The ‘Dalā’il al-Khayrāt’ of East Africa and it’s Republication Journey
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِيِّۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيۡهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسۡلِيمًا
Indeed, Allāh and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe, invoke Allāh’s blessings upon him, and salute him with greetings of peace. (Q: al-Aḥzāb: 57)
What was once a thriving text is today considered endangered and on the brink of being forgotten. Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān is a book of ṣalawāt (praise of the Messenger of God ﷺ through a series of formulas or litanies) gathered by the late scholar of Harar in Ethiopia, Shaykh Hāshim ibn ᶜAbdul ᶜAzīz. Like its North African counterpart, the ‘Dalā’il al Khayrāt’ of Imām al-Jazūli, the text connects its reciters to the Messenger of God ﷺ as they read the profound lines in remembrance and praise of him.
Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān became a staple text for the people of Harar and quickly spread across East Africa. At a point in time, the book was preserved, engraved in the memory of the city’s elders. It was held in reverence by them and it was customary that the text was recited every evening, allowing the book and its five chapters to be completed once a week.
Today, only a few copies of the text remain, many of which are intergenerationally inherited prints, made in the 1970s. This is why as part of the Threads of Memory Project’s Manuscript Preservation Initiative we have chosen to republish this text, preserving it and making it easily available for future generations.
In this article, I will delve into the merits and history of the book, taking a detailed look at the author’s life and his inspirations for writing the book, as well as the ToM Project’s republishing efforts.
The Author of the Book
The author, Shaykh Hāshim ibn ᶜAbdul-ᶜAzīz, was born and raised in the ancient city of Harar about 380 years ago. He was the son of a well-known scholar of the time who spread the faith throughout the East African region, Shaykh ᶜAbdul-ᶜAzīz. His mother was a devout Muslim who guided and reared him to become the exemplary figure he is known as today.
As a child, like many of the great saints of Islam, Shaykh Hāshim was known to be dutiful to his mother. The city elders insist that it was this relationship with his mother that facilitated his affairs and contributed to the many spiritual openings he received during his life.
In several oral traditions, the elders of Harar relate that his mother would witness many extraordinary happenings by him, throughout his formative years. It was by these occurrences that she knew for certain that the spiritual stature of her son was something special and that he would amount to something quite remarkable in his coming years. It was for this reason that the wise woman allowed her son to completely dedicate his youth to the worship of Allāh and pursue the religious sciences, whilst his siblings would tend to their conventional worldly responsibilities.
The pivotal moment in the Shaykh’s life occurred in his adolescence when he began to prepare for his visit to the Holy Lands of Makkah and Madīnah.
As the young gnostic prepared for his travels, in Morocco, lived a great saint of the ‘Qādiri/Shādhili’ṭarīqah (Sufi Order) by the name of Moulay Suleiman. It is said that during his life, the Moroccan saint was the appointed head of the ṭarīqah.
Upon sleeping one night, Moulay Suleiman saw the vision of a young man and heard a voice instructing him to find this young man. The voice continued to command him that upon meeting him, Moulay Suleiman was to impart upon him the spiritual secrets he possessed – a common phenomenon among the Sufis known as the spiritual investiture.
Waking up from the dream, Moulay Suleiman immediately began to prepare his provisions for travel and set forth on a journey in hope of fulfilling what he had been commanded to do.
The Moroccan saint travelled throughout the Muslim world, passing through northern and eastern Africa and southern Arabia in pursuit of this young man. Upon reaching the port city of Yemen called Zabīd, the saint decided to rest therein for a period of time.
One day, as Moulay Suleiman rested by the port of the city, a group arrived from the eastern Horn of Africa en route to the Holy Lands of Makkah and Madīnah to perform their pilgrimage. As the saint gazed into the crowd, he saw amongst them the very man he had seen in his dream. He called out and addressed him by saying, “Oh my son, I have been travelling the world in search of you!”
Moulay Suleiman then sat with the young Shaykh Hāshim and described his dream to him. Both understood that this was a blessed affair and that their compliance was imperative. The two then came to an agreement that once Shaykh Hāshim completed the rites of his pilgrimage, he would return to his hometown of Harar to seek his mother’s permission to return to Zabīd and learn from the honourable saint.
And so, Shaykh Hāshim completed his pilgrimage, travelled to Harar, and only upon his mother’s permission did he return to the city of Zabīd. Here, the young shaykh spent an extensive amount of time under the tutelage of Moulay Suleiman, learning extensively the matters of faith and spirituality until the Moulay Suleiman felt content that he had delivered the trust placed upon him and bid farewell to the young man. Shaykh Hāshim, now endowed with the nurturing of a spiritual master returned to his homeland of Harar.
Upon his return, the people of the region became even more attached to the him and he began to teach them and call them to the way of God. He exerted his efforts to reform the Qādiri Ṭarīqah in the city, which had, over the course of time, become corrupted. He educated the people on the path of spirituality and placed heavy emphasis on the practice of zuhd – renouncing worldly pleasures and focusing on the affairs of the Hereafter.
Shaykh Hāshim continued to act as a public leader in this manner, fulfilling his obligations of ordering the good and forbidding the evil. As a spiritual leader, the Shaykh dedicated his time to other honorable acts also. He put in place many of the cultural protocols that are vital parts of Harari identity today. Some oral traditions state that it was, in fact, Shaykh Hāshim who originally established the tartīb (protocol) of how traditional coffee ceremonies in the region took place as well as the inner workings of the city’s observance of the annual ᶜĀshūrā’ holiday.
Notwithstanding his enormous contributions to the people of the region, the foremost endeavour that led to the Shaykh’s name reaching every corner of the Horn of Africa was his magnum opus – the book of litanies, Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān (The Openings of The Merciful).
The Authoring of the Book
Upon his return to Harar, Shaykh Hāshim began to refine the spiritual path of the people in the region and encouraged them to invoke God’s mercy through sending ṣalawāt (asking God to send peace and blessings) on the Prophet ﷺ in abundance, and connecting to him.
During this time, the Shaykh himself found that his love for the Messenger of God ﷺ grew profoundly and intensely. It was this love that led to the fatḥ (spiritual openings) that fueled his aspiration to write his book Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān. He says in the preface of the book:
“I had a strong love towards the Messenger of God (may peace and blessings be upon him and his family). This love intensified, motivating me to increase in my ṣalawāt on him. This increase in ṣalawāt, in turn, heavily strengthened my love for the Beloved ﷺ which rattled my insides and made me restless. This continued until Allāh ‘inspired’ me to write down the phrases of ṣalawāt that came to me. Hence, producing this book I named ‘Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān’ (The Openings of the Merciful). After some time had passed, in the blessed month of Ramaḍān, after the Friday prayer, I returned home and had a vision whereby I saw the Messenger of God ﷺ. Greeting him, I hugged him and kissed him on his blessed head. When I came back to consciousness, I realised this great blessing and praised Allāh .”
This was later followed by a series of additional visions that the Shaykh had which can be found in the introduction of his book. All of this is an indication of the acceptance of Shaykh Hāshim’s endeavours by Allāh ﷻ and His Messenger ﷺ. We are told in the authentic Ḥadīth whereby the Prophet ﷺ states: “Whoever sees me in the dream, has truly seen me, for the devil does not take on my form”. (Saḥiḥ al-Bukhārī)
It is important to note here, that the way of the people of God is normally to keep these lofty matters under secrecy but the Shaykh decided to share these visions in the introduction of his book and quoted verse 11 of Sūrat aḍ-Ḍuḥā which states,“Therefore, let the bounties of your Lord be your discourse”. That is, he wished to disclose the bounties that Allāh had granted him through these visions, in gratitude for the endowment.
The Structure of the Book
The text of the book consists of five core chapters and each one consists of various ṣalawāt formulas invoking Allāh’s peace and blessings upon His Chosen Messenger ﷺ.
It is believed that many of the ṣalawāt in the book were authored by the Shaykh himself, and came to him by way of inspiration. The remaining formulas, however, are said to be sourced from:
1. Ḥadīth of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him and his family)
2. Phrases formulated by various honourable Companions.
3. Phrases formulated by various notable scholars of the past.
As the years progressed and the book was passed down from one generation to another, various scholars and saints added to the end of the book several qaṣā’id (poems) and awrād (litanies) in praise of the Messenger of God ﷺ and Āl Bayt (his family). Some of these additions by later scholars also include supplications and other texts invoking Allāh’s mercy and favour. It is said that many of them, in fact, are attributed to the gnostics of the Bā ᶜAlawī and Shādhilī spiritual paths.
Merits of the Book
The merits of this book are plentiful and too many to mention in this short article. For the sake of brevity, we have summarized some of the book’s core merits in the four points below:
1. Merits stated in the book The Shaykh, in the preface of the text, lists several verses of the Qur’ān, Ḥadīth, and quotes of scholars that speak to the enormous benefits that the reciter of ṣalawāt receives. The benefits mentioned in the preface can be summarised in the following ten points, whereby the reciter receives:
“The praise of Allāh ﷻ, the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ, honour in following the acts of the angels; the opposing of the habits of the disbelievers, the erasing of one’s sins and burdens; the fulfilment of one’s needs; the enlightenment of oneself (outwardly and inwardly); the freeing of oneself from Hellfire; entrance into the ‘Abode of Peace’; and receiving peace and blessings from Allāh.
2. Connection with the Prophet ﷺ It is known through various Ḥadīths and statements of the scholars, that the one who exerts himself in performing ṣalawāt on the Prophet ﷺ will, in fact, strengthen their connection to him.
As stated in our traditions, the ṣalawāt of a believer is conveyed to the Prophet ﷺ through angels that are exclusively designated with this task (Sunan An-Nasā’iyand Abu Dawūd). The more frequently one sends ṣalawāt to the Prophet ﷺ, the more frequently the angels visit the Messenger of God ﷺ relaying this message on their behalf. Hence, one’s connection to the ennobled Prophetﷺ becomes stronger each time.
3. Seeing the Prophet ﷺ Throughout the history of Islām, scholars have noted many extraordinary matters during the process of producing, and upon completing, their works in praise of the Messenger of God ﷺ. Among them is being granted visions of the Messenger of God ﷺ showing his acceptance of their praiseworthy work in the dream state and at times, even providing instructions and guidance on their work.
The occurrences that took place for Shaykh Hāshim in the production of this text was no different. He was granted these visions whilst writing and upon completion of the text as is told in the oral traditions of the people of Harar and in his own introduction to the book. For those who wish to learn more, let them delve into the stories of how the Qaṣīdah al-Burdah, Qaṣīdah al-Warrāq, and Mawlid al-Ḥabshi were authored.
4. A Path for the Pathless The Shaykh mentions in his introduction that Allāh has granted him secrets that he was able to instil in his text and that those who read it, cover to cover, in turn benefit from and inherit these secrets.
What the Shaykh chose to disclose in his introduction is that the text becomes a ‘path for the pathless’. That is, the one who does not have a ṭarīqah – spiritual path, let them read the five chapters of this text and they will be given the ṭarīqah through Shaykh Hāshim. Similarly, the one who seeks a Shaykh for spiritual guidance, but does not have one, should read the chapters of this text and have Shaykh Hāshim become their Shaykh.
The History of the Book
The book Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān has been a means for many over the last four centuries to harness the foundational love a believer has in their hearts for the Prophet ﷺ and allow it to strengthen and grow to profound levels.
Before printing, handwritten copies of the book were written on parchment by hired scribes, and the pages bonded with red dyed leather. The manuscript was a integral part of the book collections of every Harari home.
The elders of the city of Harar held this book in high regard and it was a source of pride for them so much so, that it is likely the most frequently read ṣalawāt text by Harari people. This was not due to a lack of books in praise of the Prophet ﷺ, as there are a plethora of works authored by the city’s scholars throughout history and that of the wider Muslim world. Rather, it was due to the unique grandeur of the text that the elders specified this book and incorporated it as part of their tartīb.
When a person of the city comes of age, the cultural expectation is that they formulate a wird (a daily litany) that they adhere to for the remainder of their lives. The foundation of any wird consists of recitation of the Qur’ān, prophetic adhkār (pl. of dhikr), and ṣalawāt. The most common of the ṣalawāt texts used by the people of Harar for their wird was the five chapters of the book Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān. Its reciters would divide the chapters into seven equal parts, and it was a common practice to complete its recitation in its entirety once a week.
The recording above was filmed in Djibouti during Ramaḍan. The attendees recite various qaṣā’id (poems) and awrād (litanies) from Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān.
Aside from the daily litanies, the book was recited by the elders of Harar in times of calamity and need. As we are made aware through sound traditions, sending blessings and peace upon the Messenger of God ﷺ is a means for one’s needs to be met, worries lifted and calamities resolved. As some of the elders state, in times of calamity, the people of Harar used to gather to recite Sūrat Yā Sīn, Fatḥ ar-Raḥmān, and supplicate to Allāh. Through the blessings of this book, the people of Harar would notice their needs almost immediately fulfilled and calamities relieved.
The Shaykh and his honourable book are amongst the reasons why Harar, in its prime was regarded as an Islamic ‘hub’ whereby seekers of both the inward and outward sciences of the religion would visit to learn. Copies of the text spread throughout East Africa reaching Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, and the western ends of Ethiopia. In fact, old manuscripts of the book can be found in these parts of the continent to this day. Other East African scholars also took the liberty to mention the great Shaykh in their lines of poetry when remembering and praising the great saints of East Africa.
Unfortunately, today, the honorable text is on the verge of being lost to the sands of time, due to several reasons, among them the events that took place during the annex of Harar into modern day Ethiopia. Following the Battle of Chelenqo, the city-state lost its sovereignty in 1887 and the 1100+ year Islamic reign of the region’s kings and queens came to an end.
The new governors of the ancient city sought to supress the Islamic identity of the people, and for decades, teaching and spreading the faith was considered a punishable offence. Elders and scholars were threatened, and the city’s Islamic resources were destroyed. To protect the texts, the elders of the city buried their books in their homes, while some exported them to libraries in neighbouring Muslim countries (including Egypt and Yemen). Many of the copies not hidden in this manner were found and destroyed by the new regime.
Another reason the text found itself of the verge of extinction was due to the misunderstandings of various religious sects. They, erroneously, began to raise doubts amongst the people about the validity of the honourable act of making ṣalawāt on the Prophet ﷺ. Over the years, through the hard work of numerous scholars and gnostics, these doubts were challenged and dispelled.
In the late 1970’s, elders grew concerned that the text would not survive for future generations, so my late great uncle, Aw Ibrāhim ᶜOmer-Suleiman, a scribe and calligrapher, was commissioned to handwrite a copy. His work was later sent to a printing house for mass production and hundreds of copies were spread amongst the people.
This was the last time the text was reproduced on a large scale. In fact, almost all the copies that exist today of the book are intergenerationally inherited from the script of Āw IbrāhimᶜOmer-Suleiman.
Though the book has endured many challenges over the past centuries, perhaps through the barakah of the text and the city’s forefathers, manuscripts of the text have survived to this day.
The Publishing Journey
Not long ago, I was presented with the opportunity to visit my ancestral hometown of Harar and so I packed my bags and made my way to the ancient city. Whilst there, I shared my trip on Sacred Footstep’s Instagram Story, covering my ziyārah (visits) to various maqāms of the city’s saints and scholars, amongst them the great Shaykh Hāshim ibn ᶜAbdul-ᶜAzīz.
In the story, I spoke briefly on the Shaykh’s life and his honourable book. Intrigued by the story, a follower of the platform reached out, enquiring where they could purchase the book, and when I explained it was not available, they suggested that I should see to its publication.
This was not the first time someone had suggested this to me; prior to my trip, several people had previously approached to suggest an initiative be undertaken to print more copies. In subsequent interactions, others shared their concerns that existing texts, which were once considered easy to read, are difficult for younger generations who are more accustomed to type-written Arabic text.
I was initially reluctant to take on such an initiative as I believed it an endeavour for those of a greater calibre, and did not want to step outside of my boundaries, but it was becoming clearer to me that there was a genuine need to preserve the text.
I performed the istikhāra prayer and after a series of positive signs, I began the endeavour with a team of knowledgeable and qualified individuals to republish the text, in the hopes that it is revived and maintained for future generations.
Along the journey of working on this project, several events took place, reassuring me that I am not, in fact, stepping outside the boundaries of ‘adab’ (proper etiquette) in initiating this project. This includes a series of dreams that the stakeholders of the project have seen throughout the duration of its production. We later received ‘idhn’ (permission), through no effort of our own, from the current custodian of Shaykh Hāshim’s maqam to continue with this honourable venture.
Today, after a year of collaboration and hard work, by the will and favour of God, we have re-published this text, preserving it (inshallah), for coming generations. The text is now available on the Threads of Memory Project website, alongside various other texts of ṣalawāt, for purchase.
In this endeavour, we seek the acceptance of Allāh ﷻ, the pleasure of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and ask that it be a means for the strengthening of the connection we have with them. We ask Allāh to accept our deeds and shower His mercy on the author of the text, Shaykh Hāshim ibn ᶜAbdul-ᶜAzīz and make his grave from the gardens of Paradise. All praise is to Him and may Allāh raise the rank of His chosen Messenger, our beloved, with His blessings and peace from now to the end of times.
Ameen.
