Musa ibn Abdullah al-Nakha'i narrated, "I said to Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (as), 'Teach me, O son of the Messenger of Allah (swt), a complete and eloquent phrase to say when I visit any one of you.'
Imam (as) said:
"When you reach the entrance, stand and testify to the two testimonies of faith while in a state of ritual purity (ghusl). When you enter and see the grave, stand and say 'Allah (swt) is the Greatest, Allah (swt) is the Greatest' thirty times. Walk forward slowly with tranquility and dignity, keeping your steps close together. Then stand and say 'Allah (swt) is the Greatest' thirty times again. Approach the grave and say 'Allah (swt) is the Greatest' forty times, completing one hundred takbirs. Then say:
Peace be upon you, O people of the House of Prophethood,
and the abode of the Message,
the place of the angels' frequent visits,
the descent of revelation,
the source of mercy,
the treasures of knowledge,
the culmination of forbearance,
the foundation of generosity,
the leaders of nations,
the custodians of blessings,
the essence of righteousness,
the pillars of virtue,
the guides of servants,
the anchors of lands,
the gates of faith,
the trustees of the Most Merciful,
the progeny of the Prophets,
the chosen ones among the messengers,
the family of the best of the Lord (azj) of the Worlds.
May Allah’s (swt) mercy and blessings be upon you.
Peace be upon the Imams of guidance,
the lamps in the darkness,
the standards of piety,
the possessors of wisdom,
the masters of intellect,
the refuge of humanity,
the inheritors of the Prophets,
the highest example,
the bearers of the best call,
and the proofs of Allah (swt) for the inhabitants of the world,
the Hereafter, and this life.
May Allah’s (swt) mercy and blessings be upon you."
Peace be upon the repositories of Allah’s (swt) knowledge,
and the abodes of Allah’s (swt) blessings,
and the mines of Allah’s (swt) wisdom,
and the keepers of Allah’s (swt) secrets,
and the bearers of Allah’s (swt) Book,
and the successors of the Prophet of Allah (swt),
and the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (swt), peace be upon him and his family.
May Allah’s (swt) mercy and blessings be upon you.
Peace be upon the callers to Allah (swt),
and the guides to Allah’s (swt) pleasure,
and those who remain steadfast in Allah’s (swt) command,
and those who are perfect in their love for Allah (swt),
and those who are sincere in Allah’s (swt) oneness,
and those who manifest Allah’s (swt) command and prohibition,
and His honored servants,
"who do not precede Him in speech and act according to His command"
(May Allah’s (swt) mercy and blessings be upon them).
Peace be upon the Imams who are callers (to the truth),
the leaders of guidance,
the noble masters,
the protectors and guardians,
the people of remembrance,
the possessors of authority,
the remnant of Allah (swt),
His chosen ones,
His party,
the repository of His knowledge,
His proof,
His path,
and His light.
May Allah’s (swt) mercy and blessings be upon them.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah (swt), alone, without partner,
as Allah (swt) has testified for Himself,
and as His angels and those endowed with knowledge among His creation have testified,
"There is no god but Him, the Mighty, the Wise."
And I bear witness that Muhammad is His chosen servant and His approved Messenger.
He sent him "with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religions, even if the polytheists detest it."
And I bear witness that you are the rightly guided, rightly guiding Imams,
the infallible, the honored, the close to Allah (swt),
the pious, the truthful, the chosen,
obedient to Allah (swt), steadfast in His command,
acting according to His will, victorious by His grace.
He selected you by His knowledge,
approved you for His unseen matters,
chose you for His secrets,
and preferred you by His power.
He honored you with His guidance,
distinguished you with His proof,
elected you by His light,
supported you by His spirit,
and was pleased with you as successors on His earth,
proofs over His creation,
helpers of His religion,
guardians of His secrets,
treasurers of His knowledge,
repositories of His wisdom,
interpreters of His revelation,
pillars of His oneness,
witnesses over His creation,
guiding beacons for His servants,
a shining light in His lands,
and guides to His path.
Allah (swt) protected you from errors,
secured you from trials,
purified you from impurity,
removed from you any defilement, O People of the House,
and purified you thoroughly.
You have magnified His majesty,
exalted His status,
glorified His generosity,
persisted in remembering Him,
affirmed His covenant,
perfected the bond of obedience to Him,
advised for Him in private and in public,
and called to His path.
"With wisdom and good counsel," you dedicated yourselves to seeking His pleasure,
you patiently endured what befell you for His sake,
you established prayer, gave zakat, enjoined good, forbade evil,
and strove "in the way of Allah (swt) with true striving."
You proclaimed His call, clarified His obligations,
upheld His limits, disseminated His laws,
and revived His traditions. In all this, you sought His approval,
submitted to His decree, and affirmed the truth of His previous messengers.
Thus, whoever deviates from you has gone astray,
whoever adheres to you has attained success,
and whoever falls short in recognizing your rights has perished.
The truth is with you, among you, from you, and returns to you.
You are its people, its source, and its inheritors.
The legacy of prophethood rests with you,
the return of creation is toward you,
their reckoning is upon you,
decisive judgment lies with you,
the signs of Allah (swt) are with you,
and His resolutions are within you.
His light and His proofs are with you,
and His command belongs to you.
Whoever befriends you has befriended Allah (swt),
whoever opposes you has opposed Allah (swt),
whoever loves you has loved Allah (swt),
and whoever hates you has hated Allah (swt).
Whoever holds fast to you has clung to Allah (swt).
You are the straight path,
witnesses in the transient world,
intercessors in the eternal abode,
the constant mercy,
the concealed sign,
the preserved trust,
and the gate through which people are tested.
Whoever comes to you is saved,
and whoever does not come to you is doomed.
You invite to Allah (swt),
guide toward Him,
believe in Him,
submit to Him,
act according to His command,
guide others to His path,
and judge by His word.
Blessed is the one who befriends you,
ruined is the one who opposes you,
disappointed is the one who denies you,
misguided is the one who separates from you,
and triumphant is the one who clings to you.
Secure is the one who seeks refuge in you,
at peace is the one who believes in you,
and guided is the one who holds on to you.
Whoever follows you, Paradise is his abode,
and whoever opposes you, Hell is his destination.
Whoever denies you is a disbeliever,
whoever fights you is a polytheist,
and whoever rejects you resides in the lowest depths of Hell.
I bear witness that this (virtue and status) was ordained for you in the past and continues for you in the future. I testify that your souls, your light, and your essence are one, pure and purified, "one part derived from the other."
Allah (swt) created you as luminous lights, encircling His Throne until He blessed us through you. He placed you "in houses Allah (swt) permitted to be exalted and His name remembered therein."
He made our prayers upon you and what He has blessed us with through your guardianship a source of purity for our creation, a cleansing for our souls, an atonement for our sins, and a means of purification for us.
Thus, in His presence, we are recognized for our acceptance of your excellence and our affirmation of your truth. Allah (swt) elevated you to the most exalted station of the honored ones, the highest ranks of the near ones, and the most elevated degrees of the messengers, where none can surpass you, none can precede you, and none can aspire to equal your rank.
No angel brought near, no prophet sent forth, no truthful one, no martyr, no scholar, no ignorant person, no lowly one, no virtuous one, no believing righteous person, no sinful wretched person, no oppressive tyrant, no rebellious devil, nor any creation in between bears witness except that they have been made to recognize the majesty of your station, the grandeur of your status, the greatness of your position, the completion of your light, the truth of your seats (in divine presence), the firmness of your standing, the nobility of your rank, your elevated status with Him, your honor before Him, and your nearness to Him.
May my father, my mother, my family, my wealth, and my lineage be sacrificed for you.
I call Allah (swt) to witness, and I call you to witness, that I believe in you and in what you believe in, disbelieve in your enemies and in what they disbelieve in, and have clarity about your status and the misguidance of those who oppose you. I am loyal to you and your friends, and I bear enmity toward your enemies. I am at peace with those who are at peace with you and at war with those who are at war with you. I affirm what you affirm and reject what you reject.
I obey you, acknowledge your right, admit your superiority, uphold your knowledge, seek protection under your covenant, recognize you, and believe in your return. I affirm your reappearance and await your command. I look forward to your governance, adhere to your word, act upon your instruction, seek refuge with you, and visit you. I seek sanctuary and protection at your graves and seek intercession with Allah (swt), the Exalted, through you. I draw near to Him by your means, and I present you before all my needs, wishes, and aspirations in all my circumstances and affairs.
I believe in your hidden and manifest (realities), your presence and absence, your first and last. I entrust all matters to you, align myself with you, and my heart is in peace with you. My views follow yours, and my support is prepared for you until Allah (swt) revives His religion through you, returns you in His days (of divine rule), manifests you for His justice, and grants you authority on His earth.
With you, with you, not with your enemies! I believe in you and hold your last (Imam) in the same regard as your first, and I distance myself from your enemies and from al-Jibt and al-Taghut, the devils and their followers, the oppressors against you, those who reject your rights, those who deviate from your guardianship, usurpers of your inheritance, those who doubt you, those who turn away from you, and from every entity that substitutes for you, every leader who invites to the fire.
May Allah (swt) keep me steadfast throughout my life in your loyalty, love, and religion. May He grant me success in obeying you, provide me with your intercession, and make me among the best of your followers who adhere to what you call towards. May He make me among those who emulate your path, walk in your way, are guided by your guidance, and are gathered in your company. May He return me during your return, allow me to rule during your government, honor me in your well-being, empower me in your days, and let my eyes be delighted tomorrow by seeing you.
May my father, mother, self, family, and wealth be ransomed for you. Whoever seeks Allah (swt) begins with you; whoever declares His oneness accepts from you; whoever aims towards Him turns to you. My masters, I cannot count your praises, nor can I reach the depths of your commendation or the height of your description.
You are the light of the righteous, guides of the virtuous, and proofs of the Almighty. Through you, Allah (swt) opens and through you, He concludes. Through you, He sends down rain, and through you, He holds the sky from falling on the earth except by His permission.
Through you, Allah (swt) alleviates grief and removes hardships. With you rests what His messengers conveyed and what His angels descended with. To your grandfather, the Trustworthy Spirit (Jibreel) was sent, and if the visitation is for Amir al-Mu'minin (as), say: "To your brother, the Trustworthy Spirit was sent." Allah (swt) granted you what He has not granted anyone from the worlds. Every noble being bows before your nobility, every arrogant soul submits to your obedience, every tyrant yields to your excellence, and everything is humbled before you. The earth is illuminated by your light, and the successful ones attain salvation through your guardianship.
Through you, the path to divine satisfaction is tread, while upon those who deny your guardianship is the wrath of the Most Merciful.
May my father, mother, self, family, and wealth be ransomed for you. Your mention is in the remembrance of those who remember, your names are among the finest of names, your bodies among the most honored of bodies, your souls among the most purified of souls, your selves among the noblest of selves, your legacy among the greatest of legacies, and your graves among the holiest of graves.
How sweet are your names, how noble your selves, how exalted your station, how magnificent your rank, how fulfilled your promise! Your words are light, your commands are guidance, your teachings are piety, your actions are goodness, your habit is benevolence, your nature is generosity, your conduct is truth and kindness. Your speech is wisdom and decisive, your judgment is knowledge, patience, and resolve.
When goodness is mentioned, you are its beginning, its origin, its root, its essence, and its ultimate end.
May my father, mother, and self be sacrificed for you! How can I describe the beauty of your praise or count the favors you have bestowed? Through you, Allah (swt) removed us from humiliation, relieved us of overwhelming distress, saved us from the brink of destruction, and rescued us from the fire.
By my father, mother, and self, through your guardianship, Allah (swt) taught us the principles of our religion and rectified what was corrupted in our worldly matters.
Through your guardianship, the word of Allah (swt) was fulfilled, the blessings became magnified, and divisions were united. By your guardianship, the obligatory acts of worship are accepted. For you is the obligatory love, the elevated ranks, the praiseworthy station, and the well-known position before Allah (swt), the Mighty and Glorious. You possess the grand intercession, the great honor, and the lofty status.
“Our Lord (azj), we have believed in what You have revealed and have followed the Messenger, so register us among the witnesses.”
“Our Lord (azj), do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us, and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.”
“Glory to our Lord (azj); indeed, the promise of our Lord (azj) is ever fulfilled.”
O Wali of Allah (swt), there are sins between me and Allah (swt), the Mighty and Glorious, that no one can absolve except your satisfaction. By the right of the one who entrusted you with His secrets, appointed you as caretakers of His creation, and linked obedience to you with obedience to Him, I plead with you to intercede for my sins and be my intercessors. I pledge my obedience to you; whoever obeys you has obeyed Allah (swt), and whoever disobeys you has disobeyed Allah (swt). Whoever loves you loves Allah (swt), and whoever harbors hatred toward you harbors hatred toward Allah (swt).
O Allah (swt), if I could find intercessors closer to You than Muhammad and his purified household, the righteous Imams, I would make them my intercessors. By their right, which You have made obligatory upon Yourself, I ask You to include me among those who recognize their rank and are graced by their intercession. Indeed, You are the Most Merciful of the merciful. May Allah’s (swt) blessings and peace be upon Muhammad and his family abundantly. “Sufficient for us is Allah (swt), and He is the best disposer of affairs.”