(RNS) — Commemorating a month of tragedy and mourning just isn’t the way in which my thrill-seeking almost-6-year-old little one usually envisions spending her holidays.
The Islamic months of Muharram and Safar are marked by two key days of commemoration for a lot of Muslims worldwide: Ashura and Arbaeen. On Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, noticed July 4 to five this 12 months, Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was martyred within the battle of Karbala alongside his household and shut companions of their stand towards a tyrannical regime. Arbaeen, which suggests 40 in Arabic, is commemorated 40 days later — this 12 months from Aug. 14 to fifteen. The mourning interval usually continues till the tip of Safar, marked by the loss of life anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, which falls on Aug. 23 this 12 months.
On our summer time bucket listing, my daughter and I had deliberate to do all the everyday enjoyable issues we are able to within the restricted months of heat we get in Canada, from splash pads and the seaside to barbecues and amusement parks. This 12 months, Arbaeen fell within the midst of a warmth wave in Toronto. Turning a lemonade stand right into a commemoration and charitable initiative was not a part of the plan, however it turned out to be crucial spotlight of our summer time.
The thought started with a neighborhood mother good friend, who, like me, was brainstorming methods to occupy her two younger ladies this summer time. We texted forwards and backwards late into the night time after the children had been asleep, and I used to be instantly interested in her concept of a lemonade stand — an harmless, screen-free approach to benefit from the heat, be taught abilities and socialize with associates.
However holding a lemonade stand merely for the sake of occupying our youngsters didn’t really feel like sufficient on the earth that we dwell in at present, as we witness one Palestinian little one after one other being killed by hunger on account of Israel’s intentional withholding of humanitarian assist. How may we protect the sanctity of those months of non secular observance with the innocence of childhood summer time and with the grief of witnessing kids being disadvantaged of primary human rights internationally?
The reply got here as I witnessed the annual Arbaeen stroll.
Followers of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, distribute meals to pilgrims heading to the holy metropolis of Karbala for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photograph/Anmar Khalil)
Yearly, thousands and thousands of individuals stroll greater than 45 miles from the Iraqi cities of Najaf to Karbala in what has come to be generally known as one of many world’s largest annual peaceable gatherings. Though primarily attracting Shia Muslims, the stroll has garnered the eye and admiration of individuals of all religion backgrounds, from Sikhs to Christians. The Arbaeen pilgrimage constantly heralds over 21 million folks from throughout the globe.
The stroll is most well-known for the generosity proven towards pilgrims. Teams arrange lots of of mawkibs, or service stations, alongside the stroll, the place walkers can discover free meals, chilly drinks, tea, massages, medicines and resting lodges.
It dawned on me {that a} lemonade stand could be the proper alternative to carry the essence of Arbaeen to life right here in Toronto, not solely in the way in which that it will imitate the mawkibs of Iraq, but additionally within the message it will impart in upholding justice — the roots by means of which this commemoration has grown over the centuries.
We selected a banner that learn “Sabeel of Sakinah” accompanied by a picture of a shiny yellow lemon. Sabeel is the Arabic phrase for a public water fountain, a supply of generosity from which all can profit. Sakinah is the 4-year-old daughter of Husayn, the great-granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad, who was taken as a prisoner following Ashura and died from abuse and grief in a jail in Syria.
We arrange on a picnic bench on the playground the place my daughter meets her associates each night after dinner, in a neighborhood with a good looking merging of races and religions. It was symbolic to have our stand on the playground, not solely as we remembered Sakinah and informed her story to passersby, but additionally as we remembered the kids of Palestine who’ve been robbed of alternatives to play as they proceed to outlive by means of incessant trauma and grief, which has been coined power traumatic stress dysfunction.
It didn’t take lengthy for youngsters and oldsters to assemble round as we distributed over 150 freeze pops, juice containers and cups of chilly lemonade totally free and picked up donations for households in Palestine. We additionally distributed flyers reminding our guests that no little one ought to go hungry or thirsty, and that dwelling with security, well being and pleasure is each little one’s proper. Dad and mom had been grateful for our efforts and knowledgeable their associates so we had been capable of entice extra folks to the stand.
It’s the legacy of Sakinah that reminds us to face up for youngsters’s rights in all places. By our message and the generosity of a remarkably receptive and acutely aware group, we raised over $600 to donate for meals and components for Palestinian kids. What started as a easy lemonade stand became a stand for childhood.
It was vital for us to carry the message of Arbaeen onto the streets — or relatively, onto the playground — midway internationally, particularly within the context of the genocide of the Palestinians. That’s as a result of Arbaeen isn’t just a spiritual occasion, however a name for justice for all of humanity.
(Zehra Kamani is a Toronto-based freelance author with a background in analysis. Her web site is zehrakamani.com. The views expressed on this commentary don’t essentially mirror these of Faith Information Service.)
