Special Event | Experience Dala’il al-Khayrat
Join us for a special event on Wednesday, February 12th, from 4:30PM–6:00PM, featuring a talk and Moroccan-style recitation of Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt, the seminal 15th-century devotional text by the celebrated Moroccan Imam Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Jazūlī (d. 1465).
Facsimile Presentation and Recitation of Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt
Recognized as one of the “seven saints” of Marrakesh, al-Jazūlī’s Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt is one of the most influential works of Islamic devotion, offering a meticulously crafted collection of blessings and prayers upon the Prophet Muhammad (ṣalawāt), which continues to inspire Muslims across the globe. The text not only serves as a profound spiritual guide but also embodies a rich tradition of literary beauty, theological depth, and communal recitation practices that remain vibrant to this day.
Dr. Ilyass Amharar, a distinguished scholar of the intellectual history of the Islamic West, will introduce the text’s historical, theological, and devotional significance. Following his presentation of a recent facsimile edition of the Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt by the renowned 19th-century calligrapher al-Qandūsī, he will guide participants in a traditional Moroccan-style recitation of selected passages, offering attendees a unique opportunity to experience the text in its original, lived form. Dr. Yousef Casewit, Associate Professor of Qurʾānic Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School, will moderate this interactive event.
Join us for what promises to be an enriching exploration of this iconic devotional masterpiece, its cultural and spiritual legacy, and the enduring rhythms of Moroccan piety.
* The above image of the Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt is from the Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago Library. This nineteenth century manuscript is for research and educational use only.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Ilyass Amharar specializes in the Ashʿarī tradition and Andalusian intellectual history. Among his recent works are L’Ash’arisme à Fès, des Almohades aux Mérinides (CJB Publications, 2022), Langage et théologie chez Abū Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabī (Gorgias Press, 2023), and Abū Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabī: Legacy and Impact on the Transmission of al-Ghazālī’s Thought in al-Andalus (Brill, 2024). A graduate of Aix-Marseille and La Sorbonne, Dr. Amharar has taught Arabic and Islamic studies at multiple French universities and the historic al-Qarawiyyīn University in Fez.
Moderator: Dr. Yousef Casewit is Associate Professor of Qurʾānic Studies and Chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His research interests include the intellectual history of North Africa and al-Andalus, Muslim perceptions of the Bible, and medieval commentaries on the ninety-nine divine names. He has several publications, most recently The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan (Library of Arabic Literature, 2023); The Mystics of al-Andalus: Ibn Barrajān and Islamic Thought in the Twelfth Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017); and A Qurʾān Commentary by Ibn Barrajān of Seville (Brill, TSQ Series, 2016).