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[Shafaqna Exclusive] Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah

Shafaqna English- “Atlas of Shia” is a book written by “Rasul Ja’fariyan” in Persian, published in Tehran in 2008. This scholarly work, consisting of 743 pages and 12 chapters, aims to provide a geographical and historical depiction of Shia Islam from the beginning of Islam to the first decade of the third millennium. The “Atlas of Shia” has won the Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran and has been translated into Arabic. Shafaqna News Agency has translated sections of this significant book into English for interested readers.

Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah

The oldest prayer heritage of the Shia Islam is a collection of supplications by Imam Ali ibn Hussain Zaynul-Abidin (AS), known as Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah. This name became popular in the 12th century CE, and before that, as mentioned in Rijal Al-Tusi (P. 2). It was referred to as Al-Kamil. Additionally, in Al-Kafi, it is mentioned as Sahifah Al-Zuhd, and in Ma’alim Al-‘Ulama (P. 118).

This book contains 54 (or 51) short and long prayers, transmitted from Imam Sajjad (AS) according to existing narrations. However, the famous Sahifa does not include all of his prayers; it is a selection of his supplications, similar to Nahjul-Balaghah, which is a selection of the words of Imam Ali (AS). The surviving manuscripts of this work have differences in their introductions and the number of prayers.

Originally, this version reached others through Imam Baqir (AS) and Zayd, two sons of Imam Sajjad (AS). The prayer book was, in principle, preserved by some of Imam Sajjad’s (AS) close companions, such as Abu Hamza Thumali, as noted in Al-Kafi (8/14).

In addition to the old Sahifa, in recent centuries, several other collections of prayers attributed to Imam Sajjad (AS) based on ancient texts have been compiled, increasing the number of Sahifahs to six, as mentioned in Zari’a (15/20). Recently, a comprehensive collection of these prayers has been published under the title Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah Al-Jami’a (Qom, 1997 CE).

Some of these prayers are explicitly against the Umayyads, and it is speculated that certain prayers may not have been included in the original Sahifah due to political reasons, though they were spread through other means. Among these is a prayer or curse against the Syrians, a prayer against the tyranny of the Umayyads, and a prayer against the enemies of the family of the Prophet (PBUH).

The Sahifah reached later generations through limited channels and gradually spread among the Shi’a. Some scholars have conducted detailed research into its authenticity (see: Introduction to Sahifah Sajjadiyah by Abu Ali Muhammad al-Skafi, d. 943, and Muhammad Hussain Jalali: P. 19-33).

One of the oldest copies of the Sahifah which was preserved by later scholars, is the version by Ibn Idris (d. 1201), who wrote a linguistic commentary on it, now published. In the introduction, he speaks of the circulation of this book among the pious and mystics, describing these prayers as connected to the Seal of the Prophets and the Sacred Lord of the Worlds.

However, the version that is considered the primary source for narrating the Sahifah within Shia Islam is the one that was available to the First Martyr (Al-Shahid Al-Awwal, d. 1384 CE), who transcribed it twice (in 1370 and 1374 CE). It is said that a manuscript of this version, written by the martyr, remains in the library of Mumtaz-al-‘Ulama in India. He compiled his version from the manuscripts of Ibn Sukoon Hilli (d. 1203 CE), Ibn Idris, and Amīd Al-Ru’asa.

This version, through his disciples, reached the 9th century, and later it spread among the Shia Muslims in recent centuries. It is believed that the late Akhund Mulla Muhammad Taqi Majlisi (d. 1659 CE) made significant efforts to promote the Sahifa.

The narration of the Sahifah through Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Hammam al-Skafi (d. 943 CE), via Ali ibn Malik from Imam Zaynul-Abidin (AS), has also been published (Qom, 1960 CE). Another narration of the Sahifah, attributed to Husayn ibn Ashkib, containing 54 prayers, was published (Isfahan, 1963 CE).

Since the Sahifah became well-known, hundreds of copies have been transcribed, and it has been translated, explained, and interpreted numerous times (see: Zari’a 1/345-359). The most famous commentary on the Sahifa is titled Riyadh Al-Salikin, by Sayyid Ali Khan Madani Shirazi (1708 CE).

Copies of the Sahifah have been known since the 13th century CE, with a copy written by Ya’qub Al-Mustasimi dated 1294 CE in the Royal Library and another from 1297 CE in the Hagia Sophia Library (see: the list of numerous copies of the Sahifah in the introduction of Jalali’s Sahifah as narrated by Al-Skafi, p. 35-65).

The Sahifah is essentially a book of prayers, and prayer is typically a form of intimate communication with Almighty God. However, upon examining the text of the prayers of Imam Sajjad (AS), one can clearly see that the book contains profound theological and monotheistic knowledge. It also includes essential teachings on Imamate and Wilayah, and, as a side note, it addresses matters of politics.

Particularly, if we look at the complete Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah, which contains 270 prayer texts, we can see that the range of divine knowledge presented in these prayers is vast. Many sections focus on the knowledge of Muhammad (PBUH) and his family, and following them is considered the core of Shia Islam thought.

Part of the Book Atlas of Shia by Rasul Jafarian

www.shafaqna.com

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