Question 1273: How often should the pilgrimage (ziyarah) to Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) be performed?

168 02 Aug 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ کَثِیرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَکُمْ حَجَّ دَهْرَهُ ثُمَّ لَمْ یَزُرِ الْحُسَیْنَ بْنَ عَلِیٍّ لَکَانَ تَارِکاً حَقّاً مِنْ حُقُوقِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ لِأَنَّ حَقَّ الْحُسَیْنِ فَرِیضَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَی وَاجِبَةٌ عَلَی کُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 42

Abd al-Rahman ibn Kathir says: Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) said to me: If one of you performs Hajj all his life but does not visit Imam al-Husayn (peace of God be upon him), he has abandoned a right of the rights of the Messenger of God (peace of God be upon him and his family), for the right of Husayn (peace be upon him) is an obligation from God Almighty upon every Muslim!

2 عَنِ الْحَلَبِیِّ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ مَا تَقُولُ فِیمَنْ تَرَکَ زِیَارَةَ الْحُسَیْنِ علیه السلام وَ هُوَ یَقْدِرُ عَلَی ذَلِکَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ قَدْ عَقَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَ عَقَّنَا وَ اسْتَخَفَّ بِأَمْرٍ هُوَ لَهُ

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 45

Halabi says: I said to Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him): What do you say about a person who, despite being able, abandons the pilgrimage to Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him)? He said: Such a person has surely hurt the Messenger of God (peace of God be upon him and his family) and us (he has been disobedient to us) and has belittled a matter that is for him!

3 عَنْ عَلِیِّ بْنِ مَیْمُونٍ الصَّائِغِ قَالَ: قَالَ لِی أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ یَا عَلِیُّ بَلَغَنِی أَنَّ أُنَاساً مِنْ شِیعَتِنَا تَمُرُّ بِهِمُ السَّنَةُ وَ السَّنَتَانِ وَ أَکْثَرُ مِنْ ذَلِکَ لَا یَزُورُونَ الْحُسَیْنَ بْنَ عَلِیٍّ قُلْتُ إِنِّی لَأَعْرِفُ أُنَاساً کَثِیراً بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ فَقَالَ أَمَا وَ اللَّهِ لِحَظِّهِمْ أَخْطَئُوا وَ عَنْ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ زَاغُوا وَ عَنْ جِوَارِ مُحَمَّدٍ فِی الْجَنَّةِ تَبَاعَدُوا قُلْتُ فَإِنْ أَخْرَجَ عَنْهُ رَجُلًا یُجْزِئُ ذَلِکَ عَنْهُ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَ خُرُوجُهُ بِنَفْسِهِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْراً وَ خَیْرٌ لَهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 45

Ali ibn Maymun says: Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) said to me: It has reached me that a group of our Shia go a year and two years and more without visiting Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him)! I said: I know many people with this characteristic! The Imam said: Be aware that, by God, they have gone astray from their share and have deviated from the divine reward and have been distanced from the neighborhood of Muhammad (peace of God be upon him and his family) in Paradise!

I said: Is it sufficient if a person sends someone on his behalf? He said: Yes, but his own going has a greater reward and is better for him in the sight of his Lord!

4 عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ یَقُولُ مَنْ أَتَی عَلَیْهِ حَوْلٌ لَمْ یَأْتِ قَبْرَ الْحُسَیْنِ نَقَصَ اللَّهُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ حَوْلًا وَ لَوْ قُلْتُ إِنَّ أَحَدَکُمْ یَمُوتُ قَبْلَ أَجَلِهِ بِثَلَاثِینَ سَنَةً لَکُنْتُ صَادِقاً وَ ذَلِکَ أَنَّکُمْ تَتْرُکُونَ زِیَارَتَهُ فَلَا تَدَعُوهَا یَمُدُّ اللَّهُ فِی أَعْمَارِکُمْ وَ یَزِیدُ فِی أَرْزَاقِکُمْ وَ إِذَا تَرَکْتُمْ زِیَارَتَهُ نَقَصَ اللَّهُ مِنْ أَعْمَارِکُمْ وَ أَرْزَاقِکُمْ فَتَنَافَسُوا فِی زِیَارَتِهِ وَ لَا تَدَعُوا ذَلِکَ.....

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 43

Mansur ibn Hazim says: I heard Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) saying: The one who a year passes over him and he does not come to the grave of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him), a year from his life is ناقص (decreased), and if I say that one of you will die thirty years before his appointed time, I would be speaking the truth! And the explanation for this is that you abandon his pilgrimage, so do not abandon his pilgrimage so that God may extend your life and increase your provision, and if you abandon his pilgrimage, God will decrease your life and provision. So desire his pilgrimage and do not abandon it...

5 عَنْ أَبِی رباب قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّه عَنْ زِیَارَةِ قَبْرِ الْحُسَیْنِ قَالَ نَعَمْ تَعْدِلُ عُمْرَةً وَ لَا یَنْبَغِی التَّخَلُّفُ عَنْهُ أَکْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعِ سِنِینَ.

📚 Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 156

Abu Rubab says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about the pilgrimage to Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him). The Imam said: Yes! It is equivalent to 'Umrah and it is not proper to abandon it for more than four years!

📚 Al-Tahdhib, vol. 6, p. 42

6 عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: حَقٌّ عَلَی الْغَنِیِّ أَنْ یَأْتِیَ قَبْرَ الْحُسَیْنِ بْنِ عَلِیٍّ فِی السَّنَةِ مَرَّتَیْنِ وَ حَقٌّ عَلَی الْفَقِیرِ أَنْ یَأْتِیَهُ فِی السَّنَةِ مَرَّةً.

Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) said: It is a right upon the rich person to come to the grave of Imam al-Husayn (peace of God be upon him) twice a year, and it is a right upon the poor person to come to him once a year!

📚 Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 294

7 عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ عُمَیْرٍ وَ سَعِیدٍ الْأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ علیه السلام قَالَ : ائْتُوا قَبْرَ الْحُسَیْنِ علیه السلام فِی کُلِّ سَنَةٍ مَرَّةً

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Come to the grave of Husayn (peace be upon him) once a year!

📚 Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 294

8 عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ قَالَ عَلِیُّ بْنُ حَمْزَةَ عَنْ أَبِی الْحَسَنِ علیه السلام قَالَ قَالَ: لَا تَجْفُوهُ یَأْتِیهِ الْمُوسِرُ فِی کُلِّ أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْهُرٍ وَ الْمُعْسِرُ لا یُکَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِلَّا وُسْعَها

Imam al-Kazim (peace of God be upon him) said: Do not be harsh towards him (i.e., Imam al-Husayn, peace be upon him)! The wealthy person should come to him once every four months, and the one who is in need, God does not burden anyone beyond their capacity!

📚 Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 296.

9 عَنْ صَفْوَانَ الْجَمَّالِ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ علیه السلام: فِی حَدِیثٍ طَوِیلٍ قُلْتُ وَ مَنْ یَأْتِیهِ زَائِراً ثُمَّ یَنْصَرِفُ مَتَی یَعُودُ إِلَیْهِ وَ فِی کَمْ یَأْتِی وَ کَمْ یَسَعُ النَّاسَ تَرْکُهُ قَالَ لَا یَسَعُ أَکْثَرَ مِنْ شَهْرٍ وَ أَمَّا بَعِیدُ الدَّارِ فَفِی کُلِّ ثَلَاثِ سِنِینَ فَمَا جَازَ ثَلَاثُ سِنِینَ فَلَمْ یَأْتِهِ فَقَدْ عَقَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلی الله علیه و آله وَ قَطَعَ حُرْمَتَهُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِلَّةٍ

Safwan says in a long hadith: I said: The one who comes to visit him and returns, when should he return to him and how often should he come, and how much are people allowed to abandon his pilgrimage? The Imam said: They are not allowed to be absent for more than one month, but for someone whose house is far away, it should be once every three years, and if more than three years pass and he does not come to him, he has surely hurt the Messenger of God (peace of God be upon him and his family) and has severed his sanctity, unless he has a valid reason!

✅In the above narrations and others, it is observed that based on a person's financial and other abilities, his distance from the pure grave of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and whether or not he has a reason for not going on the pilgrimage to Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him), different time intervals between two pilgrimages have been specified for people, which it is proper to pay attention to and act upon, and in addition to fulfilling the obligatory right of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him), to attain the abundant blessings of his pilgrimage.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ