Merits

Equal to performing Ḥajj numerous times

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  • Imām Ṣādiq(a) said, "Visiting the grave of Ḥusayn(a) is akin to performing twenty Ḥajj, in fact, the rewards exceed those of performing twenty Ḥajj."

  • As recounted by Abū Sa'eed Madā'ini: "I asked Imām Ṣādiq(a), 'Is it beneficial for me to visit the grave of Ḥusayn(a)?' To which the Imām(a) replied, 'Abū Sa'eed, do visit the grave of Ḥusayn(a), son of the Prophet of Allah(p). He is the most blessed, the purest, and the most pious. Such a visit will earn you the rewards of twenty-five Ḥajj.'"

  • As shared by Shihāb: "Imām Ṣādiq(a) asked me, 'Shihāb, how many times have you performed Ḥajj?' To which I answered, 'Nineteen times.' Then the Imām(a) urged, 'Strive for the twentieth time, so these twenty Ḥajj can be equated to the ziyārah of Ḥusayn's grave.'"

  • Ḥudhayfah b. Manṣūr recounts: "Imām Ṣādiq(a) asked me, 'How many times have you performed Ḥajj?' I replied, 'Nineteen times.' Upon which the Imām(a) proposed, 'Should you perform Ḥajj twenty-one times, you will be considered as those who have visited the grave of Ḥusayn(a).'"

  • Imām Ṣādiq(a) communicates, "Those who visit Ḥusayn's grave with profound understanding are comparable to those who have performed a hundred Ḥajj with the Prophet Allah(p)."

  • Imām Ṣādiq(a) proclaims, "Eighty accepted Ḥajj will be recorded for those who visit Ḥusayn's grave."

  • Mūsā b. Qāsem provides this account: During the early tenure of Mansūr ʿAbbāsī, Imām Ṣādiq(a) made his journey to Iraq. Upon his halt in Najaf, he turned to me and said, "Mūsā, position yourself on the main thoroughfare. Wait there until a man appears, arriving from Qādisīyya1. As he approaches, inform him that a descendant of The Messenger of Alla(p) awaits his company. He will follow your lead."
    On a day of scorching heat, I took my position along the route as directed by the Imām(a). As I stood waiting, on the verge of disregarding the Imām's instruction and departing, I discerned a figure approaching from a distance. As he drew nearer, it became evident he was a man riding a camel. I greeted him with the words Imām(a) had provided me, "A man from the Prophet's lineage waits here. He has described you and requested your presence."
    The man asked to be led to the Imām(a). Upon our arrival at the cluster of tents, he tethered his camel nearby. Respectfully accepting the Imām's invitation, he entered the tent. I stationed myself close to the tent, where I could overhear their conversation but remained unseen.
    The Imām(a) queried him, "From where do you travel?" The man confessed, "I hail from the remotest part of Yemen." When the Imām(a) questioned his origin from a specific place (mentioning the name of his city), the man affirmed. On being asked about his purpose of visit, the man declared, "I have journeyed here to visit Ḥusayn's grave."
    The Imām(a) further inquired if he was there solely for ziyārah and had no other requests. The man confirmed that he desired nothing more than to pray at Ḥusayn's gravesite and return to his family. When asked about the benefits he believed to attain from the visit, the man expressed his faith in receiving blessings for himself, his family, his wealth, and fulfilling his requests.
    Addressing him as "O' Brother of Yemen", the Imām(a) offered to reveal further virtues of the ziyārah. The man eagerly responded, "Enlighten me further, O' son of Rasūl Allah(p)." To this, the Imām(a) asserted, "Visiting Ḥusayn's grave is equivalent to an accepted Ḥajj with the Prophet(p)." This revelation startled the man, and as he grappled with this newfound understanding, the Imām(a) reiterated, "By Allah, it equates to two accepted Ḥajj with the Prophet(p)." The man's amazement grew as the Imām(a) increased the number up to thirty accepted Ḥajj with the Prophet of Allah(p).

  • Yazīd b. ʿAbdul Malik recounts: I was in the company of Imām Ṣādiq(a) when we noticed a procession of individuals riding on donkeys. The Imām(a) inquired about their destination, to which I responded, "They are headed to the graves of the martyrs of ʾUḥud." Imām(a) posed another question, "What stops them from visiting al-Shahīd al-Gharīb?" An individual from Iraq questioned whether this visitation was obligatory. Imām(a) responded affirmatively, "Indeed, such a visitation carries a significance greater than performing several rounds of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah." Yazīd b. ʿAbdul Malik continues the narrative, emphasising that the Imām(a) equated the visitation to twenty accepted rounds of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah. He states that he remained until another man approached Imām(a), sharing his experience of nineteen Ḥajj, and seeking prayers to be able to perform the twentieth. When queried by Imām(a) about his visitation to Ḥusayn's grave, the man responded in the negative, to which Imām(a) clarified, "A single visit to his grave surpasses the value of twenty Ḥajj."

  • The narrative by Masʿadah b. Sadaqah follows: Upon my questioning of Imām Ṣādiq(a) about the reward bestowed on one who performs the ziyārah of Ḥusayn(a), the Imām(a) responded that such an act would be equivalent to performing Ḥajj with the Messenger of Allah(p). Surprised, I asked for clarification, and Imām(a) not only confirmed but increased the count to two, then three, and continued until he reached ten. As I expressed my astonishment at the magnitude of the reward, Imām(a) took it further to twenty Ḥajj. Despite my incredulous responses, he continued to amplify the reward until he reached fifty Ḥajj and then stopped.

  • ʿAbdullah b. Maymūn shares his encounter: I posed a question to Imām Ṣādiq(a) about the reward promised to those who perform the ziyārah of Ḥusayn(a) with humility and devoid of arrogance. Imām(a) clarified that such individuals will be credited with one thousand Ḥajj and one thousand ʿUmrah. He added that even if they were among the unfortunate ones, they would be recorded as joyous ones, perpetually bathed in Allah's mercy.

Footnotes

  1. Qādisīyya (Arabic: القادسیة) was a station or resting area near Kufa