True follower of Ahl ul-Bayt ('a), Haider Aga Tehrani has narrated that some years ago, one day I was present in the outer courtyard of the shrine of Imam Ali Al-Ridha ('a) when I noticed an old man whose waist was bent. His hair and beard were fully grey and his eyebrows were hanging on the eyes. His presence of mind and humility attracted my attention. When he wanted to arise, I saw that he was unable to move. I helped him to get up and asked him that where he was staying. He replied: I am lodging in a room of Madressa Khairat Khan. I escorted him till his lodging and became very much devoted to him.

I visited him everyday and helped him with his errands. I inquired about his name, native place and his circumstances. He told me that his name was Ibrahim and that he was an Iraqi, but also fluent in Persian as since his youth, he comes for the Ziyarat of Imam Ali Al-Ridha ('a) every year and after staying here for some time, return to Iraq.

He explained: Du ring my youth when there were no cars or buses, I performed the Ziyarat on foot twice. The first time, three youths of my age accompanied me for a Farsakh and friendship developed among us to such an extent that they regretted my separation and also, because they could not perform the Ziyarat with me.

When they bid farewell, they said, weeping: You are a young man and you are walking on foot on this first journey? Indeed, you will be shown mercy, so it is our request that you present salutations to the Imam ('a) on our behalf also and remember us at that holy place.

So I bid farewell to them and set out for Holy Mash-had, and on reaching there visited the holy sanctuary in the same condition of anxiety. After Ziyarat, I fell down in a swoon in a corner of the sanctuary. In this condition, I saw Imam Ali Al-Ridha ('a) arrive with innumerable chits and distribute them among the visitors, including children.

When it was my turn, the Imam gave me four chits. I asked why four? He replied: One for you and three for your three friends. I said: It does not seem appropriate that the Imam should perform this function himself. Please ask someone else to distribute these chits. He said: All these people came here reposing hope in me only. So it is my duty to reach them personally.

When I opened the letter, I found that it contained four sentences: Release from Hellfire, refuge from accounting, entry into Paradise and I am the son of the Messenger of Allah (S).

We can conclude two points from this: One is that Imam Ali Al-Ridha ('a) is very kind to the visitors of his grave and he is very generous to them. Thus, he would intercede for one who takes his refuge from hellfire, and no one would return empty handed from his door.

Secondly, one who sincerely aspires to perform the Ziyarat of the Imams, but does not get an opportunity, and he requests someone else to do Ziyarat in his proxy, he is like one who performs the Ziyarat in person and this matter is not restricted to the Ziyarat of that Imam only. It is same for all good deeds.

One who likes a good deed, is like one who performs it and he would be rewarded equally. Testimonies of this matter are found in large numbers in traditional reports. Including when Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari performed the Ziyarat of the chief of the martyrs in Karbala. After the Ziyarat, he addressed them:

By Allah, we were also with you in the stage that you have entered. Atiyya bin Saad Kuti, who was present with him, asked: How we are partners with the martyrs of Karbala, when we were not with them at any time; and we never used our sword in their company? Their heads were cut, their children were orphaned and their ladies became widows.

Jabir said: O Atiyya, I heard from my beloved, the Messenger of Allah (S) that he said: One who likes a people, would be raised along with them and one who likes the acts of a people would be a partner in their act. By the one who sent Muhammad (S) with truth, the intention of me and my companions is same as that, on which Husayn and his companions died.

Under the explanation of this statement, Imam Ali Al-Ridha ('a) said to Rayyan bin Shabeeb: O son of Shabeeb, if you want to get the same reward as those martyred with Imam Husayn ('a), when you remember them, you should say: Alas, if I also had been with the companions of Husayn, I would have obtained a great success.

Here it is necessary to mention that one gets the reward of the martyr only when a person is true in this intention. That is, it should be his sincere desire to be killed in the way of Allah, in such a way that if an opportunity arises, his self, children, wealth and position should not bar his way.

Thus, if love for his self and selfish desires and inclination to the world have surrounded his heart in such a way that if he had been present in Karbala, these relations would not have permitted him to be included in the martyrs, then his statement of "Alas..." is false.

A scholar narrates: I was in deception and misunderstanding for years and I considered myself to be a partner in the rewards of the martyrs of Karbala, till one night in dream, I witnessed the tragedy of Karbala with the same details as mentioned in books of Karbala Tragedy, and found myself with the Imam.

I saw Qasim Ibn Imam Hasan (‘a) going to the battlefield and getting martyred there. Just then it came to my mind that since other companions of the Imam are not present, the Imam would definitely order me for Jihad. So I tried to back out from there in fear. I found a horse, mounted it and galloped away from there till I woke up in a condition of terror.

Then I realized that I had spent a major part of my life in deception. And the desire to be killed in the way of God, which I used to repeat often, was lacking in truth.

The aim of relating this incident is that the respected readers should not fall into misunderstanding and they should know that earning the reward of martyrs is possible only when this intention is sincere and this would be impossible when the heart is dominated by love for the world.

For that: one would have fight a lifetime of Jihad against the self and regarding this one has to strive and bear tortures for long periods, so that some reality might be created. If a martyr goes to the battlefield and is martyred once and then remains in peace forever, a person who does Jihad with his self is constantly fighting the Satan; that is why it is called as the Greater Jihad in traditions of the Prophet.

Secondly, in whichever form the real intention is, he is given a reward equal to the reward of the martyr and not exactly same reward, because the status that the Almighty Allah has given to the martyrs of Karbala in return of their amazing loyalty, is not given even to other martyrs; so what can be said of one who aspires for it, although in exchange of his aspiration, even if he is really sincere, the Almighty Allah would give him a similar and equal reward.