VISITATION OF IMAM ZAYN AL ABIDIN (A) FOR THE ZIYARAH OF IMAM ALI (A)

In his book of Farhat al-Ghari, Sayyid ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Tawus has reported that when Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) visited al-Kufah city and entered the famous mosque therein, he offered a two-unit prayer and then uttered a supplicatory prayer. Abu-Hamzah al-Thumali, one of the chiefs and ascetic people of al-Kufah, narrated that he heard an excellent accent from the Imam (‘a); he therefore approached him to listen to what he was saying. The Imam (‘a) thus was saying the famous supplicatory prayer that begins with the following statement:

This famous supplicatory prayer will be mentioned in the coming chapter of the Recommended Acts in al-Kufah Mosque.( )

Back to the narration, Abu-Hamzah al-Thumali continued: The Imam (‘a) then left and I followed him. At the public stall of the city, I found a black servant holding the reins of a camel and a she-camel. When I asked him about the man, the servant answered, “Do you really not know him? Have you not realized him from his noble characters? He is ‘Ali the son of al-Husayn, peace be upon both of them.”

Immediately, I threw myself on the Imam’s feet kissing them. The Imam (‘a) raised my head with his hand and said, “No, Abu-Hamzah! Prostration must be done to none except Almighty Allah.”

I said, “Son of Allah’s Messenger, what has caused you to come to us?”

The Imam (‘a) answered, “As you have seen (I came here to offer prayers at the al-Kufah Mosque). If people realize the great favor that is obtained due to visiting this mosque, they shall visit it even crawling.”

The Imam (‘a) then offered me to accompany him for visiting the tomb of his grandfather, Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib (‘a).

I, of course, responded. Hence, I walked in the shadow of his riding camel while listening to his words until we arrived in al-Ghariyyayn (i.e. Najaf), which was a white area that shone with light. The Imam (‘a) then rode off the camel, rolled his cheeks with the soil of that area, and said, “Abu-Hamzah, this is the tomb of my grandfather, ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib.”

The Imam (‘a) then visited Imam ‘Ali (‘a) with a form of ziyarah that begins with the following statement:

The Imam (‘a) then bid farewell and returned to al-Madinah, while I also returned to al-Kufah.

Unfortunately, the author of Farhat al-Ghariyy has not mentioned this form of ziyarah; therefore, I, the author of this book, have searched for it in all forms of ziyarah that are decided for Imam ‘Ali’s holy shrine, but I could not find any one beginning with the aforementioned statement except this one, which begins with the same statement but differs from it in the second statement. However, it is probable that this form of ziyarah is the same as the one Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) said, because such insignificant difference between the two is usually disregarded.

Some people may object that there is another difference between the two forms of ziyarah, since the earlier begins with salamullahi wa salamu mala’ikatihi etc. while the latter begins with al-salamu ‘alasmil-lahir-raziyyi etc.

To answer, the statement that precedes the one involved is regarded as form of asking for permission to enter (isti’dhan), while the form of the ziyarah begins with the statement involved. Our evidence on this claim proves itself when a comparison between this form of ziyarah and the other form, which is dedicated to the birthday of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is made, since these two forms are similar to great extent. Hence, please refer to the form involved so that you will discover the difference yourself.

Besides, the same opening statement of this form of ziyarah is mentioned in the beginning of the sixth form and the form that is dedicated to the birthday of the Imam (‘a), with little difference in the second sentence.

To sum it up, I will mention no more general forms of ziyarah of Imam ‘Ali’s holy shrine, since these seven forms are enough. However, one who desires for more may refer to the all-comprehensive forms of ziyarah (i.e. al-ziyarah al-Jami’ah) as well as the following form, which is dedicated to the Ghadir Day.

A za’ir must seize the opportunity of his/her presence in the holy shrine of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) to offer as many prayers as possible, for one prayer in that place is equal (in reward) to two hundred thousand prayers that are offered at other places. Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “One who offers a four-unit prayer at the tomb of an obligatorily obeyed Imam shall have the reward of one time of hajj and one time of ‘umrah.”

Furthermore, in my book of Hadiyyat al-Za’ir, I have alluded to the reward of being in the vicinity of Imam ‘Ali’s tomb. I have also concentrated on the point that it is obligatory to observe one’s neighborhood, which is a difficult duty that can be hardly carried out. However, to elaborate on this matter leads us to lengthiness; therefore, one who desires to read about this matter is advised to see the book of Kelimeh Teyyibeh that is published in Persian.