By Bello Hamza
The Symbolic Arbaeen Trek of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria being embarked upon annually is scheduled to commence on Thursday, the 15th of September, 2022 in Pambegua zone.
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.
According to the representative of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Bauchi, Malam Ahmad Yusuf Yashi, the purpose of the trek was to experience the trial and tribulation faced by the household of the Holy Prophet who was chained and dragged in the scorching desert.
Malam Ahmad Yusuf Yashi, who was representing the leader of the movement, Sheikh Yakub Ibraheem Al-Zakzaky in the state, told journalists in Bauchi Tuesday that part of the tribulation was the dragging barefoot of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson from Karbala in Iraq to Damascus in Syria after the killing of Imam Husain 61 years after Hijra.
Yashi said, “The fortieth day (Arbaeen) commemoration after the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) is commemorated annually by the Islamic movement, following a symbolic trek by millions of people from across the country”, Malam Ahmad Yashi said.
“In Nigeria, the Islamic movement under the leadership of Ibraheem Yakub Al-Zakzaky, we use to conduct the trek just to symbolize what happened. There are about seven axes that the Muslim brotherhood use to gather and conduct this trek, we have the Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Bauchi and Plateau axis.”
“Before 2015, we use to trek from the starting point of this Pambegua axis up to Zaria, where we meet the leader. From there, he gives the closing remarks and people return back to their states. From 2015, after the Buhari regime descended on the Islamic movement, especially our leader, killing thousands of people, the government took it upon itself to prevent this trek, particularly in Kaduna state.”
Yashi explained that since that time, the movement usually hold press conferences to enlighten the public on the importance of the symbolic annual trek.
Malam Ahmad said, “So there is no need for the authorities to descend on us or attack us. This is the essence of calling on the media to enlighten the public that there is no reason to panic. We have the right in the constitution to practice our religion without any fear or intimidation as Muslims”.
Ahmad Yashi further explained that they informed the security, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other members of the public concerning the trek so that it will be peaceful.
He called on Muslims to properly understand the message of the Arba’een Symbolic Trek.
