A fine Kashmiri Dala'il al-Khayrat , in Arabic, illuminated manuscript on polished paper [Kashmir, North India, mid-eighteenth century] 101 leaves (including contemporary endleaf at front, plus 4 later endpapers), complete, single column, 12 lines elegant black muhaqqaq, key words in red, catch-words, four decorative carpet pages (two at front and two at back), eight double-page illuminated polychrome borders , forming splendid colourful and geometric shapes adorned with spiralling floral vines around the text, all heightened in gold, two full-page illustrations of Mecca, the Prophet's tomb and the mosque at Medina , text blocks framed with pink and orange floral decorations against gold banners ruled in green and orange, interlinear colouring of gold throughout, occasional contemporary marginal notation, a few small smudges to ink, outer margins strengthened with Japanese paper, 165 by 95mm.; housed in contemporary red leather over pasteboards with central medallions and corner-pieces overlaid, rebacked and edges repaired, rubbed An exquisite example of Jazuli's Dala'il al-Khayrat illuminated in the refined style of eighteenth-century Kashmir. This Sunni prayerbook contains the prayers and litanies dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad used for daily recitation, and the fine execution of the calligraphy and illumination indicate that it was probably commissioned by a wealthy and high-ranking patron as a token of authority instead of an item for everyday use.