New words can be a wall. Across this site, whenever a term like Ashura, dua or ziyarah first appears, you can hover over it (or tap it on a phone) to see a quick meaning — no need to leave the page. Here, gathered in one place, are the words you will meet most often.
The essentials
- Arbaeen — Arabic for “forty”: the fortieth day after Ashura, and the great walk to Karbala.
- Ashura — the tenth day of Muharram, when Imam Hussain was killed at Karbala.
- Karbala — the city in Iraq where the events of 680 CE took place, and where Hussain’s shrine now stands.
- Naynawa — an old name for the land of Karbala.
People
- Imam Hussain — grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and the figure Arbaeen honours.
- Ahlul Bayt — “the People of the House”: the family of the Prophet.
- al-Abbas — Hussain’s loyal half-brother, the standard-bearer at Karbala.
Acts and words
- dua — a personal prayer, in your own words.
- ziyarah — a visit of devotion to a shrine, or the greeting recited there.
- mawakib — the volunteer camps that feed and shelter pilgrims for free.
Curious about the story behind the words? Begin with what Arbaeen is.