Dalāʾil al-khayrāt wa shawāriq al-anwār fī dhikr aṣ-ṣalāt ʿala an-Nabī al-mukhtār Waymarks of beneficence and light in remembrance of the blessings of the Prophet

Illuminated manuscript in Arabic and Ottoman Turkish Elegant nasḫī with rich Illumination. Manuscript from an Ottoman-Turkish context.
36 leaves at 19 lines
16 x 10 cm
Beautiful Ottoman-style leather binding with flap and decorative stamps

Order No.: MSS_154
Status: sold
Price: 5 400 € (excl. VAT)

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Compilation of verses from the Qurʾān and prayers by al-Jazūlī (d. 1465).

Colophon: Meḥmed Saʿīd son of the former grand vezir (saḍr-ı esbaḳ) ʿAbdullāh Paşa. Maybe Nāʾilī ʿAbdullāh Paşa (d. 1758), since it seems convincing to date the manuscript to the second half of the 18th century.

Miniatures of type 1 which is typical for the Ottoman Empire:
1. Image of Mekka with the Kaaba.
2. Image of Medīna with the tomb of Muḥammad.

The Dalāʼil al-khayrāt 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 to bless him.

Among some Sunni religious orders, most notably the Shadhili-Jazuli 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 Dalāʼil al-khayrāt 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

Overflown 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 where he would recite the whole of the Dala’il al-Khayrat twice daily at Muhammad's grave in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. The Dalāʼil al-khayrāt has since been seen as a testament of love and passionate longing for Muhammad.