Going for Ziaraat is a wonderful experience and something I shall remember for ever. When we decided to go to Iraq and Syria, I was excited and looked forward to the trip. It was a dream come true.
The benefits of Ziaraat are many, including, acceptance of requests made to Allah(s.w.t.) and a long, healthy and meaningful life. First, we went to Damascus, or Shaam as it is more commonly called. Here Bibi Zaynab, the sister of Imam Hussain (a.s.), who suffered many difficulties during and after Kerbala, is buried here. She was a courageous and powerful lady. We visited the court of Yazid, which was nearby, and it really amazed me how she silenced hundreds of people with her sermon in this very place.
Bibi Sakina is buried in a Mosque near the centre of Shaam. She too was tortured by the men of Yazid and died at a young age in the prison of Shaam.
Hazrat Habil, the son of Prophet Adam is buried in Syria too. His was the first human death on earth and his grave is 17 feet long, possibly the longest ever. When the murder of Habil took place, it is said that even the mountains cried. An impression of a crying mouth is left in a cave. On the top of the mountain (which took some time to climb, and was quite a challenge), it is known that 40 Prophets offered Salaat and Mussalahs mark the place. I actually prayed where Allah’s messengers did so too.
After leaving Syria and performing the many other Ziaraats there, we proceeded to Jerusalem for a day. The great Dome of the Rock and Masjidul Aqsa are here. It is the third most sacred place in Islam and it was a great feeling to be in the place where the Prophet ascended to the Heavens. What surprised me was that Christians and Jews were allowed in there too. I was disturbed to see one Mosque in Hebron turned into a synagogue with heavy security. This is where Prophets Ibrahim, Ishaac and Yaqoob are buried with their wives.
We left Jerusalem for Amman, Jordan to stay for one night. The following day, we started the long journey into Iraq. No air travel is permitted in Iraq so we had to travel by coach and were on the road for 23 hours. This was little to put up with as it meant we’d be going to the Holy cities. Alhamdulilah, we reached Baghdad safe and well.
Baghdad was a big difference to Shaam. It was modern with well built buildings, a proper road system with traffic lights. Paintings and statues of Saddam lined the streets and armed policemen were everywhere. It is actually makrooh to stay in Baghdad but we had to as there are no facilities in the nearby holy cities of Kadhmain and Samarrah.
I found it difficult to believe that we were actually in Iraq, in the holy lands until I was actually at the rauza of an Imam. We went to Kadhmain many times where Imam Musa al-Kadhim and Imam Muhammad at-Taqi (a.s.) are buried side by side in a great Mosque with four grand, golden minarets, which stood out with the two domes.
We spent a day in Samarrah which too is of great importance. The shrines of Imam Ali un-Naqi and his son Imam Hasan al-Askeri (a.s.) are there. There is also the basement of Imam Mehdi (a.s.) where he was last seen before going into Ghaibat. The Harams of Kadhmain and Samarrah are full of poor people whom I sympathised with.
From Baghdad, we went on to the holy city of Najaf where the grave of Ameerul Mumineen, Imam Ali (a.s.) lies. Prophets Nooh and Adam are buried next to him. The Mosque is truly outstanding with its bright shining gold dome and two minarets. People came from all over the world to offer their respects to Imam Ali (a.s.) and I couldn’t believe that I was actually standing by the tomb of the first Imam, the hero of many battles and a great leader of the people.
Once I got over my excitement, I remembered the aspects of his life that we should follow. The streets leading to the Mausoleum of Imam Ali (a.s.) are full of beggars, especially children. They walked barefoot on the scorching hot ground. This reminded me of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his companions in Kerbala.
We had a great opportunity to meet Ayatullah Seestani, the current marja. Just by looking at his face I could tell he was a great, learned and pious man. We were able to ask him questions and he answered in depth giving full explanations. He seemed a very simple man full of masses of knowledge.
In Najaf lies the biggest and oldest graveyard in the world, ‘Wadius Salam’ meaning Valley of Peace. It is enormous with many, many graves of learned and good hearted Muslims. Prophets Hud and Saleh are buried there.
We spent a day in the sacred city of Imam Ali (a.s.), Kufa where he was killed during his Fajr Namaaz. I saw the place where this happened and imagined the event. There are many companions of Imam Ali and Imam Hussain (a.s.) buried in the Mosque of Kufa including Muslim bin Aqeel and Hadhrat Mukhtar.
There was something about the Mosque in Najaf that attracted me and made me hesitant to leave. I wanted to spend as much time there as possible. We left Najaf for Kerbala, the city that will remain in the minds of Muslims forever. It was here that Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his companions were martyred and sacrificed their lives for Islam.
I hear of the the tragedy of Kerbala every year in Muharram, wondering what it is like there. Now Alhamdulillah, I have been there. There are two great Mosques in Kerbala, both opposite each other. The first is the rauza of Imam Hussain (a.s.) with the graves of his two sons Ali Akber and Ali Asgher. The rest of the martyrs are buried here too.
The other Mosque is of the brave and courageous Hazrat Abbas (a.s.) . The grave itself is surrounded by the River Furaat and is accessible to only a few people. It was by the ni’mah of Allah that I was given the opportunity to go under the cenotaph of Hazrat Abbas (a.s.) and be on the same level as the grave. The grave is reached by walking through the water, waist high, in small tunnels. I felt scared as it was quite dark and only a few of us were down there with tunnels leading off in different directions but I felt consoled that I was with Hazrat Abbas and should anything happen to me down there, I had nothing to worry. There were concrete walls around the grave to protect it from water. I was able to do tawaaf around the grave and recite Ziaraat. It was an experience I’ll never forget and the highlight of my trip.
We stayed in Kerbala for the day of Arafaat and performed the a’amals in the Mosque of Imam Hussain (a.s.). There are many blessings in doing so. A hadith of the a’amiah says that Allah (s.w.t.) looks first at the people in Kerbala on Arafa’at and rewards them, then the Hujjaj.
Many, many Shias were in Kerbala at this time from all around the world. I thought of how Mecca would be with over two million Muslims.
Our time in Iraq was coming to an end. We had to commence the journey back to Amman and I felt sad about leaving the country full of so many tombs of great people, including the graves of six Imams.
In Amman, we went on a sight-seeing tour and saw the luxurious areas with beautiful houses that one can only dream of. Amman is a modern city. You can tell by the clothes people wear and the shops. The following day we flew back to London.
I have completed my Ziaraat to Iraq and Shaam. I remember the places we visited well and hope to Inshallah go again some time. I would thoroughly recommend to all out there who haven’t been to Iraq to do so. .