Visiting Each of the Blessed Limbs of that Noble One (a.s.)
صنف پنجم: از خطابهائي كه مخصوص به حسين (عليهالسلام) است در وقت زيارت كردن:آن است كه سلام ميكنند بر هر يك از اعضاي آن جناب، جدا، جدا، گاهي بر سر مطهرش، و گاهي بر صورت منورش، و گاهي بر لبان اطهرش و گاهي بر دندان، و گاهي بر محاسن شريفش، و گاهي بر خون، و گاهي بر سينه، و گاهي بر پشت، و گاهي بر قلب، و گاهي بر جگرش، و از خصوصيات اين خصوصيت، آن است كه سلام بر هر جزئي به وجوه متعدده ميشود، مثلا در سلام بر سر منورش، گاهي ميگويند: سلام بر آن سري كه بر نيزه بلند كردند، و گاهي آن سري كه بر نيزه نصب نمودند، و گاهي آن سري كه از قفا بريدند، و گاهي سري كه بر مجلس گذاشتند، و گاهي سري كه آويختند.و در سلام بر گلوي مباركش گاهي ميگويند: گلوئي كه آنرا نحر كردند، و گاهي گلوئي كه آنرا بريدند، و گاهي گلوئي كه آنرا با شمشير زدند.و در سلام بر جسدش، گاهي ميگويند: آن جسدي كه به خاك افتاده بود، و گاهي آن جسدي كه غرقه به خون نمودند، و گاهي آن جسدي كه برهنه نمودند، و گاهي آن جسدي كه زخم بينهايت داشت، و گاهي آن جسدي كه پاره پاره نمودند، و گاهي آن جسدي كه پامال سم اسبها كردند.و از خصوصيات اين خصوصيت آن است كه هر يك از خصوصيات نيز بر وجوهي بوده است، مثلا چون گويند: سلام بر آن سري كه آويختند، گاهي گويند، آويختند بر درخت، و گاهي بر در دروازهي شام، و گاهي بر در دارالامارهي يزيد.و چون گويند: سلام بر آن سري كه به زمين گذاشتند، گاهي گويند: گذاشتند پيش روي يزيد، و گاهي در مقابل ابنزياد، و گاهي در تنور خولي، و گاهي در دير ترسايان، و گاهي در توبرهي اسب. [965] . [ صفحه 323] و سر اين سلامها آن است، كه هر يك از اين مصيبتها، تسليم خاصي بوده است از آن جناب بر امر الهي كه از براي ديگري اتفاق نيفتاد، از انبياء و اولياء، پس شايسته آن است كه خداوند در مقابل آن رحمت مخصوصي قرار دهد، و مقصود از سلام آن است، كه خداوند تسليم نمايد به آن جناب، آنچه را كه از براي او مقرر فرموده، كه آن را حرم امن خود قرار دهد، از براي كسي كه به او توسل نمايد، و متمسك گردد،و او را شفيع خود قرار دهد، و با او رابطه داشته باشد، و همين يكي از معاني سلام كردن است بر انبياء و اوصياء، و در اين موضع سلام كردن اميدواري بزرگي است، كه هر گاه به اين كيفيت سلام كنيم بر آن اعضاء شريفه، و گريه كنيم بر هر يك، اميد است كه به آن، خاموش شود به هر سلامي، آتشي كه بر اعضاء خود از معاصي روشن كردهايم و سراپاي خود را در آن غرقه نموديم.
Visiting Each of the Blessed Limbs of that Noble One (a.s.)
The Fifth Category: Among the forms of address that are unique to Imam Husain (a.s.) during visitation is that salām is offered to each of the blessed limbs of that noble one separately: sometimes upon his blessed head, sometimes upon his radiant face, sometimes upon his pure lips, sometimes upon his teeth, sometimes upon his noble beard, sometimes upon his blood, sometimes upon his chest, sometimes upon his back, sometimes upon his heart, and sometimes upon his liver.
Among the special features of this practice is that salām is offered upon each limb in multiple ways. For example, regarding his radiant head, sometimes it is said: “Peace be upon the head that was raised upon a spear”; sometimes, “the head that was mounted upon a spear”; sometimes, “the head that was severed from the back of the neck”; sometimes, “the head that was placed before an assembly”; and sometimes, “the head that was hung up.”
Regarding his blessed throat, sometimes it is said: “the throat that was slaughtered”; sometimes, “the throat that was cut”; and sometimes, “the throat that was struck with the sword.”
Regarding his body, sometimes it is said: “the body that lay upon the ground”; sometimes, “the body drenched in blood”; sometimes, “the body that was stripped naked”; sometimes, “the body covered with countless wounds”; sometimes, “the body that was torn into pieces”; and sometimes, “the body that was trampled beneath the hooves of horses.”
Another special feature of this practice is that each of these individual calamities itself occurred in various forms. For example, when it is said: “Peace be upon the head that was hung up,” sometimes it refers to it being hung upon a tree, sometimes upon the gate of Damascus, and sometimes upon the gate of Yazid’s palace.
Likewise, when it is said: “Peace be upon the head that was placed upon the ground,” sometimes it refers to it being placed before Yazid, sometimes before Ibn Ziyad, sometimes in Khawli’s oven, sometimes in the monastery of the Christians, and sometimes in a horse’s saddlebag. [965]
[ صفحه 323]
The secret behind these salutations is that each of these calamities represented a unique act of submission by that noble one (a.s.) to the Divine Command, the like of which did not occur for any of the Prophets or Awliya’ (saintly friends of Allah). Therefore, it is fitting that Allah grant a special mercy in return for each of them.
The purpose of salām is that Allah bestow upon that noble one (a.s.) what He has decreed for him: namely, that He make him His sanctuary of safety for whoever seeks nearness through him, holds fast to him, takes him as an intercessor, and maintains a connection with him.
This is one of the meanings of offering salām upon the Prophets and the Awṣiyā’ (successors).
In this context, offering salām carries a great hope: that whenever we offer salām to those blessed limbs in this manner and weep for each one of them, it is hoped that by means of every salām, a fire may be extinguished—a fire that we ourselves have ignited upon our own limbs through sins, and in which we have immersed our entire being.