A copy of Dala'il al Khairat (The guide book of blessings and enlightenment).
Well known devotional work. Elegant binding in black and gold. No date or place of writing, in naskhi, Arabic. Signed: William Tweedie, Haidarabad, 1883. Possibly copy by Tweedie.
Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Bakr al-Jazuli as-Simlali, (d.870/1465), known as al-Jazuli, was from the Berber tribe of Jazula in the Sus region of Morocco. He studied in Fez then travelled to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, returning to Fez 40 years later to write the Dala'il al Khairat, a text still used in daily devotions by Sufis today. He founded a Shadhili order and established a zawiya as a centre of spirituality in Afwiral, a Sus village in Morocco, which attracted many followers. After his death a cult of sainthood grew up around him; as his followers had helped to bring the Saadian sharifs to power, the sultan Ahmad al-A'raj had his body was removed to Marrakesh in 1529, where he became one of the patron saints of the city, and his tomb became a major pilgrimage site.
By appointment with the Keeper of Manuscripts. Access to records containing confidential information may be restricted.
Tweedie Collection, catalogued by DM Dunlop and EKC, 1976.
Call number used to be msPJ7701.A2
Individual Manuscripts and Small Collections database available as part of Manuscripts Database.
Description compiled by Maia Sheridan, Archives Hub project archivist, based on material from the Manuscripts Database
Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Keeper of Manuscripts. Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.
