Friday Journal : 25th September 98

Location

Samarra is closer (and therefore easier to go to) from Kadhmayn than it is from Karbala. Try and spend atleast one night in Samarra so as to perform ziyarat and a'amals properly. Most people make a quick trip to Samarra lasting only a few hours which is most unfortunate.

Pilgrimage sites

1 Mausoleum of 10th and 11th Imams, Imam Ali al-Naqi and Imam Hasan al-Askari (A.S.)

The main darih has four graves:

· Grave of 10th Imam Ali al-Naqi, peace be upon him

· Grave of 11th Imam Hasan al-Askari, peace be upon him

· Grave of Sayyida Halima Khatoon [a] daughter of Imam Ali al-Naqi [a] and sister of Imam Hasan al-Askari [a]. Her narration of the birth of the 12th Imam [a] is reported extensively as she was a mid-wife to Sayyida Nargis Khatoon the mother of the 12 Imam [a]

· Grave of Sayyida Nargis Khatoon [a], mother of the 12th Imam Al-Mahdi, peace be upon him

2 Cellar (sardab) of 12th Imam Al-Mahdi, peace be upon him - where he was last seen. Also called Maqam Ghaybat (i.e. the place of occultation)

3 Masjid Jamia