Bilingual Urdu-Arabic book of prayers for the Prophet

Jazuli, Muhammad ibn Suleyman al- Dala'il al-Khayrat.

€ 850.00

A scarce Urdu lithograph printing of "Dala'il al-khayrat" ("Waymarks of Benefits" or "Proofs of Good Deeds"), a prayer book invoking peace and blessings for the prophet Muhammad. It was compiled by Muhammad ibn Sulaiman al-Jazuli (1404/05-1465 CE), a Moroccan scholar in the mystical Islamic Sufi movement, and became one of the most popular Islamic prayer books. Al-Jazuli's inspiration for the book is said to have come before he left Fez for forty years in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, but he finalized it in Fez during the last years of his life. Some of the illustrations traditionally included in the book, including the views of the Mecca and Medina mosques, were added after his death.

Urdu lithograph books were often printed in the distinctive visual style of manuscripts, as can be seen here. This edition includes the two traditional mosque illustrations as two full-page lithographs, and for the translation itself, the original Arabic text is printed at the centre of the page, with the Urdu translation printed in the wide margins. While "Dala'il al-khayrat" enjoys great popularity, Urdu translations prior to the 20th century are rare, and this edition is not listed in institutions on OCLC.