ZIYARAT AL JAMIAH AL KABEERAH

The second comprehensive form of ziyarah has been also reported by Shaykh al-Saduq in his two books of man-la-yahzuruhul-faqih and ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Rida as follows:

Musa ibn ‘Abdullah al-Nakha’i is reported to have asked Imam ‘Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi (‘a), saying, “O son of Allah’s Messenger! Please teach me a comprehensively eloquent saying that I may say whenever I visit any of you (i.e. the Holy Imams).” The Imam (‘a) therefore instructed the following:

When you arrive at the gate (of a holy shrine), after you have bathed yourself ceremonially, you may stop and utter the two professions of Islam (shahadatayn):

As you enter the shrine and catch sight of the tomb, you may stop again and repeat the following statement thirty times:

Very serene and venerable, you should walk a few yards with slow steps and then stop anew and repeat the same statement thirty times again. As you come within reach of the tomb, you should repeat the same statement forty times so that you would have said it one hundred times.( ) After that, you should say the following:

If the tomb of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is visited, you should say instead,

Shaykh al-Tusi, too, has mentioned this form of ziyarah in his book of Tahdhib al-Ahkam and followed it up with a form of bidding farewell to the Imams (‘a). However, I have shunned mentioning this form for fear of lengthiness.

As stated by ‘Allamah al-Majlisi, this form of ziyarah is considered the most sublime comprehensive forms in text, chain of authority, eloquence, and lucidity.

In his commentary on man-la-yahzuruhul-faqih, ‘Allamah al-Majlisi’s father has mentioned that this form of ziyarah is the most excellent and most perfect form and that as long as he would be in a shrine of any of the Holy Imams (‘a), he would say no other form than this one.