The Reward for Visitors

Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq^(a) narrates: I heard my father, Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir^(a), ask one of his servants who had just asked him regarding the ziyārah of al-Ḥusayn^(a), “To whose ziyārah are you going and whom do you seek to please by going to this ziyārah?”

The servant replied, “Allāh^(s).”

My father^(a) said: “Those who perform one prayer behind the grave of al-Ḥusayn^(a) seeking the nearness of Allāh will meet Him on the Day of Judgment shining so brightly that the light emanating from them will cover everything that sees them. Allāh will honor those who perform the ziyārah of al-Ḥusayn^(a) and will prevent the hellfire from touching them. They will not be prevented from coming to the Pool of al-Kawthar and none shall precede them. ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn^(a) will be standing by al-Kawthar and will shake their hands and quench their thirst. Then they will go to their abodes in Heaven accompanied by an angel appointed by ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn^(a). This angle will order al-Ṣirāṭ (bridge over hellfire) to humble itself before them and will order Hell not to touch them with its blazing fires. They will pass over al-Ṣirāṭ accompanied by the angel sent by ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn^(a).”

Hishām b. Sālim narrates: A man came to Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq^(a) and asked, “O son of Rasūl Allāh^{( s)}! Should one perform the ziyārah of your father, al-Ḥusayn^(a)?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Yes, and establish prayer beside his grave. But one should not perform prayers in front of the grave but should rather stand behind it while performing prayers.”

The man asked, “What is the reward for those who perform his ziyārah?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Heaven, if they believe in his Imāmate.”

The man asked, “What about those who intentionally neglect performing his ziyārah?” Imām^(a) replied, “They will regret it on the Day of Regret.” The man asked, “What about those who stay a few days by his grave?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Every day will be equal to one thousand months of worship.”

The man asked, “What about those who spend money while traveling to his ziyārah and who give charity near his grave?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Every dirham is equal to one thousand dirhams.”

The man asked, “What about those who die on their way to him?”

Imām^(a) replied, “The angels will bring embalmment and shrouds for them from Heaven and will accompany them in their funerals. After they are shrouded, the angels will perform prayers on them and shroud them again over their existing shrouds. Then they will spread flowers under their bodies in their graves and will push the walls of their graves three miles in every direction. Then a door from the doors of Heaven will be opened to their graves and its soothing fragrance will fill their graves until the rising of the Hour.”

The man asked, “What about those who perform prayers next to him?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Those who perform two raka’at of prayer next to him will not ask anything from Allāh^(s) without Allāh granting it.”

The man asked, “What about those who perform ghusl with the water of the Euphrates and then go to Him?” Imām^(a) replied, “If they perform ghusl with the water of the Euphrates with the intention of going to him, their sins will fall off them and they will become sinless like the day their mothers gave birth to them.” The man asked, “What about those who make arrangements for others to go but do not go themselves due to fear of affliction?”

Imām^(a) replied, “Allāh will recompense them for every dirham they have spent with rewards as great as the mountain of ʾUḥud and will sustain them with multiple amounts. Also the afflictions which had been written for them will be pushed away and their wealth will be protected.”

The man asked, “What about those who are killed next to al-Ḥusayn^(a) and those captured by an oppressive authority and killed?”

Imām^(a) replied, “All of their sins will be forgiven with the first drop of their blood which is spilled. Then the angels will cleanse the clay from which they were created. The impurities that had originally been mixed within the clay from the disbelievers will be removed from their clay until it becomes as pure as the clay of the devoted prophets. Then their heart will be cleansed and their chest expanded and filled with faith. They will meet Allāh while being pure from every impurity that might have been mixed with the heart or the body. They will be granted the power of intercession for their family members and for one thousand of their brothers in faith. Jabrāʾīl^{( a)} and the Angel of Death along with the other angels will perform prayers on them. Their shrouds and embalmment will be brought from Heaven. Their graves will be expanded. Lamps will be placed in their graves and a door from Heaven will be opened to their graves. After the angels will bring exquisite gifts from Heaven to them. Eighteen days later, they will be moved to Ḥatheerat al-Quds and they will remain there with the company of the friends of Allāh until the trumpet, which will leave nothing alive, sounds. When the trumpet sounds for the second time, they will be resurrected from their graves, Rasūl Allāh^(s), ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn^(a), and the Imāms^(a) will be amongst the first to shake their hands and will give them glad tidings and tell them to hold onto them and follow them to al-Kawthar where they will be allowed to drink and give water to whomsoever they wish.”

The man asked, “What about those who are imprisoned during Ziyārah?”

Imām^(a) replied, “They will receive a different kind of reward for every day they were imprisoned until the Day of Judgment. And if they were also beaten while being imprisoned, they will be rewarded with one hoori for every time they were beaten. Every time they feel pain in their bodies, one million good deeds will be added to their deeds and one million bad deed will be removed from their deeds and one million ranks will be added to their status. On the Day of Judgment, they will be speaking with Rasūl Allāh^(s) while others are going through judgement. The carriers of the `Arsh will shake hands with them and they will be told to ask Allāh for whatever they wish. Those who beat them while imprisoned will be brought forth for judgment. But they will not be questioned regarding anything. Instead they will be held by their two upper arms and taken to an angel who will give them a drink of Ḥameem¹ and a drink of Ghisleen². After this they will be placed over fires in Hell and told “Taste that which your hands brought forth by beating this man who was the guest of Allāh and the guest of His Messenger^(s).” Then those who were beaten will be brought to the door of Hellfire and will be told, “Look at those who beat you and look at what is happening to them. Are you satisfied with how you were avenged?” Those who were beaten will say, “Praise be to Allāh who achieved victory for us and for the son of His Messenger^(s).”

ʿAbd Allāh b. Bukayr narrates: Imām Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq^(a) said: “O’ son of Bukayr! Allāh has chosen six places on earth; Bayt al-Ḥarām (Kaʿba), Masjid al-Ḥarām, the graves of the prophets, the graves of the successors, the places of martyrdom of the martyrs and the mosques in which the name of Allāh is remembered. O’ son of Bukayr! Do you know the reward for those who perform the ziyārah of the grave of Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn^(a), even though the ignorant neglect it?”

Every morning, an angel beside the grave of al-Ḥusayn^(a) calls out, “O those who seek blessings! Come to Allāh’s chosen one (i.e. Imām al-Ḥusayn^(a)) so that you may return with honor and be protected from the regret!” This call is heard by all of the inhabitants of the east and the west except for mankind and jinn. Upon hearing this call, all of the angels on earth descent to the visitors of al-Ḥusayn^(a) while they are asleep, sanctify Allāh near them and ask Allāh to be pleased with them. All of the angels in the skies who hear this call respond by glorifying Allāh. The angels raise their voices and the inhabitants of the first sky are so loud the inhabitants of the seventh sky and the prophets can hear them and they (angels of the seventh sky and prophets) turn and ask Allāh to send mercy and blessings on al-Ḥusayn^(a) and pray for those who are performing his ziyārah.”