Is it valid to include Husayni elegy in Duʿaʾ al-Nudba?

In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful

And blessings and peace be upon the noblest of creation, Muhammad, and his pure progeny.

At the outset, before answering this, it should be stressed that other points of view are to be respected as long as they set out their evidence for adopting the opinion. We must distinguish between what is a matter of taste, or merely a point of view whose preferability one sees on the basis of certain considerations, and what is a scholarly juristic matter, built on scholarly evidence, which can be attributed to religion.

An orator may express his point of view within certain priorities or in view of a certain situation, without intending thereby to lay down a scholarly principle or a religious prohibition. Many orators do this, to a greater or lesser degree, and we should not load an opinion with more than it can bear when we disagree with it. Likewise, orators must distinguish, in guiding people, between what has a basis in the Law and what does not, so they should not be categorical, forbid, and be harsh in criticism unless there is an agreed-upon violation of the Law.

As for the subject itself, we have spoken about it on several occasions, and we reaffirm important points concerning the insertion of words or Husayni lament into supplications, among them:

The first point: Supplications are texts transmitted from the Household of Infallibility and Purity, so it is not valid to change them in a way that claims that this is part of them, for one would then have attributed to the Infallible a statement he did not say, and this is known to be forbidden, without any disagreement.

As for changing them in a way that does not claim that it is the statement of the Infallible, the jurists have issued fatwas that it is permissible, but with care not to attribute it to the Imam; the supplication will thereby change from a supplication transmitted from them (a) into a general supplication composed by the supplicant himself.

The second point: When the supplicant recites some words—not as a part of the supplication he is reciting, but rather he pauses in the middle of it, then recites another supplication, or recites a supplication seeking intercession (tawassul), or an explanation, or recites some lines of Husayni lament, and then continues the supplication, as happens in Duʿaʾ al-Nudba or others—there is no evidence prohibiting this, because he has not added words to the supplication as though they were part of it when they are not; rather, he was reciting the supplication, then paused, then returned and completed the supplication. During the pause he may do various things, such as drinking water, or explaining the phrases, as is done by those who do not know Arabic, so that people engage with the content, or recalling the calamities of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) because of their relevance to the aims of the supplication, so that people weep. There is no evidence prohibiting this kind of inclusion. Even in prayer, the one praying may recite some additional dhikrs as unrestricted remembrance, not as a part [of the prayer], and in such a way that they are not speech other than dhikr.

This method in general is what has become well known among a group of believers, in the households of scholars and at the purified shrines. It is not specific to one person or party; rather, the most famous reciters of Duʿaʾ al-Nudba in the Shiʿi world, who recite in the presence of the religious marajiʿ, recite in this way.

In other words, as some scholars have mentioned, continuity (muwalat) is not a condition in supplications, so there is no impediment to interrupting them and then returning to them and completing them.

The third point: It seems to me, according to my limited investigation, that we should distinguish between supplications and the special dhikrs that are recited for a need and from which a worldly effect, or otherwise, is sought, which require a special manner of performance, such as glorification (tasbih) a specific number of times, and dhikr in a special manner, or at a specific time or in a particular place. Such dhikrs must be adhered to so that what is sought from them is achieved, because the secret lies in the special dhikr in its special manner.

As has been narrated, Imam al-Sadiq (a), regarding the Supplication of the Drowning One (Duʿaʾ al-Ghariq), so that its reciter may be safe from trials, said that he should say: (O All-beneficent, O All-merciful, O Turner of hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion). The narrator said: (O Turner of hearts and eyes, make my heart firm), and the Imam replied to him: (Allah Almighty is indeed the Turner of hearts and eyes, but say as I tell you). So although the words the narrator said are true, the addition to it will not achieve what is sought.

Thus supplications whose manner is harmed by interrupting them and by their lack of continuity will not have the effect hoped for from them; as for supplications that are not harmed by this, and regarding which no prohibition or commitment to a particular manner has been transmitted, there is no objection to inclusion within them. Examples of such supplications are Duʿaʾ Kumayl, al-Nudba and others.

The fourth point: As regards preference, people have latitude in whatever does not harm the essence of the supplications. They may postpone the Husayni lament until the end, or reduce it, according to what people accept and what contributes to their engagement and their turning toward the supplication. Everything mentioned in the details of this aspect is an administrative matter; disagreement about it is not a disagreement in the Law.

So whoever presents his point of view on this should not load it onto religion without evidence, and should not be harsh toward those who disagree with his opinion.

As a point of view that we favor in this area: a person should strive to achieve engagement within himself with the flow of the supplication in its parts, as transmitted, and he can perform the additions after the supplication.

Yes, the reciter may experience spiritual states in which he sees that he needs repetition for greater engagement, or he may be seized by anguish over the tragedy of Imam al-Husayn (a), so he laments the Imam, weeps for him, and recites poetry about him expressing the tragedy; or a need may arise for him to seek intercession or to mention his need when his heart is broken. He may then interrupt the supplication and afterward return to complete it.

And Allah is the Granter of success.

Sayed Mahmoud Al-Mosawi