In Najaf, it was the Imam's habit to hold a meeting in the night after the dusk and night mandatory prayers in the outer room of his residence. Everyone was free to participate at these sessions; everybody could see him. After the meeting was over, the Imam would go to visit the shrine of Hadrat 'Ali ('a). The meeting would last until exactly 3 A.M. past midnight and after it was over he would visit the shrine. This was a routine task such that if a person wanted to adjust his timepiece he could easily do it either by waiting outside his residence on ar-Rasul Street where he would appear at precisely 3 A.M. or when he would return from the mausoleum, one would know for certain that it was 3.30 A.M![1]
[1]When the Imam visited the mausoleum: Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat