A Translation of the Arabic Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar (The Dawn Supplication) or Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Splendour) with Select Expository Scriptural Writings of the Bāb and Bahāʾu’llāh

Abstract

This article provides a full English translation of the Du’ā’ al-saḥar or Dawn Supplication for the Islamic month of Ramaḍān. Attributed to certain Imams whom Twelver Shī`ī Muslims regard as the successors of the Prophet Muhammad, it is an Arabic invocatory devotional also known from around the 13th century CE after its opening words, as the Du‘ā al-Bahā (Supplication of Splendour–Glory–Light). It is commonly ascribed to the fifth Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir (d. c. 126/743) or as transmitted through his son, the sixth Imam Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (d. c. 138/765). The former version or recension has around 22 invocations, while the sixth Imam’s recension is known as the Du‘ā’ al-mubāhalah (The Supplication for Mutual Imprecation) and is considerably longer, consisting of over 30 supplicatory lines. This latter recension had its origin at a time when Muhammad was challenged near Medina by certain Yemenite Christians of Najrān about his messianic status as a Prophet in the light of theological and Christological issues. Both Sayyid ‘Alī Muḥammad Shīrāzī, “the Bāb” (1819–1850), and Mīrzā Ḥusayn ‘Alī Nūrī, “Bahā’u’llāh” (1817–1892) gave great importance to this supplication (or these two related supplications) and were much influenced by its vocabulary and rhythmic, cascading content relating the Names of God. The Bāb interpreted it on Islamic and imamological lines in his Persian Dalā’il-i saba‘ (The Seven Proofs). He cited it often, both in early texts and within numerous later major writings, including the Kitāb al-asmā’ (The Book of Names) and the Kitāb-i panj sha’n (The Book of the Seven Modes [of Revelation]). In his Persian Bayān and other writings, he used nineteen of its invocatory divine Names to frame the structure and names of his annual calendar of nineteen months: his new, wondrous or Badī‘ calendar (“The New/Regenerative Calendar”). This calendar was furthermore adopted by Baha’u’llah in his Kitāb-i aqdas (The Most Holy Book). His own theophanic title, evolving from “Jināb-i Bahā’” (His eminence the Glory) to “Bahā’u’llāh” (the Glory of God) is closely related and is rooted in this and certain similar texts. Baha’u’llah referred to the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar as the Lawh-i baqā’ (The Scriptural Tablet of Eternity) and understood its opening lines as an allusion to his person as the embodiment of the Supreme or Greatest Name of God (al-ism al-a`ẓam). Several of the Arabic and Persian writings in which the founder of the Baha’i religion interprets the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar are translated in this current paper. Their content demonstrates the extent to which he elevated this powerful Islamic text.

The opening Bahāʾ- (“Glory”) centered invocation of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar (Dawn Prayer), the Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ.

1

I beseech Thee, O my God!

by Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) at its most Splendid (Abhāʾ)

for all Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) is truly resplendent (Bahiyy).

I, verily, O my God! beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ).2

The Shīʿī devotional supplication known as the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar (The Dawn Prayer) for the ninth Islamic month of fasting, named Ramaḍān, was transmitted by the eighth Imam ʿAlī al-Riḍā (d. c. 203/818). He stated that it was recited by the fifth Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir (d. c. 126/743) at dawn times during the month of Ramaḑān. As we shall see, its attribution to the fifth Imam is specifically mentioned by the Bāb in his Persian Dalāʾil-i sabʿah (The Seven Proofs). From before the Safavid period (1501–1736), in at least the time of Ibn Ṭawūs (d. c. 664/1266; see his Iqbal, p. 345f and 868) if not earlier, this powerful and rhythmic devotional work came to be known as the Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Glory–Splendour–Light). This was obviously based on its opening line, containing several Arabic words closely related to the thrice repeated primary Divine Name Bahāʾ.

The Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and closely related supplications such as the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah (The Supplication of Mutual Imprecation) was fully embraced by the Bāb (executed, Tabriz, 1850) and Bahāʾu’llāh (d. Bahji near Acre, 1892), the founders of the intimately related and successive Bābī and Bahāʾī religions. They both gave the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar the utmost importance. The Bāb was greatly influenced by the rhythmic dynamism and cascading, theologically profound succession of Divine Names within this seminal text. The first of these, centered on the word Bahāʾ, came to be identified by Bahāʾu’llāh as the quintessence of the al-ism al-aʿẓam, the mightiest or “Greatest Name of God” as Bahāʾīs often render this phrase from the Arabic or Persian (ism-i aʿẓam). As we shall see, the founder of the Bahāʾī religion came to refer to this majestic supplication as the Lawḥ-i Baqāʾ (The Tablet of Eternity).

The Duʿāʾ al-saḥar exists in several recensions deriving from the fifth and sixth Imams. One of them has the alternative title or designation Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah, and exists in a longer, sometimes variant recension with added theological details and devotional directives. It was relayed from the sixth Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (d. c. 148/765).3 Certain of these variant Arabic texts were transmitted from the aforementioned Imams through the Shaykh al-Ṭāʿifa, Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī (b. 385/995—d. Najaf, 460/1067),4 and the Sayyid, Raḍī al-Dīn Ibn Tāwūs al-Ḥasanī al-ʿAlawī al-Hillī (d. Hillah, c. 664/1266).5

As we shall see, the dawn-time recitation of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar came to be mentioned by Bahāʾu’llāh himself. He also frequently cited it and occasionally commented upon its opening line in several Persian and Arabic alwāḥ (scriptural Tablets). Its recitation during the Ramaḍān period continues to this day in numerous Twelver Shīʿī and related communities in Iran, Iraq, parts of India, Europe, and elsewhere where pious Shīʿī Muslims reside.

Fully translated below, the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar is introduced in the following manner by the erudite and polymathic Twelver Shīʿī authority Muḥammad Baqir Majlisī (d. Isfahan, 1110/1699) in his Kitāb zād al-maʿād (The Book of the Provisions for the Eschaton). Loosely translated, the paragraph in question reads as follows:

As for the worthy, greatly respected supplication (duʿāʾ) [the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar], it has been related that his highness [the eighth] Imam [ʿAlī al-] Riḍā stated that this is a supplication that his eminence [the fifth] Imam Muḥammad Bāqir would recite in the mornings. He would say that if people knew the greatness (ʿaẓamat) of this supplication before God, the speed with which it would [enable the devotee to] be answered [by God], they would certainly fight each other with swords in order to obtain it. And if I swore an oath that the ism Allāh al-aʿẓam, the Mightiest Name of God is within this prayer, I would be stating the truth. Thus, when you recite this supplication, recite it with all concentration and humility and keep it hidden from other than His people (Majlisī n.d., folio 63b; Majlisī 1423/2003, pp. 90–91. Cf. also pp. 220–21).6

The Arabic text of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar supplication can be found in numerous Twelver Shīʿī devotional compilations, often in sections dedicated to the sacred Ramaḍān period (see bibliography below). Perhaps its most famous modern printed edition is in the Mafatīḥ al-jinān (Keys of the Paradise), a very large (795 pages + indexes in one printing) devotional compilation by the Shīʿī scholar Shaykh ʿAbbās ibn Muḥammad Riḍā al-Qummī (b. 1294/1877—d. Najaf, 1359/1941), often referred to as Shaykh ʿAbbās. In various of the numerous editions and printings of this book and some other texts, the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar is referred to and indexed as the Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Splendour–Glory–Beauty). Introducing it, al-Qummī (among others like Muḥammad Bāqir Majlisī in his Zād al-maʿād) writes, on the basis of statements from Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq and others, that the pious actions to be carried out during the dawn-time of the month of Ramaḍān are that:

One should supplicate by means of the mighty, substantial devotional (al-Duʿāʾ al-ʿaẓīm al-shaʿn) [the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar] which has been transmitted by [the eighth Imam ʿAlī] al-Riḍā. He stated …“It is the supplication (al-Duʿāʾ) of [the fifth Imam Muḥammad] al-Bāqir for the dawn-times (asḥār) of the month of Ramaḍān”.

(al-Qummī 1422/2001, p. 221)

The Text and Translation of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar (Dawn Prayer) or Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Splendour–Glory)

When appropriate, the translation below retains the rendering of initial Divine Names (taken as months within the new calendar by the Bāb) as selected by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (c. 1896–1957), the Guardian of the Bahāʾī religion (from 1921 until 1957). It further attempts to give some indication of the rhythmic nature of the original.7

The diverse manuscript texts and printings of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar supplication occasionally exhibit a few textual differences in the order of Divine Names or Attributes, a succession of which came to be taken as the names of months by the Bāb. In printed texts and manuscripts, the second and third Names or months (Jalāl (Glory) and Jamāl (Beauty) are sometimes reversed, as are the Names or months eight and nine (Kamāl (Perfection) and Asmāʾ (Names), and twelve and thirteen (ʿIlm (Knowledge) and Qudrat (Power). There are also slight variants in the positioning of certain Divine Names such as that given to the nineteenth Name (or month) ʿAlā (Exaltedness, Loftiness) in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar as opposed to its primary position in the text of the Mubāhalah recension.

دعاء البهاء

Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ

[1]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ بَهَائِكَ بِأَبْهَاهُ،

وَكُلُّ بَهَائِكَ بَهِيٌّ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِبَهَائِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its most Splendid (abhāʾ)

for all Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) is truly Resplendent (bahiyy).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ).

[2 = 3]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ جَلاَلِكَ بِأَجَلِّهِ وَكُلِّ جَلاَلِكَ جَلِيلٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِجَلاَلِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Jalāl (Glory) in its supreme Glory (ajall)

for all Thy Glory (jalāl) is truly Glorious (jalīl).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the totality of Thy Glory (jalāl).

[3 = 2]

اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ جَمَالِكَ بِأَجْمَلِهِ وَكُلُّ جَمَالِكَ جَمِيلٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِجَمَالِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Jamāl (Beauty) at its most Beautiful (ajmal)

for all Thy Beauty (jamāl) is truly Beauteous (jamīl).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Beauty (jamāl).

[4]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ عَظَمَتِكَ بِأَعْظَمِهَا وَكُلُّ عَظَمَتِكَ عَظِيمَةٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أِسْأَلُكَ بِعَظَمَتِكَ كُلِّهَا

O my God!

I beseech Thee by thy ʿAẓamat (Grandeur) at its supreme Grandness (aʿẓam)

for all Thy Grandeur (ʿaẓamat) is truly Grandiose (ʿaẓīm).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Grandeur (ʿaẓamat).

[5]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ نُورِكَ بِأَنْوَرِهِ، وَكُلُّ نُورِكَ نَيِّرٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِنُورِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Nūr (Light) through all of its Lights (anwār)

for all Thy Light (nūr) is truly Luminous (nayyir).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Light (nūr).

[6]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ رَحْمَتِكَ بِأَوْسَعِهَا وَكُلُّ رَحْمَتِكَ وَاسِعَةٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ كُلِّهَا

O my God!

I beseech Thee by thy Raḥmat (Mercy) by virtue of its All-Encompassing nature (awsaʿ)

for all of Thy Mercy (raḥmat) is indeed All-Embracing (wāsiʿa).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Mercy (raḥmat).

[7]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ كَلِمَاتِكَ بِأَتَمِّهَا وَكُلُّ كَلِمَاتِكَ تَامَّةٌ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِكَلِمَاتِكَ كُلِّهَا

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Kalimāt (Words) at their most Perfect (atamm)

for all Thy Words (kalimāt) are truly Complete (tāmmat).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the totality of Thy Words (kalimāt).

[8 = 9]

اللَّهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ كَمالِكَ بِاَكْمَلِهِ وَكُلُّ كَمالِكَ كامِلٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِكَمالِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Kamāl (Perfection) in its absolute Perfectness (akmal)

for Thy Perfection (kamāl) is truly Perfect (kāmil).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the completeness of Thy Perfection (kamāl).

[9 = 8]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ اَسمائِكَ بِاَكْبَرِها وَكُلُّ اَسْمائِكَ كَبيرَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِاَسْمائِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech thee by thy Asmāʾ (Names) by virtue of their supreme Greatness (akbar)

for all Thy Names (asmāʾ) are truly Great (kabīr).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the totality of Thy Names (asmāʾ).

[10]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ عِزَّتِكَ باَعَزِّها وَكُلُّ عِزَّتِكَ عَزيزَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِعِزَّتِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech thee by Thy ʿIzzat (Might) at its utmost Mightiness (aʿazza)

for all Thy Might (ʿizzat) is truly Mighty (ʿazīz).

I, verily, O my God!

Beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Might (ʿizzat).

[11]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ مَشِيَّتِكَ بِاَمْضاها وَكُلُّ مَشِيَّتِكَ

ماضِيَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِمَشِيَّتِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech thee by Thy Mashiyyat (Will) at its most Conclusive (amḍā)

for all of thy Will (mashiyyat) is truly conclusive (māḍiyyat).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the totality of Thy Will (mashiyyat).

[12 = 13]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ

مِنْ قُدْرَتِكَ بِالْقُدْرَةِ الَّتي اسْتَطَلْتَ بِها عَلى كُلِّ شَيْء وَكُلُّ قُدْرَتِكَ مُسْتَطيلَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech thee by Thy Qudrat (Power) through the Power (qudrat) of which Thou

overshadoweth all things for all of Thy Power (qudrat) is truly All-Subduing (mustaṭīla).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the fullness of Power (qudrat).

[13 = 12]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ عِلْمِكَ بِاَنْفَذِهِ

وَكُلُّ عِلْمِكَ نافِذٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy ʿIlm (Knowledge) at its most Acute (anfadh)

for all of Thy Knowledge (ʿilm) is truly Penetrating (nāfidh).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Knowledge (ʿilm).

[14]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي

اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ قَوْلِكَ بِاَرْضاهُ وَكُلُّ قَوْلِ كَرَضِيٌّ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِقَوْلِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Qawl (Speech) at its most Delightful (ardā)

for all Thy Speech (qawl) is especially Pleasing (raḍiyy).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Speech (qawl).

[15]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ

مِنْ مَسائِلِكَ بِاَحَبِّها اِلَيْكَ وَكُلُّ مَسائِلِكَ اِلَيْكَ حَبيبَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِمَسائِلِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Masāʾil (Questions) which are most Agreeable (ahabb) of Thee

for all of Thy Concerns (masāʾil) are truly beloved (ḥabīb).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thine Affairs (masāʾil).

[16]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ

مِنْ شَرَفِكَ بِاَشْرَفِهِ وكُلُّ شَرَفِكَ شَريفٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِشَرَفِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech thee by thy Sharaf (Honour) which is most Honourable (sharaf)

for all of Thine Honour (sharaf) is truly Honoured (sharīf).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thine Honour (sharaf).

[17]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي

اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ سُلْطانِكَ

بِاَدْوَمِهِ وَكُلُّ سُلطانِكَ دائِمٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِسُلْطانِكَ كُلِّهِ

O My God!

I beseech thee by thy Sulṭān (Sovereignty) at its most Permanent (adwam)

for the whole of Thy Rule (sulṭān) is truly Enduring (dāʾim).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the absoluteness of Thy Sovereignty (sulṭān).

[18]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ مُلْكِكَ بِاَفْخَرِهِ وَكُلُّ

مُلْكِكَ فاخِرٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِمُلْكِكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Mulk (Dominion) at its most Magnificent (afkhar)

for the whole of Thy Dominion (mulk) is truly Excellent (fākhir).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Dominion (mulk).

[19]8

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ عُلُوِّكَ بِاَعْلاهُ وَكُلُّ عُلُوِّكَ عال

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِعُلُوِّكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy ʿUluww (Sublimity) at its most Lofty (aʿlā)

for the whole of Thy Sublimity (ʿuluww) is truly Elevated (ʿālin).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Sublimity (ʿuluww).

[20]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ مَنِّكَ بِاَقْدَمِهِ وَكُلُّ مَنِّكَ قَديمٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِمَنِّكَ كُلِّهِ

O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy Mann (Benevolence) at its most Immemorial (aqdam)

for the totality of Thy Benevolence (mann) is truly Pre-existent (qadīm).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the whole of Thy Benevolence (mann).

[21]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي

اَسْاَلُكَ مِنْ اياتِكَ بِاَكْرَمِها وَكُلُّ آياتِكَ كَريمَةٌ

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِآياتِكَ كُلِّها

O my God!

I beseech thee by thy Āyāt (Verses) at their most Distinguished (akram)

for all Thy Verses (āyāt) are truly Precious (karīm).

I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the totality of Thy Verses (āyāt).

[22]

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِما اَنْتَ فيهِ مِنَ الشَّأنِ وَالْجَبَرُوتِ، وَاَسْاَلُكَ بِكُلِّ شَأْن وَحْدَهُ جَبَرُوت وَحْدَها

اَللّـهُمَّ اِنّي اَسْاَلُكَ بِما تُجيبُني بِهِ حينَ اَسْاَلُكَ فَاَجِبْني يا اَللهُ

I, verily, beseech Thee, O my God!

By that whereby Thou hast Gravitas (shaʾn) and Omnipotence (jabarūt) and I supplicate Thee by virtue of every single quality (shaʾn) and dimension of Power (jabarūt) that Thou do indeed answer me by virtue of the foregoing at the very moment I request of Thee! Wherefore do Thou answer me, O my God!

[The suppliant may now ask their requirement for this is surely a thing decreed].

Some Notes on the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and Its Bābī-Bahāʾī Citation and Exegesis

The central place of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar within the scriptural universe of the writings of the Bāb is unmistakable. The Bāb cited, rewrote, reconfigured, or re-revealed and commented upon this and related texts in whole or in part on numerous occasions. He did this hundreds if not thousands of times. Among a multitude of his books and scriptural Tablets (alwāḥ) only a few can be mentioned here. It is especially evident, for example, in his very lengthy (perhaps 3000 page) Kitāb al-asmāʾ (Book of Names, c. 1848–9) and the several hundred-page Kitāb-i panj shaʿn (The Book of the Five Modes of Revelation, 1266/March–April, 1850),9 and so too in certain of his earlier devotional supplications, khuṭbas (literary orations), and other writings. It is astonishing that so little attention has been given to these texts in Bahāʾī circles in decades past and in recent times.

An Early Untitled Devotional Supplication of the Bāb, Re-Creating Sections of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar

The opening lines of INBA Ms. 6006C, 90 (translated below).

There exists among the hundreds of manuscript compilations of the writings of the Bāb, an untitled, probably very early (1260–1/1843–4?) Arabic manuscript at one time catalogued as INBA 6006C (The Bāb n.d.j, pp. 90–95). It is a quite lengthy supplication of the Bāb, which draws heavily upon and several times creatively rewrites parts of versions of the Shīʿī Ramaḍan Dawn Prayer and/or the version entitled Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah. This devotional text of the Bāb contains interesting theological passages with definite apophatic dimensions. It declares the Ultimate Divinity utterly beyond positive description; beyond even such forms of worship as would befit the magnitude of the primary, pre-eternal Transcendence of God. Following the standard Muslim basmala, “In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,” this supplication begins:

Glorified be Thou, O my God! O my God I assuredly testify unto Thy Divine Unicity [Oneness] (waḥdāniyyat) in that Thou didst testify unto Thine Own Logos-Self (nafs) to the effect that Thou indeed art God. No God is there except Thee. I do not associate others with Thee for Thou didst exist for evermore before all things and will everlastingly continue to exist after the annihilation (fanāʾ) of all things. For Thee there is indeed no equal (ʿadl), no like (kufūʾ), no resemblance (lā shibh), no likeness (lā mithl) and no close associate (lā qarīn). Thou did indeed so elevate Thy Camphorated Being (kāfūriyyat kaynūniyyat) beyond whatsoever ascended towards it of the most elevated essences of contingent realities (jawhar al-mumkināt), that they would readily come to sanctify the Essential Reality of Thine Own Abstractness (taqadassat dhātiyyat sādhijiyyatika)! If that is, they should prove capable of soaring up unto the firmament of the atmosphere of Thy sublime Holiness ( jaww hawāʾ qudsihā) … (The Bāb n.d.j, p. 90).

A few lines further on, the Bāb begins to re-create and reorder the text, drawing upon forms of the Ramaḑān Dawn Prayer:10

Another extract from INBA Ms. 6006C, 90 echoing the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar

… And praise be unto Thee, O my God! One above every form of glorification (tamjīd) save that whereby Thou did glorify Thine Own Self Identity (nafsāniyyatika). [19+] For Thine is the Most Transcendent Exaltedness (ʿuluww al-āʿlā) above every mode of Elevated Sublimity (ʿuluww) and Glory (Jalāl). Unto Thee belongeth the Supreme level of All-Glorious Elevation (al-sumūw al-abhāʾ) above every mode of Exaltedness (suluww) and Beauty (Jamāl).

[1] How then can I befittingly attribute to Thee Splendour (Bahāʾ) when Thou art the very Creator of Splendour (Bahāʾ) (mubdiʿ al-Bahāʾ); Thine indeed is the All-Glorious Eminence (sumūw al-abhāʾ) for such as are given to praise (ahl al-inthāʾ)? [2] How can I befittingly characterize Thee by Thy Glory (Jalāl) when Thou indeed art the Architect of Glory (Jalāl) (munshā al-Jalāl) for such as are possessed of creative power (ahl al-ibdāʿ)? [3] How can I befittingly attribute to Thee Beauty (Jamāl) when Thou art the Fashioner of All-Things (musawwir kull shayʾ) within the kingdom of the earth and of the heavens? [4] How can I befittingly eulogize Thee on account of Thy Grandeur (ʿAẓamat) when Thou art the One Who robed Thy chosen ones (muqammīṣ awliyāʾ) in the Garment of Grandeur and Magnificence (qamīṣ al-ʿaẓamat wa’l-ijlāl)? [5] How can I befittingly call Thee to Remembrance, O my God! On account of Thy Light (Nūr) when Thou art the very Creator of Light (khāliq al-nūr), the Illuminator of Light (munawwir al-nūr) as well as the Source of the Genesis of Light (mubdiʿ al-Bahāʾ)?… (The Bāb n.d.j, pp. 90–91).

The reinterpreted 19th calendrical Name having to do with the Divine transcendence (ʿUluww, ʿAlā, Aʿlā) here prefaces the re-creation of the use of the successive Divine Names found in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and certain of its parallel texts. Later in this same supplication, there is a rewritten version of the Ramaḍān Dawn Prayer, Mubāhalah supplication which again moves through the Divine Names Bahāʾ, Jalāl, Jamāl, ʿAẓamat, Nūr, etc. These invocations are closely related to the offering of blessings upon the fivefold “family of God” (āl Allāh = Muḥammad, ʿAli, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn). It should also be noted that they partly parallel a portion of a lengthy prayer in the second grade (= Munājāt (Devotionals) of the first section (I:2) of the Kitāb-i-panj shaʾn (Book of the Five Grades (parallel to The Bāb n.d.j, p. 90f). In this connection, the Bāb, a page or so further on, recreates the commencement of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar so as to confer supreme radiant splendour upon the Prophet Muḥammad and his Imam-related family; along with other potent Divine names which flow out from the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, including Jalāl (Glory), Jamāl (Beauty), ʿAẓamat (Grandeur) and Nūr (Light), Raḥmat (Mercy), Kalimāt (Words), etc.:

… I implore Thee at this very moment O my God that Thou by Thy [1] Bahā’ (Splendour) which is Abha (All-Glorious) confer blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. And this through all of Thy [2] Jalāl (Glory) at its Most Glorious, to confer blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. And this through all of Thy [3] Jamāl (Beauty) at its Most Beautiful to confer blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. And this through all of Thy [4] `Aẓamat (Grandeur) at its Most Grandiose to confer blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. And this through all of Thy [5] Nūr (Light) which constitutes His Lights (anwār) to confer blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad …(the Bab n,d, j p.92f).

Written perhaps four or five years later, the Persian Dalāʾil-i sabʿah (The Seven Proofs, c.1849) of the Bāb, again understands the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar of Muḥammad al-Bāqir on similar lines to the devotional text commented upon above. Its first five lines are given an Islamic “family of God” (āl Allāh) or an imamocentric interpretation:

Observe the Duʿa al-saḥar of Muḥammad al-Bāqir which opens as follows: “O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) at its most Splendid (Abhāʾ) for all Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) is truly Resplendent (Bahiyy). I, verily, O my God! Beseech Thee by the fullness of Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ).”

While this [first] portion (fiqrat) alludes to the Messenger of God (rasūl Allāh = the Prophet Muḥammad), the second points to the station of the Commander of the Faithful (maqām-i Amīr al-Muʾminīn = Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib d. 40/661). Consider likewise, until one arrives at the fifth level which has mention of the Light (Nūr) and is a reference to the Prince of Martyrs (Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ = Imām Ḥusayn, d. c. 61/680). This inasmuch as Light (Nūr) indicates a station (maqām) the likeness of which is a Lamp (miṣbāḥ) (cf. Qurʾan 24:35) that is self-illuminating (Per. mīsūzānad)” (The Bāb n.d.c, pp. 58–59).

The Bāb indicates here that the first five sections or invocations of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar allude to the Prophet Muḥammad and the other people of the cloak (ahl al-kisāʾ, see Qurʾán 33:32), namely [1] Muḥammad = Bahāʾ (Splendour–Glory) [2] ʿAlī = Jalāl (Glory–Majesty) [3] Fāṭima = Jamāl (Beauty) [4] [Imam] Ḥasan = ʿAẓamat (Grandeur) and [5] [Imam] Ḥusayn = Nūr (Light) (The Bāb n.d.c, pp. 58–59). This level of interpretation is in line with Shīʿī traditions detailing the Sitz im Leben of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar-related Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah (Supplication of the Day of Mutual Imprecation), which is closely connected with an episode pertaining to the formation of the five “people of the cloak”, the Shīʿī “family of God” (āl Allāh).

Another good example of the creative refashioning of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, or its parallel relating to the Mubāhalah episode, is found within a section of a manuscript of the Kitāb al-asmāʾ commencing with the Name of God al-arshad (the Most Guided/Utmost Guide/Most Guiding or Supreme Guide), which begins as follows:

بسم الله الارشد الارشد

In the Name of God, the Most Guided, the Supreme Guide

الله لا اله الا هو الارشد الارشد

God, no God is there except Him, the Most Guided, the Supreme Guide

Not very far into this section, following a few short verses commencing with the imperative qul = “Say:”, we find around twenty-one short verses partially based upon and mirroring the succession of Divine Attributes spelled out in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and/or the related Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhala. At the commencement of this section we read, “Unto God belongeth what He created and will create and unto Him shall all return”. Thereafter, we read:

ولله بهاءِ ما خلق ويخلق واليه كل يبعثون

• [1] And unto God belongs the [1] Bahāʾ (Splendour) of what was created and what He will create, for unto Him will everything be raised up.
• [2] And unto God belongs the [2] Jalāl (Glory) of what was created and what He will create, for through Him will everything be turned upside down.
• [3] And unto God belongs the [3] Jamāl (Beauty) of what was created and what He will create, for unto Him will everything be raised up.
• [4] And unto God belongs the [4] ʿAzamat (Grandeur) of what was created and what He will create, for through His Command will everything be upraised (qāʾimūn).
• [5] And unto God belongs the [5] Nūr (Light) of what was created and what He will create, for through Him will everything be turned upside down.
• [6] And unto God the [6] Raḥmat (Mercy) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Mercy, are judged mercifully.
• [7] And unto God are the [8] Asmāʾ (Names) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Names (asmāʾ), are indeed named.
• [8] And unto God belongs the [10] ʿIzz (Might) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Mightiness, are rendered mighty.
• [9] And unto God belongs the Majd (Majesty) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Radiance, are rendered radiant.
• [10] And unto God belongs the [12] ʿIlm (Knowledge) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Knowledge, are informed.
• [11] And unto God belongs the [13] Qudrat (Might) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Might, are made mighty.
• [12] And unto God belongs the Quwwat (Power) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Power, are empowered.
• [13] And unto God belongs the Riḑāʾ (Contentment) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Contentment, will be made content.
• [14] And unto God belongs the [16] Sharaf (Nobility) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Nobility, are made noble.
• [15] And unto God belongs the [17] Sulṭān (Sovereignty) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Sovereignty, express sovereignty.
• [16] And unto God belongs the [18] Mulk (Dominion) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Dominion, express dominance.
• [17] And unto God belongs the [19] ʿUluww (Sublimity) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Sublimity, become sublime.
• [18] And unto God belong the [20] Āyāt (Verses) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His verses, are ennobled.
• [19] And unto God belongs the Ghināʾ (Independence) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Independence, become independent.
• [20] And unto God belongs the [M 28] Faḑl (Gracious) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Bounty, are made bountiful.
• [21] And unto God belongs the [M 19] ʿAdl (Justice) of what was created and what He will create, for all, through His Justice, become just. (The Bāb n.d.f, X 1/1, pp. 4–5).11

Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar Parallels to the Badīʿ or “New” Calendar of the Bāb

“The third [Gate of the fifth Unity] is that We instituted the transformation of 19 months [constituting the year] perchance humanity (lit. thou) might dwell within the [annual] Waḥīd (Unity)” [abjad numerical value = 19 the number of days and months constituting one year] (The Bāb 1957, V. 3).

The basic setting forth of the new, post-Islamic calendar of the Bāb can be found, for example, in the third Bāb (gate, section) of the fifth waḥīd (unity) of the Arabic and Persian Bayāns (Exposition, c. 1848–9). While the Arabic section is very succinct (fully translated above), the Persian spans a few pages (The Bāb, n.d.a, pp. 152–53). It contains paragraphs in clarification of the gnosis (ʿirfān) of the years and of the months as they relate to the number of kull shayʾ (abjad numerical value 361 = 19 × 19) having the meaning “all things”, “everything”, the “pleroma” indicating the fullness of everything (The Bāb n.d.a, pp. 152–53). The Bāb explicitly states that the first month should be called Bahāʾ (Splendour, Glory) and the last or nineteenth the “Transcendent” or “Loftiness” (as translated by Shoghi Effendi). The Arabic verbal noun ʿAlā derives from the triliteral root ʿa-l-w having the basic meaning ‘to be high, transcendent or elevated’.12

The new calendar of the Bāb is rooted in and very closely related to the text of the Shīʿī Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, as well as at times to the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah. It is the case that relative to the names or schemata of its 19 months the Bābī-Bahāʾī calendar is very largely modelled on the first 19 invocations of one of the recensions of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar/mubāhalah. The Names or Attributes of God used at the commencement of most of the invocations (as listed above) are largely the same as the calendar referenced by the Bāb in his Persian Bayān, as well as within his Kitāb al-asmāʾ and other writings.

In the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, the second divine Name is sometimes registered as Jamāl ( Beauty) and the third Jalāl (Glory). These divine Names are inverted as far as the Bābī-Bahāʾī month ordering is concerned. So too are the names of the twelfth Name [or month] Qudrat (Power) and the thirteenth ʿIlm (Knowledge). Compared with the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah version, the Divine Names (ultimately months) are often identical to those in the calendar of the Bāb, though there are slight differences in the order set down in the Imam-generated texts. Some mss and printed texts invert the Divine Names or months [7] Kamāl (Perfection) and [8] Kalimāt (Words) as well as [12] Qudrat (Power) and [13] ʿIlm (Knowledge) (cf. the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar).

It can be confidently stated that the Bāb retained, though he appears to have slightly altered, the Twelver Shīʿī-transmitted order of divine Names as months as far as numbers two and three as well as twelve and thirteen are concerned. He designated the final month ʿAlā (Loftiness) as in the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah, apparently bypassing the ʿUluww (Sublimity) which has the primary nineteenth place in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar.

The key opening words of the first five of nineteen (among twenty-one, thirty, or more in some recensions) successive devotional invocations include the following names (or attributes) of God: [1] Bahāʾ (Splendour), [2] Jalāl (Glory), [3] Jamāl (Beauty), [4] ʿAẓamat (Grandeur), and [5] Nūr (Light). This is within the context of a major recension of an Arabic text which appears to date back a millennium or more, related also to pre-Islamic prophetological tradition. For the Bāb, a version of the opening nineteen Names of God came to form the basic template for his Badīʿ (“new”, “regenerative” or “wondrous”) calendar, which is in use today within the now globally diffused several million-strong international Bahāʾī community.13

The Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar and the Names of the Days of the Week

The names given by the Bāb to the seven days of the week are also partly modelled on the Names of God in segments of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and/or the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah. This is how they were set down by Nabīl-i Zarandī (d.1892 CE) in an unpublished portion of his Tārīkh (late 1880s)—recreated and renamed by Shoghi Effendī as The Dawn-Breakers in 1932 (Zarandī 1974). An apostle of Bahāʾu’llāh, Zarandī—apparently drawing on sections of the abovementioned Kitāb al-asmāʾ of the Bāb, and other writings—set down the names of the seven days from [1] Saturday until [7] Friday. They are indicated here with select new Badīʿ “month” correlations.

• Day 1 = Saturday = Jalāl (Glory) = month 2 or 3
• Day 2 = Sunday = Jamāl (Beauty) = month 2 or 3
• Day 3 = Monday = Kamāl (Perfection) = month 7
• Day 4 = Tuesday = Fiḍāl (Grace)14
• Day 5 = Wednesday = ʿIdāl [ʿAdāl] (Justice)
• Day 6 = Thursday = Istijlāl (Majesty)
• Day 7 = Friday = Istiqlāl (Independence)15

Note also that all of these days of the week end with a long ā vowel followed by the letter “l” (Ar. lām). The names of the first, second, third, and fourth are all found in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and/or the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah. The last two days six (Thursday) and seven (Friday) are verbal nouns derived from the tenth (Xth) Arabic form of the roots j-l-l (to be great, exalted, illustrious, majestic; cf. month 2/3) and the tenth form of the root q-l-l (to be insignificant, meagre, etc); Xth form = independent, independence). This name of the last day, Friday, seems unique. It appears to be the opposite of the Islamic name for Friday, yawm al-jumʿa, indicative of a multiple, collective gathering together. The Istiqlāl of the Bāb implies independence, possibly betokening an independent level of novel religiosity. It may be implied by this name that with the advent of the Bāb as a new maẓhar-i ilāhī (Manifestation of God), collective gathering at the mosque on Friday for khuṭbah (sermon)-type guidance from clerics is no longer necessary. God speaks again and merely human modes of guidance are limited.

Additionally, three of the names of the 19-year cycles into which the Bāb divided his calendrical schemata are derived from triliteral root letters making up the word Bahāʾ within the first verse of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar and al-Mubāhalah. They are the ninth 19-year cycle, named Bahāʾ (abjad numerical value 9), the 17th 19 year cycle named Bahiyy (abjad numerical value 17) “Luminous”, “Glorious”, etc.), and the 18th 19 year cycle named Abhāʾ, the superlative form of the word Bahāʾ.

Arabic and Persian Bayān V: 4. The Directive of the Bāb Regarding Personal Naming with the Names of God (asmāʾ Allāh)

“The fourth [Gate of the fifth Unity] is that We direct that humanity should bestow names in line with My Names (asmāʾī). We indeed made persons to express My Glory (Bahāʾ). O my creatures! Strive ye then after My example, Thus might thou use the name(s) Muḥammad, ʿAlī and Fāṭimah; then Ḥusayn, then Mahdī or Hādī. We assuredly made from every letter of Thy Name (ḥarf al-asmāʾ) further Names (asmāʾ). Say: All belong to Me and I to God, My Lord! Nothing derives from God save God Himself for such is the Sovereign of all the worlds! Such is the Beloved of all the worlds! …” (The Bāb 1957, V.4).

Arabic and Persian Bayāns V.4 offer guidance on the bestowal of personal names, following the section devoted to the calendar (The Bāb 1957, V. 3; The Bāb n.d.b, V. 3). The influence of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar (or its parallels) is again especially evident in the longer Persian version (cf. the Arabic version translated above with its use of Bahāʾ). It is in P. Bayan V. 4 that the Bāb reckons that while the names of the five ahl al-kisāʾ (Muḥammad, ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn) are good possibilities for human naming, he goes on to state that God-related names like ʿAzīz (Mighty) and Jabbār (All-Compelling, Omnipotent) are also acceptable.

For the Bāb, however, the best of personal names are those which are linked (in pre-genitive relationship as X-Allāh) with God Himself (with the personal name of God Allāh). The first examples given by the Bāb are based upon the opening Divine Names in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. Specifically mentioned are the names [1] Bahāʾ-Allāh (“The Glory-Splendour of God”); [2] Jalāl-Allāh (“The Glory of God”); [3] Jamāl-Allāh (“the Beauty of God”) as well as [5] Nūr-Allāh (“The Light of God”), Faḍl-Allāh (“The Grace of God”), Jūd-Allāh” (“The Bounty of God”), ʿAbd-Allāh (“The Servant of God”), and Dhikr-Allāh (“The Remembrance of God” (The Bāb n.d.a, p. 154f). The ordering of the first five names is obviously related to the Dawn Prayer.

At the end of P. Bayān V.4., the Bāb indicates that should a person bear the name Bahāʾ-Allāh, their Bahāʾ (radiant glory or splendour) would be confirmed by a comparable faith in the first to believe (awwal man amana) in the Bābī messiah Man yuẓhiru-hu Allah, namely the Bāb himself.16 In this way their Bahāʾ-generated identity or consequent “Glory-Splendour radiating” nature as a person of true faith, would be confirmed or truly actualized.

The Bābī Messiah Man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh (Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest), the Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar, and Parallel Versions

“All of the Bahāʾ of the Bayān is Man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh, “Him whom God shall make manifest” (The Bāb n.d.a, III.14, p. 98).

In the writings of the Bāb there are certain passages in which the person of the future promised Messenger of God named “Him whom God shall make manifest” are closely related to the word Bahāʾ (as in The Bāb n.d.a, III.14 cited above), the first among the Divine Names in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. The Bābī messiah figure is not only especially related to al-Bahāʾ, the radiant “Splendour”, but to most of the 18 or more Divine Attributes mentioned in the Imam-generated devotional texts discussed here. A good example of such rhythmic Duʿāʾ al-saḥar / Mubahālah-related writing of the Bāb is the following:

The [1] Bahāʾ (“Splendour”) of Man yuẓhiru-hu Allāh (“Him whom God shall make manifest”) is above every other bahāʾ (splendour). His [2] Jalāl (Glory) is above every other jalāl (glory). His [3] Jamāl (Beauty) is above every other jamāl (beauty). His [4]ʿAẓamat (“Grandeur”) is above every other ʿaẓamat (grandeur). His [5] Nūr (“Light”) is above every other nūr (light). His [6] Raḥmat (“Mercy”) is above every other raḥmat (mercy). His [8] Kamāl (“Perfection”) is above every other kamāl (perfection). His [10] ʿIzzat (Might) is above every other expression of might (ʿizzat). His [9] Asmāʾ (“Names”) are above all other asmāʾ (names). His Riḑāʾ (“Contentment”) is above every other riḑāʾ (contentment). His [19] ʿUluww (“Sublimity”) is above every other expression of ʿuluww (sublimity). His Ẓuhūr (“Manifestation”) is above every other manifestation [theophany] (ẓuhūr). His Buṭūn (“Hiddenness”) is beyond every other buṭūn (hiddenness). His [19] ʿAlā (“Loftiness”) is above every other manner of ʿalā (exaltedness). His [20] Mann (“Benevolence”) is above every other example of mann (benevolence). His Quwwat (“Power”) is above every other expression of of quwwat (strength). His [17] Sulṭānah (“Sovereignty”) is above every other example of sulṭānah (sovereignty). His [18] Mulk (“Dominion”) is above every other expression of mulk (rule). His [12 = 13] ʿIlm (“Knowledge”) “is truly Penetrating (nāfidh) of all things”. His [13 = 12] Qudrat (“Power”) “is truly All-Subduing (mustatīlat) of all things”…17

The Word Bahāʾ in Islamic Literatures and the Writings of the Bāb

Not found in the Qurʾān or among the traditional ninety-nine Names of God spelled out and commented upon by Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d. 40/661), Abū Hurayra (d.c. 58/678), Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) and many others, the word Bahāʾ occurs numerous times in Islamic literature. It is found in hundreds of texts composed throughout the more than a millennium of Islamic theological evolution. The words Bahāʾ and Bahiyy are occasionally found in book titles. An early (unfortunately now lost) example is the apparently philological, psychological Kitāb al-bahā’ (or bahiyy), written by Abū Zakariyāʾ Yaḥyā ibn Ziyād al-Farrāʾ (d. c. 207/822) (Sezgin 1982, p. 123; Kinberg 1996). The epithets Bahāʾ al-Dawla (“Glory of the State”) and Bahāʾ al-Dīn (“The Glory of Religion”), for example, gained widespread Islamic usage from around the 10th-11th centuries. CE (Kramers 1926). Bahāʾ occurs in several prophetic ḥadīth. It is found around nineteen times in the widely used Cairo 4 volume edition of the massive al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya (the Meccan Openings) of the Great Shaykh Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. Damascus, 638/1240) (Ibn al-ʿArabī 1365/1911) and in a very large number of other mystical writings (Lambden 1988). It occurs more than 70 times in the multifarious, mostly Shīʿī texts making up the massive and composite (15 volumes in the late 1880s–1890s and 100 + volumes in the 1950s–1970s 2nd edition) encyclopedic Biḥār al-anwār (Oceans of Lights) of Muḥammad Bāqir Majlisī.

Many uses of the word Bahāʾ in the writings of the Bāb are rooted in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar or the partly parallel and extended Duʿāʾ al-mubāhalah.18 There yet remain hundreds of independent uses of the word Bahāʾ along with related neologisms that are not found or normally used in previous Arabic texts. An example of the independent use of the word Bahāʾ is present towards the beginning of the early Khuṭba jalīliyya (The Literary Oration of the Majestic One) of the Bāb, which commences as follows:

In the Name of God, the Exalted, the Mighty.

Praised be to God who shed the radiance of His Ḍiyāʾ (Brightness) and revealed Himself (tajallī) before the Theophanic Cloud (li’l-ʿamāʾ) through the Bahāʾ (the radiant Glory–Splendour–Light). (The Bāb n.d.e, p. 1).19

In the first major book of the Bāb, the Qayyūm al-asmāʾ or Tafsīr Sūrat Yusuf (Commentary on the Surah of Joseph, dating from mid-1844), the word Bahāʾ occurs about fifteen times.20 There are occasional references to the ahl al-Bahāʾ (the people of Bahāʾ) as well as to other derivatives from the same triliteral root, such as bahiyya (glorious).21 In later writings, neologisms from this root are not uncommon, especially within writings of the Bāb dating to the late 1840s up till mid-1850.

Bahāʾ, (بهاء) Bahāʾu’llāh and the Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar

“The Greatest Name [as Bahāʾ and related phrases] is a distinctive mark of the [Bahāʾī] Cause and a symbol of our Faith”

(Shoghi Effendi 1988, p. 895)

The word Bahāʾ all but opens the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. It forms the essence of the eschatological title or sacred name of the person of Mīrzā Ḥusayn ʿAlī Nūrī (1817–1892). The title Bahāʾu’llah (=Bahāʾ + Allāh) can be viewed as a double greatest Name in the sense that for Bahāʾīs, Bahāʾ is the quintessence of the Greatest Name (Ar. al-ism al-aʿẓam) of God while the word Allāh is another form of the Greatest Name of God, according to Islamic and Bābī-Bahāʾī sources. In his Tafsīr ḥurūfāt al-muqaṭṭaʿah (Tablet of the Disconnected Letters, c. 1858) Bahāʾu’llāh explicitly refers to the personal Name of God Allāh as a form of the Greatest Name (Ar. al-ism al-aʿẓam) (see Bahāʾu’llāh 1971–1972, p. 67).

One can hardly overestimate the elevated status which Bahāʾu’llāh afforded to the Duʿa al-saḥar. Its all but prophetic opening words center upon three occurrences of the theologically weighty word Bahāʾ along with its superlative (abhāʾ) and the form bahiyy, meaning (among other things) “resplendent”, “radiant”, “glorious”, “luminous”, and “splendid”. These related terms all derive from the three root letters of the verbal noun Bahāʾ ([1] b-[2] h-[3] a/w; note also the glottal stop hamza). The founder of the Bahāʾī religion considered this to be the al-ism al-aʿẓam, the “Greatest Name of God” indicative, as previously noted, of radiant Divine “Glory”, “Splendour”, or “Light”.

This Imam-generated Dawn Supplication translated here is closely related to many neo-basmala formulas (= In the Name of God, the X, Y or X, Y, Z, etc.) introducing the scriptural writings of Bahāʾu’llāh, and to many of the blessings upon believers addressed within them. The three words—Bahāʾ, Abhāʾ, and Bahiyy—occur thousands of times in new Bābī-Bahāʾī basmala (“In the Name of the___, the __”) scriptural commencements; such as, for example, “In the Name of God, al-Bahāʾ al-Abhāʾ (the Glorious, the All-Glorious)22 (see Bahāʾu’llāh 1996, first line index). The title Bahāʾu’llāh, as he himself indicated, was foreshadowed in pre-Islamic sacred literature such as the Bible (Bahāʾ is often represented by the biblical Hebrew word כָּבוֹד (e.g., Ezekiel 1, 10, Isaiah 40:5), and the Greek word Δόξα, doxa, both of which may mean radiant “glory”, as well as in many writings of the Bāb, including his Qayyum al-asmāʾ and Persian and Arabic Bayans (“Expositions”).

Three Tablets of Bahāʾu’llāh Citing the Opening of the Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar

Occasionally in his revelatory writings, Bahāʾu’llāh comments upon the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. A few examples within his Arabic and Persian writings can be referred to at this point.

(1) An Arabic Prayer of Bahāʾu’llāh Citing and Commenting upon the Opening Words of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar23

In the Name of God, al-Abhāʾ (the All-Glorious).

Glorified art Thou, O My God!

O my God! I beseech Thee by means of a supplication (duʿāʾ) through which hath been ornamented the tongues of Thy Messengers (rusul) and Thine Elite (ṣafwa)! And I beseech Thee by Thy Name by means of which Thou hast been supplicated aforetime, through the tongues of such as are nigh unto God (al-muqarrabīn). And I thus implore Thee saying:

“I, verily, O my God, beseech Thee through Thy Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its Most Glorious (bi-abhā-hu) for all of Thy Bahāʾ (Splendour) is resplendent (bahiyy)”.

So O my God! And My Beloved One,

This is indeed a Name through which Thou hast ornamented the exordium (dībāja) of the Tablet of Eternity (lawḥ-i baqāʾ). And Thou made it to be the Ornament of Thine Own Self (tirāz nafsi-ka), O Thou Monarch of the Kingdoms of Names (malik al-mamālik al-asmāʾ). Thou didst command all that they should recite it at dawn-times (al-asḥār) to the end that none possessed of insight should be veiled from Him.

Wherefore, O my God! I ask Thee by this Greatest Name (al-ism al-aʿẓam) that Thou make me to be one firm as accords with His love (ḥubb) and His contentment (riḑā). This to the degree that I might not be numbered among such as orient themselves save towards Him, may not take firm hold of anything except Him or speak out anything save what pertains to Him! Thou indeed art One Powerful regarding whatsoever Thou willeth. No God is there except Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful, the One Implored for Help. And praised be to God, the Help in Peril, the Beneficent.

The opening multiple Bahāʾ-related invocation in the above fairly brief Arabic prayer of Bahāʾu’llāh, is often cited and greatly lauded. This centrally important introductory verse, the opening line or proem of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, is referred to in very elevated terms. It is the exordium or “opening brocade” (dībāja) of the “Tablet of Eternity” (lawḥ-i baqāʾ) which most likely denotes the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, the Dawn Prayer itself.24

The Arabic loanword dībāja appears to derive from the Persian dībācha (Per. dībā = “brocade”, etc + cha = the diminutive suffix). This word has multiple meanings including related to luxury, gilded or embroidered cloth or silk.25 The classic Steingass Persian dictionary (1st ed. 1892) states that dībāja or dībācha is indicative of “The preface, exordium, or preamble to a book (as being generally written in an ornamental style, and adorned with gilding and other decorations)” (Steingass 1984, p. 551). In the chapter “Princesses, Patronage and the Production of Knowledge in Safavid Iran” by Yusuf Ünal in the volume edited by Stewart and Künkler entitled Female Religious Authority in Shīʿī Islam: Past and Present (see Stewart and Künkler 2021), we find the following lines under the heading ʿThe Anatomy of the Preface’:

“Persian Dībācha, or the Arabicised form dībāja, originally referred to the gold embroidered fringe on a luxurious robe and by extension the countenance of the beloved. It came to be used, however, as a technical term for the preface, preamble, or introduction to a work, which, in particularly valuable texts, was often gilded or embellished with painting or other materials”26

(2) An Extract from a Persian Tablet of Bahāʾu’llāh to Mīrzā ʿAbbās of Āstarābād about the Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar and the Greatest Name of God27

In the Name of God, the One.

Thy letter arrived in the (Acre) Prison and the gaze of the Wronged One (al-maẓlūm = Bahāʾu’llāh) who summoneth all unto God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, was directed unto it. The essence (ṣadr) of that communication was ornamented with this blessed phrase (kalimat-i mubāraka),

“I, verily, O my God, beseech Thee through Thy Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its Most Splendid (bi-abhāʾ-hu)”.

Thou art aware of the perfidy of the people of the criterion (ahl al-furqān) [the Qurʾān], despite the fact that they [certain of the Imams] indicated that the Greatest Name of God (ism-i aʿẓam-i ilāhī) is mentioned in this [Ramaḍan fasting] supplication (Duʿāʾ) [of Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir]. And it is abundantly clear and evident on the part of the possessors of insight (ṣāḥibān-i baṣar) that the position (maqām) of the mention [of Bahāʾ as] the Greatest Name (ism-i aʿẓam) is at its very opening or commencement. This since it [Bahāʾ] has pre-eminence (muqaddam) over the [other Divine] Names (asmāʾ) and is the genesis (mubdāʾ) and dawning-point (maṭlā) of the [other] commemorative lines [within this dawn supplication] (adhkar) being mentioned and positioned at the very inception (ṣadr) of the supplication (Duʿāʾ). In spite then of this, it was the case that all repudiated it and remained unaware of its Truth. Nay indeed! They the [Shīʿī] ulamāʾ issued a fatwā for his [Bahāʾu’llah’s] execution; save, that is, such as were, in very Truth, safeguarded by God and rescued from the ocean of idle fancies. He [God] indeed is assuredly the Powerful, the Potent.28

(3) Another Untitled Arabic and Persian Tablet of Bahāʾu’llah Identifying and Celebrating the Word Bahāʾ in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar with Himself as the ism Allāh al-aʿzam, the Greatest Name of God

In My Name through which the Light of Exposition (nūr al-bayān) hath radiated forth from the Horizon of Possibility (ufq al-imkān)!

O Thou who gazest towards the Countenance and are one mentioned before the Throne! Today the Tongue of the Proof in the Kingdom of Exposition (malakūt al-bayān) giveth utterance to this Elevated, Blessed, Word (kalimat-i mubāraka-i ʿulyāʾ):

“O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its most Splendid (abhāʾ) for all Thy Splendour (Bahāʾ) is truly resplendent (bahiyy)…”

This is the Greatest Name of God (ism Allāh al-aʿẓam) which was announced by the proof of God (hujjat Allāh) and His evidence29 [the Imam and/or the Bāb]. By My Life! There hath not appeared either any mention (dhikr) nor any evidence (bayān) more lucid (aṣraḥ) than this. Blessed then be such as demand justice (ṭubā li’l-munṣifiyyin)! This [word Bahā’] is a Name through which the limbs of the unbelievers (farāʾiṣ al-mushrikīn) hath been made to quake and whereby the hearts of those who are nigh unto God (al-muqarrabīn) hath been made tranquil. So draw ye nigh and say: The Kingdom and the Kingdom of God (al-mulk wa’l-malakūt) are in the grasp of the power of God, the Lord of all the worlds! He it is whom the [military] ranks (al-ṣufūf) cannot hold back nor the powers of the hosts of the world (junūd al-ʿalam) overpower him. He doeth whatsoever He willeth and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth for He is One Mighty, Praiseworthy (trans. Lambden from Bahāʾu’llāh 1990, p. 183).

The above cited and translated scriptural Tablet of Bahāʾu’llāh clearly identifies the words relating to the Arabic root of Bahāʾ in the Dawn Prayer, with the Mightiest or Greatest Name of God (ism Allāh al-aʿẓam). It also celebrates both the challenge it presents to those unable to assent to its greatness and the tranquil joy it imparts to the faithful. In this connection, see Bahā’u’llāh’s statement in his Kitāb-i aqdas: “Let your joy be the joy born of My Most Great Name (ismī al-a‘ẓam), a Name that bringeth rapture to the heart and filleth with ecstasy the minds of all who have drawn nigh unto God.” (Bahāʾu’llāh 1992a, para. 51 p. 49; Bahāʾu’llāh1992b, trans. p. 38).

A Few Further Examples from the Writings of Bahāʾu’llāh Drawing upon the Opening Invocation of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar

The opening line of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥār was translated by Shoghi Effendi in an interesting way, as cited in the late book of Bahāʾu’llāh, his Lawḥ-i Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī Najafī (d. 1914), the Ibn-i Dhiʿb or “Son of the Wolf”:30

O Shaykh! Seek thou the shore of the Most Great Ocean, and enter, then, the Crimson Ark which God hath ordained in the Qayyúm-i-Asmá for the people of Bahá. Verily, it passeth over land and sea. He that entereth therein is saved, and he that turneth aside perisheth. Shouldst thou enter therein and attain unto it, set thy face towards the Kaaba of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, and say:

“O my God!

I beseech Thee by Thy most glorious light (Bahāʾ),

and all Thy lights (kull Bahāʾ) are verily glorious (bahiyy).”

Thereupon, will the doors of the Kingdom (abwāb al-malakūt) be flung wide before thy face, and thou wilt behold what eyes have never beheld, and hear what ears have never heard. This Wronged One (al-maẓlūm) exhorteth thee as He hath exhorted thee before, and hath never had any wish for thee save that thou shouldst enter the Ocean of Sanctified Unicity (baḥr al-aḥadiyya Allāh), the Lord of the worlds. This is the day whereon all created things cry out, and announce unto men this Revelation, through which hath appeared what was concealed and preserved in the knowledge of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised (Bahāʾu’llāh 1919–1920, p. 164; trans. as Bahāʾu’llāh 1976, p. 140).

Here Bahāʾu’llāh promises Āqā Najafi (the “son of the wolf”) that should he come to faith and turn towards Bahāʾu’llāh as the “Kaʿba of God” he would behold the open doors of the Bahāʾī-related Kingdom of God. The shining of the new and brilliant eschatological Bahāʾ-generated Nūr (Light) is seen by Shoghi Effendi in the above translation to be reflected in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar of Imam Muḥammad Baqir.

Numerous passages within the scriptural Tablets of Bahāʾu’llāh cite in diverse ways the opening line of the Duʿāʾ al-Bahā. One of these, addressed to his apostle Muḥammad Kazim Qazvīnī, Samandar (1844–1918 CE), quotes sections of the first line of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar as it is printed in Āyāt-i bayyināt (No. 152):

If the substance of this letter were sent to the beloved of the inmost heart of his eminence Samandar, may the fire of divine love be upon him, through all of the Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its most Splendid (abhāʾ-hu)… (Bahā’u’llāh 1999, No. 152 pp. 318–19).

Another slightly variant example is found within a section of text extant within a ms. Tablet of Bahāʾu’llāh to Haḍrat-i ism-i Zayn [al-Muqarrabīn] dated 18th Dhu’l-Ḥijjah 1300 (=18th October 1883 CE):

… His eminence Ism-Allah jim-mim [“J”-“M” = Jamāal], upon him be of the fullness of Bahāʾ (Splendour) at its most Splendid (abhāʾ-hu)…” (Bahāʾu’llāh 1883, p. 4).

Concluding Note

From before the time of Christ, some Jews held the supreme name of God—YHWH, Yahweh, loosely and inaccurately, “Jehovah”—in such reverence that they came to forbid its being uttered save once a year in the “holy of holies” in Jerusalem, by the high priest on the “Day of Atonement”. With the universalization of Islam, the supreme personal name of Allāh (God) as the mightiest Name became commonly recognized. Today the hiddenness of its new identification has again become universally realized and revered. Bahāʾu’llāh several times confirmed that the word Bahāʾ as the once all but “Hidden Name” is now the supreme or “Greatest Name”. This is as Shīʿī traditions had indicated to some degree by virtue of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥār and related texts which contain an intimation of the new al-ism al-aʿẓam (the Greatest Name of God).

For contemporary Bahāʾīs, Bahāʾ is the quintessence of the powerful, response-evoking mightiest or Greatest Name of God. Bahāʾīs identify the Greatest Name as the first major divine Name in the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. Al-Bahāʾ meaning radiant “Splendour”, “Glory”, and “Light” when invoked today may enable the suppliant to have their wishes granted by God. By means of its recitation, Bahāʾu’llāh taught, one might gain entrance into the eschatological “kingdom of God” by means of the power of his new Name.

Some Bibliographical Notes and References on the Shīʿī Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar (The Supplication for Dawn) and the Duʿāʾ Yawm al-Mubāhalah (“Supplication for the Day of Mutual Imprecation”)

• Imam Muḥammad al-Bāqir (d. c. 126/743).

Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar / Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Dawn Supplication) also known as the Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Splendour).

The Duʿāʾ al-saḥar as transmitted from the fifth Imam seems not to be present in the major works of Shaykh Abu Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan al-Tūsī (d. 460/1067), such as his Miṣbāh al-Mutaḥajjid, although editions and printings of this work do contain the text of the Mubāhalah version. Ibn Tāwūs in fact refers to Abū Jaʿfar al-Tūsī in his Iqbāl al-a’māl (al-Tūsī 1996, p. 292) as transmitting the Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq or Mubāhalah version of this supplication (see also below and the shorter, alternative version on pp. 291–92).

Recitations, texts, and translations of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar can be found on various internet sites and on YouTube. An Arabic recitation of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar along with an Italian rendering based on my English translation was (until recently) available on YouTube.

• An Islamic example:https://www.imamalasr.org/dua-baha/ accessed on 19 January 2023

• Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (d. c. 148/765) and the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah

A closely related and somewhat longer version of the Arabic Duʿāʾ al-saḥar Dawn Prayer was transmitted from the sixth Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq. Al-Tūsī states in his Miṣbāḥ (see below) that the Mubāhalah text was relayed from Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Daylamī via Ḥusayn ibn Khālid from the sixth Imam Abī ʿAbduʾllāh or Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (al-Tusi 1998 p. 759; see also Ibn Tāwūs 1417/1996, p. 845). Opening exactly as the Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar, it is known as the Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah (The Supplication of the Day of the Mutual Imprecation).

This longer text is well known, much cited, and of great importance to the Bāb, and is not translated here or discussed in this brief paper. We should note that Shīʿī sources indicate that it has a close relationship with the emergence of Shīʿī Islam through what came to be the fivefold “family” (āl) of God or of the Prophet Muḥammad. These five ahl al-kisāʾ (people of the cloak) are [1] the Prophet himself, [2] Imam ʿAli ibn Abī Ṭālib, [3] his wife Fāṭimah (daughter of the Prophet Muḥammad), and their two sons the Imams [4] Hasan and [5] Husayn. They are all associated with the confrontation or mubāhalah episode allusively referred to in Qurʾān. 3:61. It is reckoned to have taken place in 10 AH/631CE, traditionally it has been dated to around the 24th of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah, the 9th–10th April 631.

The recitation of the ultra-powerful Yawm al-mubāhalah text was meant to settle the difficult debate between the Prophet and various Christians of the Yemenite city of Najrān, particularly with a learned leader sometimes identified as Balḥārith ibn Kaʿb. Yet it is generally conceded that the Mubāhalah text was not uttered following this at times of intense theological, Christological dialogue and debate (see Q. 3:61, Stewart 2001; Schmucker 2012). Much detail about the proposed Mubāhalah episode along with the text of the Duʿāʾ can be found in, for example, (as noted below) al-Tūsī, Miṣbāḥ, Ibn Tāwūs, al-Iqbāl al-a’māl (ed. 1417/1995, pp. 813–845f), al-Kafʿamī, al-Balad al-Amīn (1418/1997, pp. 372–79) as well as numerous other Sunnī and Shīʿī sources. What follows are a few select source references:

• Ibn Tāwūs al-Ḥasani aI-ʿAlawī; Raḍī al-Dīn al-Hillī (d. 673/1274–5).

• Iqbāl al-a’māl al-ḥasanat fī mā yuʿmal marrah fī’l-sanah. 1417/1996.
• “Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar / Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ” see Iqbāl al-a’māl, Ramaḍān section pp. 292–93 and 293–95 where we find a shorter alternative version followed by what appears to be the “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” (a version of which is also in Iqbāl al-a’māl, pp. 846–48).

• Khomeini, Ruhollah Musavi (1900–1989)

• Sharh Duʿāʾ al-saḥar (Commentary on Duʿāʾ al-saḥar), (written c. 1928), Beirut: Mu’assasat al-wafa’, 1402/1982.

• Kirmānī, Muḥammad Karīm Khān (d. 1871).

• Risālah fī sharḥ Duʿāʾ al-saḥar. Kirman: al-saʿāda, n.d.

• Lambden, Stephen

• Relevant material can be found on this website: https://hurqalya.ucmerced.edu

• Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir (d.1111/1699–1700)

• “Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar” in Kitāb Zād al-maʿād (“Provisions for the Eschaton”), Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Aʿlamī li’l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1423/2003, pp. 90–91.

• al-Qummī, Shaykh ʿAbbās (b. Qum 1294/1877-d. Najaf, 1359/1941).

• “Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar” in Mafātiḥ al-jinān (Keys of Paradise). Beirut: Dār Iḥyā al-Turath al-ʿArabī, 1422/2001, pp. 221–22.
• “Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar” in Mafatīḥ al-jinān. Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Aʿlamī wa‘l-Maṭbūʿāt, 2006/1427, pp. 238–39.
• “Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar” in Mafatīḥ al-jinān. Beirut: Dār al-Aḑwā’, 1435/2014.

Select Printings of the Duʿāʾ Yawm al-Mubāhalah (“Supplication for the Day of Mutual Imprecation”)

• Ibn Tāwūs al-Ḥasani al-ʿAlawī, Raḍī al-Dīn al-Hillī (d. 673/1274–5).

• Iqbāl al-a’māl al-ḥasanat fī mā yuʿmal marrah fī’l-sanah. 1417/1996. The Mubāhalah supplication is found on pages 846–8 (cf. also the notes above).

• al-Kafʿamī, Taqī al-Dīn Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAlī al-ʿĀmilī (d. 900/1494–5).

• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in al-Miṣbāḥ [ = Jannat al-amān al-wāqiyya wa junnat al-īmān al-bāqiyya]. Beirut, 1414/1994, pp. 915–18.
• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in al-Miṣbāḥ, Jannat al-amān al-wāqiyya wa junnat al-īmān al-bāqiyya. Muʼassasat al-ʼAʻlamī li’l-Maṭbūʻāt, Beirut, 1425/2004, pp. 879–81.
• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in al-Balad al-amīn wa’l-dirʿ al-ḥaṣīn (“The Secure Land and the Protective Armor”) ed. ʿAlā’ al-Dīn al-Aʿlamī. Beirut, 1418/1997, pp. 372–75.

The fifth Imam’s Duʿāʾ al-saḥar version seems not to be found in the al-Miṣbāḥ of al-Kafʿamī which extends the al-Miṣbāḥ of al-Tūsī, also named the Jannat al-amān al-wāqiyya wa-jannat al-īmān al-bāqiyya. This lengthy text does, however, contain a related, somewhat variant truncated version of sections of the Duʿāʾ al-saḥar, on pages 751–52, to be recited between devotional prostrations. On the Mubāhalah version within the Miṣbāḥ of al-Kafʿamī, see above.

• Majlisī, Mu ḥammad Bāqir (d. 1111/1699–1700).

• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in Kitāb Zād al-maʿād (“Provisions for the Eschaton”), 1423/2003, pp. 220–23.

• al-Qummī, Shaykh ʿAbbās (b. Qum 1294/1877-d. Najaf, 1359/1941).

• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in Mafātiḥ al-jinān (Keys of Paradise). 1422/2001, pp. 321–23.
• “Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhalah” in Mafātiḥ al-jinān, 2006/1427, pp. 349–53.
• Lambden partial trans. on H* website: “The Duʿāʾ yawm al-mubāhala (“Supplication for the Day of Mutual Execration”). https://hurqalya.ucmerced.edu/node/101

• al-Tūsī, Shaykh Abu Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan (d. 460/1067)

• Al-Misbāḥ al-mutahajjid, Junnat al-amān al-wāqiyya wa jannat al-īmān al-bāqiyya. Beirut: Muʿassat al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, 1411/1991, pp. 760–63.
• Miṣbāh al-mutaḥajjid [Junnat al-amān al-wāqiyya wa jannat al-īmān al-bāqiyya]. Beirut: Muʿassasat al-Aʿlamī li’l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1418/1998. pp. 529–32.