The Orison and the Observance
The Spiritual Instruction of the Prophet Muḥammad and his Noble Descendants
A Parallel English-Arabic Text Compiled and Translated by Sayyid Amjad H. Shah Naqavi
Spirituality, supplication, and communion with God are fundamental to Islam. The teachings and prayers of the Prophet Muḥammad and his descendants – may God bless them – are a central source of spiritual guidance for Muslims and all seekers of divine grace and blessings. The Orison and the Observance: The Spiritual Instruction of the Prophet Muḥammad and his Noble Descendants, compiled and translated from a vast corpus of Islamic spiritual sources by the Dean of The Shīʿah Institute, Dr Sayyid Amjad H. Shah Naqavi, gathers the most profound glorifications, invocations, supplications, and petitions for the religious calendar in a single volume.
A collection of the most fundamental and timeless works in the Islamic spiritual tradition, The Orison and the Observance makes a unique genre of Arabic devotional literature available to a general readership for the first time in Dr Sayyid Amjad H. Shah Naqavi’s masterful and authoritative translations. Dr Sayyid Amjad H. Shah Naqavi draws upon the treasury of the House of Prophethood from the renowned compilations of some of the most important scholars, sages, and luminaries in Islamic history, including al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (d. 460/1067), al-Sayyid Ibn Ṭāwūs (d. 646/1266), and al-Shaykh al-Kafʿamī (d. 905/1499–1500), amongst others from modern times, such as al-Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī (d. 1359/1941). Based upon a deep knowledge of and immersion in the distinctive linguistic, rhetorical, and affective dimensions of the Islamic spiritual tradition, as well as decades of study in Arabic philology, lexicography, etymology, and grammar, The Orison and the Observance presents English translations which reflect, capture, and transmit the intimate register of communion with the divine so central to Islamic devotional literature and prayer, both private and liturgical. Dr Sayyid Amjad H. Shah Naqavi’s compilation and translation is a valuable contribution to the spiritual heritage of Islam and an indispensable resource for anyone with an interest in spirituality, gnosis, and prayer, and will be of lasting benefit to general readers, students, and scholars.
The Orison and the Observance: The Spiritual Instruction of the Prophet Muḥammad and his Noble Descendants is the fifth volume in The Shīʿah Library series.