Muhaj al-da'awat wa manhaj al-'ibadat (book)
 Bibliographical Information | |
| Author | al-Sayyid b. Tawus |
|---|---|
| Original title | مُهَجُ الدّعَوات وَ مَنهَجُ العِبادات |
| Language | Arabic |
| Series | 1 vol. |
| Subject | 14 Infallibles (a), Supplication |
| Genre | hadith |
| Published | 1411/1990-1 |
| Publisher | Dar al-Dhakha'ir |
Muhaj al-daʿawāt wa manhaj al-ʿibādāt (Arabic: مُهَجُ الدّعَوات وَ مَنهَجُ العِبادات) is a book concerning supplications and hirz (supplications for protection) written by al-Sayyid b. Tawus (d. 664/1266). He cited supplications and hirzs respectively from the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Shiite Imams (a) through Imam al-Mahdi (a). And then he cited some supplications from people other than the Imams (a). Muhaj al-da'awat has always been relied upon by Shiite scholars.
Author
Al-Sayyid Radi al-Din 'Ali b. Musa b. Ja'far b. Tawus was a progeny of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (a) and Imam al-Sajjad (a). He was a Shiite scholar and the author of important books such as al-Muhimmat wa l-tatimmat , Kashf al-mahajja li thamarat al-muhja , Misbah al-za'ir wa janah al-musafir , al-Luhuf 'ala qatla l-tufuf . He was a teacher of al-'Allama al-Hilli and his father, Shaykh Yusuf Sadid al-Din, and others.
Motivation for Writing
According to al-Sayyid b. Tawus, since ahraz, qunuts and other supplications by the Imams (a) were not collected in a single book, he wrote the book to make them all available in a single volume.
Style of Writing
Unlike books such as Jamal al-usbu' and Iqbal al-a'mal in which supplications specific to particular times or places are cited, Muhaj al-da'awat wa manhaj al-'ibadat cites supplications that are not specific to particular times or places.
Structure
In each section, Ibn Tawus starts with the Prophet (s) and finished with Imam al-Mahdi (a) and then cited supplications from people other than the Imams (a).
The book starts with ahraz cited from the Infallibles (a), and then cites supplications and ahraz from each Imam (a) in detail. It ends with supplications of previous prophets respectively.
Al-Sayyid b. Tawus mentioned his own supplications and ahraz in this book under "a supplication occurred to my mind". He also cited miscellaneous supplications from different books. At the end of the book, there are chapters concerning the times at which prayers are heard, features of the person who prays, and the rest.
Sections
The book contains supplications, ahraz, qunuts, ta'qibat of prayers and the like cited from the Infallibles (a).
- Ahraz by the Prophet (s)
- Imam Hasan's (a) qunuts
- The Prophet's (s) supplications
- Supplication for istikhara about what to do
- Supplication for asking God to forgive one's sins
- Supplication recited when one departs for a travel
- Supplication for asking livelihood from God
- Supplication for taking refuge to God
- Supplication for asking God to accept one's repentance
- Supplication for the hajj pilgrimage
- Supplication for the removal of oppressions and brutalities
- Supplication for thanking God
- Supplication for one's needs
- The hijab or veil supplication of the Prophet (s)
- Miscellaneous supplications
- Supplication of the Prophet Adam (a)
- Supplications of al-Ism al-A'zam (the Greatest Divine Name)
- Supplications of health and opening
- Reminder
- Conditions of reciting supplications
- Times at which supplications are answered by God.
Sources of the Book
Al-Sayyid b. Tawus's purpose in this book was to collect and organize supplications. This is why he eliminated the chains of narrations of hadiths and supplications and mentioned the person who directly narrated the hadith from the Infallible (a). In many cases, however, he mentioned the source of the supplication as well.
Translation and Publication
The book was translated into Persian by Muhammad Taqi Tabasi, a Shiite scholar of 12th/18th century at the request of Shah Sultan Husayn Safawi. It was finished on Friday, Rajab 11, 1117/October 29, 1705. The manuscript of this translation is kept among precious manuscripts of the Library of Astan Quds Radawi.
Muhaj al-da'awat was frequently published, including:
- In 1334/1915-6 in Tabriz with an introduction, under "Tawusiyya", written by Sayyid Mahmud Husayni Tabataba'i Tabrizi concerning the biography of the Ibn Tawus household.
- It was published together with the translation of Sadr al-Ma'ali in its margins in 1323/1905-6.
- It was published by Dar al-Dhakha'ir Publications in Qom. It was an image of the 1905 version. It contains a translation of the book, some commentaries and the "Tawusiyya" essay.
See Also
References
- The material for this article has been mainly taken from (مهج الدعوات و منهج العبادات (کتاب in Farsi WikiShia.