al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya
ٱلصَّحِيفَة ٱلسَّجَّادِيَّة
AuthorAli ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (c. 659–713)
LanguageArabic
Published7th Century CE
1st Century AH

Al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya (Arabic: ٱلصَّحِيفَة ٱلسَّجَّادِيَّة, lit. 'The Scripture of al-Sajjad')[lower-alpha 1] is a book of supplications attributed to Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (c. 659–713), the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the fourth Twelver Shi'a Imam and the third Ismaili Shi'a Imam. A seminal work in early Islamic spirituality, the book is considered to be the oldest prayer manual in Islamic sources.[1] Shia tradition regards the book with great respect, ranking it behind the Quran and Ali's Nahj al-Balagha.[1] Fifty-four supplications form the main body of Al-Sahifa, which often also includes an addenda of fourteen supplications and fifteen munajats (lit. 'whispered prayers'). Al-Sahifa is often regarded as authentic by the specialists in the science of hadith.[2] Chittick describes the book as "one of the deepest veins of Islamic spirituality,"[3] while Husain Mohammad Jafri posits that the supplications in Al-Sahifa embody the answers to many of the spiritual questions faced by the man of our age.[4]

About the book

Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (lit. 'the scripture of al-Sajjad') is a collection of supplications and whispered prayers (munajat) attributed to Ali ibn al-Husayn, the great-grandson of Muhammad and the fourth Shia Imam, also known by the honorific titles al-Sajjad (lit. ''the one who is constantly prostrating in worship') and Zayn al-Abidin (lit. 'ornament of worshippers').[5][6] Shia tradition regards Al-Sahifa with great respect, ranking it behind the Quran and Ali's Nahj al-Balagha.[1] According to Chittick, the book is known by various honorific names, including "Sister of the Quran", "Gospel of the Holy Household", and "Psalms of Muhammad's Household".[7]

Chittick defines supplicating or calling upon God as the act of addressing Him with one's praise, thanksgiving, hopes, and needs.[8] Muslims often recite the supplications of those already shaped by God's mercy and guidance, starting with Muhammad and, for the Shia, continuing with their Imams, who saw it as their duty to guide the Muslim community and enrich their religious life. In particular, Chittick suggests that Al-Sahifa was composed by al-Sajjad with the Muslim community in mind. To support this view, Chittick cites the supplications in Al-Sahifa for public occasions, such as Eid al-Fitr, and the supplication for parents, in which al-Sajjad speaks as if his parents were still alive.[9]

Chittick views Al-Sahifa as a manifestation of Islamic spirituality, expressed in a universal language, that of the yearning of the soul for perfection.[10] He summarizes the essence of the Quranic message as shahada, "there is no god but God," and describes Al-Sahifa as an example of what shahada means in practice, with themes such as "There is no goodness but in God", "There is no patience without God's help", "There is no gratitude but through God," and their complements, "There is no evil but in me", "There is no impatience but in my own ego," and "There is no hate but in myself."[11] According to Chittick, the supplications in Al-Sahifa are the constant exercise of discerning what belongs to God and what belongs to man, after which man is left with his inadequacies and sinfulness, so he can abase himself before his Lord and ask for His generosity and forgiveness.[12]

Predominance of mercy

The Quran is regarded by Muslims as a window into the character (khuluq) of Muhammad and Chittick thus likens Al-Sahifa to a mosaic, every element of which corresponds to an element of the Quranic text and Muhammad's soul. Faced with both the mercy and wrath of God in the Quran, the constant theme of Al-Sahifa is to seek the former and avoid the latter. In this regard, Chittick writes that Al-Sahifa shows a remarkable awareness of human imperfection, where al-Sajjad repeatedly acknowledges his own inadequacies as a human being and takes refuge in the Quranic statements about the precedence of God's mercy over His wrath, as exemplified by the passage

Act toward me with the forgiveness and mercy of which Thou art worthy! Act not toward me with the chastisement and vengeance of which I am worthy![13]

— Al-Sahifa 73:3

Chittick views supplication, in general, as the natural embodiment of shahada, the Islamic admission that man is nothing and God – who is fundamentally mercy – is the only true reality. This emphasis of Al-Sahifa on God's mercy reflects the attitude of its author: Reacting to Hasan al-Basri's statement, "It is not strange if a person as he perishes. It is only strange if a person is saved as he is saved," al-Sajjad is known to have responded that, "But I say that it is not strange if a person is saved as he is saved. It is only strange if a person perishes as he perishes, given the scope of God's mercy."[14] Al-Sajjad's attitude is that of Muhammad here, who is reported to have said that the worshipper "should be firm and make his desire great, for what God gives is nothing great for Him."[15] Nevertheless, the hope in God's mercy should be accompanied by "refraining from arrogance, pulling aside from persistence [in sin], and holding fast to praying [for] forgiveness," as prescribed in passage 12:13 of Al-Sahifa.[15]

Political views

According to Chittick, in some of the prayers in Al-Sahifa, al-Sajjad alludes to the injustice suffered by his family, Muhammad's household, and the usurpation of their heritage.[16] There are also examples in Al-Sahifa where al-Sajjad prays for the Muslim community (umma) and the rectification of its affairs, as well as the soldiers guarding the Muslim frontiers.[17]

It seems that Al-Sahifa, which was protected from government agents by al-Sajjad's sons and companions, was a sectarian and organisational booklet.[18] The views in Al-Sahifa might have also contributed to the uprising against the Umayyads.[19] Salutations to Muhammad and his family appear in most of the supplications of Al-Sahifa, against the policies of the Umayyads.[20] In a number of supplications, al-Sajjad explains the concept of imamate, central to the Shia belief.[18]

Other dimensions

While the supplicatory form of Al-Sahifa emphasizes the spirituality of Islam, Chittick maintains that the book also provides a broad range of practical teachings about the faith, from theological to social. For instance, according to Chittick, among the existing works, the prayer "Blessing Upon the Bearers of the Throne" best summarizes the Islamic views about angels. The book also frequently refers to Islamic practices, emphasizing the necessity of implementing the guidelines of the Quran and the hadith literature, as well as the importance of social justice.[21]

Authenticity

Al-Sahifa, attributed to al-Sajjad, is often regarded as authentic by the specialists in the science of hadith, who maintain that the text is mutawatir, i.e., it has been handed down by numerous chains of transmission. Chittick, however, suspects that the fifteen whispered prayers (munajat) in Al-Sahifa might have been artistically edited. According to Shia tradition, al-Sajjad collected his supplications and taught them to his family, particularly his sons, Muhammad al-Baqir and Zayd. These supplications over time became widely disseminated among all Shia Muslims.[2]

Translations

Al-Sahifa was translated into Persian during the Safavid era, and an English translation of the book, entitled The Psalms of Islam, is also available with an introduction and annotations by Chittick. Numerous commentaries have been written about Al-Sahifa.[22]

Other collections

Aside from Al-Sahifa, various authors have attempted to collect other supplications attributed to al-Sajjad. The second Al-Sahifa was compiled in 1053 AH (1643 CE) by al-Hurr al-Amili , a renowned Twelver Shi'i scholar. The third Al-Sahifa was collected by Afandi, a student of Majlisi. The fifth Al-Sahifa by Muhsin al-Amin, a well-known contemporary Twelver scholar, is the longest and subsumes all the supplications included in the earlier attempts.[23]

Oldest document from al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah

Content

Fifty-four supplications form the main body of Al-Sahifa, which also includes fourteen additional supplications and fifteen munajats (lit. 'whispered prayers').[24] Their titles are as follows:[25]

  1. Praise of God
  2. Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household
  3. Blessing upon the bearers of the Throne
  4. Blessing upon the attesters to the messengers
  5. Supplication for himself and the people under his guardianship
  6. Supplication in the morning and evening
  7. Supplication in worrisome tasks
  8. Supplication in seeking refuge
  9. Supplication in yearning
  10. Supplication in seeking asylum with God
  11. Supplication for good outcomes
  12. Supplication in confession
  13. Supplication in seeking needs [from God]
  14. Supplication in acts of wrongdoing
  15. Supplication when sick
  16. Supplication in asking release
  17. Supplication against Satan
  18. Supplication in perils
  19. Supplication in asking for water [during a drought]
  20. Supplication on noble moral traits
  21. Supplication when something made him sorrow
  22. Supplication in hardship
  23. Supplication for well-being
  24. Supplication for his parents
  25. Supplication for his children
  26. Supplication for his neighbors and friends
  27. Supplication for the people of the frontiers
  28. Supplication in fleeing [to God]
  29. Supplication when his provision was stinted
  30. Supplication for help in repaying debts
  31. Supplication in repentance
  32. Supplication in the night prayer
  33. Supplication in asking for the best
  34. Supplication when afflicted
  35. Supplication in satisfaction with the decree
  36. Supplication upon hearing thunder
  37. Supplication in giving thanks
  38. Supplication in asking pardon
  39. Supplication in seeking pardon
  40. Supplication when death was mentioned
  41. Supplication in asking for covering and protection
  42. Supplication upon completing a reading of the Quran
  43. Supplication when he looked at the new crescent moon
  44. Supplication for the coming of the month of Ramadan
  45. Supplication in bidding farewell to the month of Ramadan
  46. Supplication on the Day of Fast-Breaking and Friday
  47. Supplication on the Day of Arafa
  48. Supplication on the Day of Sacrifice and Friday
  49. Supplication in repelling the trickery of enemies
  50. Supplication in fear
  51. Supplication in pleading and abasement
  52. Supplication in imploring God
  53. Supplication in Abasing himself
  54. Supplication for the Removal of Worries

Addenda

  1. One of his Glorifications
  2. A supplication and Magnification
  3. His supplication for the Household of Muhammad
  4. Blessing upon Adam
  5. His Supplication in Distress and Seeking Release
  6. His Supplication in Against what he feared
  7. His Supplication in Abasing himself

His supplications for the days of the week

  1. The supplication for Sunday
  2. The supplication for Monday
  3. The supplication for Tuesday
  4. The supplication for Wednesday
  5. The supplication for Thursday
  6. The supplication for Friday
  7. The supplication for Saturday

Fifteen whispered prayers

  1. The whispered prayer of the repenters
  2. The whispered prayer of the complainers
  3. The whispered prayer of the fearful
  4. The whispered prayer of the hopeful
  5. The whispered prayer of the beseechers
  6. The whispered prayer of the thankful
  7. The whispered prayer of obedient toward God
  8. The whispered prayer of the devotees
  9. The whispered prayer of the lovers
  10. The whispered prayer of those asking for mediation
  11. The whispered prayer of the utterly poor
  12. The whispered prayer of the knowers
  13. The whispered prayer of the rememberers
  14. The whispered prayer of those who hold fast
  15. The whispered prayer of the abstainers

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya.

Notes

  1. ↑ IPA: [asˤ.sˤa.ħiː.fah as.sad͡ʒ.d͡ʒaː.diː.jah]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xiv.
  2. 1 2 Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, pp. xvi, xvii.
  3. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xlii.
  4. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. x.
  5. ↑ Madelung 1985.
  6. ↑ Kohlberg 2012.
  7. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xvi.
  8. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxiv.
  9. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, pp. xxv, xxvi.
  10. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxvi.
  11. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxvii.
  12. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxviii.
  13. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxxvi, xxxvii, xxxviii.
  14. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxxviii.
  15. 1 2 Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xxxix.
  16. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xix.
  17. ↑ Dhalla 2012, p. 80.
  18. 1 2 Ilhami niya, Ali Asghar (2006). "invocation strategy in al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya". Hosun (in Persian) (4): 98–114.
  19. ↑ al-Rasheed, Bāqir Sharīf al-Qurashi ; translated by Jāsim (2007). The life of Imām Zayn al-ʻAbidīn (1st ed., 2nd repr. ed.). Qum: Ansariyan. pp. 380–390. ISBN 9789644381652.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ Shahri, Muhammad Hussain (2006). "Human and social dimensions of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya". Safina (in Persian) (9): 155–157.
  21. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xli.
  22. ↑ Medoff, Louis. "Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica". iranicaonline.org.
  23. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, pp. xvii, xviii.
  24. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, p. xvii.
  25. ↑ Ali ibn al-Husayn 1988, pp. v, vi, vii.

Sources

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