What is the Dala'il Al Khayrat
Introduction
The Dala'il Al Khayrat (also known as Dalailul Khairat, دلائل الخيرات) is a compilation of salawat, or sending of blessings and peace upon the Prophet. The extended title of the book is Dala’il Al Khayrat wa Shawariq Al-Anwar fi Dhikr al-Salat ‘ala al-Nabi al-Mukhtar (The Guide to Goodness and the Advent of Blazing Lights in the Remembrance to ask for Blessings upon the Chosen Prophet).
Soon after it was written, the Dala'il al Khayrat swept across the Islamic World, from North Africa to Indonesia. All well-to-do homes had one; princes exchanged magnificently embellished copies of it and commoners treasured it. Everyone who read it found that barakah descended wherever it was recited, in accordance with the Divine command: Verily Allah and His angels bless the Prophet: O you who believe, bless him and grant him peace (Qur’an 33:56).
Millions of Muslims from East to West recite it, alone and in groups, in homes and mosques, utterly spending themselves in the Blessings on the Most Beloved.
The Story of Dala'il Al Khayrat
It is related that one day the author, Imam al Jazuli, went to perform his ablutions at a nearby well but could not find any means to draw the water up. A young girl saw him and called out, ”You’re the one people praise so much, and you can’t even figure out how to get water out of a well?“
So she came to the well and spat into the water, which welled up until it overflowed and spilled across the ground. Imam al Jazuli made his ablutions, and then turned to her and said, ”Tell me how you reached this rank.“ She said, ”By saying the Blessings upon him whom beasts lovingly followed as he walked through the wilds (Allah bless him and give him peace).“ Imam al Jazuli then vowed to compose the book of Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) which came to be known as his Dala’il al Khayrat or 'Waymarks of Benefits.'
The Author
The author is the Sufi, Wali, Muslim scholar of prophetic descent, Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli. Born in the 9th Hijri century, he was raised among the Gazulah Berbers of the Sus region in southern Morocco. After studying the Qur’an and gaining traditional Islamic knowledge, he travelled to Fez where he met scholars of his time such as Ahmad Zarruq, and Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah Amghar, who became his sheikh in the tariqa or Sufi path.
His spiritual path drew thousands of disciples who, aided by the popularity of his manual of Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), had a tremendous effect on Moroccan society. He taught followers the Blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), extinction of self in the love of Allah and His messenger. He was told by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a dream, ”I am the splendor of the prophetic messengers, and you are the splendor of the awliya.“
