The Book AL-MISBĀH-UL-KAF'AMI
JUNNAT-UL-AMĀN-UL-WĀQIYAH WA JANNAT-UL-ĪMĀN-UL-BĀQIYAH (popularly known as Misbāh-ul-Kaf'ami)
Taqiuddīn Ibrahim son of Ali Kaf'ami (840-905 Hegira)
Supplications, and Ziārat (prayers addressed to holy Imams and their descendants during pilgrimage to their holy shrines). In fact, the book Misbāh is a selection and abridgement of Kaf'ami's earlier book Al-Balad-ul-Amīn.
Sheikh Taqiuddīn Kaf'ami completed writing of the book in the year 895 Hegira, ten years before his death.
In the introduction of the book, Kaf'ami explains:
"The book Misbāh' is a collection of prayers I have selected from authentic books that are actually as firm strings to which all people should resort. I arranged the contents in such a way that a reader can well feel inspired to seek the highest stage towards attaining Divine Proximity."
Misbāh-ul-Mutahajjid written by Sheikh Tūsi, which is also called as Misbāh Kabir
Misbāh-ul-Kaf'ami
Misbāh Kabir had been a well-received book, and practically every devout family kept a copy of it. However, after appearance of Misbāh Kaf'ami, it attained such a popularity that took the place of Sheikh Tūsi's Misbāh Kabir.
The sources consist of 238 books, referred to and listed by the author at the end of the book. These contain prayers, supplications, interpretations of the holy Qur'an, and Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence).
The book has fifty chapters. The early chapters deal with the basic Divine precepts (Ahkām) on preliminary necessities for performing daily prayers (Salāt), including decrees on body purification, or Tahārat.
In the subsequent chapters, the obligatory (Wājib) and optional (Mustahabb) Salāts along with the recommended supplications (Ta'qeebāt) after Salāts are described in details, each in a separate chapter.
These are followed by other various supplications and their timings of performance according to the prescribed manner.
From chapter 41 onward there is a focus on prayers to be recited at pilgrimage places (Ziārat).
The other relevant contents include birthdays and dates of martyrdom of the infallible Imams (A.S.).
Furthermore, ritual acts during the months of Rajab onward up till Dhulhajjah are mentioned.
In the concluding part of the book, there is a discussion on the prerequisites of prayers and supplications, including the factors that would be effective for acceptance of our prayers by the Almighty Allah, the conditions that a person who prays must observe, the quality of praying, its preliminary conditions, etc.
There are many translations of the book Al-Misbāh, which include the following:
Translation by Qāzi Jamāluddin son of Fathullāh Shirāzi (resident of Hindustan)
"Rāhat-ul-Arwāh", a translation by Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Khān Mūsawi Jazāeri
A translation by Sayyid Muhammad Rizā Husseini
"Mūnis-ul-Ābedīn" or "Nikbakhtiyeh", by Mirzā Mahmūd ibne Ali
"Misbāh-ul-Janān Wa Miftāh-ul-Jinān", by Sharafuddin Beyrami Lāri. This translation includes translator's preface and closing remarks as well. The translator has actually summarized the original Misbāh and published it with artistic illumination style on the pages (known as Tahzeeb).
"Al-Jannat-ul-Wāqiyah", by Kaf'ami himself: due to the high volume of Misbāh, Kaf'ami decided to summarize it into 40 chapters. In fact this has been the very first summarization by the author of Misbāh himself.
"Al-Anwar-ul-Muqtabasah min-al-Misbāh"
"Ziya-ul-Thaqalayn", by Mirzā Hātam Nizām Mulki: the author has made an anthology out of Misbāh, and inserted some more Islamic decrees as well as selections from Sheikh Tūsi's Misbāh-ul-Mutahjid' into the text. He has also added some explanatory notes to some citations of Kaf'ami. These notes start with the phrase «مِنهُ سَلّمَهُ الله», i.e. "He (Kaf'ami) - May Allah safeguard his health - cites"
ANNOTATIONS (HĀSHIAH)
Al-Hāshiyah Alā Junnat-ul-Amān, by Ahmad son of Muhammad son of Ali Qayyūmi Mesri
Hāshiyah bar Misbāh (An Annotation on Misbāh), by Kaf'ami himself. This represents the most significant marginal commentary by the author of Misbāh himself, and is as voluminous as the original book of Misbāh! Some of these explanatory notes now appear on the margin of the original book Misbāh.
With regard to transcriptions or copies, it is notable that the book Misbāh was so well-received by the interested Muslim families and the Islamic countries that in the very first century of its publication, numerous copies were repeatedly made to meet the widespread and increasing demand.
The present copy contains valuable annotations by both Kaf'ami and Sheikh Tūsi. Also the duplicate copies of Misbāh are available at the margins.
And finally, the titles of chapters and supplications/prayers are indicated at the margins in bold script.