Tradition from Imam Zain ul 'Aabedeen (A.S)

It has been narrated that when Imam Zain ul 'Aabedeen, Ali bin Al-Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib (A.S), returned from Hajj, he was received by one of the pilgrims called al-Shebly.

Imam (AS) said: Did you perform Hajj Oh Shibly? Shibly said "Yes, oh son of Allah's prophet".

(Meeqaat and clothes and ghusul)

Imam: Did you stop at the Meeqaat, take off the (stitched) clothes, and make Ghusul?

Shibly: Yes.

Imam: So when you stopped at the Meeqaat, did you make the niyyah (intention) that you have taken off the clothes of Ma'siyah (defiance to Allah) and that you have put on the clothes of obedience?

Shibly: No?

Imam: When you took off the (stitched) clothes, did you make the niyyah that you detached from riyaa' [show off], nifaaq [hypocrisy], and from getting into shubuhaat (controversial situations)?

Shibly: No.

Imam: When you made ghusul, did you make the niyyah that you have washed off sins and wrongdoings?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you have not stopped at the meeqaat, and you have not taken off the (stitched) clothes, and you have not made ghusul.

(Cleaning, Ihraam and Hajj Niyyah)

Then, Imam (AS) said: when you cleaned your body, and made your Ihraam, and made the niyyah for Hajj, did you make the niyyah that you have been cleaned with the light of absolute repentance to Allah swt only?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you made Ihraam, did you make the niyyah that you have made it Haraam upon your soul to commit any Muharram that Allah, the glorified, has declared as Haraam?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you committed the niyyah for Hajj, did you release yourself from all commitments towards anything other than Allah?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you did not clean your body, nor did you make Ihraam, nor did you commit for Hajj!

(Meeqaat and talbiya)

Then, Imam (AS) said: did you enter the Meeqaat and pray the two rek'as for Ihraam and make the talbiyah ?

Shibly said: Yes.

Imam said: so when you entered the Meeqaat, did you make it with the niyyah of visiting (ziyaara)?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you prayed the two rek'as, did you make the niyyah that you got nearer to Allah by which, of all deeds, is better than Salaat (prayer), and by the greatest of all worshippers' virtues?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you made talbiyah, did you make the niyyah that you have uttered to Allah swt with every Taa'a (obedience) and that you have fasted from every Ma'siya?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you neither entered the meeqaat, nor made the talbiyah.

(Entering Makkah and the Haram)

Then Imam said: did you enter the Haram and see the ka'ba and pray?

Shibly: Yes.

Imam: So when you entered the Haram, did you make the niyyah that you have made every gheeba [backbite] of Muslims Haram upon your soul?

(The Haram:Ka'ba vs Haraam:forbidden)

Shibly: No.

Imam: So, back when you reached Makkah, did you make the niyyah in your heart that you have headed towards Allah?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you have neither entered the Haram, nor seen the ka'ba nor prayed.

(Tawaaf, sa'y)

Then Imam said: did you do Tawaaf around the House and touch the pillars and make sa'iy?

Shibly said yes.

Imam: So when you made the sa'iy, did you make niyyah that you have escaped to Allah and that the Knower of Ghuyoub (Allah) has known that from you?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you neither did Tawaaf around the House, nor touched the pillars nor made the sa'iy.

(Al-Hajar Al-Aswad)

Imam: Did you put your hand in the Hajar and stand by Ibrahim's Maqaam and pray two rek'as?

Shibly: Yes.

The Imam (AS) then cried with a voice that nearly killed him, saying: Oh, Oh! He who put his hand in the Hajar Al-Aswad is as if he has put his hand in Allah's swt. Oh, poor one! Watch out! and do not lose the ajr (reward) of that of great Hurmah (sacredness), and do not void (annul/contradict) the handshake with disobedience (mukhaalafah) or with grasping the Haram (earning money from Haram), as the people of sins.

(MaQaam Ibrahim a.s.)

Then the Imam said, when you stood by Ibrahim's Maqaam did you have the niyyah that you have learned and well-understood every obedience and have distanced yourself from and neglected every ma'Siya?

Shibly said: No.

Imam: So when you prayed two rek'as, did you make niyyah that you have prayed with Ibrahim's prayer and have defeated with your voice the Shaitan's nose ?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Then you have neither put your hand in the Hajar Al-Aswad, nor stood by the Maqaam, nor prayed by it the two rek'as.

(Zamzam, Sa'iy)

Then the Imam said, "did you look into Be'r Zamzam and drink from its water?"

Shibly said yes.

Imam: Did you make the niyyah that you have looked into obedience and have lowered your gaze from ma'Siya?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So you did not look into it, nor did you drink from its water.

Imam: Did you do the sa'iy between Safa and Marwah, and alternated between them?

Shibly said yes.

Imam: Did you make the niyyah that you are between hope and fear?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So you did not do the sa'iy, nor alternated between Safa and Marwah.

(Minaa)

Then the Imam said, "did you set out to Minaa?"

Shibly said yes.

Imam: Did you make the niyyah that you have given people the Amn (security) from your tongue, heart and body?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So you did not set out to Minaa.

(Arafa, Muzdalifa..)

Then the Imam said, "did you stand in Arafa? And have you ascended the Mountain of Mercy and known the Valley of Nimra? and have you made du'a to Allah swt at the Flag (Landmark?) and the Jamaraat?"

Shibly said yes.

Imam: By your Standing in Arafa, did you know Allah swt's knowledge of sciences and knowledges? and did you know His grasp on your book and His knowledge of your hidden (secret) and heart?

(Mount Arafa vs ma'rifat: knowledge)

Shibly: No.

Imam: When you ascended the Mountain of Mercy, did you have the niyyah that Allah has mercy on every mu'min and mu'mina and that He (loves/victors/commits to ==tawalla) every Muslim and Muslima?

Shibly: No.

Imam: Did you make the niyyah at Nimra (Valley) that you do not order until you have obeyed, and you do not prohibit until you have prohibited yourself?

(amr bil ma'roof and nahi 'an al-munkar.)

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you stopped by the Flag and the Nameraat, did you make the niyyah that they are witnesses for you on your obediences, and keepers for you with the "keepers" (angles) by Allah's order?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So you neither stood in Arafa, nor ascended the Mountain of Mercy, nor knew Nimra, nor made du'aa, nor stood by the Namiraat.

Then Imam said, "did you pass between the two flags (landmarks); did you pray before that two rek'as; did you walk in Muzdalifa, pick up the pebbles and pass by the Mash'ar al-Haraam ?"

Shibly: Yes.

Imam: So when you prayed two rek'as, did you make the niyyah that it is a prayer of shukr (thankfulness) in the night of the tenth, that erases all difficulties ('usr) and brings all reliefs (Yusr).

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you passed between the two flags and diverted neither right nor left, did you make the niyyah that you divert neither right nor left off Deenul Haqq; with your heart, tongue or limbs?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you walked in Muzdalifa and picked up the pebbles, did you make the niyyah that you have raised off of you every ma'Siya and ignorance, and that you have affixed every knowledge and deed?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you passed by the Mash'ar al-Haraam, did you make the niyyah that you have made your heart feel like the people of piety and fear for Allah azza wajall?

(Mash'ar Al-Haram vs Ish'aar:making feel as) ==> (rafa'a: Picking up vs raising off)

Shibly: No.

Imam: So you did not pass between the two flags, nor did you pray two rik'as, nor walked in Muzdalifa, nor picked pebbles, nor passed by the Mash'ar al-Haraam.

(Minaa, Jamaraat)

Imam: Have you reached Minaa, thrown the Jamara, shaved your head, slaughtered your Hadiy, prayed in Masjid al-khaif, returned to Makkah and made the Tawaaf al-IfaaDha?

Shibly: Yes.

Imam: So when you reached Minaa and threw the Jimaar, did you have the niyyahthat you have achieved what you asked for, and that your Lord has fulfilled all your need?

Shibly: No.

Imam: When you threw the Jimaar, did you make the niyyah that you have thrown (at) your enemy, Iblees, and that you have disobeyed him by completing your priceless Hajj?

Shibly: No.

Imam: When you shaved your head, did you make the niyyah that you have cleansedyourself from all najesses, and from Adam's sons' (people's) sins, and that youhave become free of sins like when you were born?

Shibly: No.

Imam: When you prayed in Masjid Al-Khaif, did you make the niyyah that you do not fear but Allah (azza wajall) and your sin? and that you hope for nothing but Allah's mercy?

(Masjid Al-Kheif vs khawf:fear)

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you slaughtered your hadiy, did you make the niyyah that you have slaughtered the throat of greed by the truth of piety that you have held onto.. And that you have followed Ibrahim's sunna (AS) of slaughtering his child, who was his heart's fruit and flower, and the sunna's need and Allah's nearness for those after him?

Shibly: No.

Imam: So when you returned to Makkah, and made the Tawaaf al-IfaaDha, did you make the niyyah that you have made the IfaaDha from Allah's mercy and have returned to His obedience, and have held tight to His love, fulfilled His obligations and gotten closer to Him swt ?

(IfaaDha:leaving Arafa, above considers Arafa an origin of mercy, a new start for a new soul going down from mercy to Tawaaf:obedience)

Shibly: No.

Imam(as): So you did not reach Minaa, nor did you throw pebbles, nor did you shave your head, nor slaughtered, nor fulfilled your nusuk == obligaions, nor prayed in Masjid al-khaif, nor made Tawaaf Al-IfaaDhah, nor gottencloser to Allah..

Go back, for you have not performed Hajj!!

Shibly wept for what he has neglected and lost of his Hajj, and kept on learning until he repeated the Hajj on the following year, but with knowledge and certainty (yaQeen).