Shaykh Muhammad al-Sanad...

Shaykh Muhammad al-Sanad, one of the contemporary Shi’a scholars, when asked about the veracity of the different supplications and ziyarat , including Ziyarat ‘Ashura`, says: ان مضأمين الزيارات والأدعية المدرجة في السؤال لا يقتصر ورود مضمونها على تلك الزيارات والأدعية فهناك العديد من الزيارات الأخرى والاًدعية الأخرى بأسانيد اُخرى قريبة المضمون معنىً ولفظاً لقطعات من الاُولى، كما أن هذه الزيارات والأدعية قد ورد كثير من مضامينها في الروايات الواردة في المعارف، وهي في كثير من طوائفها مستفيضة بل بعضها متواتر معنوي أو إجمالي، وعلى هذا فالدغدغة في أسانيد هذه الزيارة أو تلك أو هذا الدعاء وذاك تنطوي على عدم المام بهذه الحقيقة العلمية المرتبطة بعلم الحديث والرواية Indeed the contents of the ziyarat and supplications under question do not only appear in their respective places, but there are a number of other ziyarat and supplications with other chains of narration, that have similar contents both in word and meaning.

Furthermore most of their contents have been narrated in other traditions on Divine Teachings, many of which have been copiously narrated. Rather some of them are also successively narrated (mutawatir) in their meaning and gist. Therefore being worried about the chains of narration of this Ziyarat or that or this supplication or that, is because of disregarding this intellectual reality that pertains to the science of traditions and narrations.

^3 Those, therefore, who persist in doubting the authenticity of the Ziyarat overlook the other factors that strongly endorse the Ziyarat . The great Shi’a scholars have always lived with this Ziyarat and many of them incessantly recite it with great zeal and humility. Some ignorant people, due to the expression of imprecation contained in the Ziyarat try to doubt its authenticity. Such people feel that Islam is a religion of peace and hence such words must not be uttered.

In response to them, we say that curse is not any kind of abusive expression. Its reality, as we shall come to learn in the commentary of the Ziyarat is to seek the remoteness of the accursed. Such prayer for remoteness, considering its Qur`anic origin, is nothing but harmony with Allah’s Volition. We shall also learn that cursing those who established the foundation of oppression and evil is also a kind of expression of one’s stance against evil.

If one tries to reflect carefully, one would understand that the spirit of cursing evil and its epitomes it to flee from imperfection.