al-Mustaghithin billah Taala inda al-Muhimmat wal-Hajat
- Author died
- 578 AH
- Editions
- Higher Council for Scientific Research, Institute of Cooperation with the Arab World
al-Mustaghithin billah Taala inda al-Muhimmat wal-Hajat ("Those Who Besought God Almighty in Times of Crises and Needs") is a compilation of supplications and narratives by the Andalusian traditionist and historian Ibn Bashkuwal (494–578 AH / 1101–1183 CE), recording accounts of individuals who sought divine deliverance during severe hardships and the relief granted to them .
Title and Genre
The full title of the work is Kitab al-Mustaghithin billah Taala inda al-muhimmat wal-hajat wal-mutadarri'in ilayhi subhanahu bil-raghabat wal-da'awat wa-ma yassara Allahu al-Karim lahum min al-ijabat wal-karamat ("The Book of Those Who Besought God Almighty in Times of Crises and Needs, and Those Who Entreated Him with Yearnings and Supplications, and the Divine Answers and Miracles that God the Generous Granted Them") . It belongs to the classical Islamic literary genre devoted to relief after distress (al-faraj ba'd al-shidda) and answered prayers (mujab al-da'wah), following a lineage of works that includes those of Ibn Abi al-Dunya, al-Muhassin ibn Ali al-Tanukhi, and the Cordoban jurist Yunus ibn Abd al-Allah ibn Mughith's al-Mustasrikhin billah .
Content and Method
The work brings together Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, and historical anecdotes concerning individuals who directed their supplications exclusively to God during perilous circumstances, acute distress, or imminent execution, illustrating how divine intervention rescued them . Ibn Bashkuwal transmits these accounts with chains of narration (asānīd), drawing directly upon earlier source texts such as:
- al-Faraj ba'd al-Shidda by Ibn Abi al-Dunya
- al-Mustasrikhin billah by Ibn Mughith
- Kitab al-Du'a by Ibn Abi Hatim (also transmitted as Abu Hatim al-Razi)
- al-Akhbar by Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi
- Man Urifa bil-Ijabah by al-Qasri
The material encompasses accounts of biblical figures, companions of the Prophet such as Zayd ibn Harithah, and later scholars, ascetics, and ordinary believers across Islamic history .
Transmission and Editions
Manuscripts of the text are preserved in collections including the General Library of Rabat and Princeton University Library (Garrett collection) . The work has been printed in several editions, including one edited by Ibrahim al-Ibyari in Cairo within the Andalusian Sources series, an edition edited by Ahmad Hasan Basaj published in Beirut (1420 AH / 1999 CE), and an edition edited by Ghunaym Abbas Ghunaym published in Cairo (1414 AH / 1993 CE) .
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