Ziarat Of The Imams In Al-Baqi' Cemetery

When you intend to visit the Holy Imams in al-Baqi` Cemetery, you may begin with the aforementioned general etiquettes (bathing oneself, being ceremonially pure, putting on clean dresses, perfuming oneself, asking for permission… etc.) and then say the following: 

يَا مَوالِيَّ يَا أَبْناءَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ عَبْدُكُمْ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكُمْ ، الذَّلِيلُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيكُمْ ، وَالْمُضْعِفُ [الْمُضْعَفُ] فِي عُلُوِّ قَدْرِكُمْ ، وَالْمُعْتَرِفُ بِحَقِّكُمْ ، جاءَكُمْ مُسْتَجِيراً بِكُمْ قاصِداً إِلَىٰ حَرَمِكُمْ ، مُتَقَرِّباً إِلىٰ مَقامِكُمْ ، مُتَوَسِّلاً إِلَى اللّٰهِ تَعالىٰ بِكُمْ ، أَأَدْخُلُ يَا مَوَالِيَّ ؟ أَأَدْخُلُ يَا أَوْ لِياءَ اللّٰهِ ؟ أَأَدْخُلُ يَا مَلائِكَةَ اللّٰهِ الْمُحْدِقِينَ بِهٰذَا الْحَرَمِ الْمُقِيمِينَ بِهَذَا الْمَشْهَدِ؟

O my masters, sons of the Messenger of Allah, I—your servant and the son of your maid who stand submissively before you, who is worth nothing in comparison with your elevated esteem, and who admits your right (that is incumbent upon us)— have come to you, seeking your shelter, heading for your sanctuary, seeking nearness to Your statuses, and beseeching Allah in your names. May I enter, O my masters? May I enter, O intimate servants of Allah? May I enter, O Allah’s angels who surround this sanctuary and reside in this shrine? 

اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيراً ، وَالْحَمدُ لِلّٰهِ كَثِيراً ، وَسُبْحانَ اللّٰهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً ، وَالْحَمدُ لِلّٰهِ الْفَرْدِ الصَّمَدِ الْماجِدِ الْأَحَدِ الْمُتَفَضِّلِ الْمَنّانِ الْمُتَطَوِّلِ الْحَنّانِ الَّذِي مَنَّ بِطَوْلِهِ ، وَسَهَّلَ زِيارَةَ سَادَاتِي بِإِحْسانِهِ ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي عَنْ زِيارَتِهِمْ مَمْنُوعاً ، بَلْ تَطَوَّلَ وَمَنَحَ السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَئِمَّةَ الْهُدىٰ ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ التَّقْوىٰ ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْحُجَجُ عَلىٰ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيا ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْقُوَّامُ فِي الْبَرِيَّةِ بِالْقِسْطِ ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الصَّفْوَةِ ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ آلَ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ النَّجْوىٰ ، أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكُمْ قَدْ بَلَّغْتُمْ وَنَصَحْتُمْ وَصَبَرْتُمْ فِي ذاتِ اللّٰهِ وَكُذِّبْتُمْ وَأُسِيءَ إِلَيْكُمْ فَغَفَرْتُمْ ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّكُمُ الْأَئِمَّةُ الرَّاشِدُونَ الْمُهْتَدُونَ ، وَأَنَّ طاعَتَكُمْ مَفْرُوضَةٌ ، وَأَنَّ قَوْلَكُمُ الصِّدْقُ ، وَأَنَّكُمْ دَعَوْتُمْ فَلَمْ تُجَابُوا ، وَأَمَرْتُمْ فَلَمْ تُطَاعُوا ، وَأَنَّكُمْ دَعَائِمُ الدِّينِ وَأَرْكَانُ الْأَرْضِ. 

After you attain reverence, submission, and tenderheartedness, you may enter the shrine with your right foot, and say the following: Allah is greatly the Greatest. All praise be to Allah abundantly. Glory be to Allah in morns and eves. All praise be to Allah, the Single, the Absolute, the Glorious, the One and Only, the All-obliging, the All-benefactor, the Donor, the All-compassionate, Who conferred (upon us) with His bequests, Who has made easy for me to visit my masters out of His beneficence, Who has not included me with those who are prevented from visiting them; rather, He has bestowed upon me and donated me (this favor). You may then move toward their tombs, face them, turn the back to the kiblah direction, and say the following: Peace be upon you, O Leaders of true guidance. Peace be upon you, O people of piety. Peace be upon you, O Arguments against the inhabitants of this world. Peace be upon you, O maintainers of justice on people. Peace be upon you, O choicest people. Peace be upon you, O members of the Household of Allah’s Messenger. Peace be upon you, O people of confidential talks (of the angels). I bear witness that you did convey, offer advice, endure for the sake of Allah, and forgive when you were belied and maltreated. I also bear witness that you are the orthodox, well-guided Leaders, that the obedience to you is obligatory, that your words are true, that you had called (to Allah) but you were not answered, that you had enjoined (the right) but you were not obeyed, and that you are the supports of the religion and the poses of the earth. 

لَمْ تَزالُوا بِعَيْنِ اللّٰهِ يَنْسَخُكُمْ مِنْ أَصْلابِ كُلِّ مُطَهَّرٍ ، وَيَنْقُلُكُمْ مِنْ أَرْحامِ الْمُطَهَّراتِ ، لَمْ تُدَنِّسْكُمُ الْجاهِلِيَّةُ الْجَهْلاءُ ، وَلَمْ تَشْرَكْ فِيكُمْ فِتَنُ الْأَهْوَاءِ ، طِبْتُمْ وَطَابَ مَنْبَتُكُمْ ، مَنَّ بِكُمْ عَلَيْنا دَيَّانُ الدِّينِ فَجَعَلَكُمْ فِي بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ اللّٰهُ أَنْ تُرْفَعَ وَيُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ ، وَجَعَلَ صَلاتَنا عَلَيْكُمْ رَحْمَةً لَنا وَكَفَّارَةً لِذُنُوبِنا إِذِ اخْتارَكُمُ اللّٰهُ لَنا وَطَيَّبَ خَلْقَنا بِمَا مَنَّ عَلَيْنا مِنْ وِلايَتِكُمْ وَكُنَّا عِنْدَهُ مُسَمِّينَ بِعِلْمِكُمْ ، مُعْتَرِفِينَ بِتَصْدِيقِنا إِيَّاكُمْ ، وَهٰذَا مَقامُ مَنْ أَسْرَفَ وَأَخْطَأَ وَاسْتَكانَ وَأَقَرَّ بِمَا جَنىٰ وَرَجَا بِمَقامِهِ الْخَلاصَ وَأَنْ يَسْتَنْقِذَهُ بِكُمْ مُسْتَنْقِذُ الْهَلْكىٰ مِنَ الرَّدىٰ ، فَكُونُوا لِي شُفَعاءَ فَقَدْ وَفَدْتُ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذْ رَغِبَ عَنْكُمْ أَهْلُ الدُّنْيا وَاتَّخَذُوا آياتِ اللّٰهِ هُزُواً وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْها. يَا مَنْ هُوَ قائِمٌ لَايَسْهُو ، وَدائِمٌ لَايَلْهُو ، وَمُحِيطٌ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ ، لَكَ الْمَنُّ بِمَا وَفَّقْتَنِي ، وَعَرَّفْتَنِي بِما أَقَمْتَنِي عَلَيْهِ إِذْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ عِبادُكَ وَجَهِلُوا مَعْرِفَتَهُ ، وَاسْتَخَفُّوا بِحَقِّهِ ، وَمَالُوا إِلىٰ سِواهُ ، فَكانَتِ الْمِنَّةُ مِنْكَ عَلَيَّ مَعَ أَقْوامٍ خَصَصْتَهُمْ بِمَا خَصَصْتَنِي بِهِ ، فَلَكَ الْحَمدُ إِذْ كُنْتُ عِنْدَكَ فِي مَقامِي هٰذَا مَذْكُوراً مَكْتُوباً فَلا تَحْرِمْنِي ما رَجَوْتُ ، وَلَا تُخَيِّبْنِي فِيما دَعَوْتُ ، بِحُرْمَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ ، وَصَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ. 

You were always under the sight of Allah Who moved you from the loins of purified men to the wombs of purified women. The benighted ignorance could not stain you and the whimsical sedition could not attract you. Pleased be you as your origin has been pleased. The King of the religion has conferred upon us with the grace of our acknowledgment of you; He therefore caused you to be in houses which He (i.e. Allah) has permitted to be exalted and that His Name may be mentioned therein, and He has decided our invocations of blessings upon you to be mercy on us and to be granting remission of our sins. Allah has chosen you for us and has purified our creation through the grace of our loyalty to your (Divinely commissioned) Leadership with which He has conferred upon us. We have thus become nominated with Him due to our acknowledgement of you and our giving credence to you. So, this is the situation of him who has committed mistakes and sins, shown submission (to you), and confessed of what he had committed. Hence, being in this situation, I hope for redemption and I hope that the Savior of the perishing ones from perdition may save me in your names. So, (please) be my interceders, for I have come to you when the people of this world abandoned you, took the Signs of Allah for a jest, and turned away from them haughtily. 

You may then raise your head toward the sky and say the following:  

يَا مَنْ هُوَ قائِمٌ لَايَسْهُو ، وَدائِمٌ لَايَلْهُو ، وَمُحِيطٌ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ ، لَكَ الْمَنُّ بِمَا وَفَّقْتَنِي ، وَعَرَّفْتَنِي بِما أَقَمْتَنِي عَلَيْهِ إِذْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ عِبادُكَ وَجَهِلُوا مَعْرِفَتَهُ ، وَاسْتَخَفُّوا بِحَقِّهِ ، وَمَالُوا إِلىٰ سِواهُ ، فَكانَتِ الْمِنَّةُ مِنْكَ عَلَيَّ مَعَ أَقْوامٍ خَصَصْتَهُمْ بِمَا خَصَصْتَنِي بِهِ ، فَلَكَ الْحَمدُ إِذْ كُنْتُ عِنْدَكَ فِي مَقامِي هٰذَا مَذْكُوراً مَكْتُوباً فَلا تَحْرِمْنِي ما رَجَوْتُ ، وَلَا تُخَيِّبْنِي فِيما دَعَوْتُ ، بِحُرْمَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ ، وَصَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ. 

O He Who is Self-Subsisting and never forgets, Who is Ever-living and never becomes heedless, and Who encompasses all things! To You is all gratitude for that You have guided me (to this) and You have introduced to me that on which I rest, when Your servants diverted from it, ignored the recognition of it, belittled its right, and inclined to elsewhere. Hence, You have conferred upon me with this favor as well as upon other people whom You have granted exclusively the same. So, all praise be to You, for I have been mentioned and written with You due to the situation in which I am now. Hence, (please) do not deprive me of what I long for, and do not disappoint me as regards my supplication; (please do so) in the name of the sanctity of Muhammad and his immaculate Household. May Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad.  

You may now pray Almighty Allah for anything you want.