Among the prominent supplicatory works of the Shīʿī tradition is Duʿāʾ ʿArafa, attributed to Imam al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī (d. 61/680). The text of this supplication (duʿāʾ), which lacks a chain of transmission (isnād) and contains various omissions and additions in different manuscripts, can only be found in works dating from after the seventh/thirteenth century. This absence from earlier works has led to long-standing debates about the validity of attributing, at least some parts of this duʿāʾ, to Imam al-Ḥusayn. This study aims to demonstrate, through the application of internal and external methods of analysis to historical texts, that Duʿāʾ ʿArafa is authentic and rooted in the teachings of the Family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt), likely originating from Imam Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq (d. 148/765). Furthermore, this study intends to provide a theoretical model for examining the authenticity of other supplications, attributed to the Ahl al-Bayt, that sometimes lack isnāds and whose authenticity cannot be determined by traditional methods employed in biographical evaluation (rijāl) and other sciences of ḥadīth.

KEYWORDS: Shīʿī supplicatory literature, ḥadīth dating, stylistic analysis of supplications, Duʿāʾ ʿArafa, Imam al-Ḥusayn, Imam Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq.