History of Dua and Ziyarat

Sh Vinay Khetia Tasneem Institute The Journey to this subject — The demands of faith: to draw near to the divine

— How does it survive?

— Prayer is ubiquitous across religious traditions

— Gives meaning in moments of darkness

— Example of World War I and its aftermath Issues to Consider — History of Devotional Literature specifically Du’a and Ziyarat — *What are the sources? — Are they authentic? What does this word mean?

— Does this question matter- if so why?

— How do we study a devotional text? : Between History and Textual study — Transmission dynamics and philological inquiry The Imams to Abbas al-Qummi (d. 1949) — Facts: At least 3803 supplication attributed to the 14 infallibles — Sources vary

— Ark of history spanning 1400 years

— Continuous tradition linked with survival of Tashayyu

— Liturgical material intertwined with hadith Sacred literature — Efficacy and spiritual charisma

— Is it similar to Sufi liturgical material?

— Answer: Yes and No

— Yes- both hail from those deemed to be spiritual masters — No- Sufi dua/ziyarat does not have the same history nor perfusion. Efficacy- Real of miraculous — Case of Abu Hamza Thumali and his son, Yahya: — Yahya had a broken hand and was healed by Dua of Imam Zayn al-Abidin

— Dr to Abu Hamza: “It is not surprising to see your use of magic of the Shia! — Abu Hamza: “This is not magic rather I recalled the du’a of ‘Ali b. al-Husayn!”-Muhaj, Ibn Tawus, 166 — Manifestation of spiritual charisma Textual Legacy — Connection to the writing of tradition — Liturgy and hadith recorded simultaneously

— Tradition of writing among the Imams

— Well known ex. Abu Hamza Thumali recording sermons of Imam al-Sajjad- Kulayni, 8:14 — “hufiza ‘anhu wa kutiba”-It was memorized from him then written.

— Counter cultural legacy- to some extent Sahifa Sajjadiyya — Believed to be composed by 4th Imam, Zayn al-Abidin (d.713)

— Earliest surviving liturgical work

— 60 thousand turuq and 100 separate isnads according to Allama al-Majlisi- it is mutawatir — Isnads of Sh. Tusi (d.1060), al-Najashi, Muhammad b. Warith

— At least 1500 manuscripts in public and private libraries

— Earliest- manuscript 416 AH/1025 C.E. copied by a non Twelver Shii or Sunni from Khurasan — 3 years after death of Sh. Al-Mufid Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya — 1025 C.E. manuscript was collated with the Sahifa of Abi ‘Albi b. Muqalla ( d.940 CE) — Ibn Muqala was an undercover ShiiI who formed inner circles of Abbasid Caliph’s, al-Muqatadir’s political elite — In-fact some of the earliest supplications of the Imams were copied by him — Ex. Supplication of the hours ( ‘adiyyat al-sa’at) Why is this important?- it gives us an early history Sahifa cont. — Most famous manuscript- Shahid al-Awwal (d. 1384) — He relied on earlier manuscripts- such as Ibn Idris al-Hilli (d. 1201). — 1025 CE manuscript has 18 less supplications than the Shahid al-Awwal manuscript

— The epic work of Marhum Sayyid Muwwahid al-Abtahi at Mu’assat Imam al-Mahdi, Qum Who was Shahid al-Awwal — Muhammad b. Makki al-’Amili (d.1384) was murdered by Mamluks

— He was a renowned jurist and theologian whose works are seminal for the study of Shiism today

— Why is this important to our discussion? Page one- Sahifa, -MSS. Shahid alAwwal- Lucknow, India Isnad of Shahid al-Awwal — His copy of Sahifa- based on his various ijazat and qir’at return to Ali b. Muhammad al-Sakun al-Hilli and Ibn Idris al- Hilli

— These are both seminal scholars of the 6th century AH who were heavily invested in transmission, copying, preservation, and editing of liturgical material Sahifa copied by al-Kaf’ami d.1499 Addendums to Sahifa — 5 addendums by (sister compilation- akhutuha) — Hurr al-’Amili ( Sahifa al-Thaniyya) — Mirza Abd Allah Affandi ( al-Thathiltha) — Mirza Husayn al-Nuri al-Tabrasi (al-Rabi’a) — Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin ( al-Khamisa)

— All are tremendous scholars of hadith each deserving separate discussions Other early written texts — Du’a lil-Muhimmat- Supplication for exigent circumstances — Al-Mufid and al-Tusi report: — Imam al-Sadiq showed his companions ancient pages ( awraq ) from a sahifa atiqa (ancient scroll)- of a du’a Imam Sajjad would recite during difficult circumstances.

— Indication of a rich and early written tradition of supplication Secret Supplication- ‘Adiyyat al-Sirr — Attributed to Imam al-Baqit with his isnad going back to the Prophet himself — Numerous isnads for this from the great formative muhadithun such as Sh. Al-Tusi, and Ibn al-Ghada’iri ( the famous rijal scholar)- d.1058

— MSS. 1365 ‘Ataba al-Abbasiyya- has a unique sanad for this again via the most prominent authorities of Twelver Shii tradition

— The vital important of communal memory Du’a Jawshan al-Saghir- Imam al-Kazim — — Abī ʿAlī al-Ṭūsī (d.511/1117) in Ramāḍān, 507/1113 taught it to his students and had it read back to him. — Abū al-Wafāʾ ʿAbd al-Jabbār b. ʿAlī al-Rāzī taught it to his students in Rayy during Shaʿbān, 503/1109. — Abū al-Faḍl al-Muntahā b. Abī Zayd Kākā (d. c. 6th/12th century) taught it to his students in Jurjān in Dhīl Ḥijja, 503/1109. — — Abu ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. Shahriyār al-Khāzin (d. c. 516/1122) taught it and issued an ijāza for it in Rajab, 514/1120. — All four of the above state that Shaykh al-Tūsī (d.460/1067) narrated to them this du‘ā’ in Ramāḍān, 458/1066 by the grave of ʿAlī in al-Gharī (Najaf). He was al-Ṭūsī’s son and successor about whom more will be discussed when examining the proliferation of al-Ṭūsī’s Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid. Dua Jawshan al-Saghir — Riwaya- with a “golden sanad” taught as a key text in classical period: — It has been reported from him (al-Kāẓim) and we have reported it via numerous channels reaching my grandfather, al-Saʿīd Abī Jaʿfar al-Ṭūsī; also we have transmitted it from a manuscript and these are its words : […] Abū Waḍāḥ Zayd al-Nashalī said my father (ʿAbd Allāh b. Zayd) informed me: ‘A group of exclusive disciples of Abī al-Ḥasan al-Kāẓim from among his family and his partisans (shīʿatihi) were present in his (al-Kāẓim’s) assembly (majlisihi) and they had soft black tablets (alwāḥ) in their sleeves (akmāmihim) and writing instruments (amyāl) so that when Abū al-Ḥasan (al-Kāẓim) issued an edict, they could retain what they heard from him (by writing it down). So, they heard the following from him as he was uttering in his supplication (duʿāʾihi)… — Ibn Ṭāwūs, Muḥaj al-daʿawāt, 220. —