The Spiritual Aspects of Hajj: A Translation of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin’s (A) Discourse on Hajj with al-Shibli

Introduction to the tradition

The Tradition of al-Shibli is reported in Mustadrak al-Wasa’il by Mirza Husayn al-Nuri, who reports it from Sharh al-Nukbah by al-Sayyid ‘Abd Allah ibn Nur al-Din ibn Ni‘mat Allah al-Musawi.¹ The hadith is in the form of a conversation that takes place between Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (A) – who has recently returned from hajj – and another pilgrim called al-Shibli. During the course of this intriguing discourse, the Imam succinctly explains the spiritual dimensions of the hajj rituals, and as we see at the end of the tradition, the Imam’s words have a profound effect on al-Shibli.

Most works written by Shi‘a scholars on the spiritual aspects of hajj mention this tradition to some extent.² In his seminal work Sahba-yi Hajj, Ayatollah Javadi Amuli draws upon this tradition in several places, describing its text as ‘lofty and radiant’ and at one stage quoting it in its entirety.³ The Ayatollah also mentions a number of useful points relating to the reliability and usability of the tradition; the remainder of this introduction incorporates the points he raises.

The exact identity of al-Shibli is unclear. A number of people called al-Shibli are mentioned in the traditions, and from among them, the mystic Abu Bakr Dulf ibn Juhdar al-Shibli lived nearest to the time of the Imams (A). However, he was born approximately two centuries after the martyrdom of Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (A), and so he could not have reported this tradition directly from him.

The reliability of the tradition has sometimes been questioned as it is a mursal (hurried) hadith, i.e. some of the narrators are not mentioned in the chain of transmission. Furthermore, the style of speech attributed to Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin (A) in the tradition is somewhat different from the style found in other sayings of the Imams; it has therefore been suggested that the words may have originated from some mystics and were falsely attributed to the Imam over the course of time.⁴ Another point of contention is the fact that some of the hajj rituals mentioned in the hadith are not stated in the order that pilgrims normally perform them.

However, none of these criticisms provide solid grounds for disregarding the tradition, because firstly, the tradition does not concern what is lawful and unlawful, and is therefore not subject to the same high standard of reliability as traditions of that category. Furthermore, simply because the immediate addressee of the saying is unknown, or because the tradition is mursal, or because the style of speech is somewhat different from that of other sayings of the Imams, does not mean one cannot benefit from it. As for the different order in which some of the hajj rituals are mentioned, perhaps this is because the Imam did not intend to talk about the ‘outer’ dimensions of hajj at all; in other words, at that particular moment in time, he was not concerned with explaining any jurisprudential rulings on hajj. Finally, as this tradition is compliant with established teachings and does not contradict the Qur’an, Sunnah, or the intellect, there is no problem in using it, and it can certainly help pilgrims to attain a deeper understanding of the hajj rituals and make their pilgrimage more meaningful.

Translation of the tradition

Al-Sayyid ‘Abd Allah, the grandson of al-Muhaddith al-Jaza’iri, says in Sharh al-Nukbah, I found this hurried (mursal) tradition in a number of sources, the most reliable of which was written in the hand of some scholars who were our contemporaries:

When our master [Imam] Zayn al-‘Abidin (A) returned from hajj, [a pilgrim called] al-Shibli went to meet him.

The Imam (A) asked him, ‘Have you performed hajj, O Shibli?’ He replied, ‘Yes, O Son of the Messenger of Allah.

Then the Imam (A) asked him, ‘Did you arrive at the miqat, remove your sewn clothes, and perform ghusl...