Sacred Effusion - Reflections on Ziyarat al-Ashura of Sayyid ash-Shuhada Imam al-Husayn vol 1

204 Pages·8.764 MB·English

by  Muhammad M Khalfan

THE SACRED EFFUSION
REFLECTIONS ON ZIYARAT ‘ASHURA
OF SAYYID AL-SHUHADA’
Muhammad Khalfan
Copyright © 2013 the World Federation of KSIMC
Smashwords Edition
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1
PEACE BE ON YOU, O ENTIRELY
OBEDIENT SERVANT OF ALLAH
CHAPTER 2
PEACE BE ON YOU, O SON OF THE
MESSENGER OF ALLAH
CHAPTER 3
PEACE BE ON YOU, O SON OF THE
COMMANDER OF THE FAITHFUL
AND THE SON OF THE LEADER
OF THE SUCCESSORS
CHAPTER 4
PEACE BE ON YOU, O SON OF FATIMAH-THE MISTRESS
OF THE WOMEN OF THE UNIVERSE
CHAPTER 5
PEACE BE UNTO YOU, O BLOOD OF ALLAH AND THE SON
OF THE BLOOD OF ALLAH
CHAPTER 6
THE EXCEPTIONALLY UNIQUE
CHAPTER 7
PEACE BE UNTO YOU AND UNTO THOSE SPIRITS WHO
DESCENDED IN YOUR COURTYARD.
CHAPTER 8
UPON YOU ALL I INVOKE THE PEACE OF ALLAH FOREVER,
SO LONG AS I LIVE AND THE NIGHT AND DAY SUBSISTS.
CHAPTER 9
O ABA ‘ABDILLAH, I SWEAR BY ALLAH, THE LOSS HAS BEEN GREAT; AND THE
CALAMITY ON US AND ALL THE ENTHUSIASTS OF ISLAM BECAUSE OF WHAT BEFELL
ON YOU HAS BEEN GREAT AND SEVERE. AND THE CALAMITY THAT BEFELL ON YOU
IS RECKONED BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE HEAVEN IN THE HEAVENS AS GREAT
AND SEVERE.
FOREWORD
Ziyarat-e-Ashura
A potent antidote to reawaken our hearts.
This is an age where the very purpose of our existence has been obscured
by the glut of materialism. We seem to be engulfed in a quagmire that
deflects our energy away from his divinely intended purpose. Our true
fulfillment can only come through inner light, when the heart is awakened
to seek it’s divinely intended purpose.
This seminal work on Ziyarate Ashura, aptly named The Sacred Effusion,
by Shaykh Muhammad Khalfan, is a beacon for the seeker to seek the
Sacred and the Divine. With his characteristic insight, the venerable Shaykh
guides us to understand how Ziyarate Ashura can be a potent antidote to
reawaken our hearts to the real purpose of our existence and not remain a
mere habitual or ritual recitation.
As one reads the words so passionately penned by the author, one cannot
help but visualize and ponder upon the origin very word ziyara, which
originates from the word zawr, which means to deflect or turn away. The
context becomes all the more evident when we read that the Arabic word
zur refers to a lie – because it deflects from the path of truth. This sets the
scene for the reader to contextualize the very essence of the spiritual and
moral aspects of the ziyara – that when visiting the shrines of the
Ma’sumeen, or reciting the ziyarawe momentarily ‘turn away’ from our
worldly existence and gravitate towards an inner state of seeking none other
than Allah. The essence of the ziyara, as elucidated by the author is, that the
zair who recites the ziyara must imbibe the spirit and attain the cognizance
of the sublimity of Ziarate Ashura to enable him to align himself with the
spirit of the visited one.
The author eloquently elucidates that the crux of the Ziyarate Ashura are
the concepts are Tawalla and Tabarra. He writes:
“Besides its ample merits, it is a program of revolution for the sleeping
masses. The crux of the ziyara is tabarra’ andtawalla, which can correctly
be translated as ‘fleeing from imperfection’ and ‘seeking perfection’, or in
beautiful words of every Muslim La ilahaillaAllah -Besides Allah- the Only
Beloved, there is no other ilah (beloved). The Name Allah exemplifies all
the perfect attributes of the Divine Essence, which the human being has
been molded to appreciate and naturally seek. The Holy Qur’an says:’…the
innate nature of Allah, upon which the human beings were molded.’(30:30).
Therefore the ziyara in reality is a call to the unsullied innate disposition
(fitra) of the human being.”
The oft-repeated salutation of Assalamu AlaykayaAba ‘Abdillah, assumes
an everlasting impression upon our minds when we read how we must
manifest our intentions to unite with his lofty ideals, and in cursing his
opponent show we must demonstrate our revulsion at the worldly desires of
his enemies. If we truly make that salutation with that understanding, it
helps us align ourselves with the spirit of Imam al-Husayn(AS) and we
have fulfilled and are true to the words we recite in the ziyara:
“So I ask Allah, who ennobled me by knowing you and knowing your
friends, and enabled me to seek remoteness from your enemies, to place me
in your company in this world and the Hereafter.”
This allows us to seek nearness to Allah through the ziyarah rather than to
be only motivated to gain personal benefits. Unquestionably, many
traditions of the Aimma (AS) promise us that by the recitation of
ZiyarateAshuraour needs would be fulfilled. For example Imam Jafar Sadiq
(a.s.) guided Safwaan thus:
“When you are confronted with some adversity, then seek redress of your
grievances from Imam al-Husayn (AS) with this Ziyara and Allah never
reneges on His word”.
However, the real question that we are encouraged to ponder upon is “What
is our real need that we should ask for?” It helps us create an awareness of
our own selves so that we can assess the true value of our neediness. Cited
is an inspiring example of asking for one’s real need is of Shaykh ‘Abd al-
KarimHairi, the founder of the Hawza of Qum. It is said that during the
ziyara atthe Haram of Imam al-Husayn (AS) he was seen weeping and
telling the Imam (AS): “O dear master, I have become a mujtahid but I
want to become a human being.”
Thus the ziyara, must go beyond the seeking mundane material benefits and
rise beyond to the lofty sublimities of cognition and self awareness to
awaken us from thesluggishness caused by the excesses of hubbe-duniya.
To do so is to realize the ultimate purpose of ziyara. After all who can be a
better symbol, than Imam al-Husayn (AS) whose supreme sacrificeon the
day of Ashura, symbolized the highest manifestation of Tawheed – that
Besides Allah- the Only Beloved, there is no other ilah (beloved).
Hasnain Walji
Plano Texas, Match 2009
PREFACE
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful. All praises
belong exclusively to Allah, and may His peace and benedictions be on
Muhammad, the most perfect epitome of Divine Attributes and his infallible
progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, who are rightfully known as the ships of
salvation, whosoever boards in their ship, earns eternal felicity, and
whosoever lags behind and is indifferent drowns and attains eternal
damnation.
Al-Qanduzi, the Hanafite narrator of traditions, in his radiant collection
Yanabi’ al-Mawadda (lit. Fountains of Constant Love) narrates a tradition
from Abu Dharr al-Ghiffari who narrates from the Holy Prophet (s):
The similitude of my progeny among you is that of the ship of Noah (‘a);
whosoever boards it is saved, and whosoever lags behind would perish1
The ship of al-Husayn (‘a), however, according to another tradition is more
rapid: Once a companion of Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) asked him about the
prophetic tradition “Surely al-Husayn is the lamp of guidance and the ship
of salvation” saying: “Aren’t you [the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a)] ships of salvation
[too]?” The Imam (‘a) replied:
“All of us are ships of salvation, save that the ship of al-Husayn (‘a) is more
spacious and faster.2