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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Mikyalul Makarim Fee Fawaaid ad-Duaa Lil Qai’m vol. 2 41: Reciting Salawat And Salutations Upon Imam (aj) One of the duties during the period of Ghaibat is to recite Salawat and Salutations upon Imam (aj). Its merit and emphasis is evident from the following: Salawat is a kind of prayer. Therefore whatever applies to Dua or praying for Imam (aj) is applicable here as well.

The traditions exhorting us to pray for Imam (aj) also support the importance of this duty. Actually the aim of reciting Salawat is to pray to Allah to bestow Mercy upon Imam (aj). And as we all know, all the affairs of the world and the hereafter are accomplished with the help of Divine Mercy. Therefore whenever we recite Salawat for Imam (aj) and say, “Allahumma Salle a’laa Maulana wa Sayyidina Saheb az-zamaan,” etc. (Translation: O Allah!

Bless our Master and our Chief, the Master of the Age.). We mean to invocate Divine mercy for all the affairs connected with Imam (aj). Thus in this request to the Almighty Allah we pray that He protect the Imam and remove every kind of sorrow and grief from him and from the hearts of his Shias and friends and also hasten his reappearance.

From this we actually intend to please the Imam due to his victory over the enemies of faith, establishment of justice on the earth, success of his followers and believers in obtaining Paradise…from the different types of wide mercy of Allah that He has specialized his Awliya with it and its count is known by none except Him, and is concealed in this Salawat of ours.

We beseech the Almighty to include us among the companions of the Imam and his friends in the world and the hereafter who have been specially chosen for his blessings; and Allah is the acceptor of supplications. The arguments in favor of reciting the Salawat upon the Messenger of Allah (S) and his holy progeny (Ahle Bayt [a.s.]) apply here as well. In quite a few supplications of the Purified Imams (as) we find the mention of Salawat upon Imam az-Zaman (aj).

In a supplication narrated through Amari that we have quoted in the previous section, there is special emphasis on asking the Almighty Allah to give us Taufeeq to recite Salawat on the Holy Imam (aj).