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Holy Shrines
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HOLY SHRINES
Question:
Which are the illustrious shrines?
Answer:
These are places where the Prophet and the impeccable Imams have been buried namely:
1. The Hujra of the Prophet (God’s blessings and peace be upon him and his Progeny ) at al-Madina in the Hejaz.
2. Al-Baqi‘ cemetery at al-Madina which contains the graves of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (peace be upon them all). The final resting-place of Fatima al-Zahra’ (peace be upon her), the best of all women, is also probably in al-Baqi‘.
3. The shrine of Imam Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) in al-Najaf al-Ashraf in Iraq.
4. The shrine of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) in Karbala’, Iraq.
5. The shrines of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad Jawad (peace be upon both of them) in al-Kadhimiyya, Iraq.
6. The shrine of Imam ‘Ali al-Rida (peace be upon him) in Mashhad in Khurasan, Iran.
7. The shrines of Imam ‘Ali al-Hadi and Imam al-Hasan al-‘Askari, and the underground vault of Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon them) in Samara’ in Iraq.
8. Other shrines approach to some degree the unique status of the above as, for instance, the shrine of al-‘Abbas (peace be upon him) in Karbala’, the shrine of Sayyida Zaynab (peace be upon her) at Damascus, and the shrines of other Prophets like the shrine of Dhu Kifl (peace be upon him), and the shrine of Musa ( Kalim-Allah - peace be upon him).
Question:
Do these shrines enjoy a special superiority?
Answer:
Yes, for the reason that the Prophets of God and His deputies (awsiya’uhu) and those who are near and close to God are buried there.
Question:
Please explain some aspects of this superior status.
Answer:
The special injunctions which apply to mosques (as set out above) also apply to these holy shrines with the addition that supplications are particularly recommended in the mausoleum of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him). The latter is characterized by other privileges as are the rest of the shrines.
Question:
Does merely being present at these shrines also carry reward and recompense?
Answer:
Yes, for Islam has highly recommended that the Muslims visit the graves of the Prophet, his Daughter and the impeccable Imams (peace be upon them all) since such visits will receive an abundant reward in the hereafter. Moreover Islam has specified particular occasions which are preferable to other times for such visits.
If in today’s world we see that the tomb of the Unknown Soldier has become a spot to visit, thus encouraging people to defend their homeland and as a mark of esteem for the soldiers who are killed on the battlefield, so in Islam there are well-known leaders and if people only were to follow them they would acquire blessings in this world and happiness in the world to come.
Therefore we see that the shrines of the Prophet and the impeccable Imams are as a torch for Islam and the source of abundant happiness.
In particular the prayers for visiting the Prophet and the Imams are in themselves lessons and a method for right belief. For example, in one of the prayers written for the visit to the shrine of Imam Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), ‘Ali is extolled as the one who is,
“Just with the people parcelling out justice with impartiality”.[39]
From this sentence we glean the principle of justice and the need to be impartial when dealing with the rights of others.
In one of the prayers written for the visit to the sanctuary of Imam al-Husayn we read:
“I bear witness that you are purity, pure and made pure and that you are from the offspring of purity, the pure and those who have been made pure. You yourself are pure and so through you the land was purified, the earth in which you lie is pure because of you, and your sanctuary is pure.”[40]
We learn from this that it is incumbent upon man to make his heart, body and everything with which he comes into contact pure and to make pure the land in which he dwells. Should not the pilgrim follow the example of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) through whom the land was purified?
Question:
Are there other advantages for visiting the shrines on special occasions?
Answer:
Yes, the same benefits that were mentioned for the Hajj, since during the special occasions for visiting the shrines of the impeccable Imams, people come together from every place and so the benefits that are obtained from the Hajj (already listed above) are obtained from these visits too.
