Chop the onions into approximately 3/4 inch squares.
Heat the olive oil on the stove in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally while preparing additional ingredients.
Peel the butternut squash, then halve and seed it. Chop into 1/2 inch cubes. Peel the sweet potato and chop into 3/4 inch cubes.
Add the vegetable broth to the onions and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir frequently until the onions are very tender, about 20 minutes.
While the onions continue to simmer, peel the carrots and cut into slices that are 1/4 thick. Peel the garlic and either mince or press it.
Once the 20 minutes of onion simmering have passed, add the cumin, chili powder, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, pressed/minced garlic, raisins, salt, and black pepper to the pot.
Bring the pot to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. (Note: there will be very little liquid in the pot at this point, so it'll be basically impossible to tell if it's actually simmering or not - trust your intuition and it'll be fine). Cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, then stir thoroughly and simmer for another 15 minutes until the squash, potatoes, and carrots are tender.
While the vegetables are simmering, prepare the zucchini by halving lengthwise, cut into slices that are 1/3 inch thick. Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
Once the 35 minutes of vegetable simmering have passed, stir in the zucchini and chickpeas. Cover and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.