ZIYARAH OF THE HOLY PROPHET, LADY FATIMAH AL-ZAHRA AND THE IMAMS IN AL BAQI CEMETERY

Be it known to you that it is confirmedly recommended for everybody, especially the undertakers of hajj (i.e. hujjaj), to have the honor to visit the pure paradise and the luminous shrine of the glory of all ages, our master, the chief of all Messengers, Muhammad the son of ‘Abdullah - may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Of course, to shun visiting his holy tomb will be considered aversion on the Resurrection Day.

Shaykh al-Shahid says, “If people shun visiting the tomb of the Holy Prophet, the supreme religious authority must oblige them to do so. In fact, to avoid visiting his holy tomb is considered forbidden aversion.”

Shaykh al-Saduq has reported Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) as saying, “If you go on hajj, you should seal it with visiting our tombs. To visit our tombs is the completion of the hajj.”

Imam ‘Ali Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) is also reported as saying, “Accomplish your hajj with visiting (the tomb of) the Holy Prophet. To shun it after the hajj is aversion. You are ordered to do so. Accomplish you hajj with visiting the tombs that Almighty Allah has ordered you to honor and to visit. You should pray for sustenance thereat.”

It has been also narrated that Abu’l-Salt al-Harawi asked Imam al-Rida (‘a) to explain to him the Hadith (i.e. tradition) involving that the believers will visit their Lord while they will be in their houses in Paradise.( ) Imam al-Rida (‘a) answered, “Listen, Abu’l-Salt! Certainly, Almighty Allah has preferred His Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him and his Household - to all His creatures, including the Prophets and the angels. He has also decided that to obey the Prophet is to obey Him, to swear allegiance to the Prophet is to swear allegiance to Him, and to visit the Prophet is to visit Him. In this respect, He says, ‘He who obeys the Messenger obeys Allah. 4/80’ ‘Verily, those who plight their fealty to you do no less than plight their fealty to Allah. 48/10’ The Holy Prophet (s) has said, ‘He who visits me during my lifetime or after my death will have visited Almighty Allah etc.’”

In Qurb al-Isnad, al-Himyari (the author) has narrated that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) reported the Holy Prophet (s) as saying, “On the Resurrection Day, I will intercede for those who visit me in my lifetime or after my death.”

Another Hadith reads that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a), once, attended a celebration at al-Madinah. He then left towards the holy tomb of the Holy Prophet (s) and greeted him. He then said to the attendants, “Verily, we (i.e. people of al-Madinah) have been preferred to all other cities, including Makkah, that we can send greeting to the Messenger of Allah (from his tomb).”