Light for the Seeker: A Daily Litany of Forty Salawat & other Supplications

DESCRIPTION:

This book contains a beautiful collection of forty salawat written by Shaykh Salih al-Jafari, so that it can suffice a believer as his daily litany after the noble Qur’an. One style of salawat which has been favoured by several scholars and pious men, is to incorporate praises of the Messenger of Allah s that begin with the different letters of the Arabic alphabet.

Shaykh Salih incorporated such an ‘alphabet of praise’ or ‘alphabet of perfections,’ as we may call it, as if to remind us that this noble Seal of the Prophets contains within him the entire range of possible perfections. It also serves to remind us that he s is the starting point of every goodness that comes to us from our Lord, for all our blessings are attributed to us being members of his blessed ummah.

This is a litany of forty beautiful and moving salawat and other supplications by the Imam of the Azhar Mosque, Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari, as well as thirty short supplementary salawat by his son Shaykh Abd al-Ghani (may Allah be pleased with them both). The shaykhs gave an ijaza (authorisation) for all Muslim men and women to recite them as part of their daily litany. These Salawat be used in congregational gatherings of Remembrance, and as a personal daily litany.

One of the most unique features of this book is the inclusion of two poems of dua to Allah for the removal of difficulties and bringing ease to one’s affairs, which rhyme most beautifully not only in the Arabic original but also in the English translation.

After the poems, the ninety-nine Names of Allah are included. Shaykh Salih recommended that people recite them twice a day, or at least once a day, to receive the blessings from each Name.

Then follows a selection of verses from the Qur’an for protection, which was used by the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) to cure a man from some type of spiritual harm that had befallen him. Shaykh Salih chose them as a daily litany of protection, which he called The Qur’anic Defences.

There are also eight beautiful supplications that begin with praise of Allah most great, also by Shaykh Salih.

The book is finally sealed with a single special salat by Shaykh Salih, whose words are meanings are all extracted from the noble Qur’an.

BOOK CONTENTS:

Introduction 
Commencement of the Gathering 
Forty Salawat 
Thirty Salawat for Easing that which has been Decreed 
The Opener of Locks 
The Prayer for Swift Relief and Ease 
Ninety-Nine Names of Allah 
The Quranic Defences 
The Supplications of Praise 
The Prayer of Wondrous Relief & Quick Opening 

DETAILS:

ISBN: 9780995496064
AUTHOR: Shaykh Ṣaliḥ al-Ja’fari & Shaykh Abd al-Ghanial-Jafri
TRANSLATOR: Samer Dajani
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 126
DIMENSIONS: 22 CM x 14 CM
PUBLISHER: Beacon Books

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Shaykh Ṣaliḥ al-Ja’fari (d.1979) was one of the most famous scholars of the Azhar, the Muslim world’s premier institution of religious learning and its most authoritative voice, in the 20th century. He was also the imam of its mosque and a famous teacher and spiritual guide. He authored 15 works on various Islamic sciences, edited many others, and composed 12 volumes of poetry.

Shaykh Abd al-Ghanial-Jafri (d.2012) followed his father’s footsteps, becoming one of the greatest spiritual guides and teachers of his time. He oversaw the building of more than seventy mosque complexes throughout Egypt, as well as in Libya and Malaysia, most of which include Qur’an schools and provide health care and other social services.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

Dr Samer Dajani studies the different methodologies of the Sunni schools of jurisprudence, as well as broader theories on legal diversity and the nature of the Shari’a.

His PhD focused on the links between the legal thought of four major Sufi figures from the 3rd/9th century until the 19th centuries, as well as the influence of their ideas on later revivalist movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.

He received his BA in Arab & Islamic Civilizations from the American University in Cairo, followed by an MA and PhD in the field of Islamic Studies from SOAS, University of London. He is the author of Reassurance for the Seeker: A Biography and Translation of Salih al-Ja’fari’s al-Fawa’id al-Ja‘fariyya, a Commentary on Forty Prophetic Traditions (Fons Vitae, 2013).

He is currently a research fellow at The Cambridge Muslim College, Cambridge UK.