At the threshold of Arba'een, marking the 40th day after Ashura, 600 Azeri pilgrims visited the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) before heading for Karbala to take part in Arba'een ceremony.

After attending Dar al-Rahma portico for participation in religious programs, the Azeri pilgrimage caravan headed to Iraq as accompanied by the director of Office for Foreign Pilgrims’ Affairs of Astan Quds Razavi, the body in charge of Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine.

“By attending the Arba’een marching ceremony each year, the Shia Muslims from the Republic of Azerbaijan have shown that they have learned a great lesson from Imam Hussein (AS) and their love for Ahl al-Bayt (AS) will never fade”, Jafar Hajiyev, head of the Azeri convoy, said on the sidelines of the ceremony.

He added: “More than half of Azerbaijan's population is Shia and most of them are so devoted to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) especially to Imam Reza (AS) that they will re-register for pilgrimage the following month after returning from the trip.”

“I have been to Mashhad on many occasions and have seen many miracles from Imam Reza (AS) during these trips,” he further noted, adding that Imam Reza (AS) is a blessing for Shia Muslims and God has bestowed on them the chance for serving his pilgrims.

He revealed that he has gained a better life after serving pilgrims who wished to visit Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine for many years. “No matter what situation these people live in, they come to this shrine in the hope of finding peace and intercession, and this is the most beautiful and best wish they have.”

“We stayed in Mashhad for two days and then we will travel to Karbala to visit Imam Hussein in the hope of receiving the favor of Ahl al-Bayt (AS),” he concluded.

Source: Abna24