Introduction

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ.

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي دَعَانَا لِلْإِيمَانِ، وَهَدَانَا بِالْقُرْآنِ، وَأَجَابَ دَعْوَتَنَا بِالْفَضْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِ الْخَلْقِ الدَّاعِي إِلَى دَعْوَةِ الْحَقِّ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَتَابِعِيهِ، وَحِزْبِ الدُّعَاةِ إِلَى كَلِمَتِهِ، وَالرُّعَاةِ لِأُمَّتِهِ فِي مِلَّتِهِ.

All praise is for Allah, who called us to faith, guided us by the Qurʾān, and answered our call with grace and kindness. Blessings and peace be upon the master of creation, the caller to the call of truth ﷺ, and upon his family, his Companions and his followers, the company of those who call to his word, and the shepherds of his community in his religion.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ الدَّاعِي مَغْفِرَةَ رَبِّهِ الْبَارِي، عَلِيُّ بْنُ سُلْطَانٍ مُحَمَّدٍ الْقَارِي، سَتَرَ اللَّهُ عُيُوبَهُمَا وَغَفَرَ ذُنُوبَهُمَا: لَمَّا رَأَيْتُ بَعْضَ السَّالِكِينَ يَتَعَلَّقُونَ بِأَوْرَادِ الْمَشَايِخِ الْمُعْتَبَرِينَ وَأَحْزَابِ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْمُكَرَّمِينَ، حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ بَعْضَهُمْ تَعَلَّقُوا بِالدُّعَاءِ السَّيْفِيِّ وَالْأَرْبَعِينَ الْاسْمِيِّ، وَوَجَدْتُ بَعْضَ الْعَوَامِّ يَتَقَيَّدُونَ بِقِرَاءَةِ دُعَاءٍ نَحْوِ الْقَدَحِ، وَيَذْكُرُونَ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ مَا لَا شُبْهَةَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْوَضْعِ وَالْقَدْحِ،

To proceed. The servant who begs the forgiveness of his Lord, the Maker, ʿAlī ibn Sulṭān Muḥammad al-Qārī, may Allah conceal the faults of him and his father and forgive their sins, says: I saw some of those travelling the path holding fast to the litanies of the recognised shaykhs and the ḥizbs of the honoured scholars, until I saw some of them clinging to the Duʿāʾ Sayfī and the Arbaʿīn Ismī, and I found some of the common people binding themselves to the reading of a supplication such as the Qadaḥ, and relating in its chain what leaves no doubt that it is fabricated and flawed.

فَخَطَرَ بِبَالِي أَنْ أَجْمَعَ الدَّعَوَاتِ الْمَأْثُورَةَ فِي الْأَحَادِيثِ الْمَنْثُورَةِ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ الْمُعْتَبَرَةِ الْمَشْهُورَةِ، كَالْحِصْنِ لِلْجَزَرِيِّ، وَالْأَذْكَارِ لِلنَّوَوِيِّ، وَالْكَلِمِ الطَّيِّبِ وَالْجَامِعَيْنِ وَالدُّرِّ لِلسُّيُوطِيِّ، وَالْقَوْلِ الْبَدِيعِ لِلسَّخَاوِيِّ، رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى،

So it occurred to me to gather the transmitted supplications scattered through the hadiths in the recognised and well-known books: al-Ḥiṣn of Imam Ibn al-Jazarī, al-Adhkār of Imam al-Nawawī, al-Kalim al-Ṭayyib, the two Jāmiʿs and al-Durr of Imam al-Suyūṭī, and al-Qawl al-Badīʿ of Imam al-Sakhāwī, may Allah, exalted is He, have mercy on them all,

مُقَدِّمًا لِلدَّعَوَاتِ الْقُرْآنِيَّةِ، وَخَاتِمًا لِكَيْفِيَّاتِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْمُحَمَّدِيَّةِ الْمُصْطَفَوِيَّةِ النُّورَانِيَّةِ، رَاجِيًا دُعَاءَ مَنْ يَدْعُو لِلدَّاعِي، فَإِنَّ الدَّالَّ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ كَالسَّاعِي.

placing the Qurʾānic supplications first and ending with the forms of the luminous blessings upon Muḥammad, the Chosen One ﷺ, in the hope that whoever recites them will pray for the one who called him to them, for the one who points the way to good is like the one who does it.

وَأَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَجْعَلَ سَعْيِي مَشْكُورًا، وَقَصْدِي مَبْرُورًا، وَهَٰذَا الْجَمْعَ الَّذِي هُوَ مَعْدِنُ الثَّنَاءِ وَمَنْبَعُ الدُّعَاءِ عَلَى أَلْسِنَةِ الطَّالِبِينَ مَذْكُورًا، وَعَنْ تَحْرِيفِ الْمُبْطِلِينَ وَتَصْحِيفِ الْمُلْحِدِينَ مَهْجُورًا.

I ask Allah, exalted is He, to make my effort rewarded and my intention accepted, and to keep this collection, which is a mine of praise and a wellspring of supplication, on the tongues of those who seek, and safe from the corruption of the falsifiers and the miscopying of the deviant.

وَسَمَّيْتُهُ الْحِزْبَ الْأَعْظَمَ وَالْوِرْدَ الْأَفْخَمَ، لِانْتِسَابِهِ وَاسْتِنَادِهِ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ الْأَكْرَمِ، صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّفَ وَكَرَّمَ.

I have named it al-Ḥizb al-Aʿẓam wa l-Wird al-Afkham, the Supreme Litany and the Noblest Daily Recital, because it belongs to and rests upon the most noble Messenger ﷺ, may Allah bless him, grant him peace, and honour and ennoble him.

فَعَلَيْكَ بِحِفْظِ مَبَانِيهِ، وَالتَّأَمُّلِ فِي مَعَانِيهِ، وَالْعَمَلِ بِمَضْمُونِ مَا فِيهِ، فَإِنَّهُ شَامِلٌ لِلْمُنْجِيَاتِ، وَحَافِلٌ لِلْمُهْلِكَاتِ، لِأَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَتْرُكْ خَصْلَةً حَمِيدَةً وَلَا خُلَّةً سَعِيدَةً إِلَّا طَلَبَهَا مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَسَأَلَهَا، وَلَا فِعْلَةً قَبِيحَةً وَلَا فِطْرَةً رَدِيَّةً إِلَّا اسْتَعَاذَ بِهِ مِنْهَا، إِجْمَالًا وَتَفْصِيلًا، وَإِكْمَالًا وَتَكْمِيلًا، وَتَنْبِيهًا وَتَتْمِيمًا، وَإِعْلَامًا وَتَعْلِيمًا، زَادَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى شَرَفًا وَتَعْظِيمًا وَإِجْلَالًا وَتَكْرِيمًا.

So take care to preserve its wording, to reflect on its meanings, and to act on what it contains, for it embraces all that saves and guards against all that destroys. The Prophet ﷺ left no praiseworthy trait and no blessed quality without seeking and asking it of Allah, exalted is He, and no ugly deed and no base disposition without seeking refuge in Him from it, in summary and in detail, in full and in completion, by way of alerting and perfecting, informing and teaching. May Allah, exalted is He, increase him in honour, greatness, majesty and nobility.

فَهَٰذَا كَمَالُ طَرِيقِ الْمُتَابَعَةِ النَّبَوِيَّةِ، وَزُبْدَةُ الْمَقَامَاتِ الْعَلِيَّةِ الْمَنْسُوبَةِ إِلَى السَّادَةِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ الصَّفِيَّةِ.

This is the perfection of the path of following the Prophet ﷺ, and the essence of the lofty stations ascribed to the pure masters of the Sufi way.

فَإِنْ قَدَرْتَ عَلَى قِرَاءَتِهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ فَبِهَا وَنِعْمَتْ، وَإِلَّا فَفِي كُلِّ جُمْعَةٍ، وَإِلَّا فَفِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ، وَإِلَّا فَفِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ، وَإِلَّا فَفِي الْعُمْرِ مَرَّةً، أَيْضًا غَنِيمَةٌ.

If you are able to read it every day, then that is excellent; if not, then every week; if not, then every month; if not, then every year; and if not, then once in a lifetime, and that too is a gain.

وَإِذَا أَرَدْتَ قِرَاءَتَهَا فِي عَرَفَاتٍ فَزِدْ فِيهِ: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، وَسُورَةَ الْإِخْلَاصِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، وَالِاسْتِغْفَارَ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، وَالصَّلَاةَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، وَزِدِ التَّلْبِيَةَ فِي أَثْنَاءِ الدَّعَوَاتِ، وَالْبُكَاءَ وَالتَّضَرُّعَ لِقَبُولِ الْحَاجَاتِ.

And if you wish to read it at ʿArafāt, add to it: "There is no deity except Allah alone, without partner; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He has power over all things," a hundred times; Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ a hundred times; "Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no deity except Allah, and Allah is the greatest," a hundred times; seeking forgiveness a hundred times; and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ a hundred times. Add the talbiya in the course of the supplications, with weeping and humble entreaty, so that your needs are granted.