The Charisma of Husayn – Lady Zaynab and Arbaeen in the Statements of Ayatollah Khamenei

The Charisma of Husayn gathers statements by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, made between 1980 and 2010, on two closely linked themes: Lady Zaynab al-Kubra and the Arbaeen of Imam Husayn. The passages are drawn from Aftab dar masaf, the larger collection of his remarks on Imam Husayn, and arranged under short thematic headings. The compilation first appeared in Persian as Jazabe-ye Husseini.

The first chapter presents Lady Zaynab as a role model whose courage, sermon and care for the memory of Ashura carried the message of Karbala forward. The second treats Arbaeen as the start of the ziyarah tradition and of the 'magnetic attraction' of Husayn, ending with reflections on the modern Arbaeen walk. A third chapter comments on the Ziyarah of Arbaeen, the aims of the Imam's uprising and why he brought his family to Karbala.

A short read for the closing days of Safar and the Arbaeen season. Translated by Kazim Bhojani, edited by Muhammad Mahdi Kassamali. Published by Mishkat Publications, 2024.