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قصيدة البردة

Qasidat al-Burda

Imam Sharaf ad-Din al-Busiri · d. 696 AH / 1294 CE

Poetry

History of the Book

Al-Busiri, struck by paralysis in Egypt, composed the poem in praise of the Prophet ﷺ and wept until he slept. He saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream, who passed a hand over his body and cast a mantle over him; he woke healed. The poem has since been translated into Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Swahili, Hausa, Malay, and dozens more, and is recited at births, weddings, and gravesides alike.

Passages of Light

مُحَمَّدٌ سَيِّدُ الْكَوْنَيْنِ وَالثَّقَلَيْـنِ * وَالْفَرِيقَيْنِ مِنْ عُرْبٍ وَمِنْ عَجَمِ

Muḥammadun sayyidu al-kawnayni wa ath-thaqalayn...

Muhammad is the master of both worlds and of both weighty creations, and of both groups — the Arabs and the non-Arabs.

Praise

Al-Burda, verse 34

He is the beloved whose intercession is hoped for, at every terror among the terrors that come suddenly.

LoveIntercession

Al-Burda, verse 35

Leave aside what the Christians claimed about their prophet, then say what you will in his praise and judge it well.

PraiseWitness

Al-Burda, verse 38