Ziyarat

In Islam, ziyara(h) (زيارة‎ ziyārah, "visit") or ziyarat (Persian: زیارت‎, ziyārat, "pilgrimage") is a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shī‘ī Imāms), his companions and other venerated figures in Islam such as the prophets, Sufi auliya, and Islamic scholars. Ziyārat can also refer to a form of supplication made by the Shia, in which they send salutations and greetings to Muhammad and his family.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 17 hours ago

Yes , you can request your father to send you for Ziyarah. His Khums is his responsibility but if you are sure that he has dues of Khums on him, you can politely request him to consult a trusted Aalim.

Wassalam.

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Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 6 months ago

Bismihi ta'ala

Facing the Qiblah alone would be the best thing to do, and more than adequate. 

And Allah knows best. 

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 8 months ago

The best way to be near to Imam Husain (AS) and Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) is to be always pious and sincere servant of Allah (SWT) by fulfilling all the obligatory acts on its time without delay and avoiding every sinful act. We don't say that all who who can afford to travel to Ziyarah of Imam Hussain (AS) have achieved and reached to this status, as financial reasons are there, but gaining the nearness from Ahlul Bayt (AS) requires piousness and continuous obedience of Allah (SWT) even if your financial situation does not allow you to travel to Karbala,but your piousness will make you near to the Imam (AS) where ever you are and your Ziyarah from far will have the reward of Ziyarah.

'Wassalam.

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Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 8 months ago

Bismihi ta'ala

This is among the first recommendations all our 'Ulama give, when it comes to spiritual advancement and fulfilling of needs. Ziyarat Ashura` has always been encouraged to recite, and simple search can reveal the many stories our esteemed scholars have in this regard. 

Refer to Ayatullah Sayyid Abtahi's book on the remarkable effects of Ziyarat Ashura` (in Farsi/Arabic). 

Also, see:

https://www.facebook.com/shiasource/videos/effects-of-reciting-ziyarat-a...

https://salatallayl.com/ziyarat-ashura-transliteration/

With prayers for your success. 

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 year ago

It is called Ziyarat Al-Jami'ah Al-Kabeerah الزيارة الجامعة الكبيرة.

It is one of the most authentic and greatest in contents and richest in knowledge.

Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 years ago

Listening is not like reciting. Just listening to Ziyarat Ashura does not make you get the great reward of reciting the Ziyarat.

Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 years ago

Yes of course. Ziyarat Ashura is a great Ziyarat and it is recommended to recite it every day. Reciting it on behalf of a deceased will make the deceased get great reward as well as the reciter himself.

Wassalam.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 2 years ago

People will give different perspectives on this, ranging from what to pack, to books to read, to spiritual advice.

In my view, the most important thing is to set a sincere intention to do it for the sake of Allah, and to meet the luminaries whom Allah has blessed us with. Then, to remain open to the experience.

Remember also that the experience of ziyarat differs from time to time, based on where we are in our lives, and rather than expecting it to always be the same, be open to change. 

Also, ziarat often has a strong social component, insofar as it is an opportunity for believers from around the world to build ties with each other. So it is nice to be open to that and to come with a spirit of acceptance of people, despite their flaws or different cultures and viewpoints. One can sometimes meet lifelong friends at these times. 

At the same time, it is better to try to avoid getting dragged into the trap of focusing on social expectations or interpersonal situations between yourself and whoever you may be travelling with, since this can be a distraction. Rather, keep the focus on Allah and the awliya and simply try to treat others well. 

There is nothing wrong with performing ziarat in the hope that a specific personal prayer will be answered. However, sometimes, focusing only on that can lead a person to miss out on other aspects of the experience, or be focused only on themself. So it is good to pray for what you need, but also be open to what is happening beyond that. 

It is also good to try to find compatible travelling companions, since those who you are travelling with can strongly impact the experience, for better or for worse. Also keep in mind that hajj and ziarat sometimes stress people in different ways (perhaps also due to the strong spiritual energy behind it), and while ideally people should be more patient and forgiving in the holy sites, sometimes it brings out their difficult side. It can also bring out our own weak points. So be prepared to be patient!

In my view, it is not the most important thing to have a strong factual knowledge of everyone and everything about the sites you are visiting, because if you don't have that already, you will pick it up as you go, or be inspired to learn more. However, it doesn't hurt. 

There is a lot of material online available, which you can find if you search; here is a nice short piece: https://www.al-islam.org/articles/how-make-most-ziyarah-ahlul-bayt-salim...

Also, you can read some hadith about ziyarat and the spiritual etiquette of ziyarat, or listen to some lectures online. 

May your ziyarat be accepted!

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 2 years ago

Bismillah

Alaykum salaam

There is no problem with that.

May you always be successful 

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

Yes, it is permissible if there is compatibility in Fath and Akhlaq.

Wassalam.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 4 years ago

Yes, this is in the book Kamil al-Ziyarat:

The narration is as follows: I said to Imam Sadiq (A), “May I be sacrificed on you, I cannot afford to go to Hajj every year.” The Imam (A) replied: If you ever wanted to go to the Hajj but could not afford it, go to the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (A), for indeed it will be recorded as a Hajj for you. And if you ever wanted to go for Umrah but could not afford it, go to the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (A), for indeed it will be recorded as an Umrah for you.

As for why? Allah knows best.

However, some thoughts. First, it is not neglecting hajj, only discussing the situation where it is impossible.

Second, it is also said that worshipping at Masjid al-Kufa has a similar reward to hajj, and Masjid al-Kufa is associated with Imam Ali (A) so this general idea is not only said about Karbala (although it is more emphasized for Karbala).

Third, if someone from afar cannot perform hajj, then probably they also cannot go to Medina and visit the Prophet (S), so it is not worth mentioning here.

Fourth, there are many narrations that indicate there is something spiritually unique about Karbala and where Imam Husain (A) was laid to rest, and visiting Imam Husain (A) is emphasized above visiting the resting places of the other Imams. So, it is good to trust in that and assume there is in fact a hidden merit to visiting Karbala which is not found in other places. There are many aspects of the spiritual world that we don't see with our physical eyes and in our everyday reality. Of course, it is also very good to visit Imam Ali (A)!

The best way to answer this question for one's self is to go to all these places (hajj, Najaf, Karbala) and develop a personal view. If you have not, may Allah bless you with the opportunity!

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

The rules for females who are passing their menstruation period are same: 

1. No Namaz (Preyers) whether obligatory or recommended and no Qaza (Qadha) of such Prayers later on.

2. No fasting but it must be made up as Qaza later on if she misses fasting any day in the Month of Ramadhan.

3. No sexual intercourse is permissible during menstruation period. Divorce is invalid during menstruation period.

4. It is not allowed for her and any person who is in the state of Janabah (man or woman) to recite any of the four verses of Quran of obligatory Sajda (In Sura Al-Alaq, Sura An-Najm, Sura Fussilat and Sura Al-Sajdah) 

5. It is not allowed for her and any person who is in the state of Janabah (man or woman) be inside any Masjid. The inside of shrines of Ahlul Bayt (AS) are Masjids. The courtyard (Sahn) is not a Masjid so she can be in the Sahn but not inside the shrine.

Wassalam.