Concerning the special characteristics of visiting (ziyārah) the Noble Imam (a.s.)

عنوان هفتم: در خصوصيات زيارت آنجناب كه از اعظم وسايل حسينيه است و آنرا در دوازده باب بيان مي‌كنيم:

در خصوصيات زيارت آن حضرت

اشاره

اول: در فضال خاصه‌ي آن، و آن يازده جهت است:اول: جامعيت آن است نسبت به ساير اعمال، بدانكه خداوند حكيم عليم از روي حكمت و مصلحت تكليف نموده است [بندگان] را به اعمال مخصوصه از واجبات و مندوبات، كه هر يك را در حصول قرب آثاري است مخصوصه، مانند غذاي ابدان از حيثيت طعم و خواص، و هر يك ثمره‌ي ديگري را ندارد، و از اين جهت بعضي از فضلا گفته‌اند كه: شخص نبايد اقتصار كند بر افضل عبادات مستحبي، زيرا كه خصوصيات ديگر از او فوت مي‌شود.ولي اين عمل زيارت، جامع خواص جميع عبادات است از واجبه و مندوبه، قوليه و فعليه، بدنيه و قلبيه، هر چند مسقط واجبات نمي‌شود به جهت مصالحي كه محل ذكر نيست، و بيان مطالب آن است كه افضل اعمال نماز است كه عمود دين است، و به زيارت حاصل مي‌شود از دو جهت:اول اينكه: مشتمل است بر نماز در نزد قبر آنسرور، كه ثواب آن مضاعف است به غير نهايت. [767] .دوم اينكه: هفتاد هزار ملك در نزد آن قبر شريف مشغول نمازند كه ثواب نماز هر يك معادل است با نماز هزار هزار نفر بني آدم، چنانكه در اخبار است، و ثواب آن همه به جهت زوار است. [768] .و اما زكات، پس در هر زيارتي ثواب هزار زكات قبول شده است. [769] .و اما حج، كه افضل اعمال است حتي نماز، زيرا كه در آن نماز هم هست، پس هر [ صفحه 272] زيارت معادل عمره است با يك حج، يا دو، يا ده، يا بيست، يا بيست و دو، يا هشتاد، يا صد، يا صد هزار، يا وضع هر قدمي حجي و رفعش عمره، چنانكه در روايات است. [770] .و در خبر بشير دهان است در فضل زيارت عرفه، كه چون شخص غسل كند در كنار فرات، و روانه شود به سوي قبر شريف و عارف به حق آن جناب باشد، پس به هر قدمي كه برمي‌دارد و مي‌گذارد صد حج مقبول و صد عمره مقبول خواهد داشت. [771] .و در بعض روايات است يك حج با پيغمبر خدا، يا دو، يا ده، يا سي، يا پنجاه، يا صد، و در بعضي ثواب حج خود رسول‌خدا، چنانكه در روايت سابقه از عايشه، در آخرش مذكور است كه ثواب نود حج از حجهاي پيغمبر خدا با عمره‌اش بر او مي‌دهند. [772] .و اين اختلافات به حسب مراتب زوار است، از جهت قوت ايمانشان، و درجات معرفتشان به حق ائمه‌ي هدي، خصوصا سيدالهشداء، و مقدار به قينشان بفضيلت آن جناب، و خصايص او، كه از آن است خصوصيت قول جدش: «و انا من حسين»: [من نيز از حسينم]. و از فروع آن است اينكه زيارت او معادل با حج پيغمبر (صلي الله عليه و آله) است، و شايد جهتش آن باشد كه چون زاير از روي شوق و محبت آن سرور، و محبت حضرت پيغمبر (صلي الله عليه و آله) به سوي زيارت رود، پس بيت‌الله حقيقي را زيارت نموده است، بقلبي كه مناسب است با قلب پيغمبر خدا در محبت و ارتباط، پس چون حاضر شود نزد قبر او، يا از دور قلب خود را متوجه آن جناب نمايد، و زيارت كند با دل شكسته، پس گويا به قلب پيغمبر (صلي الله عليه و آله) توجه نموده است به آن جناب، و چون شنيدي كه پيغمبر خدا بر آن حضرت رقت نمود در وقتي كه به پشت آنسرور سوار شد در حال سجود، كه او را از پشت به زير نياورد، بلكه صبر كرد تا خود به زير آيد. [773] .

Title Seven: On the Special Characteristics of His Visitation (Ziyārah), which is among the greatest Husaini means of nearness to Allah, and we shall explain it in twelve chapters.

Title Seven: Concerning the special characteristics of visiting (ziyārah) the Noble Imam (a.s.).

A Note

First: Concerning its special merits, and these are eleven aspects.

First: Its comprehensiveness in relation to all other acts.

Know that Allah, the All-Wise and All-Knowing, out of wisdom and benefit, has obligated and recommended specific acts of worship for His servants. Each of them has its own special effect in bringing one nearer to Him, just as different foods have different tastes and properties. One does not produce the fruit of another.

For this reason, some scholars have said that a person should not restrict himself to only the most excellent recommended act of worship, because he would miss the unique qualities found in other acts.

However, this act of visitation (Ziyārah) contains within it the qualities of all acts of worship, both obligatory and recommended, verbal and practical, physical and spiritual, although it does not remove the obligation of the obligatory duties because of reasons whose discussion does not belong here.

The explanation is as follows:

The best of actions is prayer (Ṣalāh), which is the pillar of religion, and this is attained through Ziyārah in two ways:

First: It includes prayer beside the grave of that noble Imam, the reward of which is multiplied beyond limit. [767]

Second: Seventy thousand angels are engaged in prayer beside that sacred grave, and according to the traditions, the reward of the prayer of each angel equals the prayer of one million human beings, and the reward of all of that is granted to the visitors. [768]

As for Zakāt, every visitation carries the reward of one thousand accepted acts of Zakāt. [769]

As for Hajj, which is among the greatest acts of worship, even greater than prayer because it contains prayer within it, then every visitation equals one ʿUmrah together with one Hajj, or two Hajjs, or ten, or twenty, or twenty-two, or eighty, or one hundred, or one hundred thousand. In some traditions, placing each footstep is counted as a Hajj and lifting it as an ʿUmrah. [770]

In the tradition of Bashīr Dahhān regarding the virtue of visiting on the Day of ʿArafah, it is reported that when a person performs ghusl beside the Euphrates and proceeds toward the sacred grave while recognizing the right of that Imam, then for every step he takes and every step he places down, he will receive the reward of one hundred accepted Hajjs and one hundred accepted ʿUmrahs. [771]

In some traditions, the reward is stated as one Hajj with the Messenger of Allah (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi), or two, or ten, or thirty, or fifty, or one hundred. In some narrations, it is the reward of the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah himself. As mentioned in the previously cited narration from ʿĀʾishah, at its conclusion it states that the visitor is granted the reward of ninety Hajjs performed by the Messenger of Allah together with their accompanying ʿUmrahs. [772]

These differences correspond to the varying ranks of the visitors, according to the strength of their faith, the degree of their recognition of the rights of the Imams of Guidance, especially Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ, and the extent of their certainty regarding his virtues and special characteristics.

Among those special characteristics is the saying of his grandfather:

«وَأَنَا مِنْ حُسَيْن»

“And I am from Husain (a.s.).”

One consequence of this special characteristic is that visiting him is equivalent to the Hajj of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi).

Perhaps the reason is that when a visitor goes to him out of longing and love for that noble Imam, and out of love for the Messenger of Allah (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi), then he has in reality visited the true House of Allah with a heart that resembles the heart of the Prophet in love and attachment.

Then, when he stands at his grave, or directs his heart toward him from afar and performs his visitation with a broken heart, it is as though he has directed himself toward the heart of the Messenger of Allah (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi) through that Imam.

And you have already heard how the Messenger of Allah showed tenderness toward him when Husain (a.s.) climbed upon his back while he was in prostration. The Prophet did not bring him down from his back, but rather remained in prostration until Husain (a.s.) came down by himself. [773]

پس اگر تصور نمائي در وقت زيارتش كه آن حضرت از ضربت نيزه‌ي صالح بن وهب [ صفحه 273] مزني به زمين افتاد [774] ، و جبران قلب او را نمائي به سلام، پس آن مانند آن است كه پيغمبر خدا، قصد او را نموده باشد و چون آن سرور افضل است از بيت‌الله، نود مقابل به جهت سري كه بر ما معلوم نيست، از اين جهت ثواب نود حج پيغمبر (صلي الله عليه و آله) خواهد داشت.و اما صدقه، پس زيارت آن جناب ثواب هزار صدقه مقبوله دارد به مقتضاي روايت صحيحه. [775] .و اما روزه پس در زيارت ثواب هزار روزه‌دار است. [776] .و اما اعانت در سبيل‌الله، پس زائر به منزله‌ي كسي است كه هزار نفر را بر اسب با زين و لجام سوار كند و بفرستد به راه خدا. [777] .و اما جهاد، پس در زيارت، ثواب هزار شهيد است از شهداي بدر [778] بلكه خودش شهيد محشور خواهد شد. [779] .و اما عتق، پس در زيارت، ثواب آزاد كردن هزار بنده است در راه خدا. [780] .اگر پياده باشد به هر قدمي كه بردارد يا بگذارد، ثواب آزاد كردن يك بنده از اولاد اسمعيل خواهد داشت به مقتضاي اخبار. [781] .و اما ذكر و تسبيح، پس خداوند خلق مي‌كند از عرق زوار هفتاد هزار ملك كه تسبيح و تقدس خدا كنند [782] ، و در آن است ثواب ذاكران خدا از ملائكه مقربين.و اما صله رحم و احسان به مؤمنين، پس در زيارت صله رسول‌خدا است كه والد حقيقي است و احسان است به آن حضرت و به علي (عليه‌السلام) و فاطمه (عليهاالسلام) و [ صفحه 274] حسن (عليه‌السلام) و حسين (عليه‌السلام). [783] .

So if, during his visitation, you imagine that the Imam fell to the ground from the spear-strike of Ṣāliḥ ibn Wahb al-Muzanī [774], and you console his heart by offering salām, then it is as though the Messenger of Allah himself had gone to comfort him.

And since that noble Imam is superior to the House of Allah (Baytullāh), and because of reasons whose secrets are not known to us, the reward becomes ninetyfold. Therefore, the visitor will receive the reward of ninety Hajjs of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi).

As for charity (Ṣadaqah), visiting him carries the reward of one thousand accepted charities according to an authentic narration. [775]

As for fasting, the visitation carries the reward of one thousand people who fast. [776]

As for helping in the way of Allah, the visitor is like one who equips and sends one thousand riders with saddled and bridled horses in the path of Allah. [777]

As for jihād, the visitation carries the reward of one thousand martyrs from among the martyrs of Badr [778]; rather, the visitor himself will be resurrected as a martyr. [779]

As for freeing slaves, the visitation carries the reward of freeing one thousand slaves in the way of Allah. [780]

If the visitor goes on foot, then for every step he takes or places down, he will receive the reward of freeing one slave from the descendants of Ismāʿīl, according to the narrations. [781]

As for dhikr and tasbīḥ, Allah creates from the sweat of the visitors seventy thousand angels who glorify and sanctify Allah. [782]

It also contains the reward of those angels nearest to Allah who are constantly engaged in His remembrance.

As for maintaining family ties (Ṣilat al-Raḥim) and showing kindness to the believers, then the visitation is a means of maintaining ties with the Messenger of Allah, who is the true father, and it is an act of kindness toward him, toward ʿAlī (ʿalayhi al-salām), Fāṭimah (ʿalayhā al-salām), al-Ḥasan (ʿalayhi al-salām), and al-Ḥusain (ʿalayhi al-salām). [783]

[ صفحه 274]