DUA IN THE HOLY SHRINE OF IMAM HUSAYN (A)

Fifteenth: Among the recommended acts in the shrine of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is to say the supplicatory prayer of the oppressed against the oppressor. In other words, one who has been exposed to wronging by an oppressor is advised to pray Almighty Allah with this supplicatory prayer in the holy shrine of Imam al-Husayn (‘a). This supplicatory prayer, which has been recorded by Shaykh al-Tusi in his book of Misbah al-Mutahajjid to be one of the recommended acts on Fridays, is as follows:

You may then throw yourself on the grave and say,

The last statement may be repeated as many times as one breath may take.

Sixteenth: Among the acts in the holy shrine of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) is to say the following supplicatory prayer, which has been reported by Ibn Fahad in his book of ‘Uddat al-Da’i:

He who wants his request to be granted by Almighty Allah may stop at the side of Imam al-Husayn’s head and say the following words:

He who says this supplication will have his requested granted by Almighty Allah, God willing.

Seventeenth: Among the other recommended acts in Imam al-Husayn’s holy shrine is to offer a two-unit prayer at the side of the head, reciting Surah al-Fatihah and Surah al-Rahman in the first unit and Surah al-Fatihah and Surah al-Mulk (No. 67) in the second.

On the word of Sayyid Ibn Tawus, one who offers this prayer will be granted the reward of having performed an admitted and acceptable ritual pilgrimage (hajj) with the Holy Prophet (s) for twenty times.

Eighteenth: Istikharah (i.e. asking Almighty Allah to make one choose for the best of two or more choices through a certain process when one fails to decide on a certain choice) is one of the most recommended acts to be done under the supreme dome of Imam al-Husayn’s holy shrine. According to ‘Allamah al-Majlisi who quotes from the book of Qurb al-Isnad by al-Himyari, Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported through an authentic chain of authority to have said, “If a servants repeats the process of Istikharah one hundred times next to the side of the head of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) and says:

and then praises Almighty Allah, professes that there is no god save Him, all glory belong to Him alone, all magnificence is His alone, commends Him by suitable statements, and then asks Him to choose the best for him one hundred times - if he does all that, Almighty Allah shall most certainly inspire him to choose the best of the two choices.”

According to another tradition, the process of Istikharah is to repeat the following statement one hundred times:

Nineteenth: The lofty and great Shaykh Abu’l-Qasim Ja’far ibn Qawlawayh al-Qummi, may Allah have mercy upon him, has reported Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) to have said, “When you visit Abu-’Abdullah al-Husayn (‘a), you should keep silent except for good wording. The recording angels of days and nights present themselves before the angels of Imam al-Husayn’s holy shrine to shake hands with them, but the angels of Imam al-Husayn’s shrine cannot respond to their greetings because they are too busy weeping for Imam al-Husayn to have a chance to respond to these angels. The angels of Imam al-Husayn’s shrine never stop weeping and wailing except at midday (zohr) and at dawn (fajr). The recording angels therefore wait for these two times to come and talk to these angels and ask them about some matters related to the heavens. Thus, the angels of Imam al-Husayn’s shrine do not stop praying and weeping all the time between these two hours (of midday (zohr) and dawn (fajr)).”

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is also reported to have said, “Almighty Allah has appointed four thousand angels, with dusty hair and appearance like people of consolation ceremony, to weep around the tomb of al-Husayn (‘a) from dawn (fajr) to midday (zohr). After midday (zohr), they may ascend to the heavens to be substituted by the same number of other angels who weep from that time up to dawn (fajr).”

From this tradition and the like, which are numerous, we can understand that it is recommended to weep for Imam al-Husayn (‘a) in his shrine.

Actually, to weep for Imam al-Husayn (‘a) must be held one of the advisable acts at his holy shrine, which is the center of expressing grief for him by his adherents and loyalists.

According to the report of Safwan from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), one will never find the taste of food and drink if one knows about the earnest imprecation of the angels to Almighty Allah to curse the killers of Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu’minin and Imam al-Husayn (‘a), the wailings of jinn for them, and the weeping and grief of the angels who surround the holy tomb of Imam al-Husayn (‘a).

‘Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Basri (i.e. of Basrah) has reported that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) asked him, “I have been informed that some people from the outskirt of al-Kufah, others from other places, and women came to wail over Imam al-Husayn (‘a). Some of them recite (divine texts), others recount (the misfortunes of his martyrdom), others wail (over him), and others compose elegies on him. Is this true?”

“Yes,” answered ‘Abdullah, “this is true. I myself have witnessed some of that.”

The Imam (‘a) expressed, “All praise be to Allah Who has made some people visit, praise, and elegize us. He has also made some people criticize and find fault with these peoples for what they do. Verily, these are our enemies, be they our relatives or not.”

However, the following statement has been quoted from the aforesaid tradition:

“Every one who visits him weeps for him. Every one who could not visit him feels sad for him. Every one who could not witness him burns regretfully. Every one whose eyes fall on the grave of his son next to the side of his feet in a desert where there is neither relative nor close friend will definitely sympathize him. He was deprived of his right; the apostates supported each other against him until they slew him, violated his rights, exposed his body to the beasts, prevented him from tasting the water of the Euphrates, which even dogs can have, and violated the right and instructions of Allah’s Messenger about his household and him.”

Ibn Qawlawayh has also reported on the authority of al-Harith al-A’war that Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) predicted the martyrdom of his son, saying,

“May my father and mother be ransoms for al-Husayn who will be martyred in an area at the back of al-Kufah. By Allah (I swear), I see coming that all species of the beasts of deserts will extend their necks on his grave to weep for him all the night up to morning. When this will take place, beware of alienating him (by refraining from visiting his tomb).”

Many other traditions have carried such predictions.