Planning Your Ziyarat Journey to the Holy Shrines
Hazrat Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) emphasized the importance of planning in the below words.
التَّدْبِيرُ قَبْلَ الْعَمَلِ يُؤْمِنُكَ النَّدَم
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) said,
Planning before action will save you from regret.1
The good fortune of undertaking the blessed journeys for the visitation of our masters, the holy and purified Ahle Bait (a.s.) is indeed one of the best and swiftest way to gain proximity to Allah, the Almighty and the holy household of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), attract Divine favours and gather abundant provisions for our Hereafter.
It is therefore very important that we plan these visitations well, to gain maximum spiritual benefit from them.
We do not know, if we will get an opportunity again for their blessed visitations. We are reminded of this fact in the farewell Ziyarat of the Ahle Bait (a.s.) in these words.
اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلْهُ آخِرَ الْعَهْدِ مِنْ زِيَارَتِي قَبْرَ نَبِيِّكَ ص فَإِنْ تَوَفَّيْتَنِي قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي أَشْهَدُ فِي مَمَاتِي عَلَى مَا أَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِ فِي حَيَاتِي أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُكَ وَ رَسُولُك
O Allah! Do not make this my last Ziyarat of the grave of Your Prophet. And if You take my life before I come here again, I bear witness after my passing away to that which I bear witness during my lifetime, which is; “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is Your servant and Your Messenger.”2
Or we read in the Ziyarat to bid farewell to Ameerul Momineen (a.s.),
اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلْهُ آخِرَ الْعَهْدِ مِنْ زِيَارَتِي إِيَّاهُ فَإِنْ تَوَفَّيْتَنِي قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي أَشْهَدُ فِي مَمَاتِي عَلَى مَا شَهِدْتُ عَلَيْهِ فِي حَيَاتِي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكُمُ الْأَئِمَّةُ
O Allah! Do not let this be the last time I come to his Ziyarat. If You take my life before I come to his Ziyarat again, then surely I will bear witness after my passing away to that which I testified during my life. I bear witness that you are the Imams.3
We do not know, if we will get an opportunity to visit again, therefore it is prudent that we make best use of the Divine bounty that we have received.
Preparing for Spiritual Purification Before Ziyarat
Section titled “Preparing for Spiritual Purification Before Ziyarat”In the Dua to be recited at the time of Ghusl, when leaving for Ziyarat we are advised to recite,
اللَّهُمَّ طَهِّرْنِي وَ طَهِّرْ لِي قَلْبِي وَ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَ أَجْرِ عَلَى لِسَانِي مِدْحَتَكَ وَ الثَّنَاءَ عَلَيْك
O Allah, purify me and purify my heart for me, expand my chest and make my tongue praise and glorify You.
Indeed, there are lofty goals and Divine rewards in visitation of the holy Ahle Bait (a.s.) which are mentioned in the first half of this book. In the above dua, we are made attentive towards other important things like purification of our hearts, and we also beseech Allah for the good fortune to remember Him, Praise Him and Glorify Him.
Utilising Our Time During the Ziyarat Journey
Section titled “Utilising Our Time During the Ziyarat Journey”Apart from spiritual purification, we seek the good fortune to Praise and Glorify our Lord, in the above Dua.
We should therefore, make a list of Duas and Ziyarats that we aim to recite in the blessed journeys.
Below are few Duas and Ziyarats that are recommended that we should recite in these blessed journeys. We can group them as what can recite daily and what we should recite on specific days like Friday eve or specific places like Sardaab, Masjid e Sahla, Masjid e Kufa, etc.
Planning Which Duas and Ziyarat to Recite
Section titled “Planning Which Duas and Ziyarat to Recite”Below are some duas that we have listed to be recited daily in these blessed journeys and duas which we should recite as much as possible if not daily in the blessed shrines of the holy Ahle Bait (a.s.).
| Daily Recitation | |
|---|---|
| Name of Dua | Approx. Mins |
| Holy Quran | 30 |
| Ziyarat e Jameah | 25 |
| Dua Aaliyatul Mazameen | 15 |
| Ziyarat Ashura | 10 |
| Dua-e-Al Qama | 15 |
| Ziyarat Aale Yaseen | 5 |
| Dua e Ahad | 5 |
| Dua e Mashlool | 15 |
| Dua e Sanam e Quraish | 10 |
| Namaz e Gufayla | 5 |
| Namaz e Shab | 30 |
| Regular Recitation (Atleast once each during the journey) | |
|---|---|
| Name of Dua | Approx Mins |
Dua for Thanking Allah Dua No 1 Sahife Sajjadiya |
10 |
Salawat on Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) Dua No 2 Sahife Sajjadiya |
5 |
Dua e Makarim al Akhlaq (Dua 20 Sahife Sajjadiya) |
20 |
Dua for Parents (Dua 24 Sahife Sajjadiya) |
10 |
Dua for Children (Dua 25 Sahife Sajjadiya) |
5 |
Dua e Tauba Dua 31 Sahife Sajjadiya |
15 |
| Ziyarat Nahiya1 | 35 |
| Ziyarat Ameenullah | 5 |
| Dua e Kumail | 15 |
| Dua e Abu Hamza Sumali | 60 |
| Dua e Yastasheer | 10 |
| Dua e Adilah | 10 |
| Dua e Sayfi Sageer | 5 |
| Dua e Tawassul | 5 |
| Dua e Marefat (Long) | 20 |
| Ziyarat e Istegasa | 5 |
| Munajaat e Imam Ali (as) | 15 |
| Dua e Mujeer | 10 |
| Dua e Sabah | 10 |
| Dua e Sad Subhaan | 10 |
| Ziyarat e Taziyah | 10 |
| Dua e Nudba | 20 |
Not to be missed in Kerbala↩︎
Checklist: What to Pray for at the Blessed Tombs of the Ahle Bait (a.s.)
Section titled “Checklist: What to Pray for at the Blessed Tombs of the Ahle Bait (a.s.)”-
To Pray for early reappearance of Imame Zaman (a.t.f.s)
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To Pray for safety and security of Imame Zaman (a.t.f.s.)
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That Allah bestows His recognition to us, removes the coverings from our Fitrat
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Recognition of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)
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Recognition of the Ahle Bait (a.s.) and the recognition of the Imam of the Time
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Opportunity to do Khidmat of the Ahle Bait (a.s.)
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Increase their Wilayat
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Increase Bara’at from the enemies of Ahle Bait (a.s.)
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Acquire religious knowledge
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Learn and understand the traditions and teachings of the holy Ahle Bait (a.s.)
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Opportunity to propagate religion
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Act on our knowledge
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Adorn us with best Akhlaq
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Make Arabic and Persian easy for us so that we are able to read books in these languages
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Good fortune to serve our parents
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Prayers for our parents in the shrines of the Ahle Bait (a.s.)
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Praying for steadfastness on religion for our children
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Grace of the Almighty that we die on faith
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Safety from doubts in religion and the tenants of religion
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Increase in sustenance
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Ease of acquiring sustenance, so that we don’t get engrossed in the world and are able to focus on our religious duties.
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Good health
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Forgiveness of our sins and that of our parents, children, brothers in faith and of our family members and brethren who have passed away from this world.
Remembering Our Sins Before the Imam (a.s.)
Section titled “Remembering Our Sins Before the Imam (a.s.)”Ayatullah Dastaghaib Shirazi says in Greater Sins,
Tawbah is a sincere feeling of shame and remorse experienced by the heart. The more the grief and sorrow in the heart the nearer the repentant will be to Divine acceptance of Tawbah. The greater the sin, the deeper should be the sorrow. A man who has sinned is like a man whose lifetime earnings are burnt away. This realisation will create intense grief and restlessness which will enhance the effectiveness of his Tawbah. Tawbah is therefore compulsory for a sinner if he wants to save himself from the horrible fate that awaits him. The loss will naturally create intense grief and restlessness. He should weep so much, remembering his sins, and he should continue to beg pardon of Allah restlessly.4
With regards to repentance Hazrat Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says,
Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘A sinner who confesses to his sin is better than an obedient man who brags about his deed.’5
Similarly, Hazrat Imam Baqir (a.s.) says, By Allah! None will be safe from his sin except the one who admits it.’6
The feeling of remorse for our sins will be more when we actually remember the sins that we have committed, feel ashamed and then seek forgiveness for it as opposed to just saying “O Allah, forgive all my sins”.
We have listed below the list of 50 sins from the book Greater Sins of Ayatullah Dastaghaib Shirazi so that we can recollect our sins and specifically seek forgiveness for them by mentioning them.
| Shirk – Polytheism | Sodomy | Non-fulfilment of Promise |
|---|---|---|
| Despairing from Mercy of Allah | To accuse chaste man or woman of adultery | Treachery |
| Qunut – Despondence | Drinking Liquor | Stealing |
| Disregarding Punishment of Allah | Gambling | Short Weighing and Cheating |
| Murder | Music | Consumption of Haraam |
| Disobedience to Parents | Singing | Usurping the rights of others |
| Qat e Rahmi | Lying | Flight from Jehad |
| Usurping the Property of the Orphans | False Oath | Becoming Aitrab from Hijrat |
| Usury | False Testimony | Helping the Oppressors |
| Fornication | Concealing Evidence | Not helping the oppressed |
| Sorcery | Wasteful Expenditure | Pride or Arrogance |
| To War Against Muslims | Eatting Carrion, Pork and blood | Omitting Prayers Intentionally |
| Non Payment of Zakat | Not Giving Importance to Hajj | To neglect any Obligatory Act |
| Persistence in Minor sins | Backbiting | Tale Telling |
| Insulting a Believer | Intrigue, Deception and Breaking Covenants | Hoarding and Black Marketing |
| Disrespect of Holy Quran | Disrespect of Kaaba | Disrespect of Mosque |
| Disrespect of Tombs of Ahle Bait (a.s.) | Disrespect of soil of grave of Imam Husain (a.s.) |