Director of the Porch of Wisdom (Ravaq-e Hikimat) Institute elaborated on the background of this spiritual relationship and its special features and etiquette, “The object of ziarat (pilgrimage) is to set up a spiritual relationship. If touching the zarih involves hurting others or touching a non-mahram (stranger), it is not permissible,” he said.
Speaking to Mehr reporter, Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani, director of Porch of Wisdom Institute elaborated on the concept of pilgrimage. “Visiting the graves of the noble people has many positive impacts on the visitor himself. He who visits a particular personality’s grave remembers the life of that person and this simple act influences the visitor’s own life and makes him follow that noble person as a role model,” he added.
Another aspect which is restricted to visiting the shrines of the Infallibles and which we are more heedful of is that we believe that as per the Quranic verses, the prophets and divine saints are alive and that they hear what they are told. When God, the Exalted, enumerates those to whom He has granted favor, He considers the prophets and the truthful (Siddiqeen) to be higher in rank than the martyrs. Hence, therefore, if it is said that the martyrs are provided sustenance from their Lord, the prophets and the truthful are more entitled to receive sustenance from their Lord.
Etiquettes of Pilgrimage
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani said that visiting the shrines of the Infallibles help come closer to the Infallible and set up a spiritual relationship with hm. “It paves the ground for spiritual promotion, psychological reform and fulfillment of our wishes,” he said.
Speaking about the etiquettes of visiting the graves of the Infallibles, he said, “The specific manner of visiting the holy shrine of the Infallible is to pay attention to the rank, position and personality of the infallible concerned. If we are visiting the shrine of Ali bin Musa al-Reza, we must note that we are talking to a personality who is alive and who hears us.”
“If the Imam were physically present, how would we behave? If we believe that the Imam is alive and can hear us, we would adopt a special behavior. If we suppose Imam Reza (a.s.) as being physically present beside us while we are speaking, we would not seek the fulfillment of something that is not befitting of the Imam,” Director of the Porch of Wisdom said.
He further added that if the visitor gets such a mood, he will begin to attain spiritual promotion. Ziarat (pilgrimage) with a special attention can change the individual and improve his understanding and enable him to remind himself of his sins and deficiencies and pay attention to the favors and bounties bestowed upon him. He who, for example, visits the shrine of Imam Reza (a.s.) will contemplate whether or not he is worthy of standing there and talking to that pure personality. He will thank God for the favors and bounties He has bestowed upon him. Thus his behavior will change and it is only in this peculiar circumstance that the pilgrimage can have a lasting effect on him.
Background of Ziarat-Nama
Referring to the background of ziarat-nama, Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani said that if we go back to the history of the early period of Islam, we will see that the holy Prophet (pbuh) had recommended Muslims to greet and salute him wherever they were. The prophet said that he would hear us. He told Muslims to visit him and send greetings upon him irrespective of whether he was alive or not. “It is mentioned in the narrations that if a day will come when there are few people coming to visit the Prophet, it is mandatory on the Islamic ruler to allocate an amount for this purpose and send some people out to Medina to visit the Prophet (pbuh). In these visitations, the subject of greeting and reminding oneself of the status, virtue and personality of those great people and their services have been mentioned," he said.
"The texts of these ziarat-namas are various. Some of them are attributed to the Infallibles and they have reliable chain of transmission such as Ziarat-e Aminullah which is a part of Ziarat-e Jameah and which can be read for all the infallibles. Some other ziarat-namas may not have a strong chain of transmission and some are content-wise only. That is to say, they have been rendered by religious scholars but the content has been prepared in accordance with trustworthy and acceptable narrations. Thus, such ziarat-namas are reckoned to be valid," Dr. Hadavi Tehrani added.
He also said that a pilgrimage does not necessarily involve reading or reciting a ziarat-nama. If a person can read the ziarat-nama and he understands the meanings of the words and sentences, it is better to read it but if he does not understand them, he can speak his own language to express his respect and to talk to the Infallible or narrate his story and then utter his own wishes. By doing so, he has in fact done ziarat of that Infallible.
Pilgrimage is meant for 'spiritual relationship'.
Director of the Porch of Wisdom also said, "Another point to mention is that some people think that ziarat means touching the zarih. Sometimes some people are hurt as a consequence of some other people trying to get themselves to the zarih while some others feel worried for not being able to touch the zarih because they think that their pilgrimage void for failing to touch the zairh whereas it is not as such. Basically, it is not necessary for a person to touch the zarih because pilgrimage (ziarat) is meant for setting up a spiritual relationship with the personality of the Infallible. If one's endeavor to reach the zarih causes some others to be hurt, it is not permissible and if it leads to touching a non-mahram (stranger), it would be forbidden. If we send out greetings from a distance and focus our attention, Ziarat would taken place."
"It has mentioned in the narrations repeatedly that we should visit the grave of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and it has also been said that we should recite certain ziarat-nama regularly including ziarat of Imam Zaman as a sign of respect and reverence for them. That is because they have spiritual presence. Although one can set up a stronger spiritual relationship with them but they are spiritually present everywhere.
Office of Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani
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Related links:
Collecting & Storing Database of Iran News :: RAVY.IR
Supreme Leader's Representative Office for Hajj and Pilgrimage Website