To consolidate and deepen one’s relation with this...

To consolidate and deepen one’s relation with this Guardianship is to strengthen and deepen the bond with the Guardianship of Allah. This on its own is a wide doorway of knowledge ( ma’rifah ) which we can neither discuss it here briefly, nor talk about it in detail as worthy of it. Perhaps Allah will grant me the success ( tawfiq ) in future to talk on this important and crucial point in the Islamic culture and in the establishment of the Islamic nation.

There is great emphasis in the Islamic narrations on invoking blessings on the Prophet (S) and his Progeny (‘a). In the following lines, we will cite some Islamic texts related to this topic. The most significant of these texts is the Book of Allah. He, the Exalted, says: “Indeed Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O You who have faith!

Invoke blessings on him and invoke peace upon him in a worthy manner.”[^1] The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said, “Invoking blessings on me is a light on the bridge ( sirat ).”[^2] Again he (S) has said, “The most stingy of the people is he who when I am mentioned before him does not invoke blessings on me.”[^3] ‘Abdullah bin Na’im says: “I said to Abu ‘Abdillah as-Sadiq (‘a), ‘I entered the sacred House ( al-bayt ), but no prayer came to my mind except invoking blessings on Muhammad and his Progeny.’ He said, ‘Indeed no one has come out {of the House} with something better than what you have come out with.” Imam al-Baqir and as-Sadiq (‘a) are narrated to have said, “The weightiest of the things to be placed on the scale ( mizan ) on the Day of Judgement is the blessings on Muhammad and his Progeny.”[^4] Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says in Nahj al-Balaghah , “If you had a need from Allah, the Glorious, then begin with sending blessings on His Prophet (S) , then ask your need; for Allah is more generous than to accept one of the two requests made to Him and deny the other.”[^5] Praying for the prophets, messengers and their successors ( awsiya’ ) carries the same effect.

Peace and blessings on the prophets and their successors have appeared in the Islamic sources generally, as they have appeared in particular and with names in many Transmitted Prayers ( al-ad’iyat al-ma’thurah ) from the (‘a). Among these prayers is the one which has appeared in the a’mal of umm dawud during the bright nights ( al-ayyam al-bid ) of the month of Rajab. This supplication has reached us from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a).