Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Torch of Perpetual Guidance, an Exposé on Ziyarat Ashura of al-Imam al-Husayn b. Ali Section Twenty Five and Twenty Six أَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيْكَ فِي هذَا الْيَوْمِ، وَفِي مَوْقِفِي هذَا، وَأَيَّامِ حَيَاتِي بِالْبَرَاءَةِ مِنْهُمْ، وَاللَّعْنَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَبِالْمُوَالاةِ لِنَبِيِّكَ وَآلِ نَبِيِّكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَيْهِمُ أَلسَّلاَمُ. “O’ Allah!
Surely I seek nearness to you on this day (the Day of ‘Ashura) and in this place (which I am in) and in all days of my life by disassociating myself from these people and sending curses upon them and through my love and friendship to Your Prophet and the family of Your Prophet, peace be upon him and upon all of them.” Once again, we return to the over-riding theme in all of our supplications and Ziyarat which is the Monotheism of Allah and seeking nearness to Him through individuals whom He has appointed as our guides.
This line of the Ziyarat shows that the closeness which we ask Allah for is not limited to a particular day or place we are in – rather, it is for all time and for anywhere in which we remember the Imam and his sacrifice. In actuality, this line of the Ziyarat is a summary of the entire visitation – love and hate – which we have covered in previous sections of this exposition. أَللَّهُمَّ الْعَنْ أَوَّلَ ظَالِمٍ ظَلَمَ حَقَّ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآخِرَ تَابِعٍ لَهُ عَلَى ذلِكَ.
أَللَّهُمَّ الْعَنِ الْعِصَابَةَ الَّتِي جاهَدَتِ الْحُسَيْنَ وَشايَعَتْ وَبايَعَتْ وَتابَعَتْ عَلَى قَتْلِهِ، أَللَّهُمَّ الْعَنْهُمْ جَمِيعاً. “O’ Allah! Curse the first tyrant who oppressed the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the next person who followed him on this path. O’ Allah! Curse the group who fought against Husayn and those who followed them and supported them and assisted them in killing him.
O’ Allah, curse all of them!” The meaning of “...the first oppressor...” is not necessarily the first person who oppressed the family, just as the meaning of “...the next person...” does not necessarily mean the second one who followed. Rather, it means those individuals who initiated the oppression against the Prophet and his family and those who continued and perpetuated this act – even up until today (those who are happy and content and supportive of what was carried out).