THE HOLY SHRINE OF THE TWO IMAMS

Imam ‘Ali al-Hadi and Imam al-Hasan al-’Askari were buried in their house. The door of this house was sometimes opened before the Shi’ah to enter the house and visit the two Imams near their tombs, but it was sometimes closed before them and they would have to stop for visiting the two Imams in front of the window that is situated in the opposite wall of the tomb.

In the introduction of the report of the aforesaid form of ziyarah, the following statement can be read:

After bathing yourself for ziyarah, you may say the following words if you are able to reach the tombs; otherwise, you may point to them with statements of salutations while you are standing at the window of the door that is on the street.

Hence, a visitor who is unable to approach the tomb may offer the Ziyarah Prayer at the mosque.

When this matter became unbearable for the loyalist Shi’ah, they demolished the house and constructed in its place the current dome, shrine, portico, and hall. The mosque has therefore become inside the holy shrine.

It is known that this mosque is now situated in the rectangular hall that is attached to the hall lying behind the tombs of the two Imams. However, others claim that the portico that is situated behind the two tombs is part of the mosque. So is a one cubit width of the holy shrine. At any rate, the visitors in the present age have been saved of this problem.