Question 726: A group of Shi'a has agreed to individually recite Ziyarat Ashura, followed by saying 'O Allah, hasten the reappearance of your Wali' 40 times for 40 nights, from mid-Shaban to the 24th of Ramadan, with the intention of hastening the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him). How is this action viewed?

Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 قال صفوان قال لِی أَبُو عبداللَّه تَعَاهَدْ هَذِهِ الزِّیَارَةَ وَ ادْعُ بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ وَ زُرْ بِهِ فَإِنِّی ضَامِنٌ عَلَی اللَّهِ تَعَالَی لِکُلِّ مَنْ زَارَ بِهَذِهِ الزِّیَارَةِ وَ دَعَا بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ مِنْ قُرْبٍ أَوْ بُعْدٍ إِنَّ زِیَارَتَهُ مَقْبُولَةٌ وَ سَعْیَهُ مَشْکُورٌ وَ سَلَامَهُ وَاصِلٌ غَيْرُ مَحْجُوبٍ وَ حَاجَتَهُ مَقْضِیَّةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَی بَالِغاً مَا بَلَغَتْ وَ لَا یُخَیِّبُهُ
... قال صَفْوَانُ قَالَ أَبوعبداللَّه یَا صَفْوَانُ إِذَا حَدَثَ لَکَ إِلَی اللَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فَزُرْهُ بِهَذِهِ الزِّیَارَةِ مِنْ حَیْثُ کَنْتَ و ادْعُ بِهَذَا الدُّعَاءِ وَ سَلْ رَبَّکَ حَاجَتَکَ تَأْتِکَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَ اللَّهُ غَیْرُ مُخْلِفٍ وَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلی الله علیه و آله بِمَنِّهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّه
In the hadith of Ziyarat Ashura, Safwan said: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: Be consistent with this ziyarat and recite this supplication (i.e., the supplication known as Alqama) and perform ziyarat with it, for I guarantee by Allah, the Exalted, that whoever recites this ziyarat and this supplication, whether from near or far, his ziyarat will be accepted, his efforts will be appreciated, his greeting will be conveyed and will not be veiled, and his need, whatever it may be, will be fulfilled by Allah, the Exalted, and He will not disappoint him...
Until he said to Safwan: O Safwan! When you have a need from Allah, then recite this ziyarat (i.e., Ziyarat Ashura) from wherever you are, and recite this supplication (i.e., the supplication known as Alqama), and ask your Lord for your need, for it will come to you from Allah, and Allah will not break the promise of His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) by His grace! And praise be to Allah.
📚Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 101, p. 299
2 قال أَبوعبداللَّه ما مِنْ رَهْطٍ أَرْبَعِینَ رَجُلًا اجْتَمَعُوا فَدَعَوُا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِی أَمْرٍ إِلَّا اسْتَجَابَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ فَإِنْ لَمْ یَکُونُوا أَرْبَعِینَ فَأَرْبَعَةٌ یَدْعُونَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَشْرَ مَرَّاتٍ إِلَّا اسْتَجَابَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ فَإِنْ لَمْ یَکُونُوا أَرْبَعَةً فَوَاحِدٌ یَدْعُو اللَّهَ أَرْبَعِینَ مَرَّةً فَیَسْتَجِیبُ اللَّهُ الْعَزِیزُ الْجَبَّارُ لَهُ
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 485
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: There are no 40 people who gather and call upon Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, for a matter, except that their supplication is answered. So if there are not 40 people, then 4 people should call upon and supplicate to Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, ten times, and their supplication will be answered. So if there are not 4 people, then one person should call upon Allah (supplicate) forty times, and as a result, Allah, the Mighty, the Compeller, will answer his supplication!
3 الفضل بن أبی قُرَّةَ عن أَبی عبداللَّه علیه السلام في حديث قَالَ... فَلَمَّا طَالَ عَلَی بَنِی إِسْرَائِیلَ الْعَذَابُ ضَجُّوا وَ بَکَوْا إِلَی اللَّهِ أَرْبَعِینَ صَبَاحاً فَأَوْحَی اللَّهُ إِلَی مُوسَی وَ هَارُونَ یُخَلِّصُهُمْ مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ فَحَطَّ عَنْهُمْ سَبْعِینَ وَ مِائَةَ سَنَةٍ قَالَ وَ قَالَ أَبُوعبداللَّه هَکَذَا أَنْتُمْ لَوْ فَعَلْتُمْ لَفَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنَّا فَأَمَّا إِذَا لَمْ تَکُونُوا فَإِنَّ الْأَمْرَ یَنْتَهِی إِلَی مُنْتَهَاهُ
📚Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 4, p. 117
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a hadith: When the torment prolonged for the Children of Israel, they wailed, cried, and wept to Allah for forty days, so Allah revealed to Moses and Aaron that He would save them from Pharaoh, and as a result, He removed 170 years (from their period)! And Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Likewise, you Shi'a, if you do this (i.e., wail and weep to Allah), our reappearance will certainly come, and if you do not, the matter will reach its end!
✅Yes, the above program is a necessary and very important matter, and it is consistent with the narrations. Therefore:
According to hadith 1, we recite Ziyarat Ashura and the supplication of Alqama.
Then, according to hadith 2, we repeat our need, which is the supplication for the hastening of the reappearance, 40 times.
And according to hadith 3, we repeat this action for 40 days.
✅ I request all lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) to participate in this important collective commitment.
(Of course, performing these actions is not limited to these days.)
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
⚜ Recommendation to supplicate in groups
⚜ Supplicating 40 times for a need
⚜ Recommendation for 40 days of supplication
⚜ The reward and virtue of reciting Ziyarat Ashura