Past eventMuharram · Shahada (Witness) - Ashura and Arbaeen 1448 (2026) Series · Session 11

Ashura Day 1448/2026 - Special Program

Thursday, 25 June 2026

Today is the heaviest day of the year: the tenth of Muharram, the day of Ashura. We gather not for a standard sermon, but for a solemn, liturgical observance held at the exact hour of noon—the time of Dhuhr. This is the very hour Imam Husayn (peace and blessings be upon him) stood on the burning plains of Karbala to offer his final prayer while arrows fell like rain. We begin by answering the call to prayer broadcast directly from the shrine in Karbala, followed by a congregational Dhuhr prayer led by Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei (may God rest his pure soul). To deepen your spiritual connection to this profound act of worship, we invite you to read our special companion feature, *The Lantern of the Path: Servitude*, available here: 🔗 https://www.reflections313.com/p/the-lantern-of-the-path-servitude-527 The heart of today's program is the Maqtal of Ashura. Unique to this series, this sacred eulogy is recounted as though through the voice of the Awaited One, Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his return), looking back across time at the sacrifice of his forefather. We conclude our observance by turning our grief into resolve. Through the congregational elegies (Nohe) "Fount of Karbala" and "We Will Rise," and our poetic English rendering of Ziyarat Ashura, we vow to never leave the Imam alone. Ashura is not an ending; it is the beginning of a road. After the grief, the caravan rises and walks toward Arbaeen. We invite you to join us for the continuation of this journey.

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اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُشْهِدُكَ أَنِّي وَلِيٌّ لِمَنْ وَالاهُ وَ عَدُوٌّ لِمَنْ عَادَاهُ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَ أُمِّي يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ كُنْتَ نُورا فِي الْأَصْلابِ الشَّامِخَةِ وَ الْأَرْحَامِ الْمُطَهَّرَةِ [الطَّاهِرَةِ] لَمْ تُنَجِّسْكَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةُ بِأَنْجَاسِهَا وَ لَمْ تُلْبِسْكَ الْمُدْلَهِمَّاتُ مِنْ ثِيَابِهَا وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ مِنْ دَعَائِمِ الدِّينِ وَ أَرْكَانِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَ مَعْقِلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ الْإِمَامُ الْبَرُّ التَّقِيُّ الرَّضِيُّ الزَّكِيُّ الْهَادِي الْمَهْدِيُّ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ الْأَئِمَّةَ مِنْ وُلْدِكَ كَلِمَةُ التَّقْوَى وَ أَعْلامُ الْهُدَى وَ الْعُرْوَةُ الْوُثْقَى وَ الْحُجَّةُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنِّي بِكُمْ مُؤْمِنٌ وَ بِإِيَابِكُمْ مُوقِنٌ بِشَرَائِعِ دِينِي وَ خَوَاتِيمِ عَمَلِي وَ قَلْبِي لِقَلْبِكُمْ سِلْمٌ وَ أَمْرِي لِأَمْرِكُمْ مُتَّبِعٌ وَ نُصْرَتِي لَكُمْ مُعَدَّةٌ حَتَّى يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ فَمَعَكُمْ مَعَكُمْ لا مَعَ عَدُوِّكُمْ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ عَلَى أَرْوَاحِكُمْ وَ أَجْسَادِكُمْ [أَجْسَامِكُمْ ] وَ شَاهِدِكُمْ وَ غَائِبِكُمْ وَ ظَاهِرِكُمْ وَ بَاطِنِكُمْ آمِينَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

O my God, I take You as witness that I am a friend of those who love him, and an enemy of those who are hostile to him. May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O son of the Messenger of Allah. I bear witness that you were a light in exalted loins and pure wombs; the Age of Ignorance did not defile you with its impurities, nor did it clothe you in its dark garments. And I bear witness that you are among the pillars of the religion, the foundations of the Muslims, and the refuge of the believers. And I bear witness that you are the righteous, God-fearing Imam, content with divine decree, pure, guiding, and rightly guided. And I bear witness that the Imams from your progeny are the essence of piety, the signs of guidance, the firm handhold, and the proof over the people of this world. And I bear witness that I am a firm believer in you all, and certain of your return, in accordance with the laws of my faith and the consequences of my deeds. My heart is at peace with your hearts, my conduct follows your conduct, and my support is prepared for you until Allah grants you permission. So I am with you, not with your enemies. May the blessings of Allah be upon you, upon your souls and your bodies, upon those of you present and those absent, upon your outward and your inward. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds.

Mafatih al-Jinan, Visitations (Ziyarat), Ziyarat Arba'een, Line 4