Pilgrims attending the great march of Arba’een welcome the Qur’anic programs en route to the holy city of Karbala.

Quranic centers affiliated with the Holy shrines of Imam Husein (AS) and Hazrat Abbas (AS) are among the most active in this area.

They offer various programs for raising awareness about the Quran and its teachings to millions of people who are attending Arba’een.

Ahmad al-Zumail, a representative of a center affiliated with the Hazrat Abbas (AS) shrine, says pilgrims are taught about the correct way to recite short surahs such as Surah al-Fatiha.

Sessions on Quran recitation, interpretation, and ethics are among other programs that seek to promote the “Quranic culture” among Muslims, he said.

The Arbaeen mourning ceremony stands as an extraordinary and colossal religious congregation on a global scale, with more than 20 million pilgrims in attendance. This profound event signifies the 40th day following Ashura, the solemn commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the revered grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). This year, Arbaeen is set to be observed on September 6, however, pilgrims have started walking towards the holy city of Karbala from days ago.

Annually, an immense gathering of Shia devotees converges upon Karbala, home to the hallowed shrine of Imam Hussein (AS), to partake in mourning rituals of great significance. These pilgrims, predominantly hailing from Iraq and Iran, embark on arduous journeys, traversing extensive distances on foot.

This year’s Arbaeen comes amid a new wave of acts of Quran desecration that are allowed to happen in Nordic states, especially in Sweden and Denmark, under the guise of freedom of speech.

The acts have been strongly condemned by Muslim states and organizations from across the world as they have urged the European states to stop extremists from provoking the feelings of two billion Muslims.

Some Shia activists and scholars have called for increased promotion and focus on the Holy Quran during this year’s Arbaeen to send a strong message to those who seek to undermine the holy book.