Love for the prophet’s family

LOVE FOR THE PROPHET’S FAMILY

family

Ziyārat of the Seven Hadith of Imām ʿAlī ibne Mūsā al-Riḍā

Ziyārat of Fāṭima Maʿṣumā binte Mūsā ibne Jaʿfar

Ziyārat al-Mafji’ah of Zaynab binte ʿAlī

Ziyārat al-Mafji’ah of Sakina binte al-Ḥusayn

Ziyārat Aale Yaseen – directed to Imām al-Mahdī

The Versified [Poetic] Whispered Prayer – Composed by Imām ʿAlī
Compiled by Saleem Bhimji

Featuring translations by Yasin T. Al-Jibouri, Tahira Ali Canani & Saleem Bhimji

Edited by Arifa Hudda

Love for the Prophet’s Family

Ziyārat of the Seven Ahādith of Imām ʿAlī ibne Mūsā al-Riḍā

Ziyārat of Fāṭima Maʿṣumā binte Mūsā ibne Jaʿfar

Ziyārat al-Mafji’ah of Zaynab binte ʿAlī

Ziyārat al-Mafji’ah of Sakina binte al-Ḥusayn

Ziyārat Aale Yaseen – directed to Imām al-Mahdī

The Versified [Poetic] Whispered Prayer – Composed by Imām ʿAlī

Compiled by Saleem Bhimji

Featuring translations by Yasin T. Al-Jibouri, Tahira Ali Canani & Saleem Bhimji

Edited by Arifa Hudda

© Copyright 2012 by Saleem Bhimji - [e-mail]

www.al-mubin.org

Set in Gentium Plus Font

Typeset and Cover Design by Saleem Bhimji

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the compiler.

Contents

LOVE FOR THE PROPHET’S FAMILY 1

family 1

4

Philosophy of Ziyārat i

Philosophy of Ziyārat 3

Written by Saleem Bhimji 3

Ziyārat of Imām ʿAlī ibne Mūsā al-Riḍā 29

Ziyārat of Imām ʿAlī ibne Mūsā al-Riḍā 1

The Ziyārat of the Seven Traditions 1

Translated by Saleem Bhimji 1

Ziyārat of Fāṭima Maʿṣumā binte Mūsā ibne Jaʿfar 24

Ziyārat of Zaynab binte ʿAlī 35

Ziyārat of Sakīna binte Ḥusayn 67

Ziyārat Āle Yāsīn for Imām al-Mahdī 97

The Versified [Poetic] Whispered Prayer 123

Philosophy of Ziyārat

Philosophy of Ziyārat

Written by Saleem Bhimji

Meaning of Ziyārat زيارة

The word ‘ziyārat’ is derived from the word “zawr” (زور) which literally means: to repel or turn aside from something. A lie is called zūr because it sidetracks from the path of the truth. The zā’ir (one who is performing the ziyārat) is referred to as such because he is drawing away from everyone and everything other than “the one he expects to visit”.

Therefore, the usage of the word ziyārat for the visiting of virtuous, devout human beings is because this act seeks the defelection from the mundane routines of the material world and focuses our attention on the spiritual realms.

In his introduction to the commentary on Ziyārat ʿĀshurāʾ, Shaykh Muḥammad Khalfan writes:

“Our aim of ziyārat, however, must transcend seeking personal benefits. It is therefore important to first decipher the purpose of ziyārat … Of course this does not mean that one should not seek personal benefits from the great personalities, but one must at least have realized the ultimate purpose of ziyārat…”

The Purpose of Ziyārat

To be added…



Every act of worship which Islām has mandated has certain acts which are related to it – some are obligatory (wājib) and must be performed while others are recommended (mustaḥab) - in Islāmic terminology, these are referred to as the ‘adab’ (pl. adāb) or courtesies.

For example, before a Muslim begins the daily prayers, they need to ensure that the time has set in, that they have performed the ritual ablution, they are facing the qiblah, etc… These are all obligations which need to be fulfilled. At the same time, there are a series of recommended actions which one should perform before starting the prayers such as brushing the teeth, applying perfume/cologne, wearing the cleanest of clothes, etc…

When on the spiritual excursion of the ziyārat to one of the sacred shrines, we need to try and observe the following twenty points to ensure that we can benefit from the spiritual bounties contained within the trip and while being in the presence of the illustrious personalities that we are fortunate to visit.

Please note that what we present here¹ are just the “basics” – each of these points can be elaborated in further detail however we will leave the detailed discussions for another time.

1. Ghusl: When going to the sacred shrines, we must realize that we are entering into the presence of individuals who are purified from all filth and uncleanliness and as such, we too need to ensure that we meet them in a clean state – both physically and also spiritually. However as the body is entering into their sacred homes and that we will be in company of thousands of other believers, we need to ensure physical cleanliness. Once that is completed, we can then also work on our inner purity which can be accomplished by the performance of many actions including the actual ziyārat of the infallible and other noble personalities whom we visit. When Imām Jaʿfar as-Ṣādiq  was asked about the verse of the Qurʾān:

...خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ...

“…put on your adornment on every occasion of prayer…”²

He replied by statating that ‘adornment’ in this verse means:

أَلْغُسْلُ عِنْدَ لِقَاءِ كُلِّ إِمَامٍ

“[Performance] of a ghusl when going to meet every Divinely appointed guide (Imam).”³

2. Supplications at the time of ghusl: The great scholars who narrate the traditions of the Ahlul Bayt , such as al-Kafʿamī in his book, al-Balad al-Amīn and Shahīd al-Awwal in his book, Al-Nafaliyyah, have presented supplications to be read during the time of the ghusl – such as the following. These prayers help us to focus on the act we are about to perform and further strengthen the spiritual connection which we are trying to enhance through the ziyārat:

أَللّٰهُمَ‏ طَهِّرْ قَلْبِي‏ وَ اشْرَحْ‏ لِي صَدْرِي‏ وَ أَجْرِ عَلىٰ لِسَانِي مِدْحَتَكَ وَ الثَّنَاءَ عَلَيْكَ. أَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْهُ لِي طَهُوراً وَ شِفَاءً وَ نُوراً إِنَّكَ عَلىٰ‏ٰ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَدِيرٌ

O Allah! Purify my heart and expand my spiritual chest, and permit Your praise and thanks to flow from my tongue. O Allah! Make this (ghusl) a means of purification, cure and celestial light for me as indeed You have power over all things!⁴

3. Humbleness and humility: After having made the intention and preparing to proceed towards the sacred shrine, one must display both outward and inward humbleness and humility. One’s every physical step from home to the shrine must be done with modesty and with the thought in mind of the greatness of the ones whom he is visiting and also with calmness, tranquility and peace in the heart. One should busy himself with uttering the praise of Allāh  and sending salutations on the Prophet and his family while walking to the shrine. Through this constant remembrance of the Creator and His chosen guides and their status and way of life, we will further be able to enhance our own humbleness – realizing our own insignificance in relation to their grand station. In this regards, Imām Jaʿfar as-Ṣādiq  has shown us how to approach the grave of Imām al-Ḥusayn  in the following words:

إِذَا أَتَيْتَ‏ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ‏  فَاغْتَسِلْ عَلىٰ شَاطِئِ الْفُرَاتِ ثُمَّ الْبَسْ ثِيَابَكَ الطَّاهِرَةَ ثُمَّ امْشِ حَافِياً فَإِنَّكَ فِي حَرَمٍ مِنْ حَرَمِ اللهِ وَ حَرَمِ رَسُولِهِ وَ عَلَيْكَ بِالتَّكْبِيرِ وَ التَّهْلِيلِ وَ التَّسْبِيحِ وَ التَّحْمِيدِ وَ التَّعْظِيمِ لِلهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ كَثِيراً وَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ حَتَّى تَصِيرَ إِلىٰ بَابِ الْـحَيْرَ

When you are going towards Abā ʿAbdillāh, peace be upon him, perform a ghusl in the tributary of [the River] al-Furāt then put on your clean clothes and then walk barefooted as indeed you are in a sanctuary of the sanctuaries of Allāh and of the His Messenger and thus I advise you to magnify Allāh (saying of الله أكبر); and sanctify Allāh (saying of لا إله إلا الله), the deification of Allāh (saying of سبحان الله); the praise of Allāh (saying of ألحمد لله); and the enoblement of Allāh (saying of سبحان الله) – the Glorious and Majestic much and by sending prayers and salutations upon Muhammad and his family – and continue in this way until you reach to the door of the shrine.”⁵

4. Clean clothes: We need to realize who we are going to visit and that when entering into the presence of such important personalities that we are dressed as best as we can – this means wearing new, clean, clothing to make ourselves look presentable. Indeed it is true that Allāh  does not look shapes, sizes, colors or even our clothes and that He looks at our hearts, however even still we are obligated to dress appropriately at all times and what better time than when we enter into such sacred space! In addition, we should ensure we smell good through the use of perfume/cologne.

5. Permission to enter: One of the clear Qurʾānic mandates for entering the homes of the Prophet  is to ask him for permission – and this is done in our age through the recitation of the ‘permission to enter’ which are usually posted at the main entrance of the shrines and found in the books of ziyārat. One would never think of walking into a friend’s house without knocking on his door or ringing the door bell – thus, the way of announcing one’s entry into the homes of the beloved Messenger of Allāh  is to ‘ask permission’ through the recitation of such phrases – keeping in mind that the “homes” of the Messenger do not only include his house (and now the Masjid) in Madina, but also the shrines of his family members – whether they be in Damascus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran or elsewhere. Allāh tells us in the Qurʾān:

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَدْخُلُواْ بُيُوتَ ٱلنَّبِىِّ إِلاَّ أَن يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامٍ...

“O you who have faith! Do not enter the Prophet’s houses unless permission is granted you for a meal…”⁶

6. Kissing the sacred space: As we enter into the gates of the shrines, we are recommended to kiss the doorways as a show of respect and veneration for the one whom we are about to meet. In no way can this be equated with worship of the person buried in that area or worhip of the building or anything of the like – rather, it is a way to show our respect. Today, when we pick up a copy of the Qurʾān, the first thing we do is to kiss the cover of this Noble Book - even though the text is located on the paper and the cover merely “holds” the papers together. Similarly, kissing the entrance of the shrine is to show reverence to the entire area and the one who is buried there. Imām Jaʿfar as-Ṣādiq has been quoted as saying:

ثُمَّ قَبِّلِ الْعَتَبَةَ وَ قَدِّمْ رِجْلَكَ الْيُمْنٰى قَبْلَ الْيُسْرىٰ

“Then kiss the entrance of the shrine and begin walking with your right foot and then your left foot…”⁷

7. Walking: As we talk through the court-yard and make our way to the burial spot, we need to enter with our right foot and walk towards the sacred shrine with that same state of humbleness which we mentioned previously. In addition, we should avoid all un-necessary actions such as running and the like and all frivolous talking – especially about the material world. In today’s day and age, this would also mean that we should avoid talking on our cell-phones, texting, e-mailing, etc… and basically anything which would detract us from our intended goal:

ثُمَّ قَبِّلِ الْعَتَبَةَ وَ قَدِّمْ رِجْلَكَ الْيُمْنٰى قَبْلَ الْيُسْرىٰ

“Then kiss the entrance of the shrine and begin walking with your right foot and then your left foot…”⁸

8. Speaking softly: The individual whom we are visiting does not require us to yell when we address them; there is no need to raise one’s voice during the ziyārat or the recitation of any duʿā as they can hear us even if we whisper or just speak in our heart – and as such, when we approach the shrine and begin to recite the ziyārat text, we need to ensure we keep our voices to a minimum so as also not to disturb others whom we are sharing this sacred space with. Allāh  tells us in the Qurʾān:

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَرْفَعُواْ أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلاَ تَجْهَرُواْ لَهُ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَشْعُرُونَ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَغُضُّونَ أَصْوَاتَهُمْ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللهِ أُوْلَـٰئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱمْتَحَنَ ٱللهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ

“O you who have faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak aloud to him as you shout to one another, lest your works should fail without your being aware. Indeed those who lower their voices in the presence of the Apostle of God —they are the ones whose hearts God has tested for Godwariness. For them will be forgiveness and a great reward.”⁹

9. Glorifying Allāh : One of the recommended actions before the recitation of the text of the ziyārat is that when our eyes fall on the sacred shrine is to glorify Allāh  by saying “أَللهُ أَكْبَرُ” – and to follow this up with “لاَ إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللهَ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ”. This reminds us that it is Allāh  who has enobled these great personalities and that they worked sincerely in the way of Allāh  to earn His pleasure. In a lengthy tradition from Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir  we read:

وَ مَنْ‏ كَبَّرَ بَيْنَ‏ يَدَيِ الْإِمَامِ وَ قَالَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ كَتَبَ اللهُ لَهُ رِضْوَانَهُ الْأَكْبَرَ وَ مَنْ كَتَبَ اللهُ رِضْوَانَهُ الْأَكْبَرَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَجْمَعَ بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ مُحَمَّدٍ  وَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فِي دَارِ الْجَلال

“Allāh will write for the one who prounces the takbir (ألله أكبر) while in the presence of the Imām and says “لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له” the attainment of His great pleasure and for whomever Allāh writes His great pleasure, it will be incumbent upon Allāh to place that person and Ibrāhīm and Muḥammad and all of the previously sent prophets in the Adobe of Greatness.”¹⁰

10. Approaching the ḍharīh and kissing it: If it is possible, and without resorting to pushing and shoving and hurting others, one should do his best to walk towards the ḍharīh and kiss it. Some people believe that if another person is in the same room as the Prophet, Imām or sanctified individual that they don’t need to make an effort to go and touch and kiss the ḍharīh however they are mistaken. The custom of the Ahlul Bayt  tells us that when they went to visit the grave of the Messenger of Allāh , they would physically touch his grave when paying respects to him:

کَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ  يَقِفُ‏ عَلَى‏ قَبْرِ النَّبِيِ‏ ‏ وَ يُسَلِّمُ وَ يَشْهَدُ لَهُ بِالْبَلَاغِ وَ يَدْعُو بِمَا حَضَرَهُ ثُمَّ يُسْنِدُ ظَهْرَهُ إِلَى قَبْرِ النَّبِيِّ  إِلَى الْمَرْمَرَةِ الْخَضْرَاءِ الدَّقِيقَةِ الْعَرْضِ مِمَّا يَلِي الْقَبْرَ وَ يَلْتَزِقُ بِالْقَبْرِ وَ يُسْنِدُ ظَهْرَهُ إِلَى الْقَبْرِ وَ يَسْتَقْبِلُ الْقِبْلَةَ وَ يَقُولُ أَللّٰهُمَّ إِلَيْكَ أَلْجَأْتُ أَمْرِي وَ إِلَى قَبْرِ مُحَمَّدٍ  عَبْدِكَ وَ رَسُولِكَ أَسْنَدْتُ ظَهْرِي وَ الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي رَضِيتَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ  اسْتَقْبَلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَصْبَحْتُ لَا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي خَيْرَ مَا أَرْجُو لَهَا وَ لَا أَدْفَعُ عَنْهَا شَرَّ مَا أَحْذَرُ عَلَيْهَا وَ أَصْبَحَتِ الْأُمُورُ بِيَدِكَ وَ لَا فَقِيرَ أَفْقَرُ مِنِّي إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ اللَّهُمَّ أَرِدْنِي مِنْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلَا رَادَّ لِفَضْلِكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ تُبَدِّلَ اسْمِي أَوْ أَنْ تُغَيِّرَ جِسْمِي أَوْ تُزِيلَ نِعْمَتَكَ عَنِّي اللَّهُمَّ زَيِّنِّي بِالتَّقْوَى وَ جَمِّلْنِي بِالنِّعَمِ وَ اعْمُرْنِي بِالْعَافِيَةِ وَ ارْزُقْنِي شُكْرَ الْعَافِيَةِ.

ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn used to stand next to the grave of the Prophet  and greet the Messenger of Allāh  and testify that he (the Prophet) had conveyed the message of Allāh. Then he used to reciate any prayer that would come to his mind. Thereafter, he would lean his back on the very delicate green marble that is attached to the grave of the Messenger of Allāh. He would lean his back on the grave and face the qiblah and say: “O Allāh! I seek refuge with You in all of my affairs and I have leaned my back on the grave of Muḥammad, Your slave and Your messenger, and I have turned my face toward the qiblah that you chose for Muḥammad. O Allāh! I find that I do not have the power to attain the good that I desire for myself, not do I have the power to avert the harm I fear. O Allāh! I find that all affairs are in Your Hand and that there is no one more needy than I. I am in need of the good that You have given me. O Allāh! I ask you to decree that which is good for me because no one can keep away Your grace. O Allāh! I seek refuge with You from replacing my name, from changing my body, or from removingYour blessing from me. O Allāh! Adorn me with piety and beautify me with Your blessings. Give me a long, healthy life and sustain me with the ability to thank you for good health.”¹¹

11. Turning one’s face towards the true qiblah: As much as possible, one should be standing such that his face is towards Mecca and that he is standing either behind or at the head of the one whom he is making the ziyārat of – meaning that one should try to ensure that their back is not facing either the qiblah in Mecca nor the ‘true qiblah’ (or focal point) which is the one whom they are visisting.

12. Reciting the accepted ziyārat: When greeting the noble personalities, indeed, we can use our “own language” and our “own words” to salute them, however the best way to greet these individuals is through the text of the ziyārat which the other infallibles have taught us to recite at the graves. These beautiful words of salutation can be found in the recognized and verified books of prayer and supplication such as Mafātīḥ al-Jinān of the late Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī which is also available in English and Urdu and other books compiled specifically for the ziyārat of the Ahlul Bayt .

13. Two rakʿat ṣalāt after ziyārat: One of the established recommendations is to recite a two rakʿat ṣalāt after the ziyārat – keeping in mind that ṣalāt is only for Allāh  and every act within it – the standing, bowing, prostration, etc… are all done with the intention of seeking nearness to Allāh . One should also keep in mind that such a prayer carries a grand reward with it as one is praying to Allāh  alone after visiting His most beloved individuals – and as such, these prayers have the power to give an impact to all whom the person prays for and asks for the reward to be dedicated to – the infalliable, the person performing the ziyārat, his family, friends, community, etc… We read in the traditions that one of the supplications to recite after the ziyārat of Imam ʿAlī  is as follows:

أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي صَلَّيْتُ‏ هَاتَيْنِ‏ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ هَدِيَّةً مِنِّي إِلىٰ سَيِّدِي وَ مَوْلَايَ وَلِيِّكَ وَ أَخِي رَسُولِكَ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ سَيِّدِ الْوَصِيِّينَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ. أَللّٰهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي وَ اجْزِنِي عَلىٰ ذٰلِكَ جَزَاءَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ. أَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ صَلَّيْتُ وَ لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَحْدَكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لِأَنَّهُ لَا تَكُونُ الصَّلَاةُ وَ الرُّكُوعُ وَ السُّجُودُ إِلَّا لَكَ لِأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللهُ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ. أللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ تَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي زِيَارَتِي وَ أَعْطِنِي سُؤْلِي بِمُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ الطَّاهِرِینَ.



(Here is my translation, Brother Saleem:

O Allāh! I have performed these two rek`āt as my gift to my master, Your obedient servant, Brother of Your Messenger, Commander of the Faithful and master of wasis, Ali ibn Abū Tālib, Allāh’s blessings with him and his Progeny. O Lord! Bless Muhammed and the Progeny of Muhammed and accept them from me and reward me for them with the rewards due to the benevolent. Lord! To You have I prayed, to You have I bowed down and to You have I prostrated, to You and only You, there is no partner with You. This is so because praying, bowing down and prostrating can be to none other than You, because You are Allāh, there is no god but You. O Allāh! Bless Muhammed and the Progeny of Muhammed and accept my ziyāra and grant me my wish by the status of Muhammed and his pure Progeny with You.

14. Supplication after the ṣalāt: There are special supplications to be recited one the ṣalāt is complete and these have been narrated in the appropriate books of supplication and ziyārat. One should be sure not to miss out on this opportunity to continue to ask Allāh  for blessings while in such a sacred space. Please note that each of the ziyārat which we recite have their own special supplication which has been recommended to be recited following the ṣalāt and can be found in the appropriate books of prayer and supplication.

14. Recitation of the Qurʾān: Once the above acts have been rendered successful, one should sit near the one whom he is visiting and recite the Qurʾān and ask Allāh  to dedicate the reward of the recitation towards the one buried in that shrine. Indeed, the reward will be given to the one whose shrine we are in and also to the one reciting the Qurʾān.

إِذَا ذُكِرَ النَّبِيُ‏  فَأَكْثِرُوا الصَّلَاةَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَى النَّبِيِّ  صَلَاةً وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ أَلْفَ صَلَاةٍ فِي أَلْفِ صَفٍّ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَ لَمْ يَبْقَ شَيْ‏ءٌ مِمَّا خَلَقَهُ اللهُ إِلَّا صَلَّى عَلىٰ الْعَبْدِ لِصَلَاةِ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ صَلَاةِ مَلَائِكَتِهِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَرْغَبْ فِي هٰذَا فَهُوَ جَاهِلٌ مَغْرُورٌ قَدْ بَرِئَ اللهُ مِنْهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ وَ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ.

(my translation is below)

When the name of the Prophet  is mentioned, offer abundant blessings unto him , for whoever blesses the Prophet  a single time receives a thousand blessings from a row of a thousand angels, and nothing which Allāh has created remains without blessing Allāh’s servant whom Allāh and His angels bless. So, anyone who does not desire all of this is ignorant and conceited from whom Allāh, His Messenger  and Ahl al-Bayt  are clear.

15. Presence of heart and heart-felt repentance: When in these sacred spaces, one must be sure that everything he or she does is done with ‘presence of heart’ – knowing where they are and why there are there and once that is realized, then one can also come to the understanding that they need to sit back and think of their past transgressions and make heart-felt repentance to Allāh  - always ensuring that he asks the one whom he is visiting to pray for his forgiveness on his behalf – this being a Qurʾānic mandate to ask the Prophet (and as an extension his noble family members) to also pray to Allāh  for the redemption of our soul.

16. Showing respect to the shrine complex and the volunteers: It goes without saying that the entire shrine complex must be respected as this is the house of Allāh  and one of the homes of His final Prophet  and as such, just as we respect our own property, we must be extra vigiliant to show care and respect to the house of the Messenger of Allāh . We must also realize that all of the people who work in the shrine complex do so as volunteers – from the people who take our shoes and safe-guard them, to those who direct the traffic flow, to the sweepers and cleaners to those who serve food – allo f them do this simply for the love and hoping to gain proximity to Allāh  and as He says in the Qurʾān:

...وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ ٱللهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَىٰ ٱلْقُلُوبِ...

“…And whoever venerates the sacraments of God —indeed that arises from the Godwariness of hearts.”¹²

17. Bidding farwell: It is with a heavy heart that we separate ourselves from the shrine as we begin to make our way back home – sometimes thousands of kilometers away. Who knows if we’ll have the means to ever make this journey again? As such, before we leave the city, our final stop should not be the bazaar, gold market or any other place other than the shrine which we intended to visist. We need to truly bid farwell to the one buried in the shrine and pray for the opportunity to visit again and that our actions are accepted by the Most High and that we are able to benefit from the visitation. As an example of what we read when we depart from Abī ʿAbdillāh al-Ḥusayn , we see that such supplications of bidding farwell should make an impact in our daily lives once we have left this sacred shrine:

أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ وَ التَّسْلِيمِ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَنْ لَا تَجْعَلَهُ آخِرَ الْعَهْدِ مِنْ زِيَارَتِي إِيَّاهُ فَإِنْ جَعَلْتَهُ يَا رَبِّ فَاحْشُرْنِي مَعَهُ وَ مَعَ آبَائِهِ وَ أَوْلِيَائِهِ وَ إِنْ أَبْقَيْتَنِي يَا رَبِّ فَارْزُقْنِي الْعَوْدَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ الْعَوْدَ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ الْعَوْدِ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ. أَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ لِي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي أَوْلِيَآئِكَ وَ حَبِّبْ إِلَيَّ مَشَاهِدَهُمْ. أللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ لَا تَشْغَلْنِي عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ بِإِكْثَارٍ عَلَيَّ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا تُلْهِينِي عَجَائِبُ بَهْجَتِهَا وَ تَفْتِنُنِي زَهَرَاتُ زِينَتِهَا وَ لَا بِإِقْلَالٍ يَضُرُّ بِعَمَلِي كَدُّهُ وَ يَمْلَأُ صَدْرِي هَمُّهُ وَ أَعْطِنِي‏ ذٰلِكَ غِنًى عَنْ شِرَارِ خَلْقِكَ وَ بَلَاغاً أَنَالُ بِهِ رِضَاكَ يَا رَحْمٰنُ وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا مَلَائِكَةَ اللهِ وَ زُوَّارَ قَبْرِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ.

(translation:)

Lord! I plead to You, having prayed and saluted Your Prophet , to bless Muhammed  and the Progeny of Muhammed , and that You will not make this the last time I visit his resting place; so, if you deem it as such, O Lord, I plead to You to resurrect me and to gather me in his company and in that of his forefathers and obedient followers. But if You decree that I should remain alive, O Lord, I plead to You to grant me a return to him, then another return after a return, by Your mercy, O most Merciful One. Lord! Grant me a truthful tongue among Your servants, and endear to my heart to visit their shrines. O Allāh! Bless Muhammed  and the Progeny of Muhammed  and do not let me be distracted from mentioning Your Name by letting many affairs of life in this world cause me to overlook the wonders of the glory of these shrines, nor should I be tested by the beautiful things of life’s adornments, nor by diminution the labor of which harms my good deeds and the worry of which fills my heart. Grant me, O Lord, to be independent of the evildoers from among Your creations, and grant me wisdom through which I win Your Pleasure, O most Merciful One. Peace with you, O angels of Allah, O visitors of the gravesite of Abu Abdullāh .

18. Leaving the shrine: Just as we mentioned in the etiquette of entering the shirne, we need to ensure that we follow the same courtsies as we leave the shrine – running, talk of the material world and all other things must also be refrained from as we leave the presence of the one whom we are visiting.

19. Helping the needy: As we walk out of the shrine back into the streets and the every day hustle and bustle of the world, we need to ensure that if we run into needy people who are begging for food or money that we don’t turn our backs on them. The one whom we have just visited would have never denied a poor person even a morsel of food, and if we have just completed their ziyārat, what better way to show a change in our character than to follow their example and to help the less-fortunate we run into:

يُوفُونَ بِٱلنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْماً كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيراً. وَيُطْعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ مِسْكِيناً وَيَتِيماً وَأَسِيراً. إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ ٱللَّهِ لاَ نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَآءً وَلاَ شُكُوراً

“They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose ill will be widespread. They give food, for the love of Him, to the needy, the orphan and the prisoner, [saying,] ‘We feed you only for the sake of God. We do not want any reward from you nor any thanks.”¹³

20. An inner change: All of the actions we have done – including the actual ziyārat, should have resulted in an inner change in our character and being and this should be apparent on us at every stage after this journey.



In realizing the publication of Love for the Family, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of many individuals.

First and foremost, we will to thank the sponsors of this publication who came forth to request us to put together this book; without their constant encouragement and passion for spreading the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt , we would not have had the spark to initiate and complete this project.

Secondly, we wish to thank Sister Arifa Hudda for her editing of the English text and assistance in reviewing the Arabic text which she has done with utmost care and accuracy.

Next, we need to appreciate the hard work of Br. Yasin T. Al-Jibouri who not only accepted this humble servant’s request to translate the ziyārat of Sayyida Sakina binte Husayn, peace with her, at very short notice, but also agreed to review the entire book and the Arabic text to ensure accuracy – indeed his reward is far more than we can ever imagine and we leave it to Allāh and the Noble Prophet and his family to shower him with their prayers and rewards.

Pen ultimately, some of the translations have been extracted from online sources which did not list a translator – we have employed these sources and made corrections were required hoping that the original translators receive their reward from the Most High for their efforts.

May Allah accept this humble book, Love for the Family, from us and may the Family of the Prophet be pleased with this project.

Shaykh Saleem Bhimji

Kitchener, ON

August 26^th, 2012

8^th of Shawwal, 1424

Anniversary of the destruction of Jannatul Baqi in Madina, Saudi Arabia