afar bin Muhammad Al-Sadiq (A.S) once told Ibn Marid: “O Ibn Marid! Whosoever visits the tomb of my grandfather, Ali, while being fully aware of his virtues, will be rewarded by Allah with one accepted Hajj and one blessed Umrah. O Ibn Marid! I swear by Allah that no foot that becomes dusty on its way to the tomb of Imam Ali (A.S)—whether it came riding or walking—will ever be fed by Allah to the hellfire. O Ibn Marid! Write this down in liquid gold [for it is precious].”
Abu al-Sa’ai, the preacher of the people of Hijaz, narrated that he entered upon Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (A.S) and said: “O son of the Messenger of Allah, what reward is there for the one who visits his [Imam Ali] tomb and makes prosperous his lands?” Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (A.S) replied: “O Abu Aamir, my father has narrated from his father, who narrated from his grandfather, Hussain bin Ali that the prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) told Ali, “and you will surely be killed and buried in the lands of Iraq.” At that, Ali had asked him: “O Messenger of Allah! What reward is there for those who visit our tombs and devote themselves to visiting us?” The prophet replied, “O Abul-Hasan! Allah has made your tombs and the tombs of your sons as spots and courtyards from the Heavens. Moreover, Allah (S.W.T) has made the hearts of the noblest and best of His servants ache in longing for you. It is they who endure pain and humiliation for your sake, erect your tomb, and visit you regularly for the sake of attaining nearness to Allah (S.W.T) and out of love for His Messenger. O Ali! It is they who are worthy of my intercession, it is they who are allowed to drink from my spring, and it is they who will visit me later in the Heavens. O Ali! Anybody who erects your tombs and visits them regularly will attain the reward of one who helped Suleiman bin Dawood in building the House of Jerusalem. They will attain the reward of seventy additional pilgrimages to Mecca, after the obligatory pilgrimage (Hajj). Those who visit your tombs return as pure and sinless as the day of their birth, so rejoice and give glad tidings to your followers and to your lovers of blessings that have never been seen, heard, or even imagined by anyone before. The immoral people of my nation will find fault with those who visit your tombs. They will disgrace them for it the way a prostitute is disgraced for her crime. It is they who are the evil-doers of my nation; surely they will not gain my intercession nor will they drink from my spring.”
In a narration that al-Mufadhal bin Omar al-Ja’afi once entered upon Imam al-Sadiq (A.S) and said: “I long for the lands of al-Ghari [Najaf].” The Imam asked him: “What about it do you long for?” Al-Mufadhal replied: “I wish to visit the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (A.S).” At that, Imam said: “Do you know the merits of visiting him?” “O son of the Messenger of Allah, I do not. Would you inform me of them?” Imam replied: “When you visit the Commander of the Faithful, you should know that you are visiting the bones of Adam, the body of Noah, and the body of Ali (A.S). After visiting the side of Najaf, then you should perform the rituals of visiting the bodies of Adam, Noah, and Ali as in doing so you are visiting the first forefathers, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, and the Master of the Custodians, Ali. Truly, Allah opens the doors of Heaven as soon as they call upon Him. So do not be of the negligent and do not be slow in embracing the blessings of this visit. The back part of Kufa is the first spot upon which Allah (S.W.T) was worshipped when He ordered the angels to prostrate themselves to Adam. To its side, there is a tomb where any distressed person who comes and offers four units (Ra’kat) of prayer there will not be disappointed by Allah (S.W.T) and will return happy. We have a saying that states: “At the back of Kufa lies a tomb where any sick person who visits it will be healed.”
source : sibtayn
