Fiqh al-Adiya wal-Adhkar
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Kuwait
Fiqh al-Ad‘iyah wa-l-Adhkār (Understanding Supplications and Remembrances) is a multi-volume Islamic treatise authored by Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr, dedicated to elucidating the legal, spiritual, and contextual meanings of prophetic supplications (ad‘iyah) and remembrances (adhkār).
Composition and Purpose
The material of the book was originally prepared and delivered by the author as a series of educational radio broadcasts on the Holy Quran Radio in Saudi Arabia. Following encouragement from teachers and peers, al-Badr adapted the broadcast scripts for print by making stylistic refinements and assigning descriptive thematic titles to each segment. The former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz, read the text, provided commentary—which the author incorporated directly into the work within square brackets—and wrote a foreword for it.
The author stated that his primary objective was to move beyond mere recitation by providing a detailed study explaining the meanings, wisdoms, lessons, and implications of transmitted invocations.
Structure and Content
The work was arranged into themed parts designed to cover all aspects of invocation and remembrance:
- Part One: Covers the virtues, status, and categories of dhikr, outlining the importance of coupling verbal remembrance with contemplation and presence of heart.
- Part Two: Focuses specifically on supplication (du‘ā’), detailing its virtues, prerequisites for divine acceptance, and proper etiquette. It highlights the excellence of transmitted prophetic formulas, warns against newly invented litanies (awrād mukhtara‘ah), briefly addresses transgression in supplication, and cautions against polytheism (shirk) in prayer.
- Part Three: Details daily and nightly routines (‘amal al-yawm wa-l-laylah), explaining the formulas and meanings of morning and evening remembrances, invocations before sleep, words of remembrance recited during and after the ritual prayers, and formulas for entering and leaving places, mounting riding beasts, traveling, and consuming food and drink.
Sources and Methodology
In constructing his analysis, al-Badr compiled scholarly explanations of prophetic traditions, relying especially on the writings of Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. The methodology emphasizes adherence to textual authority (tawqīf) and prophetic emulation in worship, asserting that the most beneficial remembrance occurs when the heart's contemplation aligns with the tongue's recitation of transmitted texts.
Offshoots and Reception
Due to reader interest in concise references, the author extracted specific thematic chapters from the book to form standalone treatises:
- Al-Tabyīn li-Da‘awāt al-Marḍā wa-l-Muṣābīn, focusing on supplications for the sick and afflicted, incantations (ruqyah), and etiquette when visiting patients.
- Adhkār al-Ṭahārah wa-l-Ṣalāh, focusing specifically on the meanings and wisdoms of remembrances associated with ritual purity and prayer.
The work has been praised by contemporary scholars as a unique and focused contribution to its subject.
Publication History
The book has seen several editions, including:
- A first edition published by Dār Ibn ‘Affān in Saudi Arabia (1419 AH).
- A second edition published in Kuwait (1423 AH).
- An edition released by Dār Ibn al-Qayyim (1425 AH).
- An edition published by Kunūz Ishbīlyā (1426 AH).
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