ALI 165: Preparing for Ziyaarah to Iraq Session 1: Saturday Safar 6 1431/ January 22, 2010

Qur’ānic Āyāt 2:197 وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يَعْلَمْهُ اللَّهُ وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُونِي يَا أُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ 2:197 And whatever good you do, Allah knows it. And take provision, for indeed the best provision is taqwaa. So be wary of Me, O you who people of understanding! (‘Allamah Tabataba’i: It is a reminder that one’s actions are not hidden from Allah, so that one’s acts of worship might not be devoid of the spirit of devotion; so that one might not go through the external rites of worship with one’s mind absent and one’s heart forgetful)

What will be coveredin this webinar? Items which are overlooked: adaab of traveling, manners of visiting the holy Imams, what needs to be done there Significance & history of some of the places How to derive maximum benefits? Recommended recitations Miscellaneous items Question & answer pertaining to ziyaarah

Know that you are on holy journey Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (a) said to Ibn Marid, “O son of Marid, whoever performs the ziyaarah of my grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), with awareness of his merits, Almighty Allah writes for him the reward of a well-received Hajj and an approved ‘umrah for every one of his steps. O son of Marid, by Allah, the fire of hell will not touch the feet that are covered with dust during pilgrimage to the tomb of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a), regardless of whether he makes the journey on foot or mounted. O son of Marid, write this Hadith with gold-water.” Mafateeh, Ch. 4, Merits of visiting Amirul Mu’minin. Know that there numerous such Hadiths for various Imams

Adaab of safar, i.e. Etiquette of traveling Recommended days for traveling - Leave on Saturday if you can. Good days to travel are Saturday, Tuesday, or or Thursday. Preparations before ziyaarah trip- fast on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday What to read & recite before leaving Ensure never to make your salat qadha Remain focused during the trip Remain content with your situation

Sample of what to recite Allah has chosen you for this special trip, so be continuously thankful to Allah, have a heart that remembers, a tongue that recites dhikr, and an eye that weeps Imam al-Sadiq (a) says: Buy the safety of your trip through charity. Holy Prophet (s) recite the 5 surahs before any travel O Allah, I leave my house seeking Your grace and to visit the wasee (Legatee) of Your Prophet, may Your blessings be upon them. So make it easy for me and provide me with the means for undertaking the ziyaarah, and take care of my family in my absence, making good for it in the best manner, O Most merciful of the merciful!

Manners of visiting the Holy personalities (a) Knowledge about the person Understand & ponder over recitaitons What if we were to visit them during their life time? How different it would be? Total humility & reverence when approaching A‘maal besides idhn dukhool & ziyaarah Renewal of the pledge to the Imam (a) How can I change on account of this trip?

Specific manners Perform the ziyaarah of Amirul Mu’minin (‘a), without pride and arrogance and with an awareness of his merits—that is, knowing that he is (i) the Prophet’s direct successor & (ii) an Imam obeying whom is obligatory Take ghusl, put on clean clothes and apply some perfume to oneself, if available (all holy places except Karbala) Women in najasaat cannot enter the Haram

Interaction with fellow pilgrims Be considerate to them. They have rights over you. Serve them, prepare necessities for them. The 4th Imam used to travel with Hujjaj unknown, so he would have a chance to serve them Overlook their faults and mistakes Proper use of bathrooms & keeping bedrooms clean Avoid: loud talking, inappropriate joking, making fuss about issues, talking privately, entering places reserved for women have pleasant manners and interactions with others.

Interacting with other pilgrims Some items similar to fellow pilgrims Net work with them, exchange contacts Have a look at Du‘a manuals they are using Their way of devotion may be better Greet them, pray for them, take interest in their affairs, esp. situations in their countries Visit their programs, if they invite you Invite them for a meal, with the permission of your group leader; or invite them to a restaurant