Is Karbala Holier Than Mecca?

[WhichSunnaTrueSunna]

Salam,

Please clarify the Shia perspective on this:

1) does visiting the shrine of Sayidna Hussein(P) hold greater reward in the eyes of Allah than visiting of the Kaaba?

Obviously obligatory overrides the recommended, so I am not referring to obligatory Hajj.

I can derive some type of logical argument justifying frequency of visits, but am looking to understand the Shia point of view from the Shia.

2) Is the shrine holier than the kaaba?

Are Shia divided with regards to their opinions on the matter, or is there a consensus?

I am looking for an answer derived from interpretation of the Shia school and not one that represents a personal opinion.

Please use reason and references

thank you & WSalam

[Saintly_Jinn23]

As a Shia, I must say I wish to know as well. I do think though there are some hadith that say pilgrimage to Karbala is worth so and so pilgrimages to the Kaaba. However, I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly or what the grading on those hadith were.

[smak786110]

I have already heard that on the day of ARAAFA, Allah (swt) looks with his mercy on the people who are at Imam Hussein (as)'s shrine.... and also on the plains of Arafaa....

I dont have doubt if its true, as due to Imam Hussein(as) .. the religion of islam survived till today..!

Kabaa survived due to the blood of Imam Hussein and his holy family....

Just a small piece of getting your IMAANS strong....

Imagine why Kabaa's cloth is black ?

Doesnt that seem like a piece of Hijab given to it by Bibi Zainab ?

Doesnt that seem like a mourning cloth his having in the sadness of Imam Hussein ?

[-Fatima-]

Salam :)

Well. realistically, actually DEFINITELY Mecca, and the kaaba are holly-ER than Karbalaa and the shrine of Imam Hussein. However, the Imam's shrine and Karbalaa are holly.

Islam in general would value Mecca and Kaaba a whole lot more than karbalaa and all, and let us not forget that Mecca is the house of Allah ÓÈÍÇäå æÊÚÇáì, however, a lot of Shiites would kind of (dont get me wrong) appreciate and value Karbalaa and the Shrine of Imam Hussein, because it makes us who we are (Shiites), and Karbalaa is where the Infallibles died for the sake of islam. If you get what i mean...

However, Kaaba and Mecca are definitely a lot more valued and holly.

- God Bless :)

[WhichSunnaTrueSunna]

Do all Shia Ulema hold a consensus on Kaaba being more holy than the Shrine of Sayidna Hussein(P)

[aladdin]

Without Karbala there would be no Kabba.

[Guest]

Salam,

Please clarify the Shia perspective on this:

1) does visiting the shrine of Sayidna Hussein(P) hold greater reward in the eyes of Allah than visiting of the Kaaba?

Obviously obligatory overrides the recommended, so I am not referring to obligatory Hajj.

I can derive some type of logical argument justifying frequency of visits, but am looking to understand the Shia point of view from the Shia.

2) Is the shrine holier than the kaaba?

Are Shia divided with regards to their opinions on the matter, or is there a consensus?

I am looking for an answer derived from interpretation of the Shia school and not one that represents a personal opinion.

Please use reason and references

thank you & WSalam

Salaams,

It is highly recommended to visit Karbela to pay respects to Imam Hussein (as) and his family, supporters and martyers. However, its is wajib to visit the Kaaba during Hajj and highly recommended to visit it again for Umrah because its the house of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Islamically visiting the Kaaba is more important than visiting Karbela, although both should be visited.

Plus, Imam Hussein (as) was killed for the very purpose of preserving the religion of Allah (swt) which we all know visiting the Kaaba is a big part of, so it must have been more important to preserve that part of our heritage and thats why it required such a big sacrifice of Imam Hussein (as) and his faithful family (as) and supporters.

Edited September 11, 2011 by AlHamdulillah110

[WhichSunnaTrueSunna]

I am aware of ahadeeth that visiting the imam holds greater value (which i would like clarification as to the reasoning)

However, I've also heard that Shia's (some,all?) believe the shrine of Sayidna Hussein is holier than the Kaaba.

Is this true?

if it is do all scholars agree?

Then again, i've heard many things that are not true. that is why I'm here.

to be able to distinguish the false from the truth

so far all i have is personal opinion

[aladdin]

I am aware of ahadeeth that visiting the imam holds greater value (which i would like clarification as to the reasoning)

However, I've also heard that Shia's (some,all?) believe the shrine of Sayidna Hussein is holier than the Kaaba.

Is this true?

if it is do all scholars agree?

Then again, i've heard many things that are not true. that is why I'm here.

to be able to distinguish the false from the truth

so far all i have is personal opinion

Which is furoo ad-din for the Shias. The Hajj or the Karbala?

The above should answer your questions and put anything in doubt to rest.

Shia furoo ad-din:

1 Salat (Prayer)

2 Sawm (Fast)

3 Hajj (Pilgrimage)

4 Zakah (Charity)

5 Khums (One-fifth)

6 Jihad (Struggle)

7 Amr-Bil-Ma'ruf (Enjoining what is good)

8 Nahi-Anil-Munkar (Forbid what is evil)

9 Tawalla (To love the Ahl al-Bayt and their followers )

10 Tabarra (To disassociate from the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt)

[WhichSunnaTrueSunna]

1) does visiting the shrine of Sayidna Hussein(P) hold greater reward in the eyes of Allah than visiting of the Kaaba?

Obviously obligatory overrides the recommended, so I am not referring to obligatory Hajj.

The question is not which is more wajib. one is obligatory, the other is recommended.

The question is with regards to the value. Which one is more holy

Are there any Shia which believe the Shrine of Hussein is of greater holiness than Kaaba

[Abu Tufayl]

(bismillah)

The problem with this question is there is this presumption that we can "measure" holiness. What the heck does that mean? Yes, there's more fadhl in my pray if I pray it in the haram of Makka, but then I know the immense emphasis and reward Visiting the ma`sumeen (as). And there are traditions that state Karbala was created first and were it not for Karbala, there would be no Ka`ba. But then Ka`ba has the (symbolic) house of God, inside of which Imam `Ali [as] was born and the birth city of Rasulullah (pbuh) and other noble figures (ra).

This question to measure "more holy" is overall worthless and impossible.

في أمان الله

[WhichSunnaTrueSunna]

This question to measure "more holy" is overall worthless and impossible.

Thank you for the clarification brother

:) now if you can be so kind as to answer my post on umar and ali

[Qa'im]

(salam)

What's relevant is not how the land/dirt/soil is holy (whatever that means), but rather, what physically took place on this land, and what deeds can be done on the land. The best comparison I can give between the Ka`ba and Karbala' is something I saw in a Sunni hadith on peacemaking. The Prophet (pbuh) said that peacemaking is more meriting for a Muslim than salat, so you attain more hasanaat by creating peace between two brothers than praying the 5 furudh. Salat however is the best action in Sunni Islam and the second best action in Shi`i Islam; it is the first thing that will be asked of us on the Day of Judgment. While peacemaking may attain more hasanaat, the negation of peacemaking in your life is neither a good deed or a sin, while the negation of salat is negation of a fardh. Negation of fardh takes you out of Islam, while negation of a sunna (even if it is more meriting) does not.

So it's similar with Karbala'. Hajj is a fardh and must be completed to keep your Islam - whoever denies Hajj is not a Muslim. Ziyara of Husayn (as) is more meriting than Hajj, but refraining from ziyara is no sin.

[Waiting for HIM]

You can not compare apples with oranges. Or usool vs. Furoo, or in terms of irfaan, between what is obligation out of ruling and obligation out of love. Can't explain the term and emotions in English.

Visiting Makkah for Hajj is wajib and is part of Furu-e-deen.

Visiting Karbala for ziarat is mustahib and part of paying your allegiance to your Imam and is part of expression of Usool-ud-din.

There are so many other differences that there is no comparisons between the two, they both have their own spiritual and ritual differences. It's like comparing your fridge and your AC, they both have their similarities but their own differences.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Waiting for HIM

[Ugly Jinn]

"Our relation with Mecca, Karbala and Najaf is associated with our relation with our broad history. It is not good to give preference to a place over the other, knowing that what was said about Mecca makes it the best place in the earth and Allah knows best. The pious people should occupy themselves with doctrinal and life issues. What was mentioned in the question does not have anything to do with Islam or Shiism."

Ayatullah Fadlullah

http://english.bayyn.../qa.aspx?id=110

Edited September 11, 2011 by Ugly Jinn

[Waiting for HIM]

Salam, guys let's lock this topic. I think the Sunni brother got his reply from a whole bunch of us. Questions like these are overall absurd and keep us Shias (the true Muslims and true Sunnis) bogged down in needlessly defending our faith.

I guess what we need to ask any Sunni asking this, what is your opinion on visiting the graves of holies? Do they know that Hajar (as) is buried next to Kaaba?

Overall, make this a habit, for every answer you provide to any Sunni brother about your true Islamic faith, accompany it with a question of your own related to the same topic so you can encourage them to look at the shallowness and nonsensical nature of Sunni version of Islam. And in this hopefully they will see the reality of Islam , the true Islam, the Islam of Prphet (p) and Ahlulbait (as).

[Replicant]

Well, at the moment, Mekkah is run by Nasibis who abuse you when you go there.

Karbala is full of lovers of Ahlulbayt (as).

I know where I'd feel more comfortable.

As to the original question - one is wajib to visit so that should give a good indication. All have their own merits, and as it has been mentioned, it'd be fruitless to measure.

[ImamAliLover]

(bismillah)

(salam)

جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْكَعْبَةَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ قِيَامًا لِلنَّاسِ وَالشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَالْهَدْيَ وَالْقَلَائِدَ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ {97}

[Shakir 5:97] Allah has made the Kaaba, the sacred house, a maintenance for the people, and the sacred month and the offerings and the sacrificial animals with garlands; this is that you may know that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and that Allah is the Knower of all things.

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ {96}

[Shakir 3:96] Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Bekka, blessed and a guidance for the nations

فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۖ وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا ۚ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ{97}

[Shakir 3:97] In it are clear signs, the standing place of Ibrahim, and whoever enters it shall be secure, and pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah, (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it; and whoever disbelieves, then surely Allah is Self-sufficient, above any need of the worlds.

Edited September 12, 2011 by ImamAliLover

[Gypsy]

Kaba is the house of God so it is rank higher. Then the Prophet's mosque in Medina. This is followed by masjid al-Kufa. Visiting the shrines of our Imams are highly recommended.

[aladdin]

Has anyone read Hajj by Dr. Ali Shariati?

http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati/

[mohammad2020]

This is a very interesting topic!

[Çåá ÇáÈíÊ]

ZIYARAH OF Imam al Hussein (a) is obligatory for every Shia who believes in His Imamate and Status before God according to traditions related from our A'immah (as).

Ziyarah of Imam al Hussein (a) is better than Hajj in terms of "Reward" --- read below -----

These following traditions are from a book called "nafasul mahmoom" .. Read them carefully. Particularly the last 3 traditions:

It is related in numerous traditions, that visiting his grave is equal to Haj and Umrah, and striving in the way of Allah (Jihad), and emancipation of slaves, rather it is equal to twenty Haj, and better than twenty Haj, rather Allah will write down eighty Haj in his account. While his pilgrimage is equal to the Haj performed alongwith the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s), rather the one who goes for his pilgrimage, being cognizant of his rights, will be equal to the one who has performed Haj hundred times accompanying the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s). While the one who goes for his pilgrimage barefoot, with each step that he takes forward and backwards, he will get reward of emancipating slaves from among the progeny of (Prophet) Isma'eel (a.s).

Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) says that, "If I relate to you the merit of visiting his grave, you shall abandon the Haj, while a group from among you would not go for the Haj. Woe be to you! Do you not know that Allah preferred Karbala to be the Sanctuary of His peace and affluence before He chose Makkah to be His Sanctuary?" Imam (a.s) continued, "One day Imam Husain (a.s) was seated in the lap of his grandfather, while he was caressing him and smiling." Seeing this Ayesha said, "O Prophet of Allah! How much do you love this child?" He (s.a.w.s) replied, "Woe be to you! How should I not cherish him and not be pleased with him? He is the fruit of my heart and the light of my eyes. Beware! Verily my nation will kill him, then whoever visits him (his grave) after his death, Allah will write down one of my Haj in his account". Ayesha asked, "One of your Haj?" He (s.a.w.s) replied, "Yes, rather two of my Haj". Ayesha asked, "Two of your Haj?" and he replied, "Yes". And as much as Ayesha started inquiring, he started increasing the amount of reward (of Haj) until he reached ninety Haj alongwith his Umrah.

Qaddah says, that I asked Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) that, "The one who goes for the pilgrimage to the grave of Imam Husain (a.s), while being cognizant of his rights, and is neither an arrogant nor a denier, what has he earned?" Imam (a.s) replied, "One thousand accepted Haj will be written down in his record, as also one thousand pious Umrah. And if he is a damned one, he shall be noted down as a felicitous one, and shall remain saturated eternally in the blessings of Allah".

Sulayman bin Khalid inquired from Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) that, "I have heard that you have said, that Allah beholds the earth every day and night for a hundred thousand times. Then He forgives anyone whom He pleases and He chastises anyone whom He pleases? And that He shall forgive the pilgrim of the grave of Imam Husain (a.s) and his family and anyone whom he intercedes for on the day of Qiyamah, whoever he be? Then shall the one, who is worthy of hell-fire, also be forgiven?" Imam (a.s) replied, "Yes, even the one worthy of hell-fire, provided that he is not an enemy of the Ahlulbayt (a.s)".

After contemplation, the concepts that I have yielded from these narrations are:

1. Ziyarah to the Mausoleum of Imam al Hussein is better and more rewarding than Hajj itself, by 100 or 1000 times.

2. Visiting the shrine of Imam al Hussein acts as a means of performing Hajj at the same time, so that you don't need to perform hajj. I don't mean to undermine Hajj in any way but the land of the shrine of imam al Hussein (a) is superior to the land of the Kaaba.

3. Notice how imam jafer as sadiq (a) compares the reward of visiting the shrine of aba abdilllah (a) to a thousand accepted Hajj and umrah.

I mean, the Imam could have compared the reward to pretty much anything, such as the mountain of Uhud for example. If the Imam wanted to show the 'extent' of the reward, why specifically choose Hajj and umrah as an example? This just goes to prove that the holy imam meant it literally.

4. The Imam (a) says "One thousand accepted Haj will be WRITTEN down in his RECORD, as also one thousand pious Umrah. " common sense says that if it is written down in a record then it is *like* I have done Hajj and umrah a thousand times, LITERALLY.

Please share your views and thank you for reading

[Waiting for HIM]

There are things that are literal and things that are Implied. Yes, the person who does the ziarat of Imam (as) would be rewarded with thousand Hajj but only spiritually. He will still be asked, rewarded or punished, for his wajib hajj if it had become wajib for him. And do not take it lightly, since in any time of your life that all conditions are met and it bcomes wajib on you to perform hajj in that particular year, and then you later make yourself that you could not perform hajj, then until the time you do it, you are accumulating sin for not doing it. There is no requirement like this for ziarat of any imam.

To explain above more, let's say you got a new job when you are 22. With all obligations and stuff already taken care of, suppose you accumulate enough money to do hajj when you are 23. Now the $5,000 you have saved when you are 23, you chose to spend it to sell your 5yrs old functional Toyota civic and to pay the downpayment of your new BMW instead of doing Hajj. Now from this time until at the age of 65 that you chose to do your hajj, you are sinful every year that you did not do your hajj, even during the years when it was not wajib financially, let's say when you were 45 and you had kids responsibilities etc. So the law says that perform the Hajj AS SOON AS IT BECOMES WAJIB.

All the above Hadith you have quoted are akin to the Hadith which say that if you read sura Ikhlas 3 times is as if you have read the whole Quran. It is only spiritual. But in reality sura Ikhlas does not even encompass an iota of what reading and understanding and pndering the total Quran is.

[Çåá ÇáÈíÊ]

I don't understand. If i postpone Hajj till very late, but i do it, is there a sin attached to me? If not, then it doesn't really matter when you perform hajj. You have to be prepared for it and that takes a long time for some people.

Ziyarah of Imam al Hussein is obligatory for those who claim to be Shia.

[icewizard]

áÓáÇã Úáíßã æ ÑÍãÉ Çááå æ ÈÑßÇÊå - Peace be upon you as well as Allah's Mercy and Blessings...

æ ÇáÕáÇÉ æ ÇáÓáÇã Úáì ÎíÑ ÎáÞ Çááå æ ÍÈíÈ ÞáæÈäÇ¡ ÇáÑÓæá ãÍãÏ¡ æ Âáå ÇáØíÈíä ÇáØÇåÑíä - And may the Prayers and Peace be upon the Best of Allah's Creations, the beloved of our hearts, the Messenger Muhammad as well as his Generous and Pure Family...

æ áÚäÉ Çááå ÇáÏÇÆãÉ Úáì ÃÚÏÇÁåã æ ÙÇáãíåã æ ÇáÊÇÈÚíä Úáì Ðáß ãä ÇáÃæáíä Åáì ÇáÂÎÑíä - And may the permanent curse of Allah be upon their enemies and their oppressors and those who follow the trend from the first ones to the last ones...

I don't understand. If i postpone Hajj till very late, but i do it, is there a sin attached to me? If not, then it doesn't really matter when you perform hajj. You have to be prepared for it and that takes a long time for some people.

Well as far as i understood, (and i know more than anyone else i have very little science, so please correct me if you see i'm wrong), hajj is wajib/obligatory on you when the conditions to make it are reunited (regards to money -whether of student or from family-, and managing to stay in mecca/madinah and come back home while keeping enough money at home for wife to take care of kids, having a break from work/study to go to hajj, family does not need you for this period, and finally if you really apply to hajj through a hajj travel agency -i tested 2-: getting a hajj visa).

And thus if it became wajib/obligatory for you at year X (let's say 2011/1432AH,) and you don't make it in 2011, then it becomes wajib for you 2012/1433AH, 2013/1434AH, 2014/1435AH, 2015/1436AH,... and so on UNTIL you completed your obligatory "once-a-lifetime" hajj...

And then as far as i know, if you die before completing your obligatory hajj while it became wajib for you (like after waiting at least the "next" hajj season) like for "laziness" or "not feeling ready" for it, then you have sinned.

Ziyarah of Imam al Hussein is obligatory for those who claim to be Shia.

As far as i know, the ziyara is NOT wajib, as you can do a ziyara from distance, all the Infallibles will still respond to your salam and to your ziyarat.

But as we feel, we can't claim real love and not trying to visit the Infallibles in their cities...

Can you support this by hadith or quran?

And finally, my duaas while we approach the hajj season:

May Allah grant us the Hajj of his Bayt-al-Haraam

For this aaam (year) and for every aaam

And the ziyarat of his Prophet and the Imams alayhum al-salaam

Çááøåã ÇÑÒÞäÇ ÍÌ ÈíÊß ÇáÍÑÇã

ÚÇãäÇ åÐÇ æ Ýí ßá ÚÇã

ÒíÇÑÉ äÈíß æ ÇáÃÆãÉ Úáíåã ÇáÓáÇã

æ Úáíßã ÇáÓáÇã æ ÑÍãÉ Çááå æ ÈÑßÇÊå - And upon you be Peace as well as Allah's Mercy and Blessings...

[Replicant]

I don't understand. If i postpone Hajj till very late, but i do it, is there a sin attached to me? If not, then it doesn't really matter when you perform hajj. You have to be prepared for it and that takes a long time for some people.

Ziyarah of Imam al Hussein is obligatory for those who claim to be Shia.

If you postpone on purpose and you happen to die before you can do it, I think we have a narration that says you will be raised as a Jew or Christian.

The point is - don't take the risk. If you have the means, than do it as soon as possible as you don't know how long you shall live.

[Shia_Debater]

After contemplation, the concepts that I have yielded from these narrations are:

1. Ziyarah to the Mausoleum of Imam al Hussein is better and more rewarding than Hajj itself, by 100 or 1000 times.

2. Visiting the shrine of Imam al Hussein acts as a means of performing Hajj at the same time, so that you don't need to perform hajj. I don't mean to undermine Hajj in any way but the land of the shrine of imam al Hussein (a) is superior to the land of the Kaaba.

3. Notice how imam jafer as sadiq (a) compares the reward of visiting the shrine of aba abdilllah (a) to a thousand accepted Hajj and umrah.

I mean, the Imam could have compared the reward to pretty much anything, such as the mountain of Uhud for example. If the Imam wanted to show the 'extent' of the reward, why specifically choose Hajj and umrah as an example? This just goes to prove that the holy imam meant it literally.

4. The Imam (a) says "One thousand accepted Haj will be WRITTEN down in his RECORD, as also one thousand pious Umrah. " common sense says that if it is written down in a record then it is *like* I have done Hajj and umrah a thousand times, LITERALLY.

Please share your views and thank you for reading

I agree to point number 1.

However I do not agree with point number two due to the fact that we could say praying in a masjid is 27 times better than praying at home (i think) so pray in the masjid and then skip 27 days of praying .. which of course would be wrong. Also hajj isnt only about the reward , so regardless of the reward of it being higher or lower it is a seperate thing and the rules regarding it should be followed.

Point number 3 I agree again

Point number 4 I agree also.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Shia_Debater

[Çåá ÇáÈíÊ]

ICEWIZARD---------- Proof that Ziyarah of Imam al Hussein (a) is Wajib for Shia of Aale Muhammad (sawa)--------------------

Merit of visiting the grave of Imam Husain(a.s) ------- 5th and 6th Imam speak of its obligation for Shia.

Visiting the grave of Imam Husain (a.s) is recommended, while emphasis upon visiting his grave is among the necessities of the Religion. It is related that the visitation to his grave is essential upon every believer and is obligatory upon every man and woman. While one who abandons it, in fact has abandoned the rights of Allah and His Prophet, while abandoning it is ungratefulness with the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s) and is a result of a defect in his belief and Religion. And the one who deliberately avoids it, he shall be among the dwellers of hell.

Imam Mohammad al Baqir (a.s) told Mohammad bin Muslim that, "Direct our Shi'ah to visit the grave of Husain bin Ali (a.s), for it has been made obligatory by Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime, upon every believer who considers Husain (a.s) to be his Imam".

Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) says that, "Whenever anyone amongst you go for the Haj and then do not go for the pilgrimage of Imam Husain (a.s) has abandoned the right from among the rights of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s). For the right of Husain (a.s) is made obligatory upon every Muslim by Allah".

He says that, "The one who dies without going to the head of the grave of Husain (a.s), while he still considers himself to be our Shi'ah, is infact not our Shi'ah, and even if he goes to Paradise, he will remain as a guest of the inhabitants of Paradise".

He (Imam Sadiq) asked Aban bin Taghlib, "O Aban! When did you go for the pilgrimage to the grave of Imam Husain (a.s)?" Aban replied, "By Allah, O son of the Prophet of Allah! A lengthy time has passed since I did not renew the pledge". Imam (a.s) replied, "Glory be to my Lord, the Sublime, and praise to Him! Inspite of being a nobleman among the Shi'ah you have abandoned the visitation to the grave of Husain (a.s)? The one who visits the grave of Imam Husain (a.s), Allah writes down good-deeds for him at every step, and forgives his sins at each step. Then He forgives all of his past and future sins".

It is related in numerous traditions that, "Do not avoid visiting the grave of Imam Husain (a.s) even during the days of prohibition. And one who visits him (his grave) in fear (of the enemies), Allah will give him refuge from the great fear of Qiyamah and he will gain reward proportionate to the fear. And the one who fears due to their fear, Allah will bestow him a refuge under the shade of His empyrean while he shall remain alongwith Imam Husain (a.s) and shall be protected from the fear of the day of Qiyamah".

It is related in traditions from Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s) that, "The wealthy should visit the grave of Imam Husain (a.s) twice every year, while the indigent should visit once every year". He (a.s) said, "Those who live near should visit atleast once every month, while those who live far away, once every three years". It is also related from him that, "It is not fair to avoid it for more than four years".

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To answer the Question of the main topic:

Karbala is the Holiest Land

`Ibad from `Amr b. Biyaa` as-Sabiri from Ja`far b. Muhammad ÚáíåãÇ ÇáÓáÇã. He said: The land of Ka`bah said: Who is like me? And the House of Allah has been created on my surface (lit. my back). People come to me from all directions and I have been made a sanctuary of Allah and His security. So Allah revealed to it: That will be enough! Be quiet! I swear by My Might, there is not a favour which you have been favoured with in (comparison to) what I have granted the land of Karbalaa’ except in proportion to a needle submerged in the sea; then it is borne by the water of the sea. And were it not for the soil of Karbalaa’, you would not have been favoured. And had you not been enclosed by the land of Karbalaa’ I would not have created you nor would I have created the House which you take pride over. So be quiet and settle down! And be humble, lowly and despised in front of the land of Karbalaa’, not acting proudly nor behaving haughtily. And if (you do) otherwise, I will be displeased with you and will throw you into the Fire of Hell.

Case Closed.

Edited September 12, 2011 by Çåá ÇáÈíÊ

[icewizard]

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته - Peace be upon you as well as Allah's Mercy and Blessings...

و لصلاة و السلام على خير خلق الله و حبيب قلوبنا، الرسول محمد، و آله الطيبين الطاهرين - And may the Prayers and Peace be upon the Best of Allah's Creations, the beloved of our hearts, the Messenger Muhammad as well as his Generous and Pure Family...

و لعنة الله الدائمة على أعداءهم و ظالميهم و التابعين على ذلك من الأولين إلى الآخرين - And may the permanent curse of Allah be upon their enemies and their oppressors and those who follow the trend from the first ones to the last ones...

Dear brother, thank you for your references.

I guess you mean that Ziyarat of Imam Husayn -as- is better than 70, 100, 1000 surerogatory (additional) hajj after one completed the "obligatory" (or Hujjat-al-Islam/"Proof of Islam" Hajj).

اللّهم ارزقنا حج بيتك الحرام

في عامنا هذا و كل عام

زيارة نبيك و الأئمة عليهم السلام

may Allah -swt- grant us the Hajj, and the visit of Arbaeen inshallah...

On a personal note, i try to go to hajj usually and if i don't get a visa, then that means Allah -swt- wants me to stay with Imam Husayn -as- as i'm iraqi originally and don't need visa... So who knows, maybe i'll end up in karbala for Arafa...

و عليكم السلام و رحمة الله و بركاته - And upon you be Peace as well as Allah's Mercy and Blessings...

[Ugly Jinn]

Imam Mohammad al Baqir (a.s) told Mohammad bin Muslim that, "Direct our Shi'ah to visit the grave of Husain bin Ali (a.s), for it has been made obligatory by Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime, upon every believer who considers Husain (a.s) to be his Imam".

Reference?

You need to write references (name of hadith and where exactly in it) when you post traditions.

I'm thinking it's al-islam.org. Even though it's a good site, it needs MAJOR cleaning.

Edited September 15, 2011 by Ugly Jinn

[Çåá ÇáÈíÊ]

Reference?

You need to write references when you post traditions.

I'm thinking it's al-islam.org. Even though it's a good site, it needs MAJOR cleaning.

In fact, it comes from a book called nafasul mehmoom - heres the website http://www.maaref-foundation.com/english/index.htmvery good book. Talks about the tragedies of the third Holy Imam Úáíå ÇáÓáÇã

[Ugly Jinn]

In fact, it comes from a book called nafasul mehmoom - heres the website http://www.maaref-fo...h/index.htmvery good book. Talks about the tragedies of the third Holy Imam عليه السلام

This book/hadith was compiled in 1940.

The book never states the source of this tradition. Good luck guessing in preface. ^_^

Edited September 15, 2011 by Ugly Jinn

[Çåá ÇáÈíÊ]

This book/hadith was compiled in 1940.

hmm.. i'm sure they're authentic. Just an innate trust, i guess. They sound alright to me.

[Ugly Jinn]

hmm.. i'm sure they're authentic. Just an innate trust, i guess. They sound alright to me.

No offence, but saying 'I'm sure' or 'innate trust' doesn't hold weight logically.

There is no logic in making visiting a grave wajib, and no marja has said it is. (even for the sake of argument if you find a marja that says it's wajib, I gaurentee you rest of the marjas wouldn't agree).

Edited September 15, 2011 by Ugly Jinn

[Nader Zaveri]

(salam)

(bismillah)

Reference?

You need to write references (name of hadith and where exactly in it) when you post traditions.

I'm thinking it's al-islam.org. Even though it's a good site, it needs MAJOR cleaning.

There is no logic in making visiting a grave wajib, and no marja has said it is. (even for the sake of argument if you find a marja that says it's wajib, I gaurentee you rest of the marjas wouldn't agree).

The hadeeth that he has taken out is authentic, and I have made a blog post about this specific hadeeth on my blog. Click here: http://www.revivinga...obligatory.html

Very interestingly, the wording used in the hadeeth is farD, and not waajib, because waajib can sometimes mean HIGHLY desirable, while there is no question regarding the word farD.

(salam)

Edited September 15, 2011 by Nader Zaveri