General Forms of Ziyarah of the Holy Imams’ Descendants
In his book of Misbah al-Za'ir, the sublime Sayyid `Ali ibn Tawus has mentioned two forms of ziyarah of the Holy Imams’ descendants to both of which we will refer hereinafter.
First Form of Ziyarah
He says: If you intend to visit one of the Holy Imams’ descendants, such as al-Qasim the son of Imam al-Kazim, al-`Abbas the son of Imam `Ali, or `Ali the son of Imam al-Husayn who was martyred at the Battle of al-Taff, or any other son or descendant of one of the Holy Imams, you should stop at the tomb and say the following words:

السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ ايُّهَا ٱلسَّيِّدُ ٱلزَّكِيُّ

alssalamu `alayka ayyuha alssayyidu alzzakiyyu

Peace be upon you, O bright master,

ٱلطَّاهِرُ ٱلْوَلِيُّ

alttahiru alwaliyyu

pure saint,

وَٱلدَّاعِي ٱلْحَفِيُّ

waldda`i alhafiyyu

and affectionate herald.

اشْهَدُ انَّكَ قُلْتَ حَقّاً

ashhadu annaka qulta haqqan

I bear witness that you said the truth,

وَنَطَقْتَ حَقّاً وَصِدْقاً

wa nataqta haqqan wa sidqan

uttered truly and honestly,

وَدَعَوْتَ إِلَىٰ مَوْلاَيَ وَمَوْلاَكَ عَلاَنِيَةً وَسِرّاً

wa da`awta ila mawlaya wa mawlaka `alaniyatan wa sirran

and called to my and your master openly and secretly.

فَازَ مُتَّبِعُكَ

faza muttabi`uka

Winner is your follower

وَنَجَا مُصَدِّقُكَ

wa naja musaddiquka

and saved is your believer,

وَخَابَ وَخَسِرَ مُكَذِّبُكَ وَٱلْمُتَخَلِّفُ عَنْكَ

wa khaba wa khasira mukadhdhibuka walmutakhallifu `anka

but disappointing and losing are your deniers and dissenters.

إِشْهَدْ لِي بِهٰذِهِ ٱلشَّهَادَةِ

ishhad li bihadhihi alshshahadati

Bear this testimony for me

لاِكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْفَائِزِينَ بِمَعْرِفَتِكَ وَطَاعَتِكَ

li'akuna min alfa'izina bima`rifatika wa ta`atika

so that I will be of the winners because of recognizing you, obedience to you,

وَتَصْدِيقِكَ وَٱتَّبَاعِكَ

wa tasdiqika wattiba`ika

giving credence to you, and following you.

وَٱلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا سَيِّدِي وَٱبْنَ سَيِّدِي

walssalamu `alayka ya sayyidi wabna sayyidi

Peace be upon you, O my master and son of my master.

انْتَ بَابُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُؤْتَىٰ مِنْهُ

anta babu allahu almu'ta minhu

You are the door to Allah from which He is come

وَٱلْمَاخُوذُ عَنْهُ

walma'khudhu `anhu

and from which everything is received.

اتَيْتُكَ زَائِراً

ataytuka za'iran

I have come to you, visiting you

وَحَاجَاتِي لَكَ مُسْتَوْدِعاً

wa hajati laka mustawdi`an

and entrusting with you all my needs.

وَهَا انَا ذَا اسْتَوْدِعُكَ دِينِي وَامَانَتِي

wa ha ana dha astawdi`uka dini wa amanati

Here I am entrusting with you my religion, my trust,

وَخَواتِيمَ عَمَلِي

wa khawatima `amali

the sealings of my deed,

وَجَوَامِعَ امَلِي

wa jawami`a amali

and my entire hope

إِلَىٰ مُنْتَهَىٰ اجَلِي

ila muntaha ajali

up to the end of my lifetime.

وَٱلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

walssalamu `alayka wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatuhu

Peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

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Second Form of Ziyarah

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ جَدِّكَ ٱلْمُصْطَفَىٰ

alssalamu `ala jaddika almustafa

Peace be upon your forefather the Chosen Prophet.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ ابِيكَ ٱلرِّضَا ٱلْمُرْتَضَىٰ

alssalamu `ala abika almurtada

Peace be upon your father the well-contented and well-pleased.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ ٱلسَّيِّدَيْنِ ٱلْحَسَنِ وَٱلْحُسَيْنِ

alssalamu `ala alssayyidayni alhasani walhusayni

Peace be upon the two chiefs al-Hasan and al-Husayn.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ خَدِيـجَةَ

alssalamu `ala khadijata

Peace be upon Khadijah

امِّ سَيِّدَةِ نِسَاءِ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ

ummi sayyidati nisa'i al`alamina

the mother of the doyenne of the women of the world.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ فَاطِمَةَ امِّ ٱلائِمَّةِ ٱلطَّاهِرِينَ

alssalamu `ala fatimata ummi al-a'immati alttahirina

Peace be upon Fatimah the mother of the Immaculate Imams.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَىٰ ٱلنُّفُوسِ ٱلْفَاخِرَةِ

alssalamu `ala alnnufusi alfakhirati

Peace be upon the excellent souls,

بُحُورِ ٱلْعُلُومِ ٱلزَّاخِرَةِ

buhuri al`ulumi alzzakhirati

the oceans of the abundant knowledge,

شُفَعَائِي فِي ٱلآخِرَةِ

shufa`a'i fi al-akhirati

my interceders in the Hereafter,

وَاوْلِيَائِي عِنْدَ عَوْدِ ٱلرُّوحِ إِلَىٰ ٱلْعِظَامِ ٱلنَّاخِرَةِ

wa awliya'i `inda `awdi alrruhi ila al`izami alnnakhirati

and my masters when the soul shall be returned to the rotten bones;

ائِمَّةِ ٱلْخَلْقِ

a'immati alkhalqi

namely, the leaders of the creatures

وَوُلاَةِ ٱلْحَقِّ

wa wulati alhaqqi

and the true masters.

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ ايُّهَا ٱلشَّخْصُ ٱلشَّرِيفُ

alssalamu `alayka ayyuha alshshakhsu alshsharifu

Peace be upon you, O honorable,

ٱلطَّاهِرُ ٱلْكَرِيمُ

alttahiru alkarimu

immaculate, and noble person.

اشْهَدُ انْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ ٱللَّهُ

ashhadu an la ilaha illa allahu

I bear witness that there is no god save Allah,

وَانَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَمُصْطَفَاهُ

wa anna muhammadan `abduhu wa mustafahu

Muhammad is His servant and chosen prophet,

وَانَّ عَلِيّاً وَلِيُّهُ وَمُجْتَبَاهُ

wa anna `aliyyan waliyyuhu wa mujtabahu

`Ali is His intimate and selected servant,

وَانَّ ٱلإِمَامَةَ فِي وُلْدِهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

wa anna al-imamata fi wuldihi ila yawmi alddini

and Imamate is for his descendants up to the Judgment Day.

نَعْلَمُ ذٰلِكَ عِلْمَ ٱلْيَقِينِ

na`lamu dhalika `ilma alyaqini

We recognize so with certain knowledge,

وَنَحْنُ لِذٰلِكَ مُعْتَقِدُونَ

wa nahnu lidhalika mu`taqiduna

we believe in so,

وَفِي نَصْرِهِمْ مُجْتَهِدُونَ

wa fi nasrihim mujtahiduna

and we exert all our efforts in supporting them.

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(A Supplication for Visiting the Tombs of the Children of the Imams)

السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا السَّيِّدُ الزَّكِيُّ

As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuhā s-Sayyidu z-Zakiyy

Peace be upon you, O Pure Master,

الظَّاهِرُ الْوَلِيُّ وَ الدَّاعِي الْحَفِيُّ

aẓ-Ẓāhiru l-Waliyyu wa d-Dā‘ī l-Ḥafiyy

the Manifest, the Guardian (Wali), and the ardent Caller [to truth],

أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ قُلْتَ حَقًّا وَ نَطَقْتَ حَقًّا وَ صِدْقًا

ashhadu annaka qulta ḥaqqan wa naṭaqta ḥaqqan wa ṣidqan

I bear witness that you spoke the truth, and uttered with truth and sincerity,

وَ دَعَوْتَ إِلَى مَوْلايَ وَ مَوْلاكَ عَلانِيَةً وَ سِرًّا

wa da‘awta ilā Mawlāya wa Mawlāka ‘alāniyatan wa sirran

and you called to my Master and your Master openly and secretly.

فَازَ مُتَّبِعُكَ وَ نَجَا مُصَدِّقُكَ

Fāza muttabi‘uka wa najā muṣaddiquk

Victorious is your follower, and saved is he who believes you,

وَ خَابَ وَ خَسِرَ مُكَذِّبُكَ وَ الْمُتَخَلِّفُ عَنْكَ

wa khāba wa khasira mukadhdhibuka wa l-mutakhallifu ‘ank

and disappointed and lost is he who disbelieves you and holds back from you.

إِشْهَدْ لِي بِهَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ

Ish-had lī bi-hādhīhi sh-shahādah

Bear witness for me with this testimony,

لِأَكُونَ مِنْ الْفَائِزِينَ بِمَعْرِفَتِكَ وَ طَاعَتِكَ وَ تَصْدِيقِكَ وَ إِتَّبَاعِكَ

li-akūna mina l-fā’izīna bi-ma‘rifatika wa ṭā‘atika wa taṣdīqika wa ittibā‘ik

so that I may be among the victorious ones through my knowledge of you, my obedience to you, my belief in you, and my following of you.

وَ السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا سَيِّدِي وَ ابْنَ سَيِّدِي

Wa s-salāmu ‘alayka yā Sayyidī wa bna Sayyidī

And peace be upon you, O my Master and son of my Master.

أَنْتَ بَابُ اللَّهِ الْمُؤْتَى مِنْهُ وَ الْمَأْخُوذُ عَنْهُ

Anta Bābu Llāhi l-mu’tā minhu wa l-ma’khūdhu ‘anh

You are the Door of God from which [He] is approached, and from which [knowledge] is taken.

أَتَيْتُكَ زَائِراً وَ حَاجَاتِي لَكَ مُسْتَوْدِعًا

Ataytuka zā’iran wa ḥājātī laka mustawdi‘an

I have come to you as a visitor, entrusting my needs to you,

وَ هَا أَنَا ذَا أَسْتَوْدِعُكَ دِينِي وَ أَمَانَتِي

wa hā anā dhā astawdi‘uka dīnī wa amānatī

and here I am, entrusting to you my religion, my trust,

وَ خَوَاتِيمَ عَمَلِي وَ جَوَامِعَ أَمَلِي

wa khawātīma ‘amalī wa jawāmi‘a amalī

and the conclusions of my deeds, and the totality of my hope,

إِلَى مُنْتَهَى أَجَلِي

ilā muntahā ajalī

until the end of my term (life).

وَ السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَ بَرَكَاتُهُ

Wa s-salāmu ‘alayka wa raḥmatu Llāhi wa barakātuh.

And peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings.