[DALÂ’IL WITH FINE MECCA & MEDINA VIEWS] دلائل الخيرات / Dala'il al-Khayrat

AL-JAZULÎ, MUHAMMAD (?-1465).

Matbaa-yi Osmaniye, Dersaadet (Istanbul), AH 1314 = [1898].

Original full brown calf in a traditional Ottoman style with fore-edge flap, blind tooled decorations gilded on front and rear boards. Foolscap 8vo. (18,5 x 12,5 cm). In Arabic. 187, [4 blank pages] p., the Mecca and Medina ills. Slightly faded gilts on front board, weak hinges, and some loose pages. Contemporary manuscript prayers on the last blank pages. Overall, a very good copy. A manuscript note in pencil on the first blank page reads [It is the Delâil-i Serîf that my mother Maide Hanim read.], 19 June 1933”.

A scarce lithograph edition in a fine traditional Islamic binding with attractive lithographed Mecca and Medina views, of this first major book in Islamic history which compiled litanies of peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad.

Dalâ'il al-Khayrât is a famous collection of prayers for the Islamic prophet Muhammad, written by the Moroccan Shadhili scholar Muhammad al-Jazuli (died 1465 AD). It is popular in parts of the Islamic world amongst traditional Muslims, specifically North Africa, the Levant, Turkey, the Caucasus, and South Asia. It is divided into sections for daily recitation.

It is also the most popular and universally acclaimed collection of litanies asking God to bless him. Among some Sunni religious orders, most notably the Shadhili 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 a collection of 201 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. Amid his search, al-Jazuli encountered a young girl who was aware of al-Jazuli's famed religiosity and was bewildered about 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 as to how 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 Dala'il Khayrat has since been seen as a testament of love and passionate longing for Muhammad. (Wikipedia).

As of May 2024, we couldn’t find any institutional examples in WorldCat and KVK.