The Dala'il al Khayrat, often translated as Waymarks of Benefit, is one of the most popular books in the Muslim intellectual and material tradition, after the Qur'an. A book of prayers meant to be read regularly for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), it was written in 15th century Fez by Shaikh Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465/ 869 AH), who at the time was a member of the Shadhili Sufi tariqqa and was well known as a scholar of Maliki fiqh. He wrote the Dala'il after he one day woke up late for Fajr prayer. He ran out to make wudu' at a well near his house in the early light of morning and when he tried to draw water out of the well to wash himself with in order to pray, he found he could not. He then heard someone laughing at him and he turned around. It was a little girl. She mocked him, as a deeply learned Muslim scholar, who could not draw water from the well. She came over and spit in the well, then drawing water. He asked her how she had done so and she told him it was because she prayed for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Al-Jazuli was so inspired by her words that he wrote the Dalāʼil al-khayrāt wa-shawāriq al-anwār fī dhikr al-ṣalāt ʻalá al-Nabī al-mukhtār, which translates to Waymarks of Benefits and the Brilliant Burst of Lights in the Remembrance of Blessings on the Chosen Prophet, shortened to the Dala'il.

The text immediately became popular and traveled as far as Southeast Asia within a century or two. This loose folio likely came from a full copy of the Dala'il. It's somewhat rare to have dispersed folios of the Dala'il. Instead, it tends to exist in the form of the full manuscripts, sometimes even with additions due to the owner's personal preference. This folio is very similar to others from North Africa and the 17th-19th centuries, which different colors used for the name of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad. The wide margins are useful to the reader as well: allowing them space to take notes, add additional devotional texts, or have different Dala'il commentaries added by scribes.

Currently on view in the Arts of Islamic Cultures Gallery at the MFA, this Dala’il page was separated from its manuscript, so all we have is part of the text. It’s rare for single Dala’il pages to be found in museum or library collections, so we've put it next to a portrayal of Jerusalem, the third most holy city in Islam, by artist Bashar Alhroub (2023.367). Alhroub's Untitled acts as a stand-in for the original illustrated pages that would have been in the original manuscript. In the gallery, Untitled brings this Dala'il folio home.



*Peace Be Upon Him: A translation of صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ , one of the several honorifics used after the Prophet Muhammad's name.

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