English
AAMAL AT THE THIRD COLUMN (SUTOON)
You may then walk to the seat of Imam ‘Ali ibn alHusayn Zayn al’Abidin (‘a) that is situated near the third column from the direction of bab kindah (the Gate of Kindah). Opposite to this place from the kiblah direction is the seat of Imam ‘Ali Amir alMu’minin (‘a) and from the west side is bab kindah, which is now blocked. It has been also said that one who wants to offer prayers there must stand five arms far from the column, since the actual place of the seat of Imam Zayn al’Abidin (‘a) was there. Anyhow, you may offer there a twounit prayer reciting Surah alFatihah and any other Surah you like. When you finish the prayer and say the Tasbih statements, you may say the following:
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنَّ ذُنُوْبِيْ قَدْ كَثُرَتْ
In the Name of Allah; the All-beneficent, the All-merciful. O Allah, my sins have been growing and nothing can stand for them except the hope in Your pardon although I have done things due to which I deserve deprivation of Your pardon. Therefore, I beseech You, O Allah, for that which I do not deserve and I seek from You that which I do not merit. O Allah, If you chastise me, then this will be on account of my sins and You shall never be unjust to me. But if You forgive me, then You are already the best of all those who show mercy, O my Master. O Allah, You are what You are and I am what I am: You always return with forgiveness and I always return with sinning. You always confer with forbearance and I always return with impatience. O Allah, I do beseech You, O treasure of the weak! O He in Whom great hope is put! O rescuer of the drowned! O savior of those about to perish! O He Who cause the alive to die! O He Who causes the dead to live again! You are Allah; there is no god but You. It is You before Whom have prostrated the ray of the sun, the moonlight, the murk of night, the light of daytime, and the flapping of birds. I thus beseech You, O All-great, in the name of the duty of Muhammad and his veracious Household towards You, O All-generous, in the name of Your duty towards Muhammad and his veracious Household, in the name of the duty of 'Ali towards You, in the name of Your duty towards ‘Ali, in the name of the duty of Fatimah towards You, in the name of Your duty towards Fatimah, in the name of the duty of al-Hasan towards You, in the name of Your duty towards al-Hasan, in the name of the duty of al-Husayn towards You, and in the name of Your duty towards al-Husayn. Verily, Your duty towards them is one of the greatest blessings that You conferred upon them. And (I beseech You) in the name of the position that You enjoy with them and in the name of the position that they enjoy with You to (please) bless them, O Lord, with blessings that are endless until they attain Your pleasure, to forgive me, in their names, the sins that I committed concerning my duties towards You, to complete Your favors upon me in the same way as You had completed them upon my forefathers. O kaf-ha’-ya’-'ayn-sad! O Allah, just as You have poured blessings upon Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad, (please) respond to my entreaty as regards that which I have asked from You.
وَ لَمْ يَبْقَ لَهَا اِلَّا رَجَاۤءُ عَفْوِكَ
وَ قَدْ قَدَّمْتُ اٰلَةَ الْحِرْمَانِ اِلَيْكَ
فَاَنَا اَسْاَلُكَ اللّٰهُمَّ مَا لَاۤ اَسْتَوْجِبُهُ
وَ اَطْلُبُ مِنْكَ مَا لَاۤ اَسْتَحِقُّهُ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنْ تُعَذِّبْنِيْ فَبِذُنُوْبِيْ
وَ لَمْ تَظْلِمْنِيْ شَيْئًا
وَ اِنْ تَغْفِرْ لِيْ فَخَيْرُ رَاحِمٍ اَنْتَ يَا سَيِّدِيْ
اَللّٰهُمَّ اَنْتَ اَنْتَ وَ اَنَا اَنَا
اَنْتَ الْعَوَّادُ بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ
وَ اَنَا الْعَوَّادُ بِالذُّنُوْبِ
وَ اَنْتَ الْمُتَفَضِّلُ بِالْحِلْمِ
وَ اَنَا الْعَوَّادُ بِالْجَهْلِ
اَللّٰهُمَّ فَاِنِّيْۤ اَسْاَلُكَ
يَا مُمِيْتَ الْاَحْيَاۤءِ
اَنْتَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ
اَنْتَ الَّذِيْ سَجَدَ لَكَ شُعَاعُ الشَّمْسِ
فَاَسْاَلُكَ اللّٰهُمَّ يَا عَظِيْمُ
بِحَقِّكَ يَا كَرِيْمُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِهِ الصَّادِقِيْنَ
وَ بِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِهِ الصَّادِقِيْنَ عَلَيْكَ
وَ بِحَقِّكَ عَلٰى عَلِيٍّ
وَ بِحَقِّ عَلِيٍّ عَلَيْكَ
وَ بِحَقِّكَ عَلٰى فَاطِمَةَ
وَ بِحَقِّ فَاطِمَةَ عَلَيْكَ
وَ بِحَقِّكَ عَلَى الْحَسَنِ
وَ بِحَقِّ الْحَسَنِ عَلَيْكَ
وَ بِحَقِّكَ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ
وَ بِحَقِّ الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْكَ
فَاِنَّ حُقُوْقَهُمْ مِنْ اَفْضَلِ اِنْعَامِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ
وَ بِالشَّأْنِ الَّذِيْ لَكَ عِنْدَهُمْ
وَ بِالشَّأْنِ الَّذِيْ لَهُمْ عِنْدَكَ
صَلِّ يَا رَبِّ عَلَيْهِمْ
صَلَاةً دَاۤئِمَةً مُنْتَهٰى رِضَاكَ
وَ اغْفِرْ لِيْ بِهِمُ الذُّنُوْبَ الَّتِيْ بَيْنِيْ وَ بَيْنَكَ
وَ اَتْمِمْ نِعْمَتَكَ عَلَيَّ
كَمَا اَتْمَمْتَهَا عَلٰى اٰبَاۤئِيْ مِنْ قَبْلُ
اَللّٰهُمَّ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
فَاسْتَجِبْ لِيْ دُعَاۤئِيْ فِيْمَا سَاَلْتُكَ۔
You may then prostrate yourself and stick your right cheek to the ground and repeat as much as possible the following statements with reverence and weeping:
يَا سَيِّدِيْ يَا سَيِّدِيْ يَا سَيِّدِيْ
صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
وَ اغْفِرْ لِيْ وَ اغْفِرْ لِيْ۔۔۔
O my Master! O my Master! O my Master! Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad and forgive me. Please, forgive me...
You may then stick your left cheek to the ground and repeat the same words.
You may then supplicate Almighty Allah for anything you want.
Some inauthoritative books have mentioned that the following instruction of Imam alSadiq (‘a) to one of his companions may be carried out in this place. As a matter of fact, this instruction is not dedicated to this place; rather, to the courtyard of Masjid alKufah. However, this instruction is as follows:
اِلٰهِيْ اِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ عَصَيْتُكَ
فَاِنِّيْ قَدْ اَطَعْتُكَ فِيْ اَحَبِّ الْاَشْيَاۤءِ اِلَيْكَ
لَمْ اَتَّخِذْ لَكَ وَلَدًا
وَ لَمْ اَدْعُ لَكَ شَرِيْكًا
وَ قَدْ عَصَيْتُكَ فِيْۤ اَشْيَاۤءَ كَثِيْرَةٍ
عَلٰى غَيْرِ وَجْهِ الْمُكَابَرَةِ لَكَ
وَ لَا الْاِسْتِكْبَارِ عَنْ عِبَادَتِكَ
وَ لَا الْجُحُوْدِ لِرُبُوْبِيَّتِكَ
وَ لَا الْخُرُوْجِ عَنِ [مِنَ] الْعُبُوْدِيَّةِ لَكَ
وَ لٰكِنِ اتَّبَعْتُ هَوَايَ
وَ اَزَلَّنِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ بَعْدَ الْحُجَّةِ وَ الْبَيَانِ
فَاِنْ تُعَذِّبْنِيْ فَبِذُنُوْبِيْ غَيْرَ ظَالِمٍ اَنْتَ لِيْ
وَ اِنْ تَعْفُ عَنِّيْ وَ تَرْحَمْنِيْ
فَبِجُوْدِكَ وَ كَرَمِكَ يَا كَرِيْمُ۔
It is narrated that Imam alSadiq (‘a) said to one of his companions: If you pass by the grand mosque of alKufah in the early morning, you may offer there a fourunit prayer and then say the following supplicatory prayer:
غَدَوْتُ بِحَوْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ قُوَّتِهِ
غَدَوْتُ بِغَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّيْ وَ لَا قُوَّةٍ
وَ لٰكِنْ بِحَوْلِ اللّٰهِ وَ قُوَّتِهِ
يَا رَبِّ اَسْاَلُكَ بَرَكَةَ هٰذَا الْبَيْتِ وَ بَرَكَةِ اَهْلِهِ
وَ اَسْاَلُكَ اَنْ تَرْزُقَنِيْ رِزْقًا حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا
تَسُوْقُهُ اِلَيَّ بِحَوْلِكَ وَ قُوَّتِكَ
وَ اَنَا خَاۤئِضٌ [خَافِضٌ] فِيْ عَافِيَتِكَ۔
O Allah, if I have disobeyed you, I have also obeyed you in the things that You most like. I have not claimed that You have child and I have not associated any one with You. Yet, I have disobeyed You in many things on account of neither defiance, nor my being too arrogant to serve You, nor denial of Your Godhead, nor mutiny against my servitude to You; rather, I only followed my lusts and Satan caused me to slip although You have clear argument against me. Thus, if You chastise me, then it is on account of my sins and You are never unjust to me. And if You pardon me and have mercy upon me, then this is out of Your magnanimity and generosity, O All-generous!
You may also say the following:
اِلٰهِىْ اِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ عَصَيْتُكَ
I begin this day with the might and power of Allah. I do not begin it with my might or power; rather, with Allah’s might and power. O my Lord, I beseech You for the blessing of this house and the blessing of its people and I pray You to grant me sustenance from Your sustenance; sustenance that is legal and pleasant, and that You bring it to me by Your might and Power, while I experience good health.
يَا كَرِيْمُ يَا كَرِيْمُ
Immediately after their reference to the acts to be advisably done at the fourth column, Shaykh alShahid and Muhammad ibn alMashhadi have included this act with the other acts that are done at the courtyard of the mosque. They have added that one may offer a fourunit prayer in the first two units of which one may recite Surah alFatihah and Surah alTawhid and the last two units one may recite Surah alFatihah and the Surah alQadr. After accomplishment, one may say the Tasbih alZahra’ litany… etc.
يَا مَنْ يَقْدِرْ عَلٰى حَوَاۤئِجِ السَّاۤئِلِيْنَ
According to an authoritative narration, AbuHamzah alThumali reported that he was one day sitting in the grand mosque of alKufah when a man entered from bab kindah. His face was indeed the prettiest, he smelt the nicest perfume, and he put on the cleanest dress. He also put a turban, a shirt, and a jubbah (a type of long open cloth coat with wide sleeves). As he was also wearing Arabian slippers, he took them off when he entered the mosque. He then stopped near the sixth column of the mosque, raised his hands to the level of his ears and uttered a takbir statement (i.e. saying allahuakbar) that was so reverent that my entire body shivered. He then offered a fourunit prayer withexcellent genuflection and prostration. At accomplishment, he uttered the supplicatory prayer that begins with this statement:
O my God, if I have disobeyed You, I have indeed obeyed You in the nearest thing to You...
When he reached at the statement:
O All-generous! O All-generous! O All-generous!
he prostrated himself and repeated this word as much as one breath may take. He then said while prostrating:
O He Who has full power over granting the requests of the beseechers...
He then repeated the following word seventy times:
When he raised his head, I looked at him closely and could conclude that he was Zayn al’Abidin (‘a). I thus kissed his hand and asked him what had caused him to come to the mosque. The Imam (‘a) answered, “As you have seen.” (i.e. I came here to offer prayers the alKufah Mosque)… etc.
At the end of the seventh form of the untimed ziyarah of Imam ‘Ali (‘a), we have mentioned this story but with a little difference due to the difference of the reports. We have also mentioned that the Imam (‘a) suggested to AbuHamzah alThumali that he would accompany him to visiting the holy tomb of Imam ‘Ali (‘a) and the man agreed… etc.