An Introduction
to Ziyarat
By Saleem Bhimji
[This introduction has been extracted from the recent publication of
the Islamic Publishing House (www.al-mubin.org / www.iph.ca)
entitled LOVE FOR THE FAMILY. It will be available soon via PDF
and Android APP for a nominal price.
Our aim of ziyrat,
however, must
transcend seeking
personal benefits. It is
therefore important to
first decipher the
purpose of ziyrat Of
course this does not
mean that one should
not seek personal
benefits from the great
personalities, but one
must at least have
realized the ultimate
purpose of ziyrat
Shaykh Muhammad
Khalfan
Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning of of of of Z ZZ Ziy iy iy iya aa arat rat rat rat ( (( ( ) )) )
The word ziyarat is derived from the word zawr
() which literally means: to repel or turn aside
from something.
A lie is called zur because it sidetracks from the
path of the truth. In chapter 25 (Suratul Furqan),
verse 72 of the Quran, we see the word used in
this context:
.
.
Those who do not give false testimony false testimony false testimony false testimony, and when they
come upon vain talk, pass by nobly.
It is also used in the meaning of reclining towards
something as seen in the Quran in chapter 18
(Suratul Kahf), verse 17:
you may see the sun, when it rises, slanting slanting slanting slanting toward
the right of their cave, and when it sets, cut across them
towards the left
The third usage, which relates somewhat to our
discussion, is featured in chapter 102, Suratul
Takathur, in verses 1 and 2 in which we are
reminded:
.
_
Rivalry [and vainglory] distracted you, until you you you you
visited visited visited visited the graves.
The zair (one who is performing the ziyarat) is
referred to as such because he is drawing away
from everyone and everything other than the
one that he expects to visit.
Therefore, the use of the word ziyarat for the
visiting of the virtuous, devout human beings
(usually for those who are no longer alive) is
because this act seeks the deflection from the
mundane routines of the material world and
focuses our attention on the spiritual realms.
In his introduction to the commentary on
Ziyarat Ashura, Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan
writes:
Our aim of ziyarat, however, must transcend seeking
personal benefits. It is therefore important to first
decipher the purpose of ziyarat Of course this does
not mean that one should not seek personal benefits
from the great personalities, but one must at least have
realized the ultimate purpose of ziyarat
Necessity Necessity Necessity Necessity and and and and I II Importance mportance mportance mportance of of of of Ziy Ziy Ziy Ziya aa arat rat rat rat
Ziyarat is a means to establish a connection
between the visitor and the one whom he intends
to visit and in the faith of Islam, such a spiritual
visit has a great impact on the visitor.
These people whom we go to great lengths to
visit are individuals who hold a great station in
the presence of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him), and simply standing in their company
entails us to benefit from the spiritual aura which
they emanate. In addition, we should be conscious
of the fact that while we are in their presence, we
are also in the company of the countless Angels
which continuously encircle them.
A man came to the 6
th
Imam, Jafar as-Sadiq
and related the following:
<
I entered into [the city of] Madinah and went to see Aba
Abdillah (Imam Jafar as-Sadiq ) and said to him:
May I be sacrified for you! I have come to see you,
however I have not gone to visit [the grave of] the
Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali ibne Abi Talib
). Imam Jafar as-Sadiq said to me: You have done
something wrong and had you not been one of those
from amongst our true followers (Shia), I would not
have even looked at you! Will you not go and visit the
one whom Allah Himself visits along with the Angels
and the one whom the [previous] Prophets also visit and
whom the other true believers also go to visit? I said to
the Imam: May I be sacrificed for you! How should I
have known this? The Imam replied: Know that
indeed the Commander of the Faithful , in the sight
of Allah, is the greatest from among all of the Imams
and he has the reward of all of the good deeds
performed [by all of humanity] and in relation to their
good deeds are they given stature.
1
This shows us the importance of performing
ziyarat - if Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him),
His Angels and all of the previous Prophets
engage in this great act, then who are we to turn
away from visiting such noble personalities!?
However we should keep in mind that if we do
not have the ability to travel to the physical
location of the graves, then this does not mean
that we should not greet and salute these
personalities or that we should be deprived of
such mercies and blessings which Allah (Glory and
1
Tahdhb al-Akam, vol. 6, pg. 20
Greatness be to Him) grants rather, we have
been emphatically told that:
.
.
<
If one of you finds himself in a distant land, in a far
away home, let him get on the roof of his house, perform
a two rakat prayer, and direct his face towards our
resting places as he salutes us, for this salutation will
reach us. You should greet the Imams from a distance
just as you greet them when you are near them, except
it is not proper that you say: I have come to you as a
visitor, but rather, you should say in its place: I have
directed my heart towards you with my ziyarat, since I
am unable to be at the place of your shrine, and I have
directed my salutation to you due to my knowledge that
it (salutation) reaches you; Allah blesses you; so, do
intercede on my behalf with your Lord, the most Great,
the most Exalted One, then you should state your plea
as you like.
2
The The The The P PP Purpose urpose urpose urpose of of of of Z ZZ Ziy iy iy iya aa arat rat rat rat
What is the ultimate purpose of going to ziyarat?
Is it just to make the journey of a few hundred or
few thousand kilometers to spend a couple of days
in a foreign country; to go into an ornate masjid
(or in the case of the ziyarat in Jannatul Baqi,
visiting a 24 hour guarded and secured graveyard
encircled by a 20 foot high iron barrier); to recite
a few words of salutations and praise - only to
leave and then classify oneself as having done
the ziyarat of a particular religious personality
or is it something greater than this?
One of the fundamental philosophies behind
the ziyarat is to truly get to know get to know get to know get to know every aspect of
the person whom we are visiting whether it be a
Prophet, an Imam or another important
personality. Knowing however, does not mean
just to identify their name, their mothers and
fathers name, birth place and resting place, but
2
Tahdhb al-Akam, vol. 6, pg. 103
rather, to truly know truly know truly know truly know that individual, why they
were sent by Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him), what their mission and message was and
what they did to uphold it. Through this, we may
begin to make an inner change to rectify our
character and begin to live up to the ideals which
the one whom are visiting lived and died for.
Had the ziyarat not had the ability to make a
powerful change in our lives and to mould us to
stand up in the face of oppression and tyranny
and to ensure that injustice is never perpetrated
on the face of this earth, so many governments
would not have tried to prevent people from
visiting these resting places as we have seen in
the history of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia
over the past 1,400 years!
If ziyarat was just to travel to their shrine, say
hello to them, pray a two rakat prayer and then
head home, then for the past 1,400 years, the
various empires which have come and gone would
not have put so many restrictions on visiting the
shrines of the Prophet and his noble family and
their esteemed companions!
If ziyarat was just a quick greeting, would it
make sense for political rulers to limit the
emotions which people show at these public
places, or to control who can and cannot visit the
shrines? Indeed, such governments know that by
a person gaining full knowledge of the one they
are about to visit and their entire lifes struggles,
that they have the potential in them to bring
about a massive internal revolution which has the
possibility to spill into the streets and awaken the
masses. It is this Muslim-awakening which the
rulers have feared for the past 14 centuries, and
even up until today they still tremble at the
thought of allowing a free flow of visitors to the
shrines and graveyards of such noble individuals.
The permissibility or impermissiblity of
performing the ziyarat has little to nothing to do
with grave worship for no one in their right
mind worships a grave, or even the person buried
in the grave we all worship only Allah (Glory
and Greatness be to Him) and direct all of our
attention towards Him alone!
The The The The T TT True rue rue rue F FF Form of orm of orm of orm of Z ZZ Ziy iy iy iya aa arat rat rat rat
Every act of worship which Islam has mandated
has certain undertakings which are related to it
some are obligatory (wajib) and must be
performed, while others are recommended
(mustahab) and in Islamic terminology, these are
referred to as the adab (pl. adab) or courtesies.
For example, before a Muslim begins the daily
prayers, they need to ensure that the time has set
in, that they have performed the ritual ablution,
they are facing the qiblah, etc These are all
obligations which need to be fulfilled in order for
the Salat to be correct. At the same time, there are
a series of recommended actions which one
should perform before starting the prayers such
as brushing the teeth, applying perfume, wearing
the cleanest of clothes, wearing an aqiq
(cornelius) ring, etc
When on the spiritual excursion of the ziyarat
to one of the sacred shrines, we need to try and
observe the following twenty points to ensure
that we can benefit from the spiritual bounties
contained within the trip, and gain the utmost of
blessings while we are in the presence of the
illustrious personalities that we are fortunate to
visit.
Please note that what we present here
3
are just
the basics each of these points can be
elaborated in further detail, however we will
leave the detailed discussions for another time.
1. 1. 1. 1. Ghusl: Ghusl: Ghusl: Ghusl: When going to the sacred shrines, we
must realize that we are entering into the
presence of individuals who are purified from all
filth and uncleanliness and as such, we too need
to ensure that we meet them in a clean state
both physically and also spiritually. Since the
body is going to enter into their sacred homes and
we will be in company of thousands of other
believers, we need to ensure our physical
cleanliness by performing a ghusl. Once that is
complete, then we can also work on our inner
purity which can be accomplished by the
performance of many actions such as the actual
ziyarat of the infallible and the other noble
personalities who we visit. When Imam Jafar as-
Sadiq was asked about the verse of the Quran:
...
...
put on your adornment on every occasion of
prayer
4
He replied by stating that adornment in this
verse means:
[Performance] of a ghusl when going to meet every
Divinely-appointed guide (Imam).
5
2. 2. 2. 2. Supplications Supplications Supplications Supplications at at at at the the the the time time time time of of of of G GG Ghusl husl husl husl: :: : Great
scholars who have narrated the traditions of the
3
Translated and summarized from The Philosophy and Ritual of
Pilgrimage written by Hujjatul Islam Shaykh Murtaza Jawadi with
further elaboration and explanation.
4
Al-Quran, Suratul Araf (7), Verse 31
5
Biarul Anwar, Vol. 97, p. 132
Ahlul Bayt , such as al-Kafami in his book, al-
Balad al-Amin and Shahid al-Awwal in his book, Al-
Nafaliyyah, have presented supplications that we
should read when we are performing the ghusl.
These prayers help us to focus on the act we are
about to perform and further strengthen the
spiritual connection which we are trying to
enhance through the ziyarat. One supplication is
as follows:
O Allah! Purify my heart and expand my spiritual chest,
and permit Your praise and thanks to flow from my
tongue. O Allah! Make this (ghusl) a means of
purification, a cure and a celestial light for me as
indeed You have power over all things!
6
3. 3. 3. 3. Humbleness Humbleness Humbleness Humbleness and and and and H HH Humility: umility: umility: umility: After having made
the intention and preparing to proceed towards
the sacred shrine, one must display both outward
and inward humbleness and humility. Ones every
physical step from home to the shrine must be
done with modesty and with the thought in mind
of the greatness of the individuals whom one is
visiting and also by developing calmness,
tranquility and peace in the heart. One should be
preoccupied with uttering the praise of Allah
(Glory and Greatness be to Him) and sending
salutations on the Prophet and his family while
walking to the shrine. Through this constant
remembrance of the Creator and His chosen
guides and their status and way of life, we will
further be able to enhance our own humbleness
and realize our own insignificance in relation to
6
Al-Balad al-Amn f al-Duri al-an, pg. 276
their grand station.
In this regards, Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has
shown us how to approach the grave of Imam al-
Husayn in the following words:
<
.
_
When you are going towards Aba Abdillah, peace be
upon him, perform a ghusl in the tributary of [the
River] al-Furat, then put on clean clothes and walk
barefooted as indeed you are in a sanctuary of the
sanctuaries of Allah and of the His Messenger, and thus
I advise you to continuously magnify Allah (saying of
); and sanctify Allah (saying of , ), the
veneration of Allah (saying of ); the praise of
Allah (saying of ); and the enoblement of Allah
(saying of ) the Glorious and
Majestic, and by sending prayers and salutations upon
Muhammad and his family (reciting the Salawat:
) and continue in this way
until you reach the door of the shrine.
7
4. 4. 4. 4. Clean Clean Clean Clean C CC Clothes: lothes: lothes: lothes: We need to realize who we are
going to visit and when we enter into the
7
Biarul Anwar, Vol. 98, p. 152
presence of such important personalities, we have
to dress as best as we can this means wearing
new, clean, clothing to make ourselves look
presentable.
Indeed it is true that Allah (Glory and
Greatness be to Him) does not look at our outward
appearance and rather, He looks at our hearts,
however we are still obligated to dress
appropriately at all times and what better time
than when we are going to visit such sacred space!
In addition, we should ensure we smell good
through the use of perfume.
5. 5. 5. 5. Permission Permission Permission Permission to to to to E EE Enter: nter: nter: nter: One of the clear Quranic
mandates for entering the homes of the Prophet
(peace be upon him and his family) is to ask him
for permission and this is done in our age
through the recitation of the permission to enter
(Idhne dukhul) which is often posted at the main
entrance of the shrines or found in the books of
ziyarat.
One would never think of walking into a
friends house without knocking on his door or
ringing the door bell similarly, the way of
announcing ones entry into the homes of the
beloved Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him
and his family) and his family is to ask
permission through the recitation of the phrases
mentioned in the appropriate books of
supplication keeping in mind that the homes
of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his
family) do not only include his house (and now
the Masjid) in Madina, but also the shrines of his
family members whether they be in Syria, Egypt,
Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. Allah tells us
in the Quran:
.
.
_
.
.
.
...
O you who have faith! Do not enter the Prophets
houses unless permission is granted to you for a
meal
8
6. 6. 6. 6. Kissing Kissing Kissing Kissing the the the the S SS Sacred acred acred acred S SS Space: pace: pace: pace: As we enter into the
gates of the shrines, we are recommended to kiss
the doorways as a show of respect and veneration
for the one whom we are about to meet. In no way
can this be equated to worship of the person
buried in that area or worhip of the building or
anything of that sort rather, it is a way to show
our respect to the person buried within that area.
Today, when anyone picks up a copy of the
Quran, the first thing they do is to kiss the cover
of the Noble Book - even though the text is
located inside the book and the cover merely
holds the papers together no one has a
problem with this act!
Similarly, kissing the entrance of the shrine is
to show reverence to the entire area and the one
who is buried there. Imam Jafar as-Sadiq has been
quoted as saying:
.
Then kiss the entrance of the shrine and begin walking
with your right foot and then your left foot
9
7. 7. 7. 7. Walking: Walking: Walking: Walking: As we talk through the courtyard and
make our way to the burial spot, we should enter
with our right foot and walk towards the sacred
shrine with that same state of humbleness which
8
Al-Quran, Suratul Azab (33), Verse 53
9
Biarul Anwar, Vol. 97, p. 284
we mentioned previously. In addition, we should
avoid any unnecessary actions such as running
and the like, and all frivolous talking especially
about the material world. In todays day and age,
this would also mean that we should avoid talking
on our cell-phones, text-messaging, e-mailing,
etc and basically anything which would detract
us from our intended goal:
.
Then kiss the entrance of the shrine and begin walking
with your right foot, and then your left foot
10
8. 8. 8. 8. Speaking Speaking Speaking Speaking S SS Softly: oftly: oftly: oftly: The individual whom we are
visiting does not require us to yell when we
address them; there is no need to raise ones voice
10
Biarul Anwar, Vol. 97, p. 284
during the ziyarat or the recitation of any dua for
they can hear us even if we whisper or just speak
in our heart therefore when we approach the
shrine and begin to recite the ziyarat text, we need
to ensure that we keep our voices to a minimum
so that we do not disturb others who we are
sharing this sacred space with. Allah (Glory and
Greatness be to Him) tells us in the Noble Quran:
.
.
_
.
.
<
.
.
.
.
O you who have faith! Do not raise your voices above
the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak aloud to him
as you shout to one another, lest your works should fail
without your being aware. Indeed those who lower their
voices in the presence of the Apostle of God they are
the ones whose hearts God has tested for Godwariness.
For them will be forgiveness and a great reward.
11
9. 9. 9. 9. Glorifying Glorifying Glorifying Glorifying All All All Alla aa ah hh h (Glory and Greatness be to (Glory and Greatness be to (Glory and Greatness be to (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) Him) Him) Him): :: : One of the recommended actions before we
recite the actual text of the ziyarat is that when
our eyes fall upon the sacred shrine, we should
glorify Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) by
saying
[Allahu Akbar] and then
<
< [La Ilaha Illallah Wahdahu la
sharika lahu]. This reminds us that it is Allah (Glory
and Greatness be to Him) who has enobled these
great personalities and that they worked sincerely
in the way of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) to earn His pleasure.
In a lengthy tradition from Imam Muhammad
al-Baqir we read:
<
<
<
Allah will write for the one who prounces the takbir
(
) while in the presence of the Imam and says
<
< the attainment of His great
pleasure and for whomever Allah writes His great
pleasure, it will be incumbent upon Allah to place that
11
Al-Quran, Suratul ujurat (49), Verses 2-3
person and Ibrahim and Muhammad and all of the
previously sent prophets in the Adobe of Greatness.
12
10. 10. 10. 10. Approaching Approaching Approaching Approaching the the the the D DD Dhar har har hari ii ih hh h
13 13 13 13
and and and and K KK Kissing issing issing issing it: it: it: it: If it is
possible, and without resorting to pushing,
shoving or hurting others, one should try his best
to walk towards the Dharih and kiss it. Some
people believe that if another person is in the
same room as the Prophet, Imam or sanctified
individual, then they do not need to make an
effort to go and touch and kiss the Dharih -
however they are mistaken. The custom of the
Ahlul Bayt tells us that when they went to
visit the grave of the Messenger of Allah , they
would physically touch his grave when paying
respect to him:
.
.
<
.
.
.
.
12
Baair al-Darajat f Faail Ale Muammad, vol. 1, pg. 312
13
The harh is the caged enclosure which is overtop of the actual
grave.
Ali ibne al-Husayn used to stand next to the grave of
the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and
greet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and
his family) and testify that he (the Prophet) had
conveyed the message of Allah. Then he used to recite
any prayer that would come to his mind. Thereafter, he
would lean his back on the very delicate green marble
that is attached to the grave of the Messenger of Allah.
While leaning his back on the grave and facing the
qiblah, he would say: O Allah! I seek refuge with You in
all of my affairs and I have leaned my back on the grave
of Muhammad, Your slave and Your messenger, and I
have turned my face toward the qiblah that you chose
for Muhammad. O Allah! I find that I do not have the
power to attain the good that I desire for myself, not do
I have the power to avert the harm that I fear. O Allah! I
find that all affairs are in Your Hand and that there is
no one more needy than me. I am in need of the good
that You have given me. O Allah! I ask you to decree
that which is good for me because no one can keep
away Your grace. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from
replacing my name, from changing my body, or from
removingYour blessings from me. O Allah! Adorn me
with piety and beautify me with Your blessings. Give
me a long, healthy life and sustain me with the ability
to thank you for good health.
14
11. 11. 11. 11. Turning Turning Turning Turning ones ones ones ones F FF Face ace ace ace towards towards towards towards the the the the T TT True rue rue rue Q QQ Qiblah iblah iblah iblah: :: : As
much as possible, one should be standing such
that his face is towards Mecca and that he is
standing either behind or at the head of the one
whom he is making the ziyarat of meaning that
one should try to ensure that their back is not
facing either the qiblah in Mecca, nor the true
qiblah (or focal point) which is the one whom
they are visisting.
12. 12. 12. 12. Reciting Reciting Reciting Reciting the the the the A AA Accepted ccepted ccepted ccepted Z ZZ Ziy iy iy iya aa arat rat rat rat: :: : When greeting
the noble personalities, indeed, we can use our
own language and our own words and there is
nothing wrong with that when we wish to salute
them, however the best way to greet these
individuals is through the text of the ziyarat which
the other infallibles have taught us to recite at the
graves.
These beautiful words of salutation can be
found in the recognized and verified books of
prayers and supplications such as Mafatih al-Jinan
of the late Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi (which is also
available in English and other languages) and
other books compiled specifically for the ziyarat of
the Ahlul Bayt .
13. 13. 13. 13. Two Two Two Two R RR Rak ak ak ak at at at at S SS Sal al al ala aa at tt t after after after after Z ZZ Ziy iy iy iya aa arat rat rat rat: :: : One of the
established recommendations is to recite a two
rakat Salat after the ziyarat keeping in mind that
Salat is only for Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) and every act within it the standing,
bowing, prostration, etc are all done with the
intention of seeking nearness to Allah (Glory and
14
Kamil al-Ziyarat, translated by Sayyid Mohsen Ali Husaini al-
Milani
Greatness be to Him). One should also keep in
mind that such a prayer carries a grand reward
with it as one is praying to Allah (Glory and
Greatness be to Him) alone after visiting His most
beloved individuals and as such, these prayers
have the power to give an impact to all of those
people whom the person prays for and asks for
the reward to be dedicated to the infalliable, the
person performing the ziyarat, his family, friends,
community, etc We read in the traditions that
one of the supplications to recite after the ziyarat
of Imam Ali is as follows:
< .
<
<
.
.
O Allah! I have performed these two rakat as my gift to
my master, Your obedient servant, brother of Your
Messenger, Commander of the Faithful and master of
the successors, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Allahs blessings be
with him and his Progeny. O Allah! Bless Muhammad
and the progeny of Muhammad and accept this from
me and reward me by them with the rewards due to the
good-doers. O Allah! To You have I prayed, to You have
I bowed down and to You have I prostrated, to You and
only You, there is no partner with You. This is so
because praying, bowing down and prostrating can be
to none other than You, because You are Allah, there is
no god but You. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the
progeny of Muhammad and accept my ziyarat and
grant me my wish by the status of Muhammad and his
pure progeny with You.
14. 14. 14. 14. Supplication Supplication Supplication Supplication after after after after the the the the S SS Sal al al ala aa at tt t: :: : There are special
supplications to be recited after the Salat is
complete and these have been narrated in the
appropriate books of supplications and ziyarat.
One should not miss out on this opportunity to
continue to ask Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) for blessings while in such a sacred place.
In addition, note that each of the different
ziyarat that we recite have their own special
supplication which is recommended to recite
following the Salat, and these can be found in the
appropriate books of prayers and supplications.
1 11 15 55 5. .. . Recitation Recitation Recitation Recitation of of of of the the the the Qur Qur Qur Qur a aa an: n: n: n: Once the above acts
have been rendered successful, one should then
sit near the one whom he is visiting and recite the
Quran, and ask Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) to dedicate the reward of the recitation
towards the one buried in that shrine. Indeed, the
reward will be given to the one whose shrine we
are in and also to the one reciting the Quran.
.
.
.
.
<
When the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him and
his family) is mentioned, offer abundant blessings upon
him , for whoever blesses the Prophet (peace be
upon him and his family) a single time will receive a
thousand blessings from a row of a thousand angels,
and nothing which Allah has created remains without
blessing Allahs servant whom Allah and His angels
bless. So anyone who does not desire all of this is
ignorant and conceited; and from whom Allah, His
Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and the
Ahlul Bayt are clear.
1 11 16 66 6. .. . Presence Presence Presence Presence of of of of the H the H the H the Heart eart eart eart and and and and H HH Heart eart eart eart- -- -F FF Felt elt elt elt
R RR Repentance: epentance: epentance: epentance: When we are in these sacred places,
one must be sure that everything we do is done
with presence of the heart knowing where we
are and why we are there, and once that is
realized, then we can also come to the
understanding that we need to sit back and think
of our past transgressions and make our heart-felt
repentance to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to
Him) - always ensuring that we ask the one whom
we are visiting to pray for forgiveness on our
behalf this being a Quranic mandate to ask the
Prophet (and as an extension his noble family
members) to pray to Allah (Glory and Greatness
be to Him) for the redemption of our soul.
1 11 17 77 7. .. . Showing Showing Showing Showing R RR Respect espect espect espect to to to to the the the the S SS Shrine hrine hrine hrine C CC Complex omplex omplex omplex and and and and
the the the the V VV Volunteers: olunteers: olunteers: olunteers: It goes without saying that the
entire shrine complex must be respected as this is
a house of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)
and one of the homes of His final Prophet , and
as such, just as we respect our own property, we
must be extra vigiliant to show care and respect
to the house of the Messenger of Allah .
We must also realize that all of the people who
work in the shrine complex do so as volunteers
from the people who take our shoes and safeguard
them, to those who direct the traffic flow, to the
sweepers and cleaners, to those who serve food
all of them do this simply for the love and hope of
gaining proximity to Allah (Glory and Greatness
be to Him), as He says in the Quran:
...
...
And whoever venerates the sacraments of God
indeed that arises from the Godwariness of hearts.
15
1 11 18 88 8. .. . Bidding Bidding Bidding Bidding F FF Far ar ar are ee ewell: well: well: well: It is with a heavy heart that
we separate ourselves from the shrines as we
begin to make our way back home sometimes
thousands of kilometers away.
Who knows if we will ever have the means to
make this journey again?
Therefore, before we leave the city, our final
stop should not be the bazaar, gold market or any
other place, but rather the shrine and the holy
personality buried there. We need to truly bid
farwell to them and pray for the opportunity to
visit again and that our actions are accepted by
the Most High, and that we are able to benefit
from this visitation.
As an example, when we depart from Abi
Abdillah al-Husayn , the supplication to be
15
Al-Quran, Suratul ajj (22), verse 32
read for bidding farewell shows that our visit
should have made an impact in our daily lives
once we leave the sacred shrine:
.
.
.
.
.
O Allah! I plead to You, having prayed and saluted
[Your Prophet], to bless Muhammad and the progeny of
Muhammad, such that You do not make this the last
time I visit his resting place; so if you deem it as such, O
Allah, I then plead You to resurrect me and to gather
me in his company and in that of his forefathers and
obedient followers; and if You decree that I should
remain alive, O Allah, then I plead You to grant me a
return to him, then another return after a return, by
Your mercy, O the most Merciful One. O Allah! Grant me
a truthful tongue among Your servants, and endear to
my heart to visit their shrines. O Allah! Bless
Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and do not
let me be distracted from mentioning Your Name by
letting the many affairs of life in this world cause me to
overlook the wonders of the glory of these shrines, nor
should I be tested by the beautiful things of this lifes
adornments, nor by reduction of the labour of which
harms my good deeds and the worry of which fills my
heart. Grant me, O Allah, to be independent of the
evildoers from among Your creations, and grant me
wisdom through which I can win Your Pleasure, O most
Merciful One. Peace be upon you, O angels of Allah, O
visitors of the gravesite of Abi Abdillah.
1 11 19 99 9. .. . Leaving Leaving Leaving Leaving the the the the S SS Shrine: hrine: hrine: hrine: Just as we mentioned in
the etiquette of entering the shrine, we need to
ensure that we follow similar courtesies as we
leave the shrine running, talking about the
material world and other such things must be
refrained from as we leave the presence of these
noble personalities whom we were visiting.
20 20 20 20. .. . Helping Helping Helping Helping the the the the N NN Needy: eedy: eedy: eedy: As we walk out of the
shrine back into the streets and the everyday
hustle and bustle of the world, we need to ensure
that if we run into any needy people who are
begging for food or money that we do not turn
our backs on them.
The one whom we have just visited would
never have denied a poor person even a morsel of
food, and if we have just completed their ziyarat,
what better way to show a change in our
character than to follow their example and to
help the less fortunate that we encounter.
The Noble Quran mentions the charity of the
family of the Prophet as follows:
.
.
. .. .
They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose ill will be
widespread. They give food, for the love of Him, to the
needy, the orphan and the prisoner, [saying,] We feed
you only for the sake of God. We do not want any
reward from you nor any thanks.
16
Once we have been able to complete the ziyarat
by ensuring that these 20 steps have been realized
then we should know and realize for ourselves
that all of the actions that we have done
including the actual ziyarat, should result in an
inner change in our character and nature; and
this should be apparent in us at every stage of our
lives after this great journey.
Aside from the ziyarat of the previous Prophets
and Messengers, the most important people
whom we must make every effort to visit are none
other than the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him and his family) and his purified progeny
the Ahlul Bayt whom are directly referred to
in the verse of the Quran found in chapter 42
(Suratul Shura), verse 23 in which the Noble
Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was
ordered by Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)
to proclaim that in return of his lifetime of
16
Al-Quran, Suratul Insan (76), verses 7-9
challenges, grief and anxiety to convey the
teachings of Islam, the Quran and all that we hold
sacred - that he asks for no reward except love
for the family:
...
...
Say: No reward do I ask of you for this except the love
of those near of kin.
17
Who are the near of kin of Prophet Muhammad
? This is a question which many have inquired
about.
In regards to the explanation of this verse, the
famous Sunni scholar, Imam al-Tabarani, in his
work, Mujam al-Tabarani al-Kabir quotes the
17
Suratul Shura (42), verse 23
following hadith:
_ :
:
.
. .. .
From Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them
both, in which he said, When the verse Say: No
reward do I ask of you for this except love for the near
of kin was revealed, we said: O Messenger of
Allah! And who are the near of kin those upon
whom having love for is an obligation? He (the
Prophet ) replied: They are They are They are They are Al Al Al Ali ii i, F , F , F , Fat at at atima ima ima ima and and and and
their children. their children. their children. their children.
In addition, the Sunni commentator of the Quran,
al-Zamakshari, in his seminal work, Tafsir al-
Kashshaf quotes the below hadith in relation to
this verse:
<
<
...
Indeed the one who dies while on the love for the
family of Muhammad has died as a martyr (shaheed);
and indeed the one who dies while on the love for the
family of Muhammad has died being forgiven [of all of
his sins]; and indeed the one who dies while on the love
for the family of Muhammad has died as one who has
turned back [to Allah in repentance]; indeed the one
who dies while on the love for the family of Muhammad
has died as a believer with his faith perfected; indeed
the one who dies while on the love for the family of
Muhammad has died as one who will be given the glad
tidings by the Angel of Death for having attained
Paradise and then [the angels] Munkir and Nakir;
indeed the one who dies while on the love for the family
of Muhammad will be escorted into Paradise just as a
bride is escorted to the house of her husband; indeed
the one who dies while on the love for the family of
Muhammad will have two doors which lead towards
Paradise opened in his grave; indeed the one who dies
while on the love for the family of Muhammad will find
that Allah will make his grave as a visiting spot for the
Angels of Mercy; indeed the one who dies while on the
love for the family of Muhammad has died on the path
of the Sunnah and Jamaah; indeed the one who dies
while harbouring hatred for the family of Muhammad
will come on the Day of Resurrection with [the following
words] written on his forehead, He is despondent from
the Mercy of Allah [and is thus forever prevented from
entering Paradise]; indeed the one who dies while
harbouring hatred for the family of Muhammad has
died as a disbeliever (kafir); indeed the one who dies
while harbouring hatred for the family of Muhammad
will never smell the fragrance of Paradise
