Pilgrimage

The meaning of this connection is being consciously present beside their Holy shrine and renewing the spiritual covenant by the doctrine of their life and abiding by it. Imam Reza said about it: “In fact for each of the Infallible Imams there’s a right which must be fulfilled by his friends and Shiites and one of the ways to abiding by it and fulfilling this right is visiting their Holy Shrines and everyone who visit them eagerly and affirm what they have brought upon, the Infallible Imams will be his intercessors on the Day of Resurrection.
References
This sort of connection are done in two ways that are emphasized in the narrations as well:
A) In person pilgrimage (Al-Ziyarah)
The Messenger of Allah said:
''Whoever visits me as a pilgrim after my death, is like one who has visited me during my life and I affirm his action on the Day of Judgment and I will be his intercessor''.
In narrations, in addition to the pilgrimage of the Holy shrine of the Prophet, the pilgrimage of the Holy shrine of Imams has also been emphasized.
Imam Sadiq narrates from his fathers from Imam Ali (A.S.) that one day the Holy Prophet told the Commander of the Faithful Ali A.S.
''O Ali, the one who visits your shrines there will be a reward equal to seventy Hajj after the obligatory Hajj and he will purified from his sins until he comes back from the pilgrimage and will be innocent and free from sins like the day he is born''.
Visiting the Holy shrines of the Prophet and his infallible progeny is one the emphasized recommended actions in religion that neglecting them is not a polite action and is a kind of oppression; therefore, the religious leaders have always paid attention to it. It has been said in the biography of Imam Khomeini: “From the day that Imam Khomeini entered Najaf until the day he went out of there he used to visit the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali every night three hours after the sunset whether in summer or winter and he never quit it; even one year there was a coup d’etat in Iraq and the martial law was announced at that night also he didn’t quit the pilgrimage. The martyr Haj Agha Mustafa said, "That night we noticed that the Imam is not inside the room, we searched the other places in the building, but we did not find Imam until we went to the roof, we saw that Imam is facing the Holy Shrine of Imam and he was praying''.
B) Pilgrimage from a long distance
Another way of making connection, is expressing devotion and sincerity, with the sending blessings and greetings to them and reading prayers. The Holy Prophet said to Ammar: “O Ammar if am alive it’s good for you and if I die it won’t be bad for you, because when I am alive you can talk to me and I will ask forgiveness for you from God and after my death, fear God and send blessing to me and my progeny, because you are presented to me your names and the name of your fathers, then if it’s good I will thank and praise God otherwise I will ask forgiveness from God for your sins''.
In another narration it has been said that Hannan Ibn Sadir al-Sayrafi was at the presence of Imam Sadiq a.s; Imam said:
O Hanan, do you visit Hussein ibn Ali as a pilgrim to every month? I said: No, He said: Do you visit him every two months to visit you? I said: No, he said: How about each year? I said: No, he said, how much you are untrue to thy master! I said: O son of the Messenger of Allah, my problem is related to the food and the long distances. He said: Do you want me to guide you to visit as pilgrim even from a long distance? I said: O son of the Messenger of Allah, how? He Said: on Friday or any other day you want, take a bath. Wear your tidiest clothes. Go to the highest position of your house or go to the desert. Face the Qiblah and be sure that his shrine is there. God says: “So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah” Surat Al-Baqarah [verse 115]. Then say: “Peace be upon you O’ my Mawla and the son of my Mawla and my master and the son of my master Peace be upon you O’ my martyred Mawla the son of the martyred father and the slain the son of the one who has been slain''.
Relationship with the Islamic ally and ruler
In the Islamic lifestyle the factor of relationship with the Islamic ally and ruler has a fundamental role, Imam Baqir says
Islam is based on five things: the prayer, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage and guardianship, and nothing emphasized more than guardianship; and people have received the first four things, and it means that they have left the guardianship. Guardianship is superior to them; because it is the key to them and the governor (Imam) is the guiding them.
The expression "Vali (governor)" and the expressing this religious, social and political issue that the governor, is the guide of people to the implementation of those four bases, which means that, it is the ruler and politician and social manager and educator of human that guides the people with appropriate ways (in terms of education and guiding) to establish pillars of religion.
Imam Reza to clarify this topic says:
And the issue of guardianship is from the wholeness of the religion
In fact leadership is the root of the development of Islam and its long branches, the completion of the prayer and Zakat, fasting and pilgrimage and jihad and the increase of advantage and charity and implementation of laws and ordinances and keeping borders and the around areas is done by Imamate;
Therefore, leadership and guardianship is the foundation of religion and the religious virtues originates from it, so faith without guardianship and leadership is such as a fruit without kernel and is empty. It seems that the main issue regarding guardianship and Imamate is that man must engage himself in enforcing the command and orders of the Imam and arrange his life affairs in a way that will be accepted by Imam and in this way he can become a perfect supporter of guardianship in the field of religion and society.
Accordingly the indicators of having connection with Islamic Vali (governor) are as follows
Indicators
1. Knowledge on guardianship
The Attitudes and voluntary behaviors of human being, is the result of his ideas and knowledge; in other words, it directs his ideology and worldview and attitude and do's and don'ts. Attachment and believing in the centrality of guardianship and organizing the behavior based on the stances of the governor in authority, is based on the knowledge on the nature of guardianship, its position and ethics and more on a kind of attitude which is presented from the centrality of guardianship and its circumstances. Therefore, guardianship is the most important indicator that is prior to other indicators. Now we refer to some of the references.
References
A) Understanding the principles of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist
The first condition of the centrality of guardianship in the absence period is that to the divine rank of the guardianship and the way of appointing the Islamic Jurist by the Infallibles and its scope of authority (absoluteness of guardianship) and its border and difference with other topics such as delegation and representativeness of people the necessary knowledge exists and a correct figure of guardianship is presented so that the practical affirmation, faith and necessity of it is formed and realized.
The guardianship of the Islamic jurist in the absence period of Imam Mahdi, is the continuation of the guardianship of the Holy Prophet and the pure infallible Imams and consequently the manifestation of authority and sovereignty of God among the people. The guardianship of the righteous and qualified Islamic jurist such as the origin of governing is necessary and vital and does not need any rational argument. Because man naturally is created in a way that he refers to the professionals and experts to meet the material and spiritual needs. Regarding the government he also likes to choose a governor that manages the society in the best way with his complete energy and by being free from any betrayal or hypocrisy and that is not possible except in the light of a religious manager, an aware governor, a righteous expert and jurist. Accordingly, proving the Guardianship of the Islamic jurist does not need presenting any reasons and what is mentioned as a reason is in line with the confirmation of rational and natural necessity. The dispensation narrated by Imam Mahdi in response to Ishaq Ibn Yaqub that had asked the command on some issues is among the reasons of proving the guardianship of the Islamic jurist. In case of occurring social problems, refer for guidance to those who relate from us, for they are my argument [hujjah] against you, and I am Allah’s argument against them''.
In this narration, the duty of people in the field of "incidents and events" has been specified and that is each individual, social, political and governmental event that occurs to Muslims''.
B) Knowledge on the characteristics of Islamic jurist
In the discussion “Guardianship of the Islamic jurist” the jurist is a qualified mujtahidd not everyone that has studied Fiqh and has reached the power of inferring and Ijtihad in the principles by referring to the four criteria; because Ijtihad in the guardianship of the Islamic jurist means the comprehensive and absolute Ijtihad; it means that the jurist has the ability to infer the commands from the authentic religious sources and by judicial reasoning in different judicial fields especially the required governmental and socio-political issues. Yet that is not enough and this kind of jurist is not considered as a qualified person for the "Guardianship of the Islamic jurist"; because other conditions such as justice and piety, power and management and political vision is necessary. As article 5 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been stipulated according to these provisions
In the absence period of Imam Mahdi the guardianship and the leadership of Ummah in the Islamic Republic of Iran is the responsibility of the just and pious jurist which is aware of the time and is courageous, resourceful and governor which will be responsible for that under Article 107.
C) Knowing and believing in the absoluteness of the Guardianship of the Islamic jurist
The guardianship of the Islamic jurist is that the religious ruler such as the Holy Prophet and the Infallible Imams and the jurist implement the actions that is good for the Islam and Muslims in managing the Islamic country and implementation of Islamic laws and regulations. From the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini; "Authority which is a subsidiary of absolute guardianship of the Holy Prophet, is one of the basic precepts of Islam, and it is above all the Secondary Rules, even prayer, fasting and pilgrimage''.
The revolutionary believer has the same point of view on the guardianship of the Islamic jurist; because he considers the jurist the successor of the Holy prophet and the Infallibles who manages the affairs with by knowing the Islam and the benefits of the Islamic country and anyone who disagrees with him in fact has disagreed with the Infallibles; as regarding the opposition to the jurists Imam Sadiq warned in the known narration of Umar Ibn Hanzalah
D) The detailed understanding of the stances of the person in authority and believing in it in the heart and mind
Regarding that the Holy Quran and the constitutional law of Islam have considered the principles of commands and the general regulations which are beyond time too, the duty of the equivalent of the Quran i.e. guardianship in addition to maintain the general commands and religious teachings should extract the necessary rules of the Islamic society, explain the practical commands and implement them. When this duty is done by the Infallibles the result is that what they express and do is the real and certain commands of God.
In the absence period that accessing the Infallible Imam directly is not easy for the believers, the disciplined Ijtihad of the fair jurists is the only and best way of reaching the divine commands and the necessary thing for it which is the apparent laws is the guide for the responsible people and all those consider their prosperity in obeying the divine religion. Believers are not allowed to avoid ideological and practical commitment to the apparent and judicial laws just because that they are not the same as the Infallible's laws and commands or maybe there's something wrong with them.
One of the most fundamental necessities related to knowledge on the centrality of guardianship and obeying the commands of the jurist and one of the grounds for moving in the path of divine guidance is that the stances, request and the goals of the leader must be understood and recognized correctly and on time; because in this judicial system, the thing that the leader or the person in authority says is not just the personal views of an affectionate scientist or a political and educational instructor, rather his commands and needs are like a healing prescription that is the result of the complete and comprehensive examination and the deep knowledge of the probable damages or the real needs of the Islamic society and is based on the divine commands and in fact a correct and fast understanding of the stances of the leader is the first step for freeing the society and believers from the damages and reaching the dynamism. The believers who believe in the guardianship must understand the needs and stances of the leadership well and separate their personal or group needs and be careful in order not to impose them to the leader; because in this case the grounds for the dominance of the enemy, deviation and transmutation of religious regime and the fields for the influence of the foreigners will be prepared.