Theoretical Aspects of Visitation in Twelver Shi'ism(<Special Issue>Islam and Religious Studies)

Abstract

Visiting tombs of saints has been and is pervasive and popular religious activity throughout the Islamic world. Although many anthropological researches regard visitation (ziyarah) of the holy dead an integral part of Muslim practice, little attention has been paid to its theoretical thought. They often associate visitation with tomb veneration and the saint worship among the masses as typical "popular Islamic" phenomena. This paper is mainly concerned with the Twelver Shi'ite visitation in terms of theory and Islamic piety. While many believers visit shrines of their Imams merely to seek barakah attributed to the Imams, or ask intercession of God, theologians and jurists are eager to instruct the pilgrims in the proper attitude of visitation. There are numerous works of early prominent jurists and religious scholars concerning visitation of the Imams. Those texts offer evidence for the legitimacy of ziyarah and its objectives together with specific instructions on how and what to greet the Imams and invoke His mercy at the tombs. It is through these works that the common believers can perform their ziyarah correctly, fulfill their duty, reaffirm their faith and, finally avoid glorification of the Imams that would lead them to idol worship.