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ziyara
(Arabic; Persian and Urdu:
ziyarat)
Pilgrimages are religious journeys to holy places
that involve encounters with supramundane
beings, such as a god, saint, ancestor, relic, or
another sort of spiritual being. They also bring
people, many of them strangers, into relationship
with each other. Pilgrimage traditions exist in
many of the world’s cultures and religion. In addi-
tion to Islam, they also have been an important
part of religious life for the followers of the Chris-
tian, Hindu, and Buddhist religions, in which
pilgrimages are made to hundreds of holy sites by
millions of people each year.
One of the major forms of pilgrimage in
Muslim lands is the ziyara, which in Arabic liter-
ally means “visit” and “visitation.” Islamic law
requires that all Muslims who are able perform
the
haJJ
pilgrimage at least once in their lives to
m
ecca
. This is one of Islam’s F
ive
p
illars
. The
umra
, or lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, is one that
is recommended, but not required. These two
pilgrimages are accepted by all of the Muslim
legal schools. Ziyara is the term usually used for
voluntary pilgrimages to other Muslim shrines.
They are very popular and are found, with a few
important exceptions, in all Muslim communities.
Like Mecca, these other sites are focal points of
baraka
(blessing and grace) where communica-
tions between humans and the divine are believed
to be especially effective. Unlike Mecca, however,
shrines are sacred because they are believed to
contain the physical remains or relics of a holy
man or woman. Some ziyara shrines are transre-
gional, drawing pilgrims from near and far, oth-
ers are more local. Pilgrims frequent these sites
for many reasons—in quest of a cure, fertility,
forgiveness, consolation, success in business or
school, resolution of a dispute, fulfillment of a
vow, participation in Sufi devotions and dhikrs,
or joining with others in a carnivalesque celebra-
tion of the holy person’s anniversary (
mawlid
or
urs). Key ritual activities performed during shrine
pilgrimages include decoration of the tomb with
flowers, lights, pictures, calligraphy, and cloth
coverings, circumambulation of the tomb, touch-
ing and kissing the tomb, votive offerings, for-
mal
prayer
(salat) and voluntary petitions (dua),
Quran recitation, ceremonial processions, animal
sacrifice, distribution of food, and
almsgiving
.
Other activities that may be found include musi-
cal performances, dhikrs, and circumcisions. Pil-
grims include a cross-section of society, including
many women. Where it is possible, such as sites in
i
ndia
and e
gypt
, non-Muslims also join in, either
as pilgrims, local celebrants, or vendors.
The sacred ziyara site par excellence for
Muslims is the mosque-tomb of Muhammad in
m
edina
. Although it is not part of the hajj, visit-
ing the Prophet’s mosque and praying there is
considered to be highly meritorious before or after
performing the hajj or umra. Indeed, according
to an oft-quoted hadith, Muhammad promised,
“Whoever visits my grave (or house), deserves
K 722
zikr
my intercession.” The high esteem in which this
pilgrimage is held is also reflected in the murals
painted on the houses of Egyptian pilgrims, which
often display images of Muhammad’s mosque in
Medina next to images of the k
aaba
in Mecca.
Another major pilgrimage shrine connected with
Muhammad is the Noble Sanctuary in J
erUsalem
,
where he is believed to have traveled during his
n
ight
J
oUrney
and
a
scent
.
There are literally hundreds of other pilgrim-
age shrine sites connected with prophets and
saints (known as walis). Some of these have
ancient pre-Islamic origins, but most began to
noticeably appear in Muslim communities only
between the 13th and 15th centuries, with some
developing as recently as the late 20th century.
Many of the most prominent are identified with
descendants of Muhammad’s family, the
ahl
al
-
bayt
. These include the tombs of h
Usayn
ibn
a
li
,
Zaynab, and Nafisa in Cairo. The most important
shrines visited by the Shia are those of the Imams
and their descendants, especially a
li
ibn
a
bi
t
alib
in Najaf (Iraq), Husayn in k
arbala
, the Kazimayn
(the seventh and ninth Imams Musa al-Kazim
and Muhammad al-Taqi) in a north Baghdad
suburb, Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari (the
10th and 11th Imams) in Samarra (Iraq), al-Rida
(or Reza, the eighth Imam) in Mashhad (Iran),
and his sister Fatima in Qumm. In recent years
the shrine of z
aynab
bint
a
li
ibn
a
bi
t
alib
, in
Damascus has attracted large numbers of Shii pil-
grims. Major pilgrimage shrines connected with
Sufi saints include those of Mum al-Din Chishti
in a
Jmer
(India), Baba Farid al-Din Ganjshakar
Pilgrims visit the tomb of the wife of the Chishti saint Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli, New Delhi, India.
(Juan E. Campo)
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