The Ziyārah of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.), Invocations Next to His Grave, Performance of the Ziyārah

His father, Ja’far (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)), said: ‘Ali ibn Ḥusain, Zainul ‘Ābidīn (a.s.) went to the Ziyārah of the grave of the Commander of the Believers, ‘Ali ibn Abī Ťālib (a.s.). He stood by the grave, cried, and then said: Salām to you and (may) Allāh’s Mercy and His Blessings be upon you, O Commander of the Believers! Salām to you, O Trustee of Allāh in His land and His Decisive Proof on His slaves. (s.a.a.w.) Salām to you, O Commander of the Believers! I testify that you fought in the way of Allāh the way (in which) He should be fought for and your deeds were based on the Book of Allāh. You followed the traditions of His Prophet (s.a.a.w.) until Allāh called you to His side and chose to take you to Himself. He obliged your enemies to the argument of killing you, in addition to many (other) clear arguments that you already have over all of His creation. . O Allāh! Make my soul certain about that which You have predestined, pleased with Your decree, fond of Your remembrance and supplication, loving toward Your Chosen Divine Authorities, and loved on Your land and in Your heavens, patient during Your trials, and thankful for Your gracious blessings. (Make me) remember Your abundant bounties, yearn for the happiness of meeting You, equipped with piety for the day of Your reward, follow the traditions of Your Divine Authorities, avoid the manners of Your enemies, and preoccupied from (loving) the world through Your sanctification and praise. Then he placed his cheek on the grave of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.) and said: O Allāh! The hearts of those who humble themselves before You are filled with a confounding fascination. The paths of those who desire You are made level. The signs for those who seek You are clear. The hearts of those who know You are filled with fear of You. The voices of those who call You are raised to You. The gates through which You answer them are open to them. The prayers of those who whisper to You are fulfilled. The repentance of those who return to You is accepted. The tears of those who weep in fear of You are dealt with mercifully. Assistance is available to those who seek it from You. Refuge is generously given to those who seek refuge with You. Your promises to Your slaves are fulfilled. The errors of those who ask You to reduce their errors are reduced. The good deeds of those who perform (them) are preserved with You. The sustenance of Your creation descends on them from You and their shares are increased continuously. The sins of those who seek forgiveness are forgiven and the needs of Your creation are fulfilled by You. The rewards of the beseechers are available in plenty with You, and (even) further benefits reach Your creation. The tables of food are prepared for those who seek it and fountains are filled for the thirsty. O Allāh! Answer my prayers, accept my praise, fulfill my hopes, and unite me with the Divine Authorities (You have appointed) on me through the right of Muḥammad, ‘Ali, Fāťimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusain (a.s.). Verily You are the Master of my bounties, my utmost desire, and my utmost hope in my ultimate end and my final abode. You are my God, my Lord, and my Master. Forgive me and (forgive) our friends. Keep our enemies away from us and distract them from harming us. Manifest the word of truth and make it the supreme word; let the word of falsehood be refuted, making it inferior. Verily You have power over all things.

Abul Ḥasan (Imam Kāżim (a.s.)) used to recite the following next to the grave of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.): Salām to you, O WALǏ of Allāh. I testify that you are the first one who was oppressed and you are the first one whose right was usurped. You stayed patient, anticipating the rewards from Allāh until that which is certain (death) came to you. I testify that you met Allāh as a martyr. May Allāh torment your killer with various kinds of chastisements and may He renew the torment of your killer. I have come to you while I am aware of your right and endowed with insight into your status. I antagonize your enemies and those who oppressed you. Allāh-willing, I shall meet my Lord in this very state. : O my master! I have many sins, so intercede for me with your Lord, for verily you have a known position and a great status with Allāh and you have the power of intercession with Allāh. Indeed Allāh, the Exalted, has said, “And they offer no intercession except for those whom He approves” (21:28). He (Imam Kāżim (a.s.)) would also recite the following next to the grave of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.): Praise be to Allāh who – through His Mercy and Generosity toward me – honoured me by allowing me to know Him, to know His Messenger (s.a.a.w.), and to know those whose obedience Allāh has made mandatory on me; and He bestowed me with ǏMĀN (faith). Praise be to Allāh who allowed me to travel in His land and allowed me to ride His conveyance. He made the far near for me and kept danger away from me until I entered the sacred sanctuary of the brother of His Messenger (s.a.a.w.), and He allowed me to visit it in good health. Praise be to Allāh who has made me among the visitors of the grave of the successor of His Messenger (s.a.a.w.). Praise be to Allāh who has guided us here, and if it was not for Allāh’s guidance, we would not have been guided. I testify that there is no god but Allāh and He has no partners. I testify that Muḥammad (s.a.a.w.) is His slave and messenger who came with (the) truth from Allāh. And I testify that ‘Ali (a.s.) is His slave and the brother of His Messenger (s.a.a.w.). O Allāh! Your slave and Your visitor seeks nearness to You by coming to the Ziyārah of the grave of the brother of Your Prophet. Every host has a duty to those who visit him, and You are the best One to visit and You are the most honourable host. O Allāh! O Raḥmān! O Raḥīm! O Generous! O One! O Alone! O Unique! O Independent! O He who does not beget nor is He begotten and there is none like Him! I ask You to send Your blessing on Muḥammad, the family of Muḥammad, and the people of his household. Make my gift for coming to the Ziyārah of this site my release from Hell. And make me among those who “hasten to do good works” (2:148), among those who pray to You with desire and fear, and among those who humble themselves before You. : O Allāh! You have given me glad tidings through the tongue of Your Messenger, Muḥammad (s.a.a.w.), saying, “Give glad tidings to those who believe that there is a sure footing for them with their Lord” (10:2). O Allāh! I believe in You and I am certain (in my belief) of all of Your prophets. Because I have acknowledged them, do not stop me (on the Day of Judgment) on a stand where You expose me in front of the witnesses. Rather, allow me to stand next to them (the prophets). Take my life while I believe in them, for verily they are Your slaves and You have designated them to be honoured and ordered me to follow them. Then come close to the grave and recite (the following): Salām from Allāh upon Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdillāh (s.a.a.w.), Allāh’s Trustee of His revelation and His firmly determined affairs, the source of revelation and the inspiration, the last of that which has passed and the one who began that which is yet to come, and the absolute master over all of it, the witness of the creation, and the shining light. Salām to him, and (may) Allāh’s Mercy and His Blessings be upon him. O Allāh! Send the best, the most perfect, the highest, and the most honourable of the blessings that You have bestowed upon any of Your prophets, messengers, or Your chosen (slaves) on Muḥammad and his oppressed family. O Allāh! Send Your blessing on ‘Ali, the Commander of the Believers, Your slave, the best of Your creation after Your Prophet, the brother and the heir of Your Messenger, the one whom You chose from Your creation after Your Prophet, the guide to those with whom You sent Your messages, the undisputed ruler of the religion with Your justice, and the Decisive Judgment between Your creation. Salām to him and (may) Allāh’s Mercy and Blessings be upon him. O Allāh! Send Your blessing on the Imams from his sons who fulfill Your Affairs after him, the purified ones with whom You are pleased as the supporters of Your religion, as the keepers of Your secret, as the witnesses over Your creation, and as the flags (of guidance) for Your slaves. Send as many blessings on them as you can (at this point) and recite (the following): Salām upon the entrusted Imams. Salām upon the pure ones from the creation of Allāh. Salām upon the insightful Imams. Salām upon the believers who fulfilled Your command, who supported the Divine Authorities appointed by Allāh, and who were fearful when they were fearful. Salām upon Allāh’s high-ranked angels. Then recite (the following): Salām to you and (may) Allāh’s Mercy and Blessings be upon you, O Commander of the Believers! Salām to you, O love of Allāh! Salām to you, O choice of Allāh (from among His creation)! Salām to you, O Walī of Allāh! Salām to you, O Allāh’s Decisive Proof! Salām to you, O pillar of the religion and the heir of the knowledge of the first to the last (one)! Salām to you, O Owner of the MAYSAM and O SIRĀŤ’ AL-MUSTAQǏM (the straight path)! I testify that you established prayers, gave charity, enjoined goodand forbade evil, followed the Messenger (s.a.a.w.), recited the Book (Qur’an) the way it is worthy of being recited, fought in the way of Allāh the way (in which) He should be fought for, and were sincere to Allāh and His Messenger (s.a.a.w.). (I testify that) you sacrificed yourself, patiently seeking the reward with Allāh, fighting for the religion of Allāh, protecting the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.), wishing for that which is with Allāh, and desiring (the reward) promised by Allāh. And you died the way you lived – as a martyr, who is the witness (over the people) and who is witnessed (by Allāh). May Allāh reward you with the best of the rewards on behalf of His Messenger (s.a.a.w.), Islam, and its nation. (May) Allāh’s curse be upon those who killed you. (May) Allāh’s curse be upon those who were against you. (May) Allāh’s curse be upon those who forged lies against you and oppressed you. (May) Allāh’s curse be upon those who usurped your right and upon those who heard about the usurpation of your right and were pleased with it. I seek nearness to Allāh by dissociating myself from them. (May) Allāh’s curse be upon the nation who opposed you, upon the nation that denied your Wilāyah, upon the nation that rebelled against you, upon the nation that killed you, and upon the nation that deviated (away) from you and disappointed you. Praise be to Allāh who made Hell their abode, and what an evil destination is Hell! And what an evil destination they shall enter! What a lowly place is their lowest place! O Allāh! Curse the killers of Your prophets and the successors of Your prophets with all of Your (different) curses and burn them with Your blazing fires. O Allāh! Curse all of the Jibt(s), Ťāghūt(s), and the pharaohs; and Lāt, ‘Uzzā, and Jibt; and every other object which is worshipped besides Allāh; and everyone who forges a lie against Allāh. O Allāh! Increasingly curse them, curse those who follow them and obey them, and curse their friends, their supporters, and their lovers. Then say three times: O Allāh! Curse the killers of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.). O Allāh! Curse the killers of Ḥasan and Ḥusain (a.s.). O Allāh! Torment them with a chastisement that is so painful that You will never punish anyone else with it. Increasingly multiply their punishment because of the way in which they afflicted Your appointed authorities. Prepare a punishment for them that You have never inflicted on anyone from (among) Your creation. O Allāh! Cast a growing torment in the lowest levels of the blazing fires on those who killed the supporters of Your Prophet, those who killed the supporters of the Commander of the Believers, those who killed the supporters of Ḥasan and Ḥusain (a.s.), and on the killers of those who have been killed in the way of the Wilāyah of the family of Muḥammad. (Cast) an undiminishing torment which will render (these killers) hopeless and cursed, with their heads lowered in disgrace before their Lord, seeing how their remorse and disgrace will last forever for having killed the progeny of Your prophets and messengers and Your righteous slaves from among their followers. O Allāh! Curse them (at all times), secretly and openly, in Your land and in Your heavens. O Allāh! Make me truthful in my words about Your Divine Authorities and make me love their sites until You make me join them. And make me follow them in this life and in the Hereafter, O the Most Merciful of the merciful ones! Then sit next to his head and recite (the following): Salām of Allāh and His high-ranked angels to you, O my master! (Salām of those angels) who submit with their hearts to you, extol your virtues, and testify to your honesty, loyalty, and veracity. Salām from Allāh to you, your soul, and your body. I testify that you are the (embodiment of) purity; you are pure and purified. O Walī of Allāh and Walī of His Messenger! I testify that you announced (the decree of Allāh) and you fulfilled (your duties). I testify that you are the side of Allāh (the nearest to Allāh), you are the door to Allāh, you are Allāh’s face through which He is approached, you are the friend of Allāh, and you are the slave of Allāh and the brother of His Messenger. I have come to visit you because of how great your position and status is with Allāh and His Messenger. I have come to visit you seeking nearness with Allāh, requesting salvation, seeking refuge with you from the fire which the likes of me have deserved for my crimes against myself. I have come (solely) to you and to your son, the heir after you – referring to the Imam of the time – with the blessing of Ḥaqq (the truth) and with hope in no one else. My heart is submissive to you, I follow your commands, and I am prepared to support you. I am the slave of Allāh and your servant, ready to obey you. I have come to you as your guest, seeking perfection of my status with Allāh. O my master! You are the one whom Allāh has ordered me to obey and (to whom Allāh) has exhorted me to be loyal, and whose grace (Allāh) has manifested for me. He has guided me to loving you and has given me the desire to visit you and to ask for (the fulfillment of) my needs next to you. You are the members of the household whose lovers are blessed. Those who come to you will not be disappointed and those who desire you will not lose. However, those who antagonize you will not achieve success. I cannot find anyone more beneficent than you with whom to seek refuge. You are the family of mercy, the pillars of the religion, the support of the earth, and the blessed tree. O Allāh! Do not thwart my approach to You through Your Messenger and his family. O Allāh! You bestowed Your favours upon me through the Ziyārah of my master, through his Wilāyah, and through knowing him. Therefore, make me among those whom You will support and with whom victory will be achieved. Favour me by (allowing me) to support Your religion in this life and in the Hereafter. O Allāh! Make me live the same way that ‘Ali ibn Abī Ťālib (a.s.) lived and make me die on the same path that ‘Ali ibn Abī Ťālib (a.s.) died.

The Truthful Abul Ḥasan the Third (Imam Hādi (a.s.)) said: Recite the following next to the grave of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.): Salām to you, O Walī of Allāh! You are the first one who was oppressed and you are the first one whose right was usurped. You stayed patient, anticipating the rewards from Allāh until that which is certain (death) came to you. I testify that you met Allāh as a martyr. May Allāh torment your killer with various kinds of chastisements and may He (continuously) renew the torment of your killer. I have come to you while I am aware of your right and endowed with insight into your status. I love those who love you and I antagonize your enemies and those who oppressed you. Allāh-willing, I shall meet my Lord in this very state. : O Walī of Allāh! I have many sins so intercede for me with your Lord, for verily you have a known position and a great status with Allāh and you have the power of intercession with Allāh. And He has said, “They offer no intercession except for those whom He approves, and they stand in awe and reverence of His glory” (21:28). The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chains: A) My father, from Ḥusain ibn Ḥasan ibn Abān, from Muḥammad ibn Ūramah, from someone who narrated to him, from the Truthful, Abil Ḥasan, the Third (a.s.). B) Muḥammad ibn Ja’far Al-Razzāz Al-Qurashi, from Muḥammad ibn ‘Isā ibn ‘Ubayd, from some of our companions, from Abi Ḥasan, the Third (a.s.).