Safwan ibn Mehran may be regarded as the first custodian of the Sanctuary of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). He was appointed to this responsibility by Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). The Imam entrusted him with overseeing the maintenance and repair of the simple structure marking the grave of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).
Safwan ibn Mehran al-Asadi, known as Safwan al-Jammal, was among the companions and transmitters of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) and Imam al-Kadhim (peace be upon him). According to Ibn Qulawayh in Kamil al-Ziyarat, Safwan visited the resting place of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) for a period of twenty years. He offered prayers there.
Safwan al-Jammal Recounts His Visit with Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him)
Safwan narrates:
“Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) took me with him toward the region named Qaim, saying, ‘Direct your path toward Ghari (Najaf).’ When we arrived, the Imam produced a rope woven from fibers and dragged it along the ground over a long distance.
He then stopped at a point, grasped a handful of soil, and smelled it. He moved slightly forward and stood at the very location where the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) is known today.
Once more he took a handful of earth, smelled it, and wept intensely to the extent that I feared he would pass away. When he regained composure, he said, “By God, this is the burial site of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).”
This account is among the earliest openly conducted visitations of Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) to the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). It occurred after the fall of the Umayyad dynasty. At that time, the danger posed by adversaries had diminished.
In another report, Safwan states:
“We traveled from Madinah toward Kufa with Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). When we passed through the region of Hira, the Imam called me and …”
(The continuation indicates that the Imam pointed out the grave of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in Najaf.)
Safwan’s Account of His Second Visitation
Safwan narrates:
“We traveled to Kufa with Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) in order to meet Mansur al-Dawaniqi.
The Imam (peace be upon him) said to me, ‘This is the sanctuary of my grandfather, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him). Dismount.’
He then performed the ritual bath, put on clean clothing, and with humility we walked until we reached the area of Dhukuwat.
The Imam (peace be upon him) drew a line with his staff and said, ‘Search here.’
When I removed the soil, the trace of the grave became visible.
The Imam (peace be upon him) wept and said:
‘Peace be upon you, O righteous and pure successor.
Peace be upon you, O great and noble one…’
He then permitted me to disclose the location of the grave to the Shia of Kufa. He also gave me several dirhams so that I might repair the stonework of the grave, which had been damaged by wind and rain.”
Thus, Safwan ibn Mehran may rightly be regarded as the first custodian of the Shrine of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), appointed directly by Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him).
Another Report by Safwan al-Jammal
Safwan relates:
“We reached the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) with Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). The Imam (peace be upon him) dug a small cavity and took out an iron marker that signified the grave.
He (peace be upon him) then took a vessel, performed ablution, offered four units of prayer, and said to me,
‘O Safwan, stand and do as I have done. Know that this is the grave of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).’”
Safwan narrates elsewhere:
“We traveled from Qadisiyyah toward Najaf with Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). When the Imam (peace be upon him) reached the heights of Najaf, he said:
‘This is the very mountain to which my grandfather Noah (peace be upon him) sought refuge during the flood when he said, “I will seek asylum on a mountain that will protect me from the water” (Hud: 43).
God revealed to him, “O Noah, there is no refuge from Me except through Me.” Then the mountain was made to sink into the earth, and a portion of it extended toward the region of Sham.’
The Imam then said, ‘Change direction.’
We reached Ghari. He stood beside the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and offered salutations from Prophet Adam to the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family), and I repeated after him.
He (peace be upon him) then fell upon the grave, wept, and offered four units of prayer.
When I asked whose grave this was, he replied,
‘This is the grave of my grandfather, the Commander of the Faiathful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).’”
Safwan’s Description of the Exact Location of the Grave
Safwan says:
“I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the burial site of Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
He (peace be upon him) described the precise location to me. I went there, prayed, and returned to inform the Imam (peace be upon him).
He (peace be upon him) confirmed and said, ‘You have done well.’”
From that time forward, Safwan spent twenty years in worship and prayer at that site.
Ibn Tawus narrates in Musannaf fi Tarikh al-Kufa:
“Safwan says, ‘My companion and I left Kufa and asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him).
The Imam (peace be upon him) said, ‘He is among you, behind Kufa, in a specific place,’ and described it to us.
We went and found the grave.
When we returned and informed the Imam, he (peace be upon him) said:
‘Indeed, that is the place—near Dhukuwat al-Bayd (the white mounds).’”
Safwan al-Jammal and Amir ibn Abdullah ibn Jadhah
Safwan and Amir relate that Amir said:
“People claim that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is buried in Rahbah, but the Imam (peace be upon him) clarified that this is not correct.
He (peace be upon him) explained that after the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) transported the blessed body to the area behind Kufa and buried him near Najaf, between the white mounds, to the left of Ghari and to the right of Hira.
Later, when I visited the place, I initially thought it was a different site. But when I informed the Imam, he (peace be upon him) said:
‘You succeeded. May God have mercy upon you.’
He (peace be upon him) repeated this supplication three times.”
From this narration, it becomes evident that if one stands today before the grave of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) in the old quarter of Najaf and looks toward Kufa, the grave lies to the left of Ghari (the historic district of Ghariyyayn) and to the right of Hira, located near present-day Najaf.
