Chapter 2
DALAAIL U'L KHAYRAAT
Of: Imam al-Jazuli
Rahmatullahi 'Alaihi
An Appreciation by Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad
THE FIRST MAJOR BOOK OF SALAWAAT
Dalaail u'l Khayraat (Proofs of Good Deeds) is a kitab (book)
of salawaat (blessings) on our beloved Holy Prophet Sayyidina wa Mawlana
Hadrat Muhammad al-Mustafa Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam composed by Imam
Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Jazuli Rahmatullahi 'alaih of Morocco. He was
a Shaykh in the Shazili tariqa who traced his ancestry to Imam Hasan ibn
'Ali, Rady Allahu 'Anhu, the noble Prophet's grandson, and left
his earthly existence in 870 A.H; 1465 C.E. Al-Habib 'Abdallah bin 'Alawi
bin Hasan al-'Attas Naf'anAllahu bih informs us in The Way of
Bani 'Alawi that Imam al-Jazuli had twelve thousand murids (disciples).
The full name of his kitab is Dalaail u'l Khayraat Wa Shawaariq u'l
Anwaar Fee Zikri's Salaat Alan Nabiyyi'l Mukhtaar (Proofs of Good Deeds
and the Brilliant Burst of Sunshine in the Zikr of Blessings on the Chosen Prophet).
It is the most universally acclaimed and the most popular among
books of salawaat on the beloved Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam.
Just as al-Muwatta of Imam Malik Rahmatullahi 'alaih is the first major
book of Hadith Shareef to be compiled, Dalaail-ul-Khayraat is the first
major book of salawaat. In it, Imam al-Jazuli Rahmatullahi 'alaih
presents to us as a gift, the salawaat which had been taught, written and
handed down from generation to generation ever since the time of the blessed Prophet
Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam upto his own time. It is a precious and selected
compilation of salawaat that he was able to obtain in his research. It is
a selected compilation because a total compilation would have taken many volumes.
We can understand this better when we recite the voluminous salawaat of just one
Imam, the great grandson of the blessed Prophet himself, namely, Imam Zaynul 'Abideen
'Ali ibn Husain ibn 'Ali Rady Allahu 'Anhu (38-95 A.H/658-713
C.E) in his huge kitab titled As-Sahifa Sajjadiyyah (The Book
of the Worshipper).
The style of presentation of Imam al-Jazuli is all his own, musk-scented with
the love of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam. The writing flows
smooth and fast with an exhilarating pace. This kitab has caught the imagination
of Muslims to such an extent that many 'ulama (learned scholars) have written
whole books of explanation (Arabic:sharh) on it. These "shuruh"
(plural of sharh) have been referred to, for example, by Imam Yusuf ibn Isma'il
an-Nab-haani Rahmatullahi alaih, another Shaykh in the Shazili tariqa,
in his book Afdalus-Salawaat (The Best of Blessings). And it has
been translated into Urdu by Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah Saheb in the kitab
Majmu'ah Wazaaif Ma'a Dalaail u'l Khayraat (Collection of Regular Voluntary
Invocations Together with Dalaail u'l Khayraat).
Another pleasing feature of Dalaail u'l Khayraat (Proofs
of Good Deeds) is that its introduction contains Asma u'l Husna (the
most beautiful Names of Allah Ta'ala) as well as Asma u'n Nabi (the
blessed names of the beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam) one
of which is Daleel u'l Khayraat (Proof of Good Deeds). Isn't that
remarkable!
Dalaail u'l Khayraat is presented in eight parts. You
are expected to commence recitation on Monday with the Introduction and Part One.
Each part is to be recited one day of the week for ease of completion except that
on Monday you complete the recitation of Part Eight as well. Each part takes about
10 to 20 minutes to recite and with consistent recitation, the book can be completed
in a week, and the following week you may start all over again. Many a saalik
(traveller on the spiritual path) has made Dalaail u'l Khayraat his daily
wird (regular voluntary invocation).
Dalaail u'l Khayraat is normally printed in the ancient Muslim tradition
where the text is printed in the middle and in wide borders on the sides can be
found some other treasures, in this instance Hizb u'n Nasr, Hizb u'l
Barr and Hizb u'l Bahr of Imam Abu'l Hasan Shazili, Hizb of
Imam an-Nawawi, Hizb of Mulla 'Ali al-Qaari, Hizb u'd Durril
A'laa of Shaykh u'l Akbar Muhyuddin ibn al-'Arabi, Hizb of Ustadh
al-Bayyumi, Assalaat u'l Mashishiyya of Imam Abdu's Salaam bin Mashish,
Rahmatullahi 'alaihim ajma'een, and Qasida al-Munfarija, among other
awraad and azkaar (additional voluntary supplications to Allah Ta'ala).
Can Qasida tu'l Burda of Imam al-Buseeri Rahmatullahi 'alaih ever
be left out? It naturally brings the kitab to a resounding close.
The impact of Dalaail u'l Khayraat on subsequent Muslim
scholarship on the subject of salawaat has obviously been tremendous. One illustration
suffices at this juncture. The Hizb u'l A'zam of Mulla 'Ali al-Qaari Rahmatullahi
'alaih, a great Hanafi 'aalim (scholar) is in seven parts, one part
to be recited one day of the week. In fulfilment of the teachings of the beloved
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam to recite more salawaat on
Fridays, Friday's recitation in his Hizb consists only of salawaat.
And he has selected almost all of these salawaat from Dalaail u'l Khayraat!
Sub'hanAllah! (All Praise is for Allah).
