إسماعيل بن زيد الطحان

I heard Abā ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) say: On the Day of Judgment, everyone will wish to be among those who had gone to the Ziyārah of Ḥusain (a.s.) because they will see the way in which the Zuwwār of Ḥusain (a.s.) will be honoured and treated by Allāh.

“Once, a man came to ’Amir al-Mu’minin, when he was in the Masjid of Kufah. He said, ‘May the peace of Allah, His mercy and blessing be upon you, O ’Amir al-Mu’minin.’ ’Amir al-Mu’minin responded to his salutation. The man then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I want to visit al-Aqsa’ Masjid so I have come to say farewell to you.’ The Imam asked, ‘What do you think you will receive from your visit?’ He replied, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I expect to receive excellence.’ The Imam then said, ‘Sell your horse, use your supplies and perform Salah (prayer) in this Masjid; performing one obligatory Salah (prayer) in it is equal to one accepted Hajj. Performing one optional Salah (prayer) in it is equal to performing one accepted ‘Umrah. The goodness from there reaches up to twelve miles. Its right side houses goodness but its left side lodges wickedness. At its center, there is a fountain of oil, a fountain of milk, a fountain of water for believers to drink and a fountain of purifying water for believing people. From there the Ark of Noah set sail. Also, (unfortunately) Nasr, Yaghuth and Ya‘uq were placed there. Seventy prophets and seventy successors of prophets, of whom one is myself [he pointed to his own chest], performed Salah (prayer) there. Every person, suffering from hardship, appealing for his wish to come true has found Allah make his wishes come true and remove his hardships.’”

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: A man came to the Commander of the Believers (a.s.) in the Mosque of Kūfah and said, “Salām to you, O Commander of the Believers. May Allāh’s Mercy and His Blessings be upon you!” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) answered his Salām. “May I sacrifice myself for you! I am leaving for the Mosque of Aqsā and I wanted to bid farewell to you,” the man said. The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) asked, “What do you hope to gain by going there?” The man said, “May I sacrifice myself for you! Rewards!” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) said: Sell your camel, spend your money, and pray in this mosque instead, for establishing obligatory prayers in this mosque is equal to performing a purified Hajj, and establishing recommended prayers in it is equal to performing a purified ‘Umrah. The blessings of this mosque extend to a twelve mile (radius). The right side of this mosque is prosperity but its left side is cunning. In the middle of this mosque, there is a well of oil, a well of milk, a well of water for the believers to drink, and a well of water to purify the believers. The ark of Nūḥ embarked from here and Nasr, Yaghūth, and Ya’ūq were placed here. The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) continued: Seventy prophets and seventy successors have prayed in this mosque, and I am one of them – and he pointed to his own chest. No anguished person asks Allāh for anything in it (the Mosque of Kūfah) without Allāh granting (his request) and relieving him of his grief.