The event began at 8 PM with the recitation of Ziyarat Arbaeen, followed by the screening of images depicting the massive crowds participating in the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Then, Mr. Abolghasemi, the Cultural Counselor, expressed his reverence for Imam Hussein (a.s.) and the holy family of infallibility and purity, offering condolences on Arbaeen of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his loyal companions. He welcomed the guests, particularly Mr. Tabatabaei, the President of the Karate Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the delegation of male and female karate athletes from our country, who were in Manila to participate in the 22nd Asian Karate Championship. He then invited Hojjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen Mastoura, a Filipino scholar of the Qom Seminary who was present in the Philippines for religious outreach during Muharram and Safar, to deliver his speech.

 

 

Mr. Mastoura, during a speech delivered in both Persian and English, praised the Almighty God and expressed his respect and devotion to the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) while offering condolences on the occasion of Arbaeen. He stated that by reading the verses of the Quran, we understand that the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) operates on both individual and social levels. Individual duties such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage are obligations that every Muslim must fulfill. The other duty is societal, which I intend to discuss. In Surah Al-Hadid, verse 25, Allah Almighty states:

« لقدْ أرْسلْنا رسلنا بالْبیّنات وأنْزلْنا معهم الْکتاب والْمیزان لیقوم النّاس بالْقسْط » We have sent Our Messengers with proofs, and sent them with the Book and the Scales, so that people might establish the Scale (of justice).' When Allah the Exalted chose Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as His messenger, He granted him three things to guide his nation: «البینات» (clear proofs), which are miracles that clarify the truth and complete the argument against the people, «الْکتاب» (the Book), the divine revelation that must be recorded, and «المیزان» (the balance), either the physical scales that symbolize justice or the Shariah laws that serve as criteria for distinguishing truth from falsehood." The reason why Allah, the Almighty, granted these three things to our beloved Prophet is so that "the people may uphold justice" (لیقوم النّاس بالْقسْط). Allah sent down the means for judgment so that people may rise for justice and social equity. Allah did not command Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to establish justice by himself; rather, it is the duty of all people. Each one of us must strive to establish social justice, and the mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam was to guide and direct the people on how they could achieve social justice themselves.

 

 

Thus, by carefully studying the life of the Prophet and the Ahlul-Bayt (a.s.), we can understand that all the Infallibles emphasized the importance of social justice. In a narration, it is stated: "Allah will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled with oppression and tyranny"

«یملأ الله به الارض قسطاً و عدلاً کما ملئت ظلماً و جورا». When Imam Mahdi (the Riser from the family of Muhammad, peace be upon him), who is God's proof, appears, he will fill the earth with justice and fairness. This is their mission, just as Imam Hussain (a.s.) declared the Umayyad government as unjust and misguided, and proclaimed that he rose for the reform of the Muslim community and to establish social justice.

He went on to say that one of the main obstacles in establishing social justice is discrimination, and the reason for that is a misunderstanding of the noble verse, "O people, I have created you male and female, and I have created you, people and tribes, let them know each other. If I honor you in the sight of God, I will fear you, for God is All-Knowing, All-Knowing." Almighty God says: O people! We created you from a male and a female, and then we divided you into groups and tribes so that you may know each other. He continued by stating that one of the main obstacles to establishing social justice is discrimination. This is due to a misunderstanding of the verse:"

یا أیّها النّاس إنّا خلقْناکمْ منْ ذکرٍ وأنْثى وجعلْناکمْ شعوبًا وقبائل لتعارفوا إنّ أکْرمکمْ عنْد اللّه أتْقاکمْ إنّ اللّه علیمٌ خبیرٌ" (Qur'an 49:13).

God says: " O People, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes that you might know one another. The noblest of you before Allah is the most righteous of you. Allah is the Knower, the Aware."

The most honorable of you in the sight of God is the most pious among you. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware." Unfortunately, in human societies, it is often misunderstood that some people are superior to others, leading to discrimination and the absence of social justice across the world. Therefore, all followers of divine religions must set aside their differences to achieve social justice, which is one of the missions of the prophets. In this context, we Shiites, if we consider ourselves lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) and supporters of Imam Hussain (a.s.), are obligated to eliminate discrimination and strive for the social justice for which Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his family were martyred. We must walk in the path of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.). At the end of his speech, he pointed to the Arbaeen walk; He said: The pilgrimage of Imam Hussain (a.s.) on the day of Arbaeen is a symbol of Islamic unity and one of the largest and most influential religious gatherings in the world, which annually draws millions of people to the holy shrines in Iraq and it provides an opportunity to resolve differences and renew the covenant with the ideals of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and a symbol of solidarity among Muslims of different nationalities and ethnicities, Insha'Allah, it will pave the way for the appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.j.).

 

This program concluded with elegies, lamentations by the eulogists of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), chest-beating, and mourning. Guests were then served meal. It is worth mentioning that a virtual exhibition of selected images from the Arbaeen Global Award was launched on the Cultural Center of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Manila's Facebook page, on the occasion of the Arbaeen of Imam Hussain (a.s.), at the following address.

 

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