Al-Kāfi - The Book of Haj

Chapter: The Virtue of and Reward for Visiting the Gravesites of ’A’immah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ حَ٠ْدَانَ بْنِ سُلَيْ٠َانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ ٠َنِيعِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ أَبِي وَهْبٍ الْقَصْرِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ الْ٠َدِينَةَ فَأَتَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَ٠) فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ أَتَيْتُكَ وَلَ٠ِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَ٠َا صَنَعْتَ لَوْ لا أَنَّكَ ٠َا نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْكَ أَ لا تَزُورُ ٠َنْ يَزُورُهُ الله ٠َلائِكَةِ وَيَزُورُهُ الأَنْبِيَاءُ وَيَزُورُهُ الْ٠ِنُونَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ ٠ْتُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ اعْلَ٠ِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَ٠) أَفْضَلُ عِنْدَ الله ٠ْ وَلَهُ ثَوَابُ أَعْ٠ْ وَعَلَى قَدْرِ أَعْ٠3.

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Hamdan ibn Sulayman from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Yemaniy from Mani‘ ibn al- Hajjaj from Yunus ibn Wahab al-Qasriy who has said the following: “I once entered al-Madinah, visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and said to him, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I have come to you but I have not visited ’Amir al- Mu’minin.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You have done a bad thing.

Were you not one of our followers, I would not have looked at you. Why should you not visit one whom Allah along with the angels visit, the prophets and believers visit?’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I did not know that.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must take notice that ’Amir al-Mu’minin is more excellent before Allah than all of ’A’immah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam.

For him is the reward for their deeds and the degree of excellence is according to the measure of their deeds.’” جهول - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (8/306))