Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli - Incipit Page with Illuminated Headpiece - Walters W5831B - Full Page

''Dalāil al-khayrāt wa-shawāriq al-anwār fī dhikr al-ṣalāt alá al-Nabī al-mukhtār'' ( ar, دلائل الخيرات وشوارق الأنوار في ذكر الصلاة على النبي المختار, translation=Waymarks of Benefits and the Brilliant Burst of Lights in the Remembrance of Blessings on the Chosen Prophet), usually shortened to ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'', is a famous collection of prayers for the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

, which was written by the Moroccan

Shadhili The Shadhili Order ( ar, الطريقة الشاذلية) is a tariqah or Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by al-Shadhili in the 13th century and is followed by millions of people around the world. Many followers (Arabic ''murids'', "seekers") ...

scholar

Muhammad al-Jazuli Abū 'Abdullah Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān ibn Abū Bakr al-Jazūli al-Simlālī () (d. 1465AD = 870AH), often known as Imam al-Jazuli or Sheikh Jazuli, was a Moroccan Sufi Saint. He is best known for compiling the '' Dala'il al-Khayrat'', an ext ...

(died 1465 AD). It is popular in parts of the Islamic world amongst traditional Muslims—specifically

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

—and is divided into sections for daily recitation.

Background

Moroccan ''

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

'' scholar Abdullah al-Talidi wrote of the ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'': "Millions of Muslims from East to West tried it and found its good, its blessing, and its benefit for centuries and over generations, and witnessed its unbelievable spiritual blessings and light. Muslims avidly recited it, alone and in groups, in homes and mosques, utterly spending themselves in the Blessings on the Most Beloved and praising him". The ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'' is the first major book in Islamic history which compiled litanies of peace and blessings upon Muhammad. It is also the most popular and most universally acclaimed collection of litanies asking

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

to bless him. Among some

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

religious orders, most notably the

order, its recitation is a daily practice. In others however, its recitation is a purely voluntary daily practice. The work begins with the ninety nine names of God, and then the a collection of over one hundred names of Muhammad. The legend behind the origin of the ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'' claims that al-Jazuli once awoke late for his morning prayers and began to look in vain for pure water to perform ritual ablutions. In the midst of his search al-Jazuli encountered a young girl who was aware of al-Jazuli's famed religiosity and was bewildered on why al-Jazuli could not find pure water. The girl then spat into a well which miraculously overflowed with pure sweet water for al-Jazuli to perform ablutions. Consequent to performing prayer, al-Jazuli inquired to the means by which the girl achieved such a high spiritual station. The girl replied it was simply by "Making constant prayer for God to bless the best of creation by the number of breaths and heartbeats." Al-Jazuli then resolved to write a work collecting litanies of prayers asking God to bless and show mercy and kindness to Muhammad. Al-Jazuli then moved east to

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

where he would recite the whole of the ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'' twice daily at Muhammad's grave in

al-Masjid an-Nabawi Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (), known in English as the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the city of Medina in the Al Madinah Province of Saudi Arabia. It was the second mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, after Qub ...

. The ''Dala'il Khayrat'' has since been seen as a testament of love and passionate longing for Muhammad. Many of

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

were written on the ''Dala'il Khayrat'' - most notably by the scholar

Yusuf an-Nabhani Yusuf bin Ismail bin Yusuf bin Ismail bin Muhammad Nâsir al-Dîn an-Nabhani (1849–1932) born in Ijzim in Palestine (region), Palestine, was a Palestinian people, Palestinian Sunni Islamic scholar, judge, prolific poet, and defender of the O ...

in his work ''Afdal al-Salawat'', Mohammed al-Mahdi al-Fasi's ''Matali‘ Al Masarrat Bi Jalaa’ Dala’il Al Khayrat'' (مطالع المسرات بجلاء دلائل الخيرات) and Abd al-Majid al-Sharnubi al-Azhari's ''Sharh Dala'il Khayrat''. A classic

Ottoman era The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

work by Kara Davud is popular in Turkish, titled ''Tevfîk-i Muvaffık il-Hayrât li-Neyl'il-berekât fî Hidmet-i Menbâ'üs-sa'adât'' ( ota, توفیق موفق الحیرات لنیل البركات فی خدمة منباع السعادات), in short known as "Kara Davud".

Manuscripts

Gallery

File:Khalili Collection Hajj and Arts of Pilgrimage mss 0276 fol 5b-6a.jpg, Khalili Collections MSS 0276 File:Khalili Collection Hajj and Arts of Pilgrimage mss 1138 fol 71b-72a.jpg, Khalili Collections MSS 1138 showing the names "Allah" and "Mohammed" File:Kaba and Mosque (cropped).jpg, The

National Library of Israel The National Library of Israel (NLI; he, הספרייה הלאומית, translit=HaSifria HaLeumit; ar, المكتبة الوطنية في إسرائيل), formerly Jewish National and University Library (JNUL; he, בית הספרים הלא� ...

Jerusalem Israel Ms. Yah. Ar. 47 showing illustrations of the

Great Mosque of Mecca , native_name_lang = ar , religious_affiliation = Islam , image = Al-Haram mosque - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg , image_upright = 1.25 , caption = Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca , map ...

and the

Prophet's Mosque Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (), known in English as the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the city of Medina in the Al Madinah Province of Saudi Arabia. It was the second mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, after Q ...

. File:Al-Hajj Hafiz Muhammad Nuri, Turkey, 1801 - The Dala'il al-Khayrat of al-Juzuli - Google Art Project.jpg, The Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar, MS.427.2007 showing illustrations of the Great Mosque of Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque. File:Manuscript of the Dala'il al-khayrat of al-Jazuli LACMA M.85.237.51 (2 of 3).jpg, Los Angeles County Museum of Art M.85.237.51

References

External links

Read/Download ''Dalail ul Khairat Shareef''
(Urdu)
''Dala'il al-Khayrat (Audio)''

(by Sheikh

Nuh Ha Mim Keller Nuh Ha Mim Keller (born 1954) is an American Islamic scholar, teacher and author who lives in Amman. He is a translator of a number of Islamic books. Life and scholarship Keller studied philosophy and Arabic at the University of Chicago and th ...

)
An Appreciation by Siddiq Osman NoormuhammadRead onlineRead online in Arabic with English translation and transliteration
{{Authority control Sunni literature Sufi literature Islamic prayer 15th century in Morocco Marinid Sultanate 15th-century Arabic books