Then the author goes on to say...

Then the author goes on to say, “On the 20th of Safar, the ladies of Abu ‘Abdullah (‘a) returned from Syria to the city of the Prophet (S). They were the first to make such a visit ( ziyarat ). Also, Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari came at the same time to visit the gravesite of Abu ‘Abdullah (‘a), thus becoming the very first person outside al-Husayn's family to do so. Such is ziyarat al-Arba’in .

Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a), is quoted as saying, ‘The marks of a mu'min are five..., etc.' Abul-Rayhan al-Biruni has said, ‘On the 20th of Safar, the head [of al-Husayn] was returned to the body and buried with it.

In it, there is ziyarat al-Arba’in , and so is the event of the return of his ladies from Syria.'”[^1] ‘Allama al-Hilli says the following in his book of ziyarat after one performs the Hajj as recorded in his book Al-Muntaha : “It is highly recommended to visit the gravesite of al-Husayn (‘a), on the twentieth of Safar.” The shaikh quotes Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-’Askari (‘a) saying, “There are five marks for a believer..., etc.” Sayyid Radiyy ad-Din ‘Ali Ibn Tawus, in his book Al-Iqbal, discusses the ziyarat of al-Husayn's shrine on the twentieth of Safar saying, “We have narrated through isnad to my grandfather Abu Ja’far [Imam al-Baqir (‘a)] what he narrated by way of isnad to our master, al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali al-’Askari, saying, ‘The marks of a believer are five..., etc.'” Al-Majlisi, may Allah elevate his status, in his book Mazar al-Bihar, quotes the same hadith as he discusses the virtues of visiting the shrine of al-Husayn (‘a) on the Arba’in .

In the discussion of ziyarat that follows the Hajj, shaikh Yousuf al-Bahrani includes in his book Al-Hada’iq the topic of visiting al-Husayn's gravesite on the 20th of Safar, describing it as one of the distinguishing marks of a mu'min . In the same reference, shaikh ‘Abbas al-Qummi narrates the same tradition from Al-Tahthib and Misbah al-Mutahajjid as proof for the preference of ziyarat al-Arba’in without making any reference to visiting “forty believers”!

Some scholars base their exclusion of ziyarat al-Arba’in on the claim that the Imam (‘a), never referred to rewards in the hereafter for those who visit his shrine during it despite the fact that when (‘a) encourage visiting the shrine of the oppressed Imam (‘a) and those of other Imams of Guidance (‘a), they mention the rewards in the hereafter due to one who performs such a ziyarat .