Illustrated Manuscript of the Dala'il al-Khayrat (The Ways of Edification) of al-Jazuli

late 18th century

The Dala’il al-Khayrat (The Ways of Edification) of the Sufi mystic Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465) is a prayer manual venerating the prophet Muhammad. The text includes a collection of prayers for the Prophet, a description of his tomb, his names and epithets, and other devotional material. It became the center of a popular religious brotherhood, the Ashab al-Dalil, which revolved around the mystical Islamic practice of dhikr, or recitation, of this book of religious piety.

This manuscript is an Ottoman copy of al-Jazuli’s text, opened to an illustrated page containing a depiction of Mecca. Situated at the center of the mosque courtyard, the Ka^cba—the focal point of Muslim prayer—is marked for recognition by its black and gold cloth, while Ottoman-style minarets punctuate the surrounding walls. This stylized depiction favors essential information over naturalistic representation, recalling a rich history of geographic manuscripts with similar illustrations in the Ottoman world dating back to the sixteenth century.