WILAYAH NEWS VOICE OF THE GLOBAL AWAKENING
Related Articles
A Reflection on the General Ziyarat of Imam al-Husayn (Peace Be Upon Him) According to the Narration of Shaykh al-Mufid (May Allah Exalt His Rank) in Al-Mazar al-Kabir
One who carefully reflects upon the words of this supplication will notice that it begins with the Name of Allah. This opening marks one of the stages of turning the heart toward Allah, for the visitor commences his act of worship by remembering Him—the One in whose remembrance hearts find tranquility. Once the heart is at peace through the remembrance of Allah, it begins the first stage of emptying itself of everything other than Him.
Following the remembrance of Allah, the heart becomes filled with surrender to Him. When the visitor says, “And by Allah” (Wa Billah), he declares that in all his affairs he relies upon Allah alone, submits to Him, places his trust in Him, hopes in Him, and humbly implores Him. Thus, all of his affairs become attached to contentment with and submission to Allah. This is another level of spiritual presence and purification of the heart from all distractions, preparing it to receive the grace of the Most Generous and Exalted.
When the visitor says, “And in the way of Allah” (Wa fi Sabilillah), he impresses upon his heart that everything he is about to do is solely for the sake of Allah’s pleasure. His purpose in this act is to attain the pleasure of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, and to draw nearer to Him. Accordingly, he performs the ritual bath (ghusl) in obedience to Allah, following the path of those who turn to Him, and complying with the command to follow those whom Allah has made obligatory to obey.
This meaning is further affirmed by the next phrase:
“And upon the religion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).”
By these words, the visitor acknowledges his adherence to the Prophet’s religion and Sunnah, following what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded through the revelation he received, including Allah’s saying:
“Say: I ask of you no reward for it except love for my near relatives.” (Qur’an 42:23)
It also reflects the numerous authentic traditions in which the Prophet expressed love and affection for his purified Household (Ahl al-Bayt).
Everything the visitor has done and continues to do is therefore in obedience to Allah’s command to follow His Messenger:
“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it.” (Qur’an 59:7)
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) also instructed the Muslim community to follow his Household after him, as established by numerous narrations, foremost among them the Hadith of al-Thaqalayn:
“I am leaving among you two weighty things. If you hold firmly to them, you will never go astray after me: the Book of Allah and my progeny, the people of my Household. They shall never separate until they return to me at the Pond.”
Thus, every act performed by the visitor is carried out in accordance with the teachings transmitted from the Household of Purity and Infallibility. In doing so, he obeys Allah, His Messenger, and the guidance of the Prophet’s Household.
Sending Blessings Upon the Prophet and His Family
The supplication recited during the ritual bath for the ziyarat includes sending blessings upon the Prophet and his family three times. After saying:
“In the Name of Allah, by Allah, in the way of Allah, and upon the religion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family),”
the supplicant continues with:
“O Allah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.”
This invocation is repeated twice more within the supplication. This repetition carries several important meanings:
- It emphasizes one’s connection to the Prophet and his Household (peace be upon them) in this act of worship.
- It is based on the traditions stating that a supplication accompanied by blessings upon the Prophet and his family is never rejected. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever has a need from Allah should begin by sending blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, then ask for his need, and conclude with blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Allah is too generous to accept the beginning and the end while rejecting the middle, since blessings upon Muhammad and his family are never withheld from Him.” [1]
- Sending blessings upon the Prophet and his family signifies submission to them and obedience to their commands. Al-Barqi narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) concerning the verse:
“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and submit to him completely.” (Qur’an 33:56)
The Imam explained:
“Praise him and submit yourselves to him.”
In another narration, Imam al-Sadiq said regarding the same verse:
“Sending blessings upon him means blessing him, and submitting to everything that he brought.” [2]
- Sending blessings upon the Prophet and his family fulfills one’s needs in both this world and the Hereafter. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated:
“Whoever says one hundred times each day, ‘My Lord, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad,’ Allah will fulfill one hundred of his needs: thirty pertaining to this world and seventy pertaining to the Hereafter.” [3]
- Raising one’s voice while sending blessings upon the Prophet and his family removes hypocrisy. Imam al-Sadiq narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“Raise your voices in sending blessings upon me, for it removes hypocrisy.” [4]
- It is among the greatest forms of remembrance through which a servant draws near to his Lord. Shaykh al-Saduq narrated that Abd al-Salam ibn Nu’aym said:
“I entered the Sacred House but could remember no supplication except sending blessings upon the Prophet. Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: ‘No one has departed with something better than what you departed with.'” [5]
- It serves as protection from the Fire of Hell. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is reported to have said:
“Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will create for him on the Day of Resurrection a light above his head, a light on his right, a light on his left, a light above him, a light beneath him, and light throughout all his limbs.”
He also said:
“Whoever sends blessings upon me shall not enter the Fire.”
And he further said:
“Sending blessings upon me is the light of the Bridge (al-Sirat). Whoever possesses light upon the Bridge will not be among the people of the Fire.” [6]
There are many more traditions describing the virtues and effects of sending blessings upon the Prophet and his family. A large collection of these narrations is presented at the end of the book, quoted from Bihar al-Anwar.
References
[1] Ibn Fahd al-Hilli, ʿUddat al-Da’i, p. 197. [2] Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 91, p. 60, hadiths 65–66, from Mahasin of al-Barqi. [3] Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 91, p. 59, hadith 40. [4] Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 91, p. 59, hadith 41, from Thawab al-A’mal by Shaykh al-Saduq. [5] Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 91, p. 57, hadith 34, from Thawab al-A’mal by Shaykh al-Saduq. [6] Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 91, p. 64, hadith 52, citing Jamiʿ al-Akhbar.