Qasida Burdah Sharif (Poem of the Mantle or the Cloak)

The Burdah - translated as Poem of the Mantle - by Al-Busiri is considered by many as the best poem about the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Designed to instill and fortify one's love of the Prophet (saw), its mere reading is widely believed to be efficacious.

The popularity of the Burdah among scholars and laymen alike derives from the complex and brilliant use of the Arabic language, the author's deep love of the Prophet (saw), and also from the fact that poetry in his praise is a cultural practice followed with great literary success since the dawn of Islam itself. During the lifetime of the Prophet (saw), poets celebrated his glories, using eulogies that, thanks to the special rules that apply to Arabic poetry, might sound extravagant if expressed in prose. The leading poet among the Companions was Hassan ibn Thabit, whose work is closely echoed in Busiri's ode. Here are the words of Hassan, in his funeral elegy in which he addresses the Blessed Prophet (saw):

He was the light and the brilliance we followed, He was sight and hearing second only to Allah. By Allah, no woman has conceived and given birth To one like the Messenger, the Prophet and Guide of his people; Nor has Allah created among His creatures, One more faithful to his sojourner or his promise Than he who was the source of our light, Blessed in his deeds, just, and upright. O best of mankind! It was though I were in a river; But now, without you, I have become lonely in my thirst.

SHARAF AL-DIN ABI ABDULLAH AL-BUSIRI

Sharaf al-Din al-Busiri was born in Egypt to a family of Berber origin. He studied in Cairo, where he specialised in hadith and Arabic literature, two disciplines that helped to make him the foremost exponent of Muslim religious poetry. Much of his professional life was spent in the three holy cities, where he became a famous teacher of the Qur'an. After his return to Egypt, where he managed a Qur'anic school, he passed on to his Lord. The exact year of his death is not known, but 1296 is the most commonly-given date.

Almost all of Busiri's written work takes the form of poetry, including a long and extraordinary poetic commentary on Christianity and Judaism, based on his study of the Bible. He also wrote a Diwan, an anthology of poems on a wide range of subjects. His best-known work, however, is the Burdah ('Poem of the Cloak'), which rapidly became the most popular religious poem in the Islamic world, a position which it retains to this day. The cause of its compilation was described by the author himself, as follows:

'I was suddenly paralysed down one side of my body by a stroke. I decided to compose this ode, the Burdah. I hoped that it would be a means unto Allah, by which He would cure me. So I recited it again and again, weeping, praying, and petitioning God. I fell asleep, and in a dream, I saw the Blessed Prophet (PBUH). He moved his noble hand across my face, and placed his cloak upon me. When I awoke, I found that I had recovered my health.'

The news of this miracle spread, and every section of the population began to learn the Burdah, hoping for some share of its blessing.