Ziyarat Ashura

Ziyarat Ashura (Arabic: زیارة عاشوراء‎) is an Islamic salutatory prayer to Allah. The prayer is part of the liturgy used in pilgrimages to the shrine of Husayn in Karbala. Muhammad al-Baqir, Prophet’s descendent and the fifth Shia Imam, recommended reciting Ziyarat Ashura on Ashura while facing Karbala, as a symbolic visit to the shrine.[1]

Etymology

In Islam, a ziyārah (Arabic: زیارة‎) is a visit to the tomb of a saint or other holy person, such as Prophet Muhammad or Imam Husayn.[2]

‘Āshūrā’ (Arabic: عاشوراء‎), literally "tenth", is a holiday and a day of grief for the Muslims, falling on 10 Muharram of the Islamic calendar. The Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali and his family members and his associate (72 Martyrs) during the Battle of Karbala is commemorated on this day.[3][4]

Sources

First page of Ziyarat Ashura

Ziyarat Ashura is attributed to Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Shia Imam, who transmitted it to his followers.[3] The prayer is found in sacred hadith narrated in particular by Shaykh Tusi in Misbah al-Mutahajjid and by Ibn Qulawayh in Kamil al-Ziyarat:[5] The prayer is also found in Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah al-Majlisi and Mafatih al-Jinan by Abbas Qumi.[3]

Contents

Ziyarat Ashura contains concepts like tabarra (dissociating from those who oppose God, oppose the Islamic prophet Muhammad or oppose his family), tawalla (loving the Ahl al-Bayt), self-sacrifice for society, and never surrendering to tyranny and oppression.[6]

Further reading

The following commentaries are available:[3][7]

• Jannat al-Sarur fi Kayfiyat Tahqiq Ziyarat al-Ashura (جنّة السرور فی تحقیق کیفیة زیارة العاشورا) by Sheikh Ali Esterabadi Tehrani (in Arabic)
• Tadhkirat al-Za'arin (تذکرة الزائرین) by Sayyed Abu Hassan bin Mohammad Tabatabai Saravi (in Arabic)
• The Shifa al-Sudur by Mirza Abul Fazl Tehrani (in Persian)
• Manuscripts of commentary on Ziyarat of Ashura by Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (in Persian)

Dua Alqamah

Dua Alqamah (Persian: دعای علقمه ) is the title of the supplication recited after Ziyarat Ashura by Shia Muslims. It is attributed to Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Shia Imam, who transmitted it to his followers.[8] Alqamah is referred to one of companion of Ja'far al-Sadiq, the sixth Imam of the Shia, named Alqamah. According to the tradition in Mafatih al-Janan (Keys to the Heavens), Abbas Qumi believed this supplication is in honor of one companion of Ja'far al-Sadiq, named Safwan. So, the original name of the supplication is Safwan.[9] According to the Mafatih al-Janan, Abbas Qumi narrated the Alqamah prayer from Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Imam of Shia, on day of Ashura by the authority of Alqamah ibn Mohammad ibn Hazrami through a chain of transmission.[10]

See also

• Arba'een Pilgrimage
• Battle of Karbala
• Rawda Khwani

References

1. Flaskerud, Ingvild (2010). Visualizing Belief and Piety in Iranian Shiism. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4411-4907-7.
2. "Ziyārah". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
3. Ziyarat and Prayers. Sohale Sizar. p. 36. GGKEY:0T3B3DGQCGJ.
4. Shaykh Adil Al-Haqqani; Shaykh Hisham Kabbani (July 2002). The Path to Spiritual Excellence. ISCA. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-930409-18-7.
5. Khalfan, Muhammad. The Sacred Effusion. The World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities.
6. Azizi Tehrani; Ali Asghar. The Torch of Perpetual Guidance, an Exposé on Ziyarat Ashura of al-Imam al-Husayn b. Ali. Translated by Saleem Bhimji.
7. "Source of Ziyarat of Ashura". hawzah.net. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
8. Islamic Prayers. Sohale Sizar. p. 199. GGKEY:16QJUDZKQLD.
9. Azizi Tehrani, Ali Asghar. The Torch of Perpetual Guidance, an Exposé on Ziyarat Ashura of al-Imam al-Husayn b. Ali. Translated by Bhimji, Saleem.
10. Qomi, Abbas (2009). Mafatih Al-Jinan (Keys to the Garden of Paradise). Ansariyan Publications.

External links

• Text of Alqamah supplication