ভূমিকা
Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Horizons of Thoughts Meaning of Ziyarah The word 'ziyarah' is derived from the word "zawr" which means to deflect or draw away from something. A lie is called zur because it deflects from the path of truth. The za'ir is known to be so, because he deflects from other than "the one he intends to visit". That is why some lexicographers translate "ziyarah" to mean intention (qasd), for the one who deflects from other than a certain entity intends the entity.
'The conventional meaning of al-ziyarah is to intend the one to be visited, for his veneration or intimacy.'[^9] And it is said that the reason why ziyarah is referred to as visiting the saintly human beings, is because it is to deflect from the material routine and draw away from the corporeal world and incline towards the world of spirit, while one is present in the corporeal environment and maintains his/her bodily form [^10].
Sometimes ziyarah is translated as 'ittihad al-za'ir ma'al mazur' (i.e. the unity of the visitor with the visited one). In simpler words: 'to paint oneself with the attributes of the visited one'. This definition does not contradict the former definitions, for 'seeking and uniting with the attributes of the mazur (visited one)' is nothing but 'deflecting and drawing away from attributes contrary to the mazur'.
In a subtler expression, we can say 'ziyarah is to flee from imperfection as we struggle for attaining perfection [^11].' Allusions of this reality can also be gotten from the Qur'anic verse: 'And flee towards Allah' [^12]. Imam al-Sadiq ('a) is reported [^13] to have commented on this verse saying "ay hujju" (the verse means 'perform hajj'). And the literal import of hajj is qasd (intention).
Therefore hajj, as it is correctly conveyed is not only 'hajju bayt Allah al-haram' (intending the sacred House of Allah), but hajj Allah (intending Allah) as the verse explicitly conveys: fa firru ila Allah (so escape towards Allah). And escaping towards Allah is seeking His Noble Attributes and fleeing from the contrary. And hajj if perfomed with its proper etiquette, as the experts of the kernel of Islamic law mention, enables one to attain such noble attributes.