Shan al-Dua
- Author died
- 388 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Thaqāfah al-'Arabiyyah
Shan al-Dua (The Significance of Supplication) is a treatise on the theology, etiquette, and prophetic traditions of supplication by the Shafi'i hadith scholar and lexicographer al-Khattabi (319–388 AH / 931–998 CE) . The work serves primarily as an analytical commentary on the transmitted prophetic supplications compiled by Ibn Khuzaymah (d. 311 AH / 924 CE), preceded by a theological and linguistic exposition of divine names and prayer .
Background and Titles
Al-Khattabi dictated (amla) the work in response to inquiries from fellow scholars regarding the meaning and theological validity of supplication (dua), its place within religious worship, the mindset required of a petitioner, and the explanation of obscure words in prophetic invocations . In classical bibliographies such as Yaqut al-Hamawi's Mu'jam al-Udaba', the work is occasionally recorded under variant descriptive titles reflecting different sections of its text, including Sharh Da'awat Ibn Khuzaymah (Commentary on Ibn Khuzaymah's Invocations), Tafsir Asami al-Rabb (Exposition of the Names of the Lord), and Sharh al-Asma' al-Husna .
Contents and Structure
The book is arranged into three parts (ajza'):
- Part One: Al-Khattabi establishes the definition of supplication, its rank in Islam, and its efficacy in repelling affliction and interacting with divine preordination (qada') . He critiques the notion that supplication is useless in the face of predestined decree, arguing that engaging in supplication remains beneficial for both impending and realized trials . He then provides a comprehensive linguistic, etymological, and juristic exposition of the Ninety-Nine Names of Allah based on the prophetic tradition, transitioning into a chapter on the adjuncts of supplication (lawahiq al-dua) .
- Parts Two and Three: The core commentary on the prophetic supplications (al-ad'iyah al-ma'thurah) collected by Ibn Khuzaymah . Al-Khattabi concludes with an additional section of supplements comprising thirty-five transmitted hadiths (numbered 108–143) with his own commentary, supplying traditions omitted from Ibn Khuzaymah's collection .
Transmission and Print Editions
The work was transmitted through scholarly chains; one chain recorded in manuscript transmission includes Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Labban al-Dinawari and Abu al-Fath Nasr ibn Abi al-Faraj al-Ghaznawi . Surviving manuscript witnesses include holdings at the Zahiriyya Library in Damascus (such as Majmu' 308 alongside al-Khattabi's al-I'tisam bi-l-'Uzlah, and Majmu' 61), as well as a manuscript in the Feyzullah collection (MS 1308/1) under the title Kitab al-Dua .
Shan al-Dua was edited by Ahmad Yusuf al-Daqqaq and published by Dar al-Thaqafah al-Arabiyyah in Damascus and Beirut (1st ed. 1404 AH / 1984 CE; 3rd ed. 1412 AH / 1992 CE) .
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