Man Lā Yaḥḍuruh al-Faqīh

وَقَالَ اَلرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُؤْمِنٍ زَارَ قَبْرَ مُؤْمِنٍ فَقَرَأَ عِنْدَهُ « إِنّٰا أَنْزَلْنٰاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ اَلْقَدْرِ » سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ إِلاَّ غَفَرَ اَللَّهُ لَهُ وَ لِصَاحِبِ اَلْقَبْرِ.

Imam Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha (a.s) said: "Whenever a believing servant visits the grave of a believer and recites 'Indeed, We revealed it [the Qur'an] on the Night of Qadr' Surah Al-Qadr (97:1-5) seven times, Allah (swt) will forgive him and the person buried in the grave”.

وَ سَأَلَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ أَبَا اَلْحَسَنِ اَلْأَوَّلَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: عَنِ اَلْمُؤْمِنِ يَزُورُ أَهْلَهُ فَقَالَ «نَعَمْ» قَالَ فِي كَمْ فَقَالَ «عَلَى قَدْرِ فَضَائِلِهِمْ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَزُورُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَزُورُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمَيْنِ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَزُورُ فِي كُلِّ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ» قَالَ ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ فِي مَجْرَى كَلاَمِهِ أَنَّهُ يَقُولُ «أَدْنَاهُمْ جُمْعَةً » فَقَالَ لَهُ فِي أَيِّ سَاعَةٍ قَالَ «عِنْدَ زَوَالِ اَلشَّمْسِ أَوْ قُبَيْلَ ذَلِكَ فَيَبْعَثُ اَللَّهُ مَعَهُ مَلَكاً يُرِيهِ مَا يَسُرُّ بِهِ وَ يَسْتُرُ عَنْهُ مَا يَكْرَهُهُ فَيَرَى سُرُوراً وَ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى قُرَّةِ عَيْنٍ.

Ishaq ibn Ammar asked Abu Al-Hasan al-Awwal, Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (a.s) about whether a believer visits their family (after death). Imam (a.s) replied: "Yes." He (Ishaq) asked: ‘How often?’ The Imam said: "It depends on their level of virtue; some visit every day, some every two days, and some every three days." He then noted, "The least frequent among them visit once a week." He (Ishaq) then asked Him: "At what time?" Imam (a.s) replied: "At the time of the sun's decline (midday) or just before that. Allah (swt) sends with them an angel who shows them what pleases them and conceals from them what they dislike, so they see joy and return to a state of contentment”.

وَ رَوَى حَفْصُ بْنُ اَلْبَخْتَرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «أَنَّ اَلْكَافِرَ يَزُورُ أَهْلَهُ فَيَرَى مَا يَكْرَهُهُ وَ يُسْتَرُ عَنْهُ مَا يُحِبُّ.

Hafs ibn al-Bakhtari narrated from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s): "Indeed, the disbeliever visits their family and sees what displeases them, while what they would like is concealed from them (by the accompanying angels)."

وَقَالَ صَفْوَانُ بْنُ يَحْيَى لِأَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِمَا اَلسَّلاَمُ: بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ اَلْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا أَتَاهُ اَلزَّائِرُ آنَسَ بِهِ فَإِذَا اِنْصَرَفَ عَنْهُ اِسْتَوْحَشَ فَقَالَ «لاَ يَسْتَوْحِشُ.

Safwan ibn Yahya said to Abu Al-Hasan Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (a.s): "I have heard that when a believer is visited by someone (at their grave), they are comforted by their presence, but when the visitor leaves, they feel lonely." Imam (a.s) replied: "They do not feel lonely."

وَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «يُصْنَعُ لِلْمَيِّتِ مَأْتَمٌ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ يَوْمَ مَاتَ.

Imam al-Baqir (a.s) said: "A mourning gathering (ma'tam) is to be held for the deceased for three days from the day of their death."

وَ أَوْصَى أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ بِثَمَانِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ لِمَأْتَمِهِ وَ كَانَ يَرَى ذَلِكَ لِلسُّنَّةِ لِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ قَالَ «اِتَّخِذُوا لآِلِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ طَعَاماً فَقَدْ شُغِلُوا.

Imam al-Baqir (a.s) made a will specifying 800 dirhams to be used for his mourning gathering (ma'tam), as he saw this as part of the tradition (sunnah). This was because the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Prepare food for the family of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, for they are preoccupied [by their loss]."

وَ أَوْصَى أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنْ يُنْدَبَ فِي اَلْمَوَاسِمِ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ.

Imam al-Baqir (a.s) willed that he be lamented (mourned) during special gatherings for ten years.

وَقَالَ اَلصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «اَلْأَكْلُ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ اَلْمُصِيبَةِ مِنْ عَمَلِ أَهْلِ اَلْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَ اَلسُّنَّةُ اَلْبَعْثُ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالطَّعَامِ كَمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ اَلنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فِي آلِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ لَمَّا جَاءَ نَعْيُهُ.

Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) said: "Eating [a meal] at the home of those afflicted with a loss is from the practices of the people of the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliya), The sunnah (tradition) is to send food to them, as The Prophet (saws) ordered when the news of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib’s (a.s) martyrdom came”.

وَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: لَمَّا قُتِلَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ ' أَمَرَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَاطِمَةَ عَلَيْهَا اَلسَّلاَمُ أَنْ تَأْتِيَ أَسْمَاءَ بِنْتَ عُمَيْسٍ وَ نِسَاءَهَا وَ أَنْ تَصْنَعَ لَهُمْ طَعَاماً ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَجَرَتْ بِذَلِكَ اَلسُّنَّةُ.

When Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (a.s) was killed, the Messenger of Allah (saws) instructed Sayyida Fatimah Al-Zahra (s.a) to go to Asma' bint Umays and her womenfolk and to prepare food for them for three days. Thus, this practice became a sunnah (tradition).

وَقَالَ اَلصَّادِقُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: «لَيْسَ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يُحِدَّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ إِلاَّ اَلْمَرْأَةَ عَلَى زَوْجِهَا حَتَّى تَنْقَضِيَ عِدَّتُهَا.

Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (a.s) said: "No one should observe mourning (ḥidād) for more than three days, except for a woman mourning her husband, as She must continue her mourning until the completion of her 'iddah (waiting period).”