The Royal Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt Manuscript from Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract

The collection of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM), in Kuala Lumpur, includes over forty manuscript copies of Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt, the compilation of prayers and blessings for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by Imam al-Jazūlī. The copies derive from the original source of the manuscript, Morocco, to as far as Southeast Asia and China. Five were produced in different parts of the Malay world, namely Patani, Terengganu, Aceh, and Java. This article examines the royal Terengganu manuscript of Dalāʾil al-Khayrāt, revealing its distinctive bookmaking technique and arrangement of its contents, as well as its special decorative style. It aims to understand the cultural setting within which such manuscripts were produced. It also looks at the personification of scholarly figures from nineteenth-century Terengganu—in particular Sayyid Muḥammad ibn Zain al-ʿĀbidīn al-ʿAydarūs (Tok Ku Tuan Besar), who is possibly the scribe of this royal manuscript—and their relationship with scholars in Hijaz.