Dala'il al-Khayrat, 1722 CE

Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465).
Dala’il al-Khayrat wa Shawariq al-Anwar fi Dhikr al-Salat ‘ala al-Nabi al-Mukhtar.
Illuminated manuscript in Arabic on paper.
[Ottoman Empire], dated 1134 AH (1722 CE). (BRMS 61)

Later manuscripts of the Dala’il al-Khayrat traditionally included illustrations of Mecca and Medina. The first image (right) shows Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad’s birthplace and longtime home. At the center of the immense mosque is the sacred Kaba (also known as the Bayt Allah, or “House of God”). This large, black, cubic structure is the goal of millions of pilgrims each year and the shrine toward which Muslims throughout the world face during prayer five times each day. The second image (left) depicts the mosque of the Prophet at Medina, with its seven minarets. Muhammad resided in a house on this site during the decade prior to his death in 632 CE. The mosque’s largest dome, now known as the “Green Dome,” marks the location beneath which Muhammad was entombed. The manuscript retains its original stamped leather envelope binding with fore-edge flap.

Ruth and Lyle Sellers Medical Collection