Is staying in Karbala for more than three days disliked?

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

Peace be upon you, our Sayed, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings

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

As for the view that staying in Karbala for ziyarah for more than three days is disliked, I have not found any proof for it that explicitly states this limit. If the one who says it is conveying the fatwa of some mujtahid, he should state that explicitly so that people may know their religious duty; and if he has derived it from the texts reported from the Ahl al-Bayt (a), we have not found a single text that prohibits staying in Karbala for more than three days. If they have found that, we hope they will mention it.

Perhaps, in saying that, they looked to some narrations that say (Visit him and depart), or (I do not like you to make it your place of spending the night), or (and do not take it as a homeland). These narrations contain no specification of days. If they derived what they said from them, then it would be more fitting for them to say that staying after the ziyarah is disliked absolutely — so that even if the ziyarah lasted a quarter of an hour, for example, staying after it would be disliked; and this contradicts the principles of the Shariʿa and the explicit [content] of the noble narrations.

Because this understanding is considered strange, we find al-Hurr al-ʿAmili saying, in commenting on those narrations, something to the effect that the narrations have indicated that residing in Karbala is recommended (mustaḥabb), and that this prohibition is to be understood according to other possibilities, such as its being for taqiyya in the difficult times that passed over the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a), or it is to be understood as specific to the noble grave itself, in that one should depart from it. ʿAllama al-Majlisi gave the same interpretation in al-Bihar; and al-Mamaqani and ʿAllama al-Amini understood it as referring to certain forms of taking up residence, such as residing in Karbala while committing sins, which is contrary to reverence.

That is only because of the existence of narrations that urge residing in Karbala and encourage a lengthy stay there; for a ruling is not understood from a single narration — rather, the totality of the narrations must be considered in the context of religious principles and constants. And in order to stay away from a crude-literalist (hashwi) and superficial understanding of some narrations, an overall view of this is necessary.

Many proofs could be adduced, but we will be brief and say:

1 – The basic principle is that Karbala is the site of the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a), and it is a blessed land; and the Noble Qurʾan urges a person to hope to be in the blessed land and that it be a dwelling for him, as He said on the tongue of Allah's Prophet Noah: “And say, ‘My Lord! Land me with a blessed landing, for You are the best of those who bring ashore.’” (Qurʾan 23:29)[1].

Confirming this, it has come in al-Mufid's Mazar, in the supplication during the ziyarah at [the grave of] Imam al-Husayn (a): “In the Name of Allah, by Allah, in the way of Allah, and upon the creed of the Messenger of Allah (s). O Allah, land me with a blessed landing, for You are the best of those who bring ashore.” al-Mazar by al-Mufid, p. 101

2 – Another Qurʾanic principle calls the believing person to be attached to righteous deeds, as He said: “Indeed this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives the good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds that there is a great reward for them.” (Qurʾan 17:9)

So staying near him and visiting him frequently over many days is a form of abundance in righteous deeds, and the narration has indicated this.

From Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad (a): that he was asked about the ziyarah of Abu ʿAbd Allah al-Husayn (a); it was said: Is there in that a time better than another time?

He said: Visit him (s) at every time and at every moment, for his ziyarah (a) is the best thing prescribed; so whoever does it much has gained much good, and whoever does it little, little is given to him. And seek out the noble times for your ziyarah, for righteous deeds in them are multiplied, and they are the times of the descent of the angels to visit him[2].

3 – The shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a) is among the houses that Allah has allowed to be raised, wherein His Name is celebrated and He is glorified, morning and evening, as in the verse: “In houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His Name is celebrated; He is glorified therein, morning and evening” (Qurʾan 24:36)[3].

The Qurʾanic verses call a person to be constant in remembrance, continually engaged in glorification, revering the sanctities of Allah, the Exalted; and whenever he is able to find a way to that, it is better for him. So connection with the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a) is a connection with that reverence, remembrance and glorification, and the more he does so, the nearer he is to Allah.

4 - The narrations have indicated that among the motives and starting points of the ziyarah of Imam al-Husayn (a) is the renewal of the covenant with the Imamate; and there is no doubt that this renewal increases in merit the more it increases. So if the visitor stays many days, he is fortunate in that covenant.

Hence it has been reported in the narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a) on this, in which it came: “So strive, O Yahya, not to be missing from that place”[4].

There is no doubt that one who parts from the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a) is missing from that place; that is why substitute ziyarahs from afar and other compensations for that were instituted.

5 – Numerous narrations consistent with these principles have indicated encouragement of staying long for ziyarah and staying in Karbala, in various ways, some of them direct and some indirect.

We mention some of them that are useful in this context:

a – Every day that the visitor spends in Karbala counts as a thousand months.

From Hisham ibn Salim, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), in a long hadith, he said: A man came to him and said to him... : What is there for one who stays near him? He said: Each day is [equal] to a thousand months.[5].

b – Being in the vicinity of Imam al-Husayn (a), for each day, is better than seventy years of worship.

From our master al-Rida (a), who said: Being in the vicinity of the Commander of the Faithful (a) for one day is better than seven hundred years of worship, and at [the grave of] al-Husayn (a), seventy years[6].

c – Every night spent at [the grave of] Imam al-Husayn (a) equals seventy years of worship.

From Imam al-Sadiq (a): Spending the night at [the grave of] ʿAli (a) equals seven hundred years of worship, and at [the grave of] al-Husayn (a), seventy years[7].

d – If the visitor knew what Allah has prepared for him, he would stay his whole life near Imam al-Husayn (a).

From Jabir al-Juʿfi, who said: Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) said, in a long hadith: When you turn back from the grave of al-Husayn (a), a caller calls out to you — were you to hear his words, you would stay your whole life at the grave of al-Husayn (a) — and he says: Blessed are you, O servant! You have gained and you are safe; what is past has been forgiven you, so begin your deeds anew[8].

In some of them, he wishes that his grave were there. Al-Shaykh Jaʿfar al-Tustari said in al-Khasaʾis al-Husayniyya: “That is, his regret on the Day of Resurrection reaches the degree that he says: Would that I had been residing near his grave, visiting him until death overtook me”[9].

e – Visit him for as many days as you wish.

From al-ʿIs ibn al-Qasim, who said: I asked Abu ʿAbd Allah (a): Is there a prescribed prayer for visiting the grave? He said: It has no prescribed prayer. [nothing prescribed]. He said: And I asked him: In how many days is it to be visited? He said: As you wish[10].

f - He would love his home to be at the grave of al-Husayn (a)

In a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (a), it came: “If the visitor of al-Husayn (a) knew the joy that enters upon the Messenger of Allah and reaches him, and [reaches] the Commander of the Faithful, Fatimah, and the Imams and the martyrs from among us, the Ahl al-Bayt; and what he returns with of their supplication for him; and the reward that is his in that, in the immediate and the deferred, and what is stored up for him with Allah — he would love that what is there be his home for as long as he remains.”

g – The merit of iʿtikaf (devotional retreat) for ten days, of the last ten [days] of the month of Ramadan.

From Imam al-Rida (a), in a hadith.. “And whoever visits al-Husayn (a), performing iʿtikaf near him during the last [remaining] ten [days] of the month of Ramadan, it is as though he performed iʿtikaf at the grave of the Messenger of Allah, the Prophet (s); and whoever performs iʿtikaf at the grave of the Messenger of Allah (s), that is better for him than a hajj and an ʿumra after the hajj of Islam.”

h – Were I near him, not a single prayer would I miss there.

From ʿUyayna, the seller of reeds, from Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad, who said: A man came to Abu Jaʿfar, and he discussed with him the grave of al-Husayn, and he said: Do you not go to him? He said: Yes, we go to him once a year. He said: How estranged you are, O people of Kufa! Were I in your position, not a single prayer would I miss there[11].

i – Karbala is the stronghold of the Shiʿa.

This is what ʿAllama al-Majlisi narrated in al-Bihar from Imam al-Husayn (a) in his dialogue with the jinn, where he said in the course of it: And who then would be the occupant of my grave in Karbala, when Allah chose it on the day He spread out the earth, and made it a stronghold for our Shiʿa, and it will be a security for them in this world and the Hereafter[12].

There are many indirect narrations that indicate the merit of staying in Karbala and spending the night there for as many days as one wishes.

As for the prohibition that has been reported, some of it is to be understood as taqiyya in the times when the Shiʿa were being pursued, and Karbala had not yet been settled. That is why the guidance of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) to the visitor who wished to stay was to set down his baggage in the neighboring villages, such as al-Ghadiriyya and Ninawa. For that reason, when one of the companions asked the Imam (a) about his options for settling among several noble places, the Imam said to him: Take Kufa; and that was because of its proximity to the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a), since Karbala at that time had not yet been made into a town.

The meaning of some of those narrations is to be understood as referring to staying at the noble grave, so that it does not become a place for sleeping and a place for eating; this is a preparation for it to be a place of ziyarah, worship, remembrance and tawassul. What supports this is what has come in some of the ziyarat:

And you go out from him — i.e., from al-ʿAbbas — and return to the grave of our master al-Husayn (a), and stay near him as long as you like; but I do not like you to make it your place of spending the night[13].

And from al-Husayn ibn Thuwayr ibn Abi Fakhita, who said: Yunus ibn Zabyan, al-Mufaddal ibn ʿUmar, Abu Salama al-Sarraj and I were sitting with Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) — until he said: Then you turn around and place the grave of Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) before you and in front of you, and pray six rakʿas, and your ziyarah is complete; then if you wish, stay, and if you wish, depart[14].

The truest expression that the visitor departing from the ziyarah utters is his supplication in the farewell ziyarah that Allah, the Exalted, grant him residence near him, and his acknowledgment that his departure from the noble grave was not out of weariness.

“O my master, peace be upon you — the greeting of one bidding farewell, neither resentful nor weary. If I depart, O my master, it is not out of weariness; and if I stay, it is not out of ill thought about what Allah has promised the patient.

O my master, may Allah not make it my last visit to you; may He accept from me, and grant me return to you, residence in your sanctuary, and presence at your shrine. Amen, Lord of all the worlds[15].

________

[1] - Surat al-Muʾminun 29

[2] - Iqbal al-Aʿmal, vol. 1, p. 10.

[3] - Surat al-Nur, verse 36.

[4] - Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 269

[5] - Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 123.

[6] - Nur al-ʿAyn fi al-Mashy ila Ziyarat Qabr al-Husayn, p. 428, from Abwab al-Jinan wa Bashaʾir al-Ridwan, folio 118; and it is in Masabih al-Jinan: 195, quoting from the book Madinat al-ʿIlm by al-Saduq.

[7] - Nur al-ʿAyn fi al-Mashy ila Ziyarat Qabr al-Husayn, p. 428, from Masabih al-Jinan, 195, quoting from al-Tuhfa al-Ghurawiyya.

[8] - Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 153

[9] - al-Khasaʾis al-Husayniyya, al-Shaykh Jaʿfar al-Tustari, p. 298.

[10] - Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 295.

[11] - Fadl Ziyarat al-Husayn (a), Muhammad ibn ʿAli ibn al-Hasan al-ʿAlawi al-Shajari, p. 48.

[12] - Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 331.

[13] - al-Mazar al-Kabir, by Ibn al-Mashhadi, 427.

[14] - Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 200.

[15] - al-Mazar al-Kabir, by Ibn al-Mashhadi, 427.