Yes O Aba Sa’id, visit the grave of al-Husayn (AS), the offspring of the Messenger of Allah (S), the most pleasant of the most pleasant ones and the most pure of the pure ones , and the most righteous of the righteous ones; for surely if you visit him, Allah will write for you the reward of twenty five pilgrimages ( hajjs ).[^4] In the well-known Ziyarat al-Jami’a al-Kabira there is a statement that alludes to the process of the transfer of purity.
We are taught to address the (AS) in the following way: ...وَأََنَّ أَرْوَاحَكُمْ وَنُورَكُمْ وَطينَتَكُمْ وَاحِدَةٌ طابَتْ وَطهُرَتْ بَعْضُهَا مِنْ بَعْض...
...and that your spirits, your light, and your nature are one; they became pleasant and purified some from others...[^5] In another tradition where the basis of transfer is clearly depicted, the Holy Prophet (S) presents a Divine law: ...فَأَبَى أَنْ يُخْرِجَ مِنَ الطيِّبِ إِلاَّ الطيِّبَ ...And He [Allah] did not allow to produce from a pleasant entity save a pleasant entity.[^6] In a beautiful conversation with Kumayl bin Ziyad al-Nakha’i Amir al-mu’minin ‘Ali (AS) narrates the Prophet (S) as saying: عَلِيٌّ مِنِّي وَابْنَايَ مِنْهُ وَالطيِّبُونَ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْهُمْ وَهُمُ الطيِّبُونَ بَعْدَ أُمِّهِمْ وَهُمْ سَفِينَةٌ مَنْ رَكِبَهَا نَجَا وَمَنْ تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا هَوَى...
‘Ali is from me, and my two sons are from him, and the tayyibun [a reference to the A’imma (AS)] are from me, and I am from them, and they are the tayyibun (pleasant ones) after their mother, and they are the Ark upon which whoever boards is emancipated, and whosoever lags behind, falls...[^7] Readers are requested to reflect on the phrase “ wa hum al-tayyibun ba’da ummihim ” (and they are the pleasant ones after their mother) which subtly alludes to the root and transfer of their purity.
In order to understand better the transfer of purity, let us consider the following verses and narrations: 1- The Holy Qur`an presents a parable of universal significance: أَلَمْ تَرَى كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً كَلِمَةً طيِّبَةً كَشَجَرَةٍ طيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ.تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ Don’t you see how Allah sets forth a parable?
A pleasant word [^8] (kalima tayyiba) is like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens, It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord.