THE VIRTUES OF SUPPLICATION OF NUDBAH

Sadr Al-Islam Hamdani (may Allah elevates his position) in the book " Takalifil Anam" said: among the virtues of supplication of Nudbah is that anywhere it is recited with full sincerity and tranquility with attention to its exalted meaning, it necessitates the attraction of the leader of the time's providence (may our souls be sacrifice for him) to that place and it may even prompt the presence of the Imam over there (may our souls be sacrifice for him) as it happens in some places.[1]

Ayatullah Sheikh Ali Akbar Nahawandi writes in this book Al Abqariyyul Hisaan’ that: I saw in the writings of Haj Sheikh Mahdi, who narrated from the book of Syed Jawad – one of the reliable prayer leaders of Isfahan who possessed great spiritual positions and ‘the heavens did not cast shadow upon a person more truthful than him’- such was written on it that:

            The village ‘Salihabaad’ was owned by me and few of my partners. A group of people decided to forcibly take the village from us and sent a group of men towards us. How much ever we spoke to them, it did not benefit us anyhow. I wrote a letter (Areeza) to Imam Mahdi (A.S.) and dropped it in the river, then went towards ‘Takht e Fawlaad’ and recited the supplication of Nudba entreating and weeping, and repeated the verse

هل إليك يا بن أحمد سبيل فتلقى؟

(O’ son of Ahmad, is there a path towards you through which we can meet you) several times. At once, I heard the voice of a horse’s foot and saw an Arab horse-rider coming towards me, he gazed at me and vanished from my sight. My heart felt relaxed on witnessing him and I felt relieved that my work will be done. The next night, my work was completed in the best manner. I have witnessed his holiness several times in my dreams and he appears in the same features.[2]

            Sayyid Reza, one of the authentic and reliable clerics of Isfahan, says: Due to immense liabilities and poverty, I turned towards the dead ones and asked Allah to forgive two hundred people from them and recalled them with their names. Then I recalled Imam Mahdi (A.S.) and recited a few verses of the supplication of Nudba, like

هل إليك يا بن أحمد سبيل فتلقى؟

; while reciting it, a special light began to glow in the entire room which was brighter than sunlight, and on the same day, I attained complete relief. [3]

            Muhaddis e Noori (R.A.) says: Agha Mohammad - a reliable, just, trustworthy person who lives in the neighborhood of the shrines of Imam Askari and Imam Naqi (peace be upon them)- I heard from his mother who was a pious and god-fearing woman that: One day, I visited the holy Sardaab along with the family of Maula Salmasi. He was reciting the supplication of Nudba and we were also reciting along with him. He was weeping like a sorrowful, astonished and depressed person, and mourned like the entangled ones. We were also weeping along with him and there was no one there except for us.

            We were in the same state when the scent of musk filled in the Sardaab and perfumed the atmosphere of Sardaab completely. The smell became so strong that our prior state ceased to exist and we were all dumbfounded. As if a bird was sitting on our heads and we could not move or utter a word. We remained perplexed and astonished until a short span of time passed and that smell vanished bringing us back to the prior state, then we continued with the remaining supplication. When we returned home, we asked Agha about the musk smell. He hesitated in replying and said: “What have you got to do with this question?” and refrained from answering me.

            My brother, the chosen one, the loyal cleric, the illuminating lamp for the path of spiritual wayfarers and worshippers, Agha Ali Reza Isfahani (R.A.) gave me this answer: “I asked this same Agha about his meeting with Imam Mahdi (A.S.), as I was of the belief that he would have met with the Imam (A.S.) like his mentor Sayyid Bahrul Uloom (R.A.), he narrated the same incident word by word for me. All praises be to Allah, in the beginning and at the end. [4]

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