The honor of Karbala

It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: “Visit Karbala and do not be negligent in this matter, for Karbala contains the best of the children of the Prophets. Know that the angels visited Karbala a thousand years before my grandfather Hussain (peace be upon him) settled there. Every night, Gabriel and Michael visit it, so strive to remain connected to this sacred place.”

“The first to curse the killer of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) was Ibrahim, who commanded his children to curse the killer and made a covenant with them to continue this practice. Then Moses ibn Imran cursed the killer of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and commanded his people to do the same. After him, David (peace be upon him) cursed the killer and commanded the Children of Israel to do so. Then Jesus (peace be upon him) used to curse the killer of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and said to the Children of Israel: ‘Curse the killer of Hussain (peace be upon him), and if you encounter him, do not associate with him.'”

“Then he said: Whoever is martyred with Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) is as though he has been martyred in the company of the Prophets (peace be upon them), and I can see his place.”

“No Prophet has been without visiting Karbala and stopping there, saying: ‘You are a place full of abundant good, for in you my illuminated moon (the Prophet’s beloved grandson) will be buried.'”

“In the narration of Umm Ayman, it is mentioned that Gabriel informed the Prophet (peace be upon him) of some events in Karbala and said: ‘The land of Karbala is the purest place on earth and its sanctity surpasses all other lands.'”

“Every day, seventy thousand angels go to Karbala.”

“Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), from his father and his ancestors, narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: ‘Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has created no creatures more numerous than the angels. Every night, seventy thousand angels descend from the heavens and perform Tawaf around the Kaaba, and at dawn they go to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and greet him. Then they go to the grave of Ali (peace be upon him) and greet him, then to the grave of Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and greet him. From there, they go to Karbala and greet Hussain (peace be upon him), and then they ascend to the heavens before sunrise.'”

“Then, during the day, another seventy thousand angels descend. They perform Tawaf around the Kaaba until sunset, and when the sun sets, they go to the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and greet him, then to the grave of Ali (peace be upon him), then to the grave of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), and from there to the grave of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), and then they ascend to the heavens before nightfall.'”

“I swear by the one in whose hand my soul is, four thousand angels will be beside the grave of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) until the Day of Judgment, pouring dust on their heads and weeping for him.”

“In another narration, it is mentioned that Allah has appointed seventy thousand angels to mourn and pray over the grave of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), and they pray for the pilgrims who are aware of his rights. It is said to their leader, ‘No pilgrim visits Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) except that the angels go out to meet him, and he does not leave Karbala except that they accompany him. If he falls ill, they visit him, and if he dies, they pray over his corpse and seek forgiveness for him after his death.'”

“Allama Majlisi said: There may be seventy thousand angels of a different type from the four thousand previously mentioned.”