At the door of the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, or of the shrine of any of the Imams, before you enter, say.
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي وَقَفْتُ عَلَىٰ بَابٍ
allāhumma innī waqaftu ʿalā bāb
O Allah, I am standing at one of the doors
مِنْ ابْوَابِ بُيُوتِ نَبِيِّكَ
min abwābi buyūti nabiyyik
of Your Prophet’s Houses—
صَلَوَاتُكَ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
ṣalawātuka ʿalayhi wa ālih
may Your blessings be upon him and his Household.
وَقَدْ مَنَعْتَ ٱلنَّاسَ انْ يَدْخُلُوٱ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِهِ
wa qad manaʿta n-nāsa an yadkhulū illā bi-idhnih
And You have prevented people to enter there before they obtain his permission.
فَقُلْتَ: ”يَا ايُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوٱ
fa-qulta yā ayyuha lladhīna āmanū
You have thus said, “O ye who believe!
لاََ تَدْخُلُوٱ بُيُوتَ ٱلنَّبِيِّ إِلاَّ انْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ“
lā tadkhulū buyūta n-nabiyyi illā an yuʾdhana lakum
Enter not the Prophet's houses until leave is given you.”
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي اعْتَقِدُ حُرْمَةَ صَاحِبِ هٰذَا ٱلْمَشْهَدِ ٱلشَّريفِ فِي غَيْبَتِهِ
allāhumma innī aʿtaqidu ḥurmata ṣāḥibi hādha l-mashhadi sh-sharīfi fī ghaybatih
O Allah, I believe in the sanctity of the owner of this holy shrine in his absence
كَمَا اعْتَقِدُهَا فِي حَضْرَتِهِ
kamā aʿtaqiduhā fī ḥaḍratih
as same as I believe in it in his presence.
وَاعْلَمُ انَّ رَسُولَكَ وَخُلَفَاءَكَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلاَمُ
wa aʿlamu anna rasūlaka wa khulafāʾaka ʿalayhimu s-salām
I also know for sure that Your Messenger and Your Representatives—peace be upon them—
احْيَاءٌ عِنْدَكَ يُرْزَقُونَ
aḥyāʾun ʿindaka yurzaqūn
are live, finding their sustenance in the presence of You;
يَرَوْنَ مَقَامِي
yarawna maqāmī
they can see my place,
وَيَسْمَعُوَن كَلاَمِي
wa yasmaʿūna kalāmī
hear my words,
وَيَرُدُّونَ سَلاَمِي
wa yaruddūna salāmī
and respond to my greetings,
وَاَنِّكَ حَجَبْتَ عَنْ سَمْعِي كَلاَمَهُمْ
wa annaka ḥajabta ʿan samʿī kalāmahum
but You have prevented my hearing from receiving their words
وَفَتَحْتَ بَابَ فَهْمِي بِلَذِيذِ مُنَاجَاتِهِمْ
wa fataḥta bāba fahmī bi-ladhīdhi munājātihim
and You have opened the door of my understanding to taste the fine flavor of my confidential speech with
وَإِنِّي اسْتَاذِنُكَ يَا رَبِّ اوَّلاًَ
wa innī astaʾdhinuka yā rabbi awwalā
I thus ask Your permission—O my Lord—first of all,
وَاسْتَاذِنُ رَسُولَكَ صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ ثَانِياً
wa astaʾdhinu rasūlaka ṣallā llāhu ʿalayhi wa ālihi thāniyā
the permission of Your Prophet—peace be upon him and his Household—secondly,
وَاسْتَاذِنُ خَليفَتَكَ ٱلإِمَامَ
wa astaʾdhinu khalīfataka l-imāma
the permission of Your Representative, the Imam
ٱلْمَفْرُوضَ عَلَيَّ طَاعَتُهُ…
l-mafrūḍa ʿalayya ṭāʿatuh…
the obedience to whom is incumbent upon me…
Name the Imam whose shrine you are visiting, and his father: at Imam al-Husayn's, al-Husayn ibn ʿAli, peace be upon him; at Imam al-Rida's, ʿAli ibn Musa al-Rida, peace be upon him. Then say.
وَٱلْمَلاَئِكَةَ ٱلْمُوَكَّلينَ بِهٰذِهِ ٱلْبُقْعَةِ ٱلْمُبَارَكَةِ ثَالِثاً
wa l-malāʾikata l-muwakkalīna bi-hādhihi l-buqʿati l-mubārakati thālithā
…and the permission of the angels whom are commissioned to supervise this blessed area, thirdly.
اادْخُلُ يَا رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ
a-adkhulu yā rasūla llāh
May I enter, O Messenger of Allah?
اادْخُلُ يَا حُجَّةَ ٱللَّهِ
a-adkhulu yā ḥujjata llāh
May I enter, O Argument of Allah?
اادْخُلُ يَا مَلاَئِكَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ
a-adkhulu yā malāʾikata llāhi l-muqarrabīn
May I enter, O angels of Allah—the intimate,
ٱلْمُقِيمِينَ فِي هٰذَا ٱلْمَشْهَدِ
l-muqīmīna fī hādha l-mashhad
the residing in this shrine?
فَاذَنْ لِي يَا مَوْلاَيَ فِي ٱلدُّخُولِ
fa-dhan lī yā mawlāya fi d-dukhūl
So, (please do) permit me to enter, O my Master,
افْضَلَ مَا اذِنْتَ لاِحَدٍ مِنْ اوْلِيَائِكَ
afḍala mā adhinta li-aḥadin min awliyāʾik
in the best way of permission that you have ever conferred upon any of your intimate adherents.
فَإِنْ لَمْ اكُنْ اهْلاًَ لِذٰلِكَ
fa-in lam akun ahlan li-dhālik
If I do not deserve such permission,
فَانْتَ اهْل ٌ لِذٰلِكَ
fa-anta ahlun li-dhālik
then you are worthy of conferring it upon me.
Then kiss the threshold and enter, saying.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ وَبِٱللَّهِ
bismi llāhi wa bi-llāh
In the Name of Allah (I begin), in Allah (I trust),
وَفِي سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ
wa fī sabīli llāh
on the way of Allah (I proceed),
وَعَلَىٰ مِلَّةِ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ
wa ʿalā millati rasūli llāh
and on the norm of the Messenger of Allah,
صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
ṣallā llāhu ʿalayhi wa ālih
may Allah bless him and his Household.
اَللَّهُمَّ ٱغْفِرْ لِي
allāhumma ghfir lī
O Allah, (please do) forgive me,
وَٱرْحَمْنِي وَتُبْ عَلَيَّ
wa rḥamnī wa tub ʿalayy
have mercy upon me, and accept my repentance,
إِنَّكَ انْتَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
innaka anta t-tawwābu r-raḥīm
for You are verily the Oft-Returning, the All-Merciful.