محمد بن الحسين بن مت الجوهري

I asked Abā ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)), “How should I place my hand on the graves of the believers?” Imam (a.s.) faced the Qiblah, pointed toward the earth, and then placed his hand on it.

‘Ali ibn Ḥusain (Imam Sajjād (a.s.)) left Madīnah with the sole purpose of going to the Mosque of Kūfah. He prayed two Rak’ah and then left. He mounted his camel and went on his way.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: The border of the Mosque of Sahlah reaches Rawḥā. The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chain: Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Walīd, from Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan Al-Saffār, from Muḥammad ibn Ḥusain, from ‘Ali ibn Asbāť, from some of our companions, from Imam Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sadiq (a.s.)) said: Verily (on the Day of ‘Arafah), Allāh, the Blessed and the Exalted, manifests (His Mercy) to the Zuwwār of the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.) before He does (so) for the people who are in ‘Arafāt. He fulfils their needs, forgives their sins, and accepts their intercession for their requests. Thereafter, He attends to the people in ‘Arafāt and honours them in the same way.

I asked Abā ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)), “What is the reward for those who go to the Ziyārah of the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.)?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “Allāh will register the reward of performing a Hajj and an ‘Umrah for those who go to the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.), perform his Ziyārah, and establish two or four Rak’ah of prayer next to him.” I asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! Is this (reward) the same for those who go to (the Ziyārah of) the grave of the (other) Imams whose obedience is obligatory?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “The reward is the same for anyone who goes to (the Ziyārah of) the grave of the (other) Imams whose obedience is obligatory.” The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chains: A) Muḥammad ibn Ḥusain ibn Mat Al-Jawhari, from Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, from Hārūn ibn Muslim, from Abī ‘Ali Al-Ḥarrāni, from Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.). B) My father, from Sa’d ibn ‘Abdillāh, from Abil Qāsim, from Abī ‘Ali Al-Khuzā’i, from Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said to me: O Mu’āwiyah! Do not neglect going to the Ziyārah of Ḥusain (a.s.) because of fear. Verily he who abandons the Ziyārah of Ḥusain (a.s.) (for any reason) will regret it so much that he will wish that his grave was next to him. Do you not like Allāh to see you among those for whom the Messenger of Allāh, ‘Ali, Fāťimah, and the Imams (a.s.) pray?! Do you not like to be among those who return with forgiveness for their past sins and (do you not like) to return from his Ziyārah with seventy years of sins forgiven for you?! Do you not like to be among those who will not have any sins about which they will be questioned when they leave this life?! Do you not like to be among those whose hands the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) will shake tomorrow (on the Day of Judgment)?!

I heard ‘Ali, Amirul Mu’mineen peace be upon him, say: "Be it known to you that you will soon be subjected to invoking curse and imprecation against me wrongfully. Whoever curses me unwillingly or by coercion, Allah will know that he has been forced into it. I shall arrive with him together upon Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. And he, who restrains his tongue and does not invoke curse upon me, he will race unto me as quickly as a fling of an arrow or a wink. And one who invokes curse upon me with a willing, cheerful heart, for so doing, there will be no veil debarring him from Allah’s wrath and he shall have no excuse before Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny. Be it known that, one day, Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, held my hand and said: Whoever has sworn allegiance on these five (fingers i.e. the hand) and then died with love and affection for you, will have completed his pledge. And one who dies with hatred towards you, dies a death of Kufr (pre-Islamic era), even though he will account for his deeds committed while professing Islam; and if he lives after you have gone, with lasting love for you, Allah shall end up his days with peace and faith, for as long as the sun rises and sets."

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: Recite the following (Ziyārah) next to the grave of Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.). You may also recite the same (Ziyārah) next to the graves of all of the Imams (a.s.): Salām to you from Allāh and Salām upon Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdillāh (s.a.a.w.), Allāh’s Trustee of His revelation and His firmly determined affairs, the last of that which has passed and the one who began that which is yet to come. O Allāh! Send Your blessing on Muḥammad, Your slave and Your Messenger: the one whom You chose with Your knowledge and whom You appointed as a guide for whomever You willed from among Your creation, as the guide to those whom You sent with Your Messages and Your Books, as the undisputed ruler of religion with Your justice, as the Decisive Judge between Your creation, and as the absolute master over all of it. Salām to him and (may) Allāh’s Mercy and Blessings be upon him. In the Ziyārah of the Commander of the Believers (a.s.), replace it (the beginning of the first line of the above paragraph) with: O Allāh! Send Your blessing on the Commander of the Believers, Your slave and the brother of Your Messenger… In the Ziyārah of Fāťimah (s.a.), replace it with: O Allāh! Send Your blessing on Fāťimah, Your slave and the daughter of Your Messenger… In the Ziyārah of the rest of the Imams (a.s.), replace it with: O Allāh! Send Your blessing on the son of Your Messenger… And mention the Imams (a.s.) in the same way that you sent blessings on the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) repeating the above statement for each Imam (a.s.) one after another until you reach the Imam whose Ziyārah you are performing. Then recite (the following): I testify that you are the word of piety, the door of guidance, the strongest handhold, and the Decisive Proof which has been announced to those on it (earth) and those (buried) under the dust. I testify that your souls and your clay are from the same substance which is blessed and purified with the light of Allāh and with His Mercy. I take Allāh and I take you as witnesses that I follow you in everything that is related to my affairs, the rulings of my religion, and the end result of my actions. Therefore, O Allāh, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones, fulfill this for me. Salām to you, O Abā ‘Abdillāh! I testify that you announced, on behalf of Allāh, that which you were ordered to (announce) and fulfilled your obligation toward Allāh without weakness or languor. May Allāh reward you on behalf of your nation, O most truthful one. I testify that Jihad is Jihad only if it is with you, that truth is with you and for you, that you are the source of truth, and that the inheritance of prophethood is with you and with your family. I testify that you established prayers, gave charity, enjoined good and forbade evil, called (the people) toward the path of your Lord with wisdom and by giving good counsel, and that you worshipped your Lord until that which is certain (death) came to you. Then recite (the following): Salām upon Allāh’s “(fully equipped) distinguished angels.” Salām upon Allāh’s descending angels. Salām upon Allāh’s “angels [who come] in an unbroken succession.” Salām upon Allāh’s angels who reside in this Ḥaram with the permission of Allāh. And then recite (the following): O Allāh! Curse the Two who changed Your blessings, disobeyed Your Book, denied Your signs, and accused Your Messenger. Stuff their graves and their stomachs with fire and prepare a painful chastisement for them. O Allāh! Resurrect the Two of them and their followers in Hell while they are blind. And on the Day of Judgment, resurrect the Two of them and their followers “(lying prone) on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf; their abode shall be Hell; every time it shows abatement, We shall increase the flame on them” (17:97). O Allāh! Do not make this the last time I come to the Ziyārah of the grave of the son of Your Prophet. (O Allāh!) Resurrect him in the Praised Status where You support Your religion with him and kill Your enemies through him. Verily You promised this to him and You are the Lord who does not fail His promise. You can recite the same next to the graves of all of the Imams (a.s.). In-Shā`allāh when you go to the Ziyārah of any of the Imams (a.s.), you should (also) recite the following: Salām to you, O Walī of Allāh. Salām to you, O Decisive Proof of Allāh. Salām to you, O light of Allāh in the darkness of the earth. Salām to you, O Imam of the believers, heir of the knowledge of the prophets, progeny of the successors, and the witness on the Day of Religion. I testify that you, your fathers before you, and your children after you are my masters, my leaders, and my Imams. And I testify that you are Allāh’s Chosen Ones, His Trustees, and His Decisive Proofs who have been announced to (everyone). Allāh chose you with His knowledge as the supporters of His religion, as the executors of His affairs, as the keepers of His knowledge, as the protectors of His secret, as the translators of His revelation, as the sources of His words, as the pillars of His oneness, and as the witnesses over His creation. He (Allāh) entrusted (the affairs of) His creation to you and He made you inherit His Book. He honoured you exclusively with the revelation and He gave you the hidden interpretation (of the verses of the Qur’an). He made you the containers of His wisdom and the lighthouses in His lands and He made you the examples of His light. He placed His knowledge in you, protected you from error, purified you from impurities, and kept off any uncleanliness from you. The blessings are complete through you, the sects have joined together through you, and words are united through you. Obeying you is made mandatory (by Allāh) and loving you is obligatory. You are the noble Divine Authorities of Allāh and you are His honourable slaves. O son of the Messenger of Allāh! I have come to you while I believe in your rights, have insight regarding your status, antagonize your enemies, and befriend your friends. May I sacrifice my father and mother for you. May Allāh’s blessing and Salām be upon you. I have come to your Ziyārah as your guest, seeking refuge from my crimes against myself and (from) the weight which I am carrying on my back. Therefore, intercede for me with your Lord, for verily you have a known rank with Allāh and you are distinguished with Allāh. I believe in Allāh and in that which was revealed to you, and I follow your last one just as I follow your first one. I dissociate myself from any intimate friend other than you and I disbelieve in Jibt, Ťāghūt, Lāt, and ‘Uzzā. The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chain: Muḥammad ibn Ḥusain ibn Mat Al-Jawhari, from Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn ‘Imrān, from ‘Ali ibn Ḥassān, from ‘Urwah ibn Isḥāq – the nephew of Shu’ayb Al-‘Aqraqūfi, from someone whose name he mentioned, from Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

"O Ibn Abbas, you people wish to restrict Imamat (to yourselves) the way you have been privileged with Prophethood? By Allah, these two will never go together. Your argument about the Caliphate has put people in doubt. You say: ’We are Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, then why should the succession to the Prophethood be outside us?’ This creates suspicion, for it has a semblance of truth, and a touch of justice. But things are not the way you imagine. The Caliphate has to rotate in various tribes of Quraish according to the general will of the public and the consultation of the selected ones. And we do not find people saying: ’We wish we were ruled by Banu Hashim, for if they did, we would have been better off here and hereinfter.’ And if you had stayed away from it yesterday the way you claim, you would have fought for it today. And By Allah, if you had acquired the rulership, O Banu Hashim, then the ill wind of A’d and the thunderbolt of Thamood would not have been worse killer of men than you." So Ibn Abbas replied (May Allah bless him with mercy): "O Mu’awiya, when you said that we base our argument on the Prophethood to prove our eligibility for Caliphate, then, by Allah, it is of course as you say. For if the Prophethood does not provide eligibility to the succession (Caliphate), what else does? And when you say that Caliphate and Prophethood do not combine for anyone, then what would say about the verse in which Allah, Most High, Says: ’Do they envy the people for the bounty that Allah has given them by His Grace. Yet We gave the family of Ibrahim the Book, and the Wisdom and We gave them a mighty sovereignty.’ (al-Nisa, 4:54) So, the Book is the Prophethood, the Wisdom is the Sunnah, the Traditions of the Prophet, and the sovereignty is the Caliphate. And we are the descendants of Ibrahim, and that is why the order remains applicable for us till the Day of Judgement. As for your claim that our arguments are dubious, then that is not true. Our arguments are brighter than the sun, and more luminous than the moon. The Book of Allah is with us, and the Traditions of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, are within us. And you know that very well, but pride makes you turn away; and you hold your head in haughtiness because we killed your brother, your grandfather, your maternal uncle and your father’s brother. Well, do not shed tears over the rotten bones, and upon the souls which are perished in hell-fire; and do not be vengeful for the blood spilled in the way of polytheism, made lawful by unbelief, and is debased by the religion (Islam). And as for the people who refused to give us preference and turned away from granting us their consensus, be it clear that what they have lost from us is greater than what we have lost from them! In every matter, the truth is established and the untruth is dispelled when the result is obtained. And as for your pride in this transitory kingdom to which you have ascended by trickery, (remember that even) Pharaoh had such kingdom before you, and Allah destroyed him. O Banu Umayya, what you hold under rule for a day, we may hold it for two days after you; and what you have for a month, we may have it for two months, and if for a year, then we may hold it for two years. And when you said that if we were the authority, our rule would have been a worse killer of men than the ill wind of A’d and the thunderbolt of Thamood, that statement has been belied by Allah, the Most High, in the Qur’an: ’And We did not send you but as a mercy to all beings.’ (al-Anbiya, 21:107) As we are the nearest inmates of the Prophet’s household, our mercy over the creatures of Allah is evident; and the torment of your kingdom over the people is there for everyone to see. And after you have gone, the kingdom will be in the hands of your son and your brothers - and that will be a worse killer of people than the fatal wind. Then Allah will avenge through His devotees, and the final success is for the pious."