Hawzah News Agency- Addressing a nationwide gathering of Arbaeen missionaries for the year 2026, held at the office of the Supreme Leader's representative for Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs in Qom, Hojatoleslam Seyyed Mofid Hosseini Kouhsari stated that Arbaeen is not a mere social occurrence but a manifestation of divine will.
"Arbaeen is the largest human gathering on earth, a powerful media platform for introducing the school of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and the very emblem of the bond between reason, love, faith, and the unity of the Islamic Ummah," he declared.
The senior seminary figure described Arbaeen as a purely spiritual phenomenon, immune to distortion, and a sign of the rising tide of resistance ideology across the globe today—a movement that puts the general readiness of nations to struggle against arrogance on full display and serves as a model for the dignity and solidarity of the Islamic world.
Referencing the comprehensive intellectual framework articulated by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on Arbaeen, Kouhsari urged missionaries to achieve full command of this discourse and convey it to pilgrims. "Many pilgrims remain unfamiliar with the full epistemic, civilizational, and strategic dimensions of Arbaeen, and this redoubles the responsibility of the missionaries," he noted.
The deputy emphasized that this year's Arbaeen holds exceptional importance on multiple fronts, stating that the pilgrimage represents the completing link to the significant developments that have unfolded over the past year in Iraq and across the Resistance Front, all of which must be elucidated for pilgrims within the cultural atmosphere of Arbaeen.
Turning to the domestic front, Hojatoleslam Kouhsari called for preserving the grassroots fervor of the event inside Iran. Given the overlap of certain domestic programs with the Arbaeen period, he recommended that pilgrims manage the length of their stay in Iraq with careful planning to ensure that participation in gatherings and programs at home is not compromised.
"Even if the duration of the pilgrims' presence becomes shorter, the quality of their cultural presence must increase. This opportunity to transmit the message of Arbaeen, reinforce the spirit of resistance, and build solidarity among Muslims must be utilized in the best possible way," he stressed.
The official proposed the implementation of coordinated cultural and epic programs at designated hours along the walking route, featuring Iranian pilgrims at the Mawakib, to project a display of the Iranian nation's unity, cohesion, and spiritual vitality onto the Arbaeen landscape.
Hojatoleslam Kouhsari further emphasized the necessity of expressing profound gratitude to the Iraqi nation, the grand religious authorities, the scholars of Najaf, and particularly Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, stating that the generous hospitality of the Iraqi people and the accompaniment of their scholars, tribal leaders, elites, and officials deserves sincere appreciation and must be clarified to all pilgrims.
Outlining the international agenda for this year's march, the deputy revealed that in addition to activities along the main walking routes, special missionary programs have been arranged for other pathways in Iraq, along with international Mawakib, academic sessions, and global conferences, with missionaries set to play an active role in engaging with pilgrims from other nations.
"Identifying and connecting with foreign pilgrims, strengthening cultural activities at international Mawakib, and deploying missionaries among pilgrims of other countries are among this year's key priorities for propagating the universal message of Arbaeen," he confirmed.
Hojatoleslam Kouhsari concluded by expressing hope that all cultural and missionary efforts during the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) would serve as a step towards preparing the ground for the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his advent) and the spread of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt across the world.
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