Tuhfat al-Akhyar bi-Bayan Jumla Nafiya Mimma Warada fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunna min al-Adiya wa al-Adhkar
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Tuhfat al-Akhyar bi-Bayan Jumla Nafi‘a mimma Warada fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunna min al-Ad‘iya wa al-Adhkar (The Gift of the Chosen: An Exposition of a Beneficial Selection of Supplications and Remembrances from the Book and Sunnah) is a concise treatise on daily Islamic supplications (du‘a) and invocations (dhikr) compiled by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) .
Purpose and Method
Ibn Baz compiled the treatise to provide a practical devotional guide and spiritual provision for Muslims throughout their daily routines . In contrast to popular prayer manuals that mixed authentic traditions with weak or fabricated reports—such as al-Du‘a al-Mustajab, which Ibn Baz cautioned against—he restricted the contents of Tuhfat al-Akhyar strictly to what is reliably established from the Prophet ﷺ in authentic hadith narrations . In the introduction, he emphasized the merits of frequent remembrance, seeking forgiveness (istighfar), reciting the Quran, and supplicating with genuine faith, sincere devotion, humility, and presence of heart .
Contents and Structure
The treatise begins with an exposition of Quranic verses and hadiths outlining the virtues of dhikr, du‘a, and repentance . The subsequent sections organize the prescribed prophetic supplications by situational context:
- After the Five Obligatory Prayers: The specific invocations, glorifications (tasbih, tahmid, takbir), and Quranic passages (Ayat al-Kursi and the three concluding surahs of the Quran) to be recited immediately after the final greeting (taslim) of each prescribed prayer .
- Morning and Evening: Invocations legislated for the start and end of the day, including the "chief supplication for seeking forgiveness" (sayyid al-istighfar) and formulas seeking divine protection .
- Sleep and Awakening: Remembrances and prayers prescribed upon retiring to bed and upon waking up .
- Entering and Leaving the Home: Prophetic formulas for leaving or returning to one's residence .
- Entering and Leaving the Mosque: The prescribed supplications upon stepping into and out of places of worship .
- Travel: Supplications for embarking on journeys and returning from travel .
Publication and Reception
Tuhfat al-Akhyar was published by the General Presidency of the Administrations of Scholarly Research, Ifta, Da‘wah, and Guidance in Riyadh in 1409 AH (1988/1989 CE), and was subsequently reprinted multiple times . It was later incorporated into Ibn Baz's collected writings, appearing in the 26th volume of Majmu‘ Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi‘a as well as within al-Majmu‘ al-Mufid al-Mumtaz . The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta routinely recommended the booklet as a dependable reference for authentic daily invocations alongside classical works such as Abu Zakariyya al-Nawawi's al-Adhkar and Ibn Taymiyya's al-Kalim al-Tayyib .
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