Ahla al-Kalam fi Munajat Dhi al-Jalal wal-Ikram
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Ahla al-Kalam fi Munajat Dhi al-Jalal wal-Ikram (The Sweetest Speech in Intimate Supplication to the Lord of Majesty and Honor) is a devotional work on Islamic prayers and litanies compiled by the Egyptian author Muhammad Ali Muhammad Imam and published in 2007.
Purpose and Overview
The compiler prepared the work as a collection of transmitted supplications drawn from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the traditions of early righteous figures (al-Salaf al-Salih). In the introduction, he states that his aim was to provide a selection of prayers to be recited frequently, both in congregation and individually, emphasizing the virtue of supplicating during the night and specifically in the final third of the night. The collection includes specialized supplications such as the prayer for completing the Quran attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah and the completion prayer recited at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
Structure and Contents
The book opens with several introductory sections outlining the theological and practical foundations of Islamic supplication before presenting the main body of prayers:
- Virtues of Supplication (Fadl al-du'a): A presentation of prophetic hadiths highlighting supplication as an act of worship and detailing its rewards.
- Etiquette of Supplication (Adab al-du'a): An enumeration of twenty-nine manners, including consuming lawful food, sincerity, performing ablution, facing the qibla, praising God, sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and avoiding rhymed or artificial cadence.
- Those Whose Prayers Are Answered (Man yastajib Allah lahum): An overview of individuals mentioned in hadith reports whose supplications are granted, such as the oppressed, the traveler, the fasting person, parents for their children, and righteous leaders.
- Impediments to Acceptance (Mawani' al-ijabah): A discussion of barriers to receiving an answer, including consuming unlawful earnings, negligence of heart, asking for sinful matters, or impatience.
- Times and Places of Acceptance (Awqat al-ijabah and Amakin al-ijabah): Enumerations of favorable times—such as Laylat al-Qadr, the Day of Arafah, Fridays, and the time of prostration—and revered locations, primarily associated with the pilgrimage sites in Mecca, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat.
- The Supplications (Al-Du'a): The primary section of the book, compiling expressions of praise, divine names, and comprehensive prophetic and transmitted prayers spanning pages 17 through 112.
Sources and Publication
The compiler relied on classical hadith and devotional compilations, including Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim with the commentary of al-Nawawi, al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, Mishkat al-Masabih by al-Khatib al-Tabrizi, Riyad al-Salihin and al-Adhkar by al-Nawawi, al-Hisn al-Hasin by Ibn al-Jazari, al-Wabil al-Sayyib by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and al-Hizb al-A'zam by Ali al-Qari.
The first edition of the book was registered with the Egyptian National Library and Archives in April 2007 as a single volume comprising 114 pages.
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