السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا أَهْلَ بَيْتِ النُّبُوَّةِ، وَمَوْضِعَ الرِّسالَةِ، وَمُخْتَلَفَ الْمَلائِكَةِ، وَمَهْبِطَ الْوَحْيِ، وَمَعْدِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ، وَخُزَّانَ الْعِلْمِ، وَمُنْتَهَى الْحِلْمِ، وَأُصُولَ الْكَرَمِ، وَقادَةَ الْأُمَمِ، وَأَوْلِياءَ النِّعَمِ، وَعَناصِرَ الْأَبْرارِ، وَدَعائِمَ الْأَخْيارِ، وَساسَةَ الْعِبادِ، وَأَرْكانَ الْبِلادِ، وَأَبْوابَ الْإِيمانِ، وَأُمَناءَ الرَّحْمٰنِ، وَسُلالَةَ النَّبِيِّينَ، وَصَفْوَةَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، وَعِتْرَةَ خِيَرَةِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ، وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ
Introduction
Ziyarah al-Jama’ah is one of the significant supplications in Shia tradition, attributed to the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) and it is a narration from Imam Hadi AS. It contains profound teachings on monotheism, the status of the Imam, and the concept of wilayah (guardianship). According to the famous and widely accepted narration amongst Muslims, “Hadith al-Thaqalain,” the Holy Quran and the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) are always together, inseparable and complementary to each other.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: “I am leaving two precious things amongst you people: the Book of Allah and my Progeny, that is my Ahl al-Bayt. As long as you hold tight to them, you will never go astray, and they will never part from each other until they meet me at the fountain (of Kawthar).”
Thus, just as the written and silent Quran requires interpretation and explanation, the speaking Quran, that is, the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), must also be correctly understood and recognized fully in order to benefit from their blessings. Because of the depth of their knowledge and wisdom, their words require explanation and clarification. In this path, the best sources for learning about and understanding them are the Ahlul Bayt themselves and the Holy Quran. It can be said that full comprehension of the status and the speech of the Ahlul Bayt can only be achieved through the Thaqalain.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says: “This book (the holy Quran) is the silent book of Allah, and I am its interpreter. So, hold on to the speaking book of Allah, and refrain from making judgments based on the silent book of Allah, for there is no interpreter of it except me.”
Similarly, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says in another narration: “I am the knowledge bestowed by Allah, ,,,, and I am the speaking tongue of Allah.”
Shia Muslims have been accused of exaggerating about the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them). However, if we can prove our claim through the Quran and narrations that have a consensus of different sects regarding their authenticity, not only will we not be called exaggerators, but we will also prove the lack of knowledge or biased opinions of others.
Meaning of Ziyarah
Ziyarah is one of the ways to recognize the virtues of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) and draw closer to them. In Arabic the literal meaning of Ziyarah is “to aim for or visit” but in the religious context, it refers to visiting the chosen servants of Allah with the intention of respecting them, valuing them, and coming closer to them physically and spiritually. Currently, Ziyarah is commonly associated with visiting the graves of holy individuals.
How to Perform Ziyarah
Among Muslims, especially Shia, Ziyarah is considered an important act of worship, and it is inconceivable that someone would perform an act, regard it as significant, and incur great expenses and effort for it, yet not understand its meaning.
“Salam” a Key Part of Ziyarah:
Ziyarah generally begins with sending peace and blessings to them, saying “Salam” (As-salamu alaikum). Our religious belief and logical inference are that Allah Almighty does not act without purpose and does not command us to do so. If another word had the same blessings and effects as “Salam”, Allah would certainly have chosen and commanded it. Even in the Qur’an, there are words that are not Arabic, and the claim by some that “Salam” is purely an Arabic word or exclusive to Arabic culture is not acceptable. “Salam” is a religious and Islamic word.
Why Do We Say “Salam”?
1. The Command of Allah:
The Quran explicitly commands believers to send blessings and peace upon the Prophet:
“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed! Ask (Allah to send His) blessings upon him and salute him with a special salutation”. (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:56)
Allah’s command to send peace upon the Prophet is indicative of its importance and true effects. The final greeting of the prayer is obligatory for every Muslim, that is, every Muslim who prays is required to send peace to all angels, believers, including prophets, the righteous, the martyrs,…, and even to themselves.
2. The Tradition of Allah:
Allah has established traditions such as guidance, support and help for the believers, gradual punishment of certain sinners (Istidraj), making some sinners prosperous to test them even more (Imla’), etc. Similarly, sending peace upon His special servants is one of His divine traditions. Understanding and acting in accordance with Allah’s tradition brings us closer to Allah and His chosen servants. In the holy Quran we see examples of the Salam of Allah:
◦ “Peace be upon Elias” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:130)
◦ “Peace be upon Moses and Aaron” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:120)
◦ “Peace be upon Ibrahim” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:109)
◦ “Peace be upon Noah in the worlds” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:79)
◦ “Say, ‘Praise to Allah, and peace upon His servants whom He has chosen.’” (Surah An-Naml, 27:59)
These examples highlight the value and status of sending Salam as a divine confirmation.
3. Announcing Our Love or Allegiance (Tawalli) and Disavowal (Tabarri):
Saying “Salam” is a way to express love and loyalty (Tawalli) to the friends of Allah and disavowal (Tabarri) from His enemies.
Sometimes in the Qur’an, believers are commanded to use Salam to indicate that they have no quarrel with someone, but wish to part ways. This is not the Salam we are discussing; as in the verse:
“And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say, ‘For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace be upon you; we do not fond of the ignorant.'” (Surah Al-Qasas, 28:55)
4. It is a Supplication (Dua) that is guaranteed to be fulfilled:
When we say “Salam,” we are asking Allah to send His peace upon others. In reality, “Salam” is a supplication that Allah, in His grace and attention to all of us, has gifted us, and it is a blessing that every Muslim can offer to another Muslim, a fulfilled request.
5. The Special Blessings of Salam in Paradise
“Salam” is a blessing that we cannot fully comprehend. In Paradise, there are three types of blessings:
◦ Blessings already provided: “Blessings already provided from (the Nurturer who is) the Best Coverer (of sins and faults), the Kindest towards believers.”. (Surah Fussilat, 41:32) نُزُلًا مِنْ غَفُورٍ رَحِيمٍ
Ziyarah, as an act that includes sending Salam, aligns with the divine tradition and brings us closer to Allah and His chosen servants.
◦ Waiting for the Request or Wish: لَهُمْ مَا يَشْتَهُونَ / لَهُمْ مَا يَدَّعُونَ
“For them is what they desire, and for them is what they call for.”
◦ Beyond our imagination: وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ: “And there is more with Us”.
Salam is one of these ultimate blessings that we cannot comprehend. We do not understand the immense pleasure that comes with receiving Salam from Allah. When Allah says:
سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِنْ رَبٍّ رَحِيمٍ: “Salam, a Word from a Nurturer who is the Kindest towards believers “; it means: “that Salam/peace is for them.”
6. When people follow the Prophets, they too may receive the blessing of Salam from Allah as seen in this verse:
“Peace be upon Moses and Aaron. Indeed, that is how We reward the virtuous ones.” (Surah As-Saffat, 37:120). We see that the verse mentions the reward of the virtuous people, right after the Salam on those Prophets.
The narration tells us that the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets. This inheritance could be any blessing that the Prophets receive and Salam from people is one of them.
7. Salam, One of the Names of Allah as Quran says Allah is:
Al-Salam, Al-Mu’min, Al-Muhaymin, Al-Aziz, Al-Jabbar, Al-Mutakabbir …
Perhaps this indicates that when we say Salam, we pray for peace and safety for someone, we are wishing that Allah, who is the source of peace and safety, keeps that person in health and security.
8. It Indicates that the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) are Alive;
Quran says: “Do not think that those who lost their lives for the cause of Allah are dead! But, they are alive with their Nurturer and are given sustenance from Him.” (Surah Al-Imran, 3:169)
Especially with the suffix “كم” in the phrase “Peace be upon you, O People of the House of Prophethood,” which shows our belief in their presence and our respect for them.
9. Salam in Ziyarah is a source of blessings. We know that responding to Salam is obligatory as the holy Quran says:
“And when you are greeted with a greeting, reply with a better greeting, or (at least) reply similarly. Indeed, Allah keeps account of all things.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:86)
Responding to peace is obligatory, even during prayer, where many acts are prohibited, except responding to a greeting. Therefore, since the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) are generous, they will respond to our Salam in a more noble way and more generously, i.e., “Better than it.”
10. We have been ordered by Allah to say Salam when entering a house:
“When you enter houses, greet yourselves; (this results in) a greeting from Allah, blessed and pure.” (Surah An-Nur, 24:61)
This peace, although uttered by our tongues, carries blessings from Allah, which makes it blessed and pure. If greeting oneself brings blessings, greeting others brings blessings both for ourselves and for others.
11. The Prayer for the Safety of Religion and health and safety in this worldly life:
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) used to say these words when saying goodbye:
“May Allah grant you piety, direct you to every good, fulfill all your needs, preserve your religion and worldly affairs, and return you to me safe and sound.”