Numerous narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) equate the merit of visiting Imam Ali’s holy shrine with performing great acts of worship, such as the pilgrimage to Makkah. Visiting his sacred resting place elevates one spiritually in this life. It also brings immense rewards in the Hereafter. Shaikh Abbas al-Qumi, citing authentic narrations, reports that the graves of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and his pure progeny are a refuge for the fearful. They are also a source of safety for the people of the earth. No one comes to these sacred places with a sorrowful heart or an ailing body except that his needs are fulfilled. The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) have emphasized the importance of maintaining, visiting, and honoring these shrines. They consider neglecting them a sign of disloyalty.
The Prophet’s Teachings on the Virtue of Visiting the Shrines of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them)
According to Shaikh al-Tusi, Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) told Imam Ali (peace be upon him) that he would be martyred in Iraq and buried there. The Prophet then said:
“God has made your grave and the graves of your pure descendants a piece of Paradise. He will incline the hearts of His chosen servants toward them, and though they endure hardships, they will visit and maintain your shrines. On the Day of Resurrection, they shall receive my intercession. Visiting and remaining faithful to your graves equals the reward of seventy accepted pilgrimages and brings forgiveness of sins.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) also declared:
“Only the most truthful of my followers will visit al-Hussain, his father, and his brother.”
Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said:
“It is an obligatory covenant upon every Shia and lover of the Ahl al-Bayt to visit the graves of the Imams. Whoever visits them with faith and devotion shall receive their intercession on the Day of Judgment.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) further stated:
“Whoever visits me, or Ali, whether during our lives or after our deaths, or visits my sons al-Hasan and al-Hussain, I guarantee that on the Day of Resurrection I shall save him from its hardships and admit him beside me in Paradise.”
He also said:
“Whoever visits Ali after his passing, Paradise shall be his abode.”
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the pride of creation, said:
“Whoever visits Ali, recognizing his right and without arrogance, God shall record for him the reward of one hundred thousand martyrs, forgive his past and future sins, place him among the secure on the Day of Resurrection, ease his reckoning, and have the angels welcome him. When he returns home, if he falls ill, the believers will visit him, and if he dies, they will accompany him with prayers and forgiveness.”
The Perspective of Imam al-Sadiq (Peace be upon him) on the Visitation of Imam Ali’s Shrine
According to narrations recorded by al-Kulayni, Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) reproached Yunus ibn Wahb for neglecting to visit Imam Ali (peace be upon him), saying:
“You have done wrong by failing to visit the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him); for God, His angels, His prophets, and the believers visit him. He holds a rank before God greater than that of all other Imams and shares in the reward of all their deeds.”
In another narration, the Imam warned:
“Whoever abandons the visitation of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) shall not receive God’s attention. The visitation of Najaf is the visitation of the most exalted Imam, whose merit surpasses all others.”
He also said to al-Mufaddal ibn Umar:
“The visitation of Najaf is, in reality, the visitation of the sacred remains of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), the bones of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), and the body of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). For God commanded Noah to bury the coffin containing Adam’s bones in the land of Najaf after the Flood. Najaf is a holy land—it is where God spoke to Moses, sanctified Jesus, befriended Abraham, and made the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) His beloved.”
Hence, the visitor of Najaf, in truth, visits the great prophets. He also visits the Seal of Messengers and the Master of the Successors. His prayers ascend directly to the heavens.
Allamah al-Majlisi explains:
“The meaning of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) being the greatest buried in that land, after Adam and Noah, signifies his superiority in rank; and according to authentic narrations, all the Imams (peace be upon them), except the Prophet himself, are superior to the other prophets.”
The Virtue of the Cities of Kufa and Najaf
Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated that when the guardianship of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) was presented to all cities, none accepted it as wholeheartedly as Kufa—a distinction granted because of the resting place of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). They said:
“Whoever stands beside his sacred grave and prays two or four units of prayer, asking God for his needs, shall surely have them fulfilled and his grief removed—for a thousand angels descend around this blessed grave every day.”
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“Our guardianship is the divine guardianship with which all prophets were sent. It was offered to the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the cities—and Kufa received it most fully. Near this city lies a grave—the resting place of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)—where every sorrowful soul that seeks refuge is granted relief and every need is fulfilled.”
He further said:
“Behind the city of Kufa (Najaf) lies a grave—whoever seeks refuge there from illness or distress, God shall heal him.”
Thus, all these narrations establish that Kufa and Najaf, by virtue of the sacred shrine of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), are lands of divine favor, where prayer and visitation open the doors of relief and fulfillment.
The Reward of Visiting the Prophet and the Imams (Peace be upon them)
Ibn Mashhadi, with his chain of narration from Ishaq ibn Ammar, reports that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said:
“The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) stated: Whoever visits the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) has, in truth, visited me. Whoever loves him has loved me, and whoever is hostile to him has been hostile to me. Convey this to your people: whoever comes to visit Imam Ali (peace be upon him) has come to me, and I shall reward him on the Day of Resurrection, accompanied by Gabriel and the righteous believers.”
Ibn Qulawayh al-Qummi narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family):
“O Father, what is the reward for one who visits you? ”
He replied:
“My son, whoever visits me, whether in my lifetime or after my passing, or visits your father, it is incumbent upon God, the Almighty, to visit him on the Day of Resurrection and to purify him from sin.”
Shaikh al-Tusi narrates that Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family):
“O Father, what is the reward for one who visits you after your death with the sole intention of visitation? ”
The Prophet replied:
“My son, whoever visits me after my death with no purpose other than visitation, Paradise shall be his abode. Likewise, whoever visits your father, Ali, your brother, al-Hasan, or you after your deaths shall have Paradise as his reward.”
Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said:
“Although Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) was martyred under great oppression and visiting him brings solace to the heart, the visitation of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) holds a superiority equal to his own superiority over Imam Hussain (peace be upon him).”
The Reward of Visiting the Commander of the Faithful in the Words of Imam al-Sadiq (Peace be upon him)
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to Ibn Mard:
“Whoever visits my grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), recognizing his right, God will record for every step he takes the reward of an accepted pilgrimage and a blessed umrah. By God, no foot that becomes dust-covered in the path to his visitation—whether walking or riding—shall ever touch the Fire. O Ibn Mard, this narration deserves to be written in gold.”
He also said to Abdullah ibn Talhah:
“Do you visit the grave of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him)? ”
He replied, “Yes.”
The Imam asked, “Every week? ”
He said, “No.”
“Every month? ”
He said, “No.”
The Imam said, “How distant you are! The visitation of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) equals one pilgrimage and one umrah, while the visitation of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) equals two pilgrimages and two umrahs.”
Shaikh al-Tusi narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him):
“God has created no beings more numerous than the angels. Every day, seventy thousand angels descend—first to the celestial House (Bayt al-Mamur) to circumambulate it, then to the Kaaba, and then to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) to offer salutations. Thereafter they go to the grave of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and then to the grave of al-Hussain (peace be upon him), before ascending again to the heavens. This continues unceasingly until the Day of Resurrection.”
