave his hometown, Medina. He wanted to go to Kufa, a city near Najaf but Yazid’s army surrounded him and he finally settled in Karbala along with his companions and family members. Karbala was a desert. Yazid’s army stopped the water supply for Hussain by restricting access to the river Euphrates. Hussain and his companions were thirsty for 3 days before they were killed on the 10th of the Islamic month, Moharram.
Death with Dignity is better than a life of Humiliation — Imam Hussain(pbuh)
I never revolted in vain, as a rebel or as a tyrant, but I rose seeking reformation for the nation of my grandfather Muhammad (pbuh). I intend to enjoin good and forbid evil, to act according to the traditions of my grandfather, and my father Ali Ibn Abi-Talib — Imam Hussain(pbuh)
“To me, death is nothing but happiness, and living under tyrants nothing but living in a hell” — Imam Hussain(pbuh)
The shrine of Imam Hussain stands opposite the shrine of his brother Abbas(pbuh), who was killed when he tried to bring water for parched children from the river Euphrates. Yazid’s army cut off Abbas’s arms to stop him from taking water to Hussain’s camp. Abbas took the water bag(mashk) in his mouth but Yazid’s army then attacked the water bag and the water got spilled onto the ground. Abbas’s heart broke, and he returned towards the Euphrates river where he fell to the ground from his horse and called his brother Hussain for the last farewell.
The Red Flags on both shrines indicate the grave of a person who was killed unjustly and whose revenge has not been taken yet. The flag on Abbas’s shrine reads “Oh the moon of Bani Hashim!”. The Flag on Hussain’s shrine reads “Oh Hussain!”
Hussain(pbuh) lost his eyesight in grief after his 18-year-old son was killed. Everyone in Hussain’s camp was hungry and thirsty for 3 days, but Hussain(pbuh) could not bear to see the condition of his infant because of thirst. He went to Yazid’s army and asked them to give his little child some water and said
If Hussain is a criminal in your eyes then what sin this little one has committed?
Instead of water, Yazid’s army hit the child with an arrow which pierced the neck of the six-month-old completely. The child died instantly in Hussain’s arms.
The story of Karbala is very vast and a very emotional one. Every year, people from different parts of the world gather in Karbala to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain(pbuh) and on the 40th day after his martyrdom day, people from all over Iraq walk on foot towards Karbala to commemorate Arb’een. They are joined by thousands of people from different parts of the world. This walk is known as Arba’een Walk or the Journey of Love.
The martyrs of Karbala were not even buried when their women and children were taken as prisoners to Damascus. Yazid had thought that he could intimidate women, but by bringing women into his uprising, Hussain(pbuh) taught that any revolution cannot succeed until women are involved. Had women been not present, the story of Karbala would have remained buried in the desert. It was the sermons of those grief-stricken and shackled women that brought a revolution in the city of Damascus.
Baghdad and Kadhimiya
Kadhimiya is a neighborhood in Baghdad. Our trip to Kadhimiya on the planned day got canceled because our tour organizer informed us that the roads to Baghdad were blocked due to a tense situation in the area. He told us that we can only visit the city if the roads reopen.
We almost gave up hope, but just a day before our last day in Karbala we got to know that roads have reopened and we can visit the city. We were told that it was still risky to travel that far, but all of us decided to take the risk!
The next day we boarded the bus to Baghdad very early in the morning as we wanted to return to karbala within the daylight. I sat on the bus and drew a deep breath thinking that this might be my last journey and I might never return!
I was slightly apprehensive before entering the city, but the moment we reached Baghdad, I instantly fell in love with the city.
It was beautiful with all its buildings, flyovers, clean roads, and greenery. It broke my heart that I could not explore such a beautiful city due to rising tensions.
The neighborhood of Kadhimiya holds the shrine of two grandsons of Prophet Mohammad. The 7th Shia Imam, Musa al-Kazim(pbuh) and the 9th Shia Imam, Mohammad al-Taqi(pbuh) are buried here.
Samarra is a city 125 km north of Baghdad. It holds the shrines of two other grandsons of Prophet Mohammad. The 10th Shia Imam, Ali Naqi(pbuh) and the 11th Shia Imam, Hasan al-Askari(pbuh) are buried there.
Hasan al Askari is also the father of the awaited savior, the 12th Shia Imam, al-Mahdi(pbuh). Near the Shrine is the house of Imam Mahdi(pbuh) where he was last seen before going into occultation. We could not travel to Samarra due to a tense situation there.
Our trip to Baghdad went well and we returned to Karbala safely in the evening.
After staying for 6 days in Karbala, we took a flight to Iran(Blog coming soon!).
Notes:
This trip happened in 2014. A lot of things have changed and the situation in Iraq is much better now .
PBUH is a salutation which means Peace be upon him/her.
I visited several other historic sites, but I have mentioned only major sites here as describing every place in a single blog was impossible!
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