Ziyarat al-Warith
A salutation naming Imam Husayn the heir (warith) of the prophets — Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — and of Muhammad and Ali. It is recited at his shrine and from afar.
You don’t need to read it — you may simply listen. In the sight of God the two are equal; what matters is that you take part.
Arabic text
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ آدَمَ صَفْوَةِ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ نُوح نَبِيِّ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ اِبْراهيمَ خَليلِ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ مُوسى كَليمِ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ عيسى رُوحِ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ مُحَمَّد حَبيبِ اللهِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا وارِثَ اَميرِ الْمُؤْمِنينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ مُحَمَّد الْمُصْطَفى، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ عَلِيِّ الْمُرْتَضى، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ فاطِمَةَ الزَّهْراءِ، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ خَديجَةَ الْكُبْرى، السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا ثارَ اللهِ وَابْنَ ثارِهِ وَالْوِتْرَ الْمَوْتُورَ، اَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ قَدْ اَقَمْتَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَيْتَ الزَّكاةَ، وَاَمَرْتَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَيْتَ عَنْ الْمُنْكَرِ، وَاَطَعْتَ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ حَتّى اَتاكَ الْيَقينُ، فَلَعَنَ اللهُ اُمَّةً قَتَلَتْكَ، وَلَعَنَ اللهُ اُمَّةً ظَلَمَتْكَ، وَلَعَنَ اللهُ اُمَّةً سَمِعَتْ بِذلِكَ فَرَضِيَتْ بِهِ، يَا مَوْلايَ يَا أبا عَبْدِاللهِ، أشْهَدُ أنَّكَ كُنْتَ نُوراً فِي الاَْصْلابِ الشّامِخَةِ، وَالاَْرْحامِ الْمُطَهَّرَةِ، لَمْ تُنَجِّسْكَ الْجاهِلِيَّةُ بِاَنْجاسِها، وَلَمْ تُلْبِسْكَ مِنْ مُدْلَهِمّاتِ ثِيَابِها، وَاَشْهَدُ أنَّكَ مِنْ دَعائِمِ الدّينِ، وَأرْكانِ الْمُؤْمِنينَ، وَأشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ الاِْمامُ الْبَرُّ التَّقِيُّ الرَّضِيُّ الزَّكِيُّ الْهادِي الْمَهْدِىُّ، وَاَشْهَدُ أنَّ الاَْئِّمَةَ مِنْ وُلْدِكَ كَلِمَةُ التَّقْوى، وَأعْلامُ الْهُدى، وَالْعُروَةُ الْوُثْقى، وَالْحُجَّةُ عَلى اَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا، وَاُشْهِدُ اللهَ وَمَلائِكَتَهُ وَأنْبِيَاءَهُ وَرُسُلَهُ أنّي بِكُمْ مُؤْمِنٌ وَبِاِيَابِكُمْ، مُوقِنٌ بِشَرايـِعِ ديني وَخَواتيمِ عَمَلي، وَقَلْبي لِقَلْبِكُمْ سِلْمٌ وَأمْري لاَِمْرِكُمْ مُتَّبِـعٌ، صَلَواتُ اللهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَلى أرْواحِكُمْ وَعَلى اَجْسادِكُمْ وَعَلى اَجْسامِكُمْ وَعَلى شاهِدِكُمْ وَعَلى غائِبِكُمْ وَعَلى ظاهِرِكُمْ وَعَلى باطِنِكُمْ.
ثُمَّ انْكَبَّ عَلى القَبْرِ وَقَبِّلْهُ وَقُلْ:
بِاَبي أنْتَ وَاُمّي يَا بْنَ رَسُولِ اللهِ، بِاَبي أنْتَ وَاُمّي يَا اَبا عَبْدِاللهِ، لَقَدْ عَظُمَتِ الرَّزِيَّةُ وَجَلَّتِ الْمُصيبَةُ بِكَ عَلَيْنا وَعَلى جَميعِ أهْلِ السَّماواتِ وَالاَْرْضِ، فَلَعَنَ اللهُ أمَّةً أسْرَجَتْ وَألْجَمَتْ وَتَهَيَّأتْ لِقِتالِكَ، يَا مَوْلايَ يَا اَبا عَبْدِاللهِ، قَصَدْتُ حَرَمَكَ، وَأتَيْتُ اِلى مَشْهَدِكَ، أسْألُ اللهَ بِالشَّأنِ الَّذي لَكَ عِنْدَهُ وَبِالْمَحَلِّ الَّذي لَكَ لَدَيْهِ أنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِ مُحَمَّد، وَاَنْ يَجْعَلَني مَعَكُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ.
Transliteration
as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Ādama ṣafwati llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Nūḥ(in) nabiyyi llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Ibrāhīma khalīli llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Mūsā kalīmi llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha ʿĪsā rūḥi llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Muḥammad(in) ḥabībi llāh(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā wāritha Amīri l-Muʾminīna ʿalayhi s-salām(u), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā bna Muḥammad(in) al-Muṣṭafā, as-salāmu ʿalayka yā bna ʿAliyy(in) al-Murtaḍā, as-salāmu ʿalayka yā bna Fāṭimata z-Zahrāʾ(i), as-salāmu ʿalayka yā bna Khadījata l-Kubrā, as-salāmu ʿalayka yā thāra llāhi wa-bna thārihi wa-l-witra l-mawtūr(a), ashhadu annaka qad aqamta ṣ-ṣalāta wa ātayta z-zakāh(ta), wa amarta bi-l-maʿrūfi wa nahayta ʿani l-munkar(i), wa aṭaʿta llāha wa rasūlahu ḥattā atāka l-yaqīn(u), fa laʿana llāhu ummatan qatalatka, wa laʿana llāhu ummatan ẓalamatka, wa laʿana llāhu ummatan samiʿat bi-dhālika fa raḍiyat bih(ī), yā mawlāya yā Abā ʿAbdillāh(i), ashhadu annaka kunta nūran fī l-aṣlābi sh-shāmikhah(ti), wa-l-arḥāmi l-muṭahharah(ti), lam tunajjiska l-jāhiliyyatu bi-anjāsihā, wa lam tulbiska min mudlahimmāti thiyābihā, wa ashhadu annaka min daʿāʾimi d-dīn(i), wa arkāni l-muʾminīn(a), wa ashhadu annaka l-imāmu l-barru t-taqiyyu r-raḍiyyu z-zakiyyu l-hādī l-mahdī, wa ashhadu anna l-aʾimmata min wuldika kalimatu t-taqwā, wa aʿlāmu l-hudā, wa l-ʿurwatu l-wuthqā, wa l-ḥujjatu ʿalā ahli d-dunyā, wa ushhidu llāha wa malāʾikatahu wa anbiyāʾahu wa rusulahū annī bikum muʾminun wa bi-iyābikum, mūqinun bi-sharāyiʿi dīnī wa khawātīmi ʿamalī, wa qalbī li-qalbikum silmun wa amrī li-amrikum muttabiʿ(un), ṣalawātu llāhi ʿalaykum wa ʿalā arwāḥikum wa ʿalā ajsādikum wa ʿalā ajsāmikum wa ʿalā shāhidikum wa ʿalā ghāʾibikum wa ʿalā ẓāhirikum wa ʿalā bāṭinikum.
Then prostrate yourself upon the grave, kiss it, and say:
bi-abī anta wa ummī yā bna rasūli llāh(i), bi-abī anta wa ummī yā Abā ʿAbdillāh(i), laqad ʿaẓumat ar-razīyatu wa jallat al-muṣībatu bika ʿalaynā wa ʿalā jamīʿi ahli s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ(i), fa laʿana llāhu ummatan asrajat wa aljamat wa tahayyaʾat li-qitālik(a), yā mawlāya yā Abā ʿAbdillāh(i), qaṣadtu ḥaramak(a), wa ataytu ilā mashhadik(a), asʾalu llāha bi-sh-shaʾni lladhī laka ʿindahu wa bi-l-maḥalli lladhī laka ladayhi an yuṣalliya ʿalā Muḥammadin wa āli Muḥammad(in), wa an yajʿalanī maʿakum fī d-dunyā wa-l-ākhirah.
Translation
Peace be upon you, O inheritor of Adam, the chosen one of God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of Noah, the prophet of God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of Abraham, the intimate friend of God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of Moses, the one who spoke with God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of Jesus, the spirit of God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of Muhammad, the beloved of God; peace be upon you, O inheritor of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him; peace be upon you, O son of Muhammad, the chosen one; peace be upon you, O son of Ali, the well-pleasing; peace be upon you, O son of Fatimah, the radiant; peace be upon you, O son of Khadijah, the great; peace be upon you, O blood-vengeance of God and son of His blood-vengeance, and the unique one who was wronged. I bear witness that you established the prayer and gave the alms, and enjoined good and forbade evil, and obeyed God and His Messenger until certainty came to you; so may God curse the community that killed you, and may God curse the community that wronged you, and may God curse the community that heard of that and was pleased with it. O my master, O Aba Abdillah, I bear witness that you were a light in the lofty loins and purified wombs; the ignorance of the Age of Ignorance did not pollute you with its impurities, nor did it clothe you in its dark garments. And I bear witness that you are among the pillars of the religion and the supports of the believers. And I bear witness that you are the righteous, God-fearing, well-pleasing, pure, guiding, and rightly-guided Imam. And I bear witness that the Imams from your progeny are the word of piety, the standards of guidance, the firmest handhold, and the proof over the people of the world. And I call God to witness, and His angels, and His prophets, and His messengers, that I believe in you and in your return, certain of the laws of my religion and the seal of my deeds; and my heart is at peace with your hearts, and my affair follows your affair. May God’s blessings be upon you, upon your spirits, upon your bodies, upon your forms, upon your present ones, upon your absent ones, upon your outward and upon your inward.
Then prostrate yourself upon the grave, kiss it, and say:
May my father and mother be your ransom, O son of the Messenger of God; may my father and mother be your ransom, O Aba Abdillah. Great indeed is the calamity and tremendous is the affliction through you upon us and upon all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth; so may God curse the community that saddled, bridled, and prepared to fight you. O my master, O Aba Abdillah, I have sought your sanctuary and come to your place of martyrdom. I ask God, by the standing you have with Him and by the station you hold before Him, to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and to place me with you in this world and the Hereafter.