On Ziyarat al-Arba’een

Is Ziyarat al-Arba’een a modern creation, or does it have basis and was well known among the early Imamiyya Shi’a?

We shall find out from the words of Shaykh al-Tusi & Al-Qurtubi.

 Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460 AH) speaks about Ziyarat al-Arba’een in his book Misbah al-Mutahajjid, page 787:

“And on the twentieth day of (Safar), it was the day of return of the women of our master Abi Abdilah Al-Husayn ibn Ali bin Abi Talib, peace be upon them both, from al-Sham (Levant) to the city of the Rasul Allah, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family. 

And it is the day on which it was reported that Jabir ibn Abdillah ibn Haram al-Ansari, the companion of the Messenger of God, came from Madina to Karbala to visit the tomb of Abi Abdullah, peace be upon him, and he was the first person to visit it. 

And it is desirable to do ziyara of him (Imam Husayn) during this day, and it is what is known as Ziyarat al-Arba’een.”

وفي اليوم العشرين منه كان رجوع حرم سيدنا أبي عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب عليهما السلام من الشام إلى مدينة الرسول صلىالله عليه وآله وهو اليوم الذي ورد فيه جابر بن عبد الله بن حرام الأنصاري صاحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله ورضي عنه من المدينة إلىكربلاء لزيارة قبر أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فكان أول من زاره من الناس، ويستحب زيارته عليه السلام فيه وهي زيارة الأربعين

Al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH), the famous Andalusian Sunni mufasir and theologian says in his book al-Tadhkira (http://www.islamport.com/w/akh/Web/2811/242.htm): 

“The Imamiyya say that the head (of Husayn) was returned to the body in Karbala after 40 days from the killing. And it is a known day for them, they call Ziyara in it - Ziyarat al-Arba’een.”

الإمامية تقول إن الرأس أعيد إلى الجثة بكربلاء بعد أربعين يوما من المقتل و هو يوم معروف عندهم يسمون الزيارة فيه زيارة الأربعين