Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya
() is a book of supplications attributed to Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (–713), the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the fourth Twelver Shi'a Imam and the third Ismaili Shi'a Imam. A seminal work in early Islamic spirituality, the book is considered to be the oldest prayer manual in Islamic sources. Shia tradition regards the book with great respect, ranking it behind the Quran and Ali's Nahj al-Balagha. Fifty-four supplications form the main body of Al-Sahifa, which often also includes an addenda of fourteen supplications and fifteen s. Al-Sahifa is often regarded as authentic by the specialists in the science of hadith. Chittick describes the book as "one of the deepest veins of Islamic spirituality," while Husain Mohammad Jafri posits that the supplications in Al-Sahifa embody the answers to many of the spiritual questions faced by the man of our age.
About the book
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya is a collection of supplications and whispered prayers attributed to Ali ibn al-Husayn, the great-grandson of Muhammad and the fourth Shia Imam, also known by the honorific titles al-Sajjad and Zayn al-Abidin. Shia tradition regards Al-Sahifa with great respect, ranking it behind the Quran and Ali's Nahj al-Balagha. According to Chittick, the book is known by various honorific names, including "Sister of the Quran", "Gospel of the Holy Household", and "Psalms of Muhammad's Household".
Chittick defines supplicating or calling upon God as the act of addressing Him with one's praise, thanksgiving, hopes, and needs. Muslims often recite the supplications of those already shaped by God's mercy and guidance, starting with Muhammad and, for the Shia, continuing with their Imams, who saw it as their duty to guide the Muslim community and enrich their religious life. In particular, Chittick suggests that Al-Sahifa was composed by al-Sajjad with the Muslim community in mind. To support this view, Chittick cites the supplications in Al-Sahifa for public occasions, such as Eid al-Fitr, and the supplication for parents, in which al-Sajjad speaks as if his parents were still alive.
Chittick views Al-Sahifa as a manifestation of Islamic spirituality, expressed in a universal language, that of the yearning of the soul for perfection. He summarizes the essence of the Quranic message as , "there is no god but God," and describes Al-Sahifa as an example of what means in practice, with themes such as "There is no goodness but in God", "There is no patience without God's help", "There is no gratitude but through God," and their complements, "There is no evil but in me", "There is no impatience but in my own ego," and "There is no hate but in myself." According to Chittick, the supplications in Al-Sahifa are the constant exercise of discerning what belongs to God and what belongs to man, after which man is left with his inadequacies and sinfulness, so he can abase himself before his Lord and ask for His generosity and forgiveness.
Predominance of mercy
The Quran is regarded by Muslims as a window into the character of Muhammad and Chittick thus likens Al-Sahifa to a mosaic, every element of which corresponds to an element of the Quranic text and Muhammad's soul. Faced with both the mercy and wrath of God in the Quran, the constant theme of Al-Sahifa is to seek the former and avoid the latter. In this regard, Chittick writes that Al-Sahifa shows a remarkable awareness of human imperfection, where al-Sajjad repeatedly acknowledges his own inadequacies as a human being and takes refuge in the Quranic statements about the precedence of God's mercy over His wrath, as exemplified by the passage
Chittick views supplication, in general, as the natural embodiment of , the Islamic admission that man is nothing and God – who is fundamentally mercy – is the only true reality. This emphasis of Al-Sahifa on God's mercy reflects the attitude of its author: Reacting to Hasan al-Basri's statement, "It is not strange if a person as he perishes. It is only strange if a person is saved as he is saved," al-Sajjad is known to have responded that, "But I say that it is not strange if a person is saved as he is saved. It is only strange if a person perishes as he perishes, given the scope of God's mercy." Al-Sajjad's attitude is that of Muhammad here, who is reported to have said that the worshipper "should be firm and make his desire great, for what God gives is nothing great for Him." Nevertheless, the hope in God's mercy should be accompanied by "refraining from arrogance, pulling aside from persistence [in sin], and holding fast to praying [for] forgiveness," as prescribed in passage 12:13 of Al-Sahifa.
Political views
According to Chittick, in some of the prayers in Al-Sahifa, al-Sajjad alludes to the injustice suffered by his family, Muhammad's household, and the usurpation of their heritage. There are also examples in Al-Sahifa where al-Sajjad prays for the Muslim community and the rectification of its affairs, as well as the soldiers guarding the Muslim frontiers.
It seems that Al-Sahifa, which was protected from government agents by al-Sajjad's sons and companions, was a sectarian and organisational booklet. The views in Al-Sahifa might have also contributed to the uprising against the Umayyads. Salutations to Muhammad and his family appear in most of the supplications of Al-Sahifa, against the policies of the Umayyads. In a number of supplications, al-Sajjad explains the concept of imamate, central to the Shia belief.
Other dimensions
While the supplicatory form of Al-Sahifa emphasizes the spirituality of Islam, Chittick maintains that the book also provides a broad range of practical teachings about the faith, from theological to social. For instance, according to Chittick, among the existing works, the prayer "Blessing Upon the Bearers of the Throne" best summarizes the Islamic views about angels. The book also frequently refers to Islamic practices, emphasizing the necessity of implementing the guidelines of the Quran and the hadith literature, as well as the importance of social justice.
Authenticity
Al-Sahifa, attributed to al-Sajjad, is often regarded as authentic by the specialists in the science of hadith, who maintain that the text is , i.e., it has been handed down by numerous chains of transmission. Chittick, however, suspects that the fifteen whispered prayers in Al-Sahifa might have been artistically edited. According to Shia tradition, al-Sajjad collected his supplications and taught them to his family, particularly his sons, Muhammad al-Baqir and Zayd. These supplications over time became widely disseminated among all Shia Muslims.
Translations
Al-Sahifa was translated into Persian during the Safavid era, and an English translation of the book, entitled The Psalms of Islam, is also available with an introduction and annotations by Chittick. Numerous commentaries have been written about Al-Sahifa.
Other collections
Aside from Al-Sahifa, various authors have attempted to collect other supplications attributed to al-Sajjad. The second Al-Sahifa was compiled in 1053 AH (1643 CE) by al-Hurr al-Amili , a renowned Twelver Shi'i scholar. The third Al-Sahifa was collected by Afandi, a student of Majlisi. The fifth Al-Sahifa by Muhsin al-Amin, a well-known contemporary Twelver scholar, is the longest and subsumes all the supplications included in the earlier attempts.
Content
Fifty-four supplications form the main body of Al-Sahifa, which also includes fourteen additional supplications and fifteen s. Their titles are as follows:
Praise of God
Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household
Blessing upon the bearers of the Throne
Blessing upon the attesters to the messengers
Supplication for himself and the people under his guardianship
Supplication in the morning and evening
Supplication in worrisome tasks
Supplication in seeking refuge
Supplication in yearning
Supplication in seeking asylum with God
Supplication for good outcomes
Supplication in confession
Supplication in seeking needs [from God]
Supplication in acts of wrongdoing
Supplication when sick
Supplication in asking release
Supplication against Satan
Supplication in perils
Supplication in asking for water [during a drought]
Supplication on noble moral traits
Supplication when something made him sorrow
Supplication in hardship
Supplication for well-being
Supplication for his parents
Supplication for his children
Supplication for his neighbors and friends
Supplication for the people of the frontiers
Supplication in fleeing [to God]
Supplication when his provision was stinted
Supplication for help in repaying debts
Supplication in repentance
Supplication in the night prayer
Supplication in asking for the best
Supplication when afflicted
Supplication in satisfaction with the decree
Supplication upon hearing thunder
Supplication in giving thanks
Supplication in asking pardon
Supplication in seeking pardon
Supplication when death was mentioned
Supplication in asking for covering and protection
Supplication upon completing a reading of the Quran
Supplication when he looked at the new crescent moon
Supplication for the coming of the month of Ramadan
Supplication in bidding farewell to the month of Ramadan
Supplication on the Day of Fast-Breaking and Friday
Supplication on the Day of Arafa
Supplication on the Day of Sacrifice and Friday
Supplication in repelling the trickery of enemies
Supplication in fear
Supplication in pleading and abasement
Supplication in imploring God
Supplication in Abasing himself
Supplication for the Removal of Worries
Addenda
His supplications for the days of the week
Fifteen whispered prayers
See also
List of Shia books
Ghurar al-Hikam wa Durar al-Kalim (attributed to Ali)
Al-Risalah al-Huquq (attributed to al-Sajjad)
The Fifteen Whispered Prayers (attributed to al-Sajjad)
Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiah (attributed to Ali al-Ridha)
Al-Sahifat al-Ridha (attributed to Ali al-Ridha)
Al-Jafr (book) (reportedly mentioned by Jafar al-Sadiq)
Al-Jamiah (reportedly mentioned by Jafar al-Sadiq)
Mushaf Fatimah (reportedly mentioned by Jafar al-Sadiq)
Notes
References
Sources
External links
Sahifa-e-Sajjadia Duas in Audio, Video and PDF format
An English text translation of the Sahifa, and audio files in Arabic
Duas
Shia hadith collections
Shia prayers