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Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

book by Ali Zain al-Abidien

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ4116033 ↗
Source-derived summary

Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (Arabic: ٱلصَّحِيفَة ٱلسَّجَّادِيَّة, romanized: Al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya, lit. 'the scripture of al-Sajjad') is a book of supplications attributed to Ali al-Sajjad, the fourth of the Twelve Imams, and the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The oldest prayer manual in Islam, al-Sahifa has been praised as the epitome of Islamic spirituality and the answer to many of today's spiritual questions. In particular, Shia tradition holds the book in great esteem, ranking it behind the Nahj al-Balagha. 54 supplications form the core of al-Sahifa, which often also includes an addenda of 14 supplications and 15 whispered prayers (munajat).

About the book

Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (lit. 'the scripture of al-Sajjad') is a collection of supplications. Regarded as a seminal work in Islamic spirituality, al-Sahifa has been praised as the epitome of Islamic spiritual expression and as a source of guidance for many contemporary spiritual questions. The book is attributed to Ali al-Sajjad, the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an imam in Shia Islam, also known by the honorific title Zayn al-Abidin (lit. 'ornament of worshippers'). Within Shia tradition, al-Sahifa is held in great esteem, ranking immediately after the Quran—the central text of Islam—and Nahj al-balagha, attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia imam and grandfather of al-Sajjad. The book is also known by several honorific titles, including “Sister of the Quran,” “Gospel of the Holy Household,” and “Psalms of Muhammad's Household.” It is additionally revered by certain Sufi orders. Numerous commentaries have been written on al-Sahifa.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya” as book by Ali Zain al-Abidien. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current 248-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Al-Sahifa, al-Sajjadiyya and book can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as book by Ali Zain al-Abidien. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4116033. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya primary sources, Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya archive and Al-Sahifa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya”?
  2. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.