Ziyarah of the Holy Prophet
After entering the Prophet’s Mosque with the permission for entering and praying two rak‘as, go to the sacred chamber, touch it, kiss it and say:
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ
Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God.
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ
Peace be upon you, O Prophet of God.
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ
Peace be upon you, O Muhammad son of ‘Abd Allah.
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا خَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّيْنَ
Peace be upon you, O Seal of the Prophets.
اَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ قَدْ بَلَّغْتَ الرِّسَالَةَ
I bear witness that you delivered the message,
وَاَقَمْتَ الصَّلَاةَ وَاٰتَيْتَ الزَّكَاةَ
established the prayer and gave the alms,
وَاَمَرْتَ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ وَنَهَيْتَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
enjoined what is right and forbade what is wrong,
وَعَبَدْتَ اللّٰهَ مُخْلِصًا حَتّٰىۤ اَتَاكَ الْيَقِيْنُ
and worshipped God sincerely until certainty came to you.
فَصَلَوَاتُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَتُهٗ وَعَلٰۤى اَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ الطَّاهِرِيْنَ
So the blessings of God be upon you, and His mercy, and upon your pure Household.
Then stand at the front pillar on the right side of the grave, facing the qibla, with your left shoulder towards the grave — the place of the Prophet’s head — and say:
اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ
I bear witness that there is no god but God, alone, without partner,
وَاَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُوْلُهٗ
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
وَاَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ
I bear witness that you are the Messenger of God,
وَاَنَّكَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ
and that you are Muhammad son of ‘Abd Allah.
وَاَشْهَدُ اَنَّكَ قَدْ بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَاتِ رَبِّكَ
I bear witness that you delivered the messages of your Lord,
وَنَصَحْتَ لِاُمَّتِكَ وَجَاهَدْتَ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ
gave sincere counsel to your community and strove in the way of God,
وَعَبَدْتَ اللّٰهَ حَتّٰىۤ اَتَاكَ الْيَقِيْنُ
and worshipped God until certainty came to you,
بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ
with wisdom and goodly exhortation;
وَاَدَّيْتَ الَّذِيْ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ
you fulfilled what was due from you of the truth,
وَاَنَّكَ قَدْ رَؤُفْتَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
you were gentle with the believers
وَغَلُظْتَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِيْنَ
and stern against the unbelievers.
فَبَلَغَ اللّٰهُ بِكَ اَفْضَلَ شَرَفِ مَحَلِّ الْمُكَرَّمِيْنَ
So God has brought you, through this, to the most excellent honour of the station of the honoured ones.
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ اسْتَنْقَذَنَا بِكَ مِنَ الشِّرْكِ وَالضَّلَالَةِ
Praise be to God, who rescued us through you from associating partners with Him and from going astray.
اَللّٰهُمَّ فَاجْعَلْ صَلَوَاتِكَ وَصَلَوَاتِ مَلَاۤئِكَتِكَ الْمُقَرَّبِيْنَ
O God, let Your blessings and the blessings of Your angels brought near,
وَاَنْبِيَاۤئِكَ الْمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِيْنَ
Your prophets sent with the message and Your righteous servants,
وَاَهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْاَرَضِيْنَ
the people of the heavens and the earths,
وَمَنْ سَبَّحَ لَكَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ مِنَ الْاَوَّلِيْنَ وَالْاٰخِرِيْنَ
and all who glorify You, O Lord of the worlds, of the first and the last,
عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَرَسُوْلِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ وَاَمِيْنِكَ
be upon Muhammad, Your servant and Your Messenger, Your Prophet and Your trusted one,
وَنَجِيْبِكَ وَحَبِيْبِكَ وَصَفِيِّكَ وَخَآصَّتِكَ
Your chosen one, Your beloved, Your pure one and Your intimate,
وَصَفْوَتِكَ وَخِيَرَتِكَ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ
Your elect and the best of Your creation.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اَعْطِهِ الدَّرَجَةَ الرَّفِيْعَةَ
O God, grant him the lofty rank,
وَاٰتِهِ الْوَسِيْلَةَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ
give him the means of nearness (al-wasila) in Paradise,
وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُوْدًا يَغْبِطُهٗ بِهِ الْاَوَّلُوْنَ وَالْاٰخِرُوْنَ
and raise him to a praised station that the first and the last will envy.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنَّكَ قُلْتَ
O God, You have said:
وَلَوْ اَنَّهُمْ اِذْ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاۤءُوْكَ
“Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you
فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللّٰهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُوْلُ
and asked God for forgiveness, and had the Messenger asked forgiveness for them,
لَوَجَدُوا اللّٰهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيْمًا
they would have found God Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” (4:64)
وَاِنِّيْۤ اَتَيْتُكَ مُسْتَغْفِرًا تَاۤئِبًا مِنْ ذُنُوْبِيْ
And I have come to you seeking forgiveness, repenting of my sins,
وَاِنِّيْۤ اَتَوَجَّهُ بِكَ اِلَى اللّٰهِ رَبِّيْ وَرَبِّكَ لِيَغْفِرَ لِيْ ذُنُوْبِيْ
and through you I turn to God, my Lord and your Lord, that He may forgive me my sins.
Imam al-Sadiq came to the grave of the Prophet, placed his hand on it and said:
اَسْاَلُ اللّٰهَ الَّذِيْ اجْتَبَاكَ وَاخْتَارَكَ
I ask God, who chose you, selected you
وَهَدَاكَ وَهَدٰى بِكَ اَنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْكَ
and guided you and guided others through you, to send blessings upon you.
Then he recited:
اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَمَلَاۤئِكَتَهٗ يُصَلُّوْنَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ
“God and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet;
يَاۤ اَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا صَلُّوْا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوْا تَسْلِيْمًا
O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with a worthy greeting.” (33:56)