QASIDAT AL-BURDA
al-Kawākib ad-Durrīya fī Madḥ Khayr al-Barīya
(Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation)
The Writer: Hazrat Imam Saalih Sharaf-ud-deen
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin
Hasan Al Busairi ( RaziAllahu Ta'ala Anhu)
694/695AH (1295 CE).
His grave is well known and is connected to a large mosque.
His poem embellishes its walls
There is still one line left that has not been removed:
As arms against a host of relentless calamities.
Qasida Burdah
This poem was taught, copied, distributed, recited, transcribed on mosque walls, memorized, commented on, studied, and considered required reading by countless scholars, including the hadith masters Sakhawi and Suyuti, and their students.
EXCERPTS FROM
IMAM AL-BUSIRI'S QASIDAT AL-BURDA
26.
astaghfirullaha min qawlin bila `amalin / laqad nasabtu bihi naslan
li dhi `uqumi
I ask Allah's forgiveness for talk without deeds,
for I have thereby claimed an offspring for one who is seedless.
27.
amartuka al-khayra lakin ma atmartu bihi / wa mastaqamtu fa ma qawli
lakastaqimi
I ordered you to do good deeds, but I did not follow
that order. I have not been upright. What value have my words to you:
Be upright?
28. wa la tazawwadtu qabla al-mawti nafilatan
/ wa lam usalli siwa fardin wa lam asumi
I did not make
provision of supererogatory deeds before death. I did not pray or
fast beyond what is obligatory.
29. zalamtu sunnata man
ahya al-zalama ila / an ishtakat qadamahu al-durra min warami
Verily,
I have wronged the Way of him who kept awake in the dark night,
praying until his feet complained of their swelling,
30.
wa shadda min shaghabin ahsha'ahu wa tawa / tahta al-hijarati kishhan
mutrafa al-adami
Who bound up his entrails due to hunger, and
girded beneath stones his delicate flank,
31. wa rawadathu
al-jibalu al-shummu min dhahabin / `an nafsihi fa araha ayyata
shamami
Whom lofty mountains endeavored to turn from himself
with offerings of gold, whereupon he showed them greater
loftiness,
32. wa akkadat zuhdahu fiha daruratuhu / inna
al-darurata la ta`du `ala al-`isami
And what confirmed that he
renounced them was his necessity. Verily, necessity has no sway over
those made immune by Allah;
33. wa kayfa tad`u ila
al-dunya daruratu man / lawlahu lam tukhraji al-dunya min
al-`adami
And how could necessity attract to the world the one
were it not for whom the world would not have come out of
inexistence?
34. muhammadun sayyidu al-kawnayni wa
al-thaqalay / ni wa al-fariqayni min `urbin wa `ajami
Muhammad –
Master of the Two Worlds, and of the Two Dense Kinds [human and
jinn], and of the Two Branches, Arabs and non-Arabs,
35.
nabiyyuna al-amiru al-nahi fa la ahadun / abarra fi qawli la minhu wa
la na`ami
Our Prophet – who commands and forbids. None is more
truthful in saying No or Yes.
36. huwa al-habibu al-ladhi
turja shafa`atuhu / li kulli hawlin min al-ahwali muqtahimi
He
is the Beloved whose intercession is dearly sought against every
terror's onslaught.
37. da`a ilallahi fal-mustamsikuna
bihi / mustamsikuna bi hablin ghayri munfasimi
He called unto
Allah. Those who take hold of him have grasped a rope that shall
never break.
38. faqa al-nabiyyina fi khalqin wa fi
khuluqin / wa la yudanuhu fi `ilmin wa la karami
He surpasses
all Prophets in form and character. None of them approaches his
knowledge or generosity.
39. wa kulluhum min rasulillahi
multamisun / gharfan min al-bahri wa rashfan min al-diyami
All
of them come and take from Allah's Messenger a handful of his ocean
or a sip of his continuous rains.
40. wa waqifuna ladayhi
`inda haddihim / min nuqtati al-`ilmi aw min shaklat al-hikami
They
stand before him – each at his limit – possessing but one dot of
his science and a glimpse of his wisdom.
41. fa huwa
al-ladhi tamma ma`nahu wa suratuhu / thumma istafahu habiban bari'u
al-nasami
He is the one whose innermost and outward form were
made perfect, after which the Creator of souls took him for His
Beloved Friend.
42. munazzahun `an sharikin fi mahasinihi
/ fa jawharu al-husni fihi ghayru munqasimi
He is exalted above
having a partner in his excellent qualities. The essence of his
beauty was made indivisible.
43. da` ma idda`athu
al-nasara fi nabiyyihim / wahkum bi ma shi'ta madhan fihi wa
ihtakimi
Put aside what the Christians have claimed of their
Prophet; then pronounce what you will in praise of him, and be
wise;
44. fansub ila dhatihi ma shi'ta min sharafin /
wansub ila qadrihi ma shi'ta min `izami
And attribute to his
person whatever nobility you will, and ascribe to his worth whatever
greatness you will,
45. fa inna fadla rasulillahi laysa
lahu / haddun fa yu`riba `anhu natiqun bi fami
For the
superiority of Allah's Messenger has no limit that a speaker can
express with his mouth.
46. law nasabat qadruhu ayatuhu
`izaman / ahya ismuhu hina yud`a darisa al-rimami
If his signs
had matched his worth, the mere utterance of his name would have
brought back to life the dust that once was bones;
47. lam
yamtahinna bima ta`ya al-`uqulu bihi / hirsan `alayna fa lam nartab
wa lam nahimi
But he did not test us with what makes impotent
the minds, out of great concern for us, so that we should not doubt
nor become perplexed.
48. a`ya al-wara fahmu ma`nahu fa
laysa yura / li al-qurbi wa al-bu`di minhu ghayra munfahimi
Creation
is, in truth, powerless to understand his secret. You will not see
any near him or far, except it makes them bewildered,
49.
ka al-shamsi tazharu li al-`aynayni min bu`din / saghiratan wa
tukillu al-tarfa min amami
As the sun appears small to the eyes
from a distance, and yet exhausts their sight upon a second
look.
50. wa kayfa yudriku fi al-dunya haqiqatahu / qawmun
niyamun tasallaw `anhu bi al-hulumi
And how could one perceive
his reality in this world, who belongs to a sleeping race distracted
from him with dreams?
51. fa mablaghu al-`ilmi fihi annahu
basharun / wa annahu kharyu khalqillahi kullihimi
The sum of
their knowledge concerning him is that he was a mortal, and that he
was the best of all Allah's creation.
52. wa kullu ayin
ata al-rusulu al-kiramu biha / fa innama ittasalat min nurihi
bihimi
And every single sign brought by the noble Prophets was
theirs only in connection to his light,
53. fa innahu
shamsu fadlin hum kawakibuha / yuzhirna anwaraha li al-nasi fi
al-zulami
For verily he is a sun of perfection of which they are
the moons bringing its light to people in the midst of darkness.
54.
akrim bi khalqi nabiyyin zanahu khuluqun / bi al-husni mushtamilin bi
al-bishri muttasimi
How noble was the form of this Prophet
adorned with a high character that encompassed beauty and was marked
with cheerful countenance!
55. ka al-zahri fi tarafin wa
al-badri fi sharafin / wa al-bahri fi karamin wa al-dahri fi himami
A
form like the soft lilies and the full moon in splendor, a character
like the ocean in generosity and Time in endeavors,
56.
ka'annuhu wa huwa fardun fi jalalatihi / fi `askarin hina talqahu wa
fi hashami
Seeming, due to his majesty, even when you met him
alone, to head an army or a large company,
57. ka'annama
al-lu'lu'u al-maknunu fi sadafin / min ma`dinay mantiqin minhu wa
mubtasimi
As if the very pearl concealed inside the shell were
formed in the two molds of his speech and his smile.
58.
la tiba ya`dilu turban damma a`zumahu / tuba li muntashiqin minhu wa
multathimi
There is no fragrance equal to the earth that
encloses his bones. Blessed is he that breathes its scent and kisses
it.
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145. in ati dhanban fa ma `ahdi bi muntaqidin /
min al-nabiyyi wa la habli bi munsarimi
If I commit a sin, my
covenant is not broken away from the Prophet, nor is my connection to
him cut,
146. fa inna li dhimmatan minhu bi tasmiyati /
muhammadan wa huwa awfa al-khalqi bi al-dhimami
For I hold a
bond from him in my being named Muhammad, and he is the most
trustworthy one in creation in keeping his bonds,
147. in
lam yakun fi ma`adi akhidhan bi yadi / fadlan wa illa fa qul ya
zallata al-qadami
And if he were not, on the day of my return to
Allah, to take my hand out of munificence, then you may say of me:
the foot will slip!
148. hashahu an yuhrima al-raji
makarimahu / aw yarji`a al-jaru minhu ghayra muhtarimi
Far be it
from him to deprive the petitioner of his graces. Far be it from him
that the seeker of refuge return from his presence discomfited.
149.
wa mundhu alzamtu afkari mada'ihahu / wajadtuhu li khalasi khayra
multazimi
Yea, since I devoted my thoughts to praising him, I
have found him the best of contractors for my deliverance.
150.
wa lan yafuta al-ghina minhu yadan taribat / inna al-haya yunbitu
al-azhara fi al-akami
Wealth from him will never fail the hands
that became destitute – verily, the rain makes flowers grow even on
rugged hills –
151. wa lam urid zahrata al-dunya al-lati
iqtatafat / yada zuhayrin bi ma athna `ala harimi
But I do not
desire the splendor of this world, which the hands of Zuhayr seized
when he praised Harim, the King.
152. ya akrama al-khalqi
ma li man aludhu bihi / siwaka `inda hululi al-hadithi al-`amami
O
noblest one in creation, I have none from whom to request protection
other than you when the Universal Event befalls.
153. wa
lan yadiqa rasulallahi jahuka bi / idha al-karimu tajalla bi ismi
muntaqimi
Your great standing, O Messenger of Allah, will not
diminish for advocating me, if the Generous One manifests Himself
with His name of Avenger,
154. fa inna min judika al-dunya
wa darrataha / wa min `ulumika `ilma al-lawhi wa al-qalami
For
your generosity encompasses both this world and the one that comes
next, and your sciences encompass the knowledge of the Tablet and the
Pen.
155. ya nafsi la taqnati min zallatin `azumat / inna
al-kaba'ira fi al-ghufrani ka al-lamami
O my soul! Do not
despair because of a terrible footslip. Grave sins, under the
covering of forgiveness, are as small ones.
156. la`alla
rahmata rabbi hina yaqsimuha / ta'ti `ala hasabi al-`isyani fi
al-qasami
It may be that my Lord's mercy, when He distributes
it, shall match the transgressions in proportion.
157. ya
rabbi wa ij`al raja'i ghayra mun`akisin / ladayka wa ij`al hisabi
ghayra munkharimi
O my Lord! Do not let my hope be reversed in
Your presence, and let not my account be deemed deficient,
158.
waltuf bi `abdika fi al-darayni inna lahu / sabran mata tad`uhu
al-ahwalu yanhazimi
And be kind to Your servant in the Two
Abodes, for his is a kind of fortitude which calamities hail and
overcome,
159. wa'dhan li suhbi salatin minka da'imatin /
`ala al-nabiyyi bi munhalli wa munsajimi
And grant showerings of
blessings from You upon the Prophet, copious and continuous!
160.
thumma al-rida `an abi bakrin wa `an `umarin / wa `an `aliyyin wa `an
`uthmana dhi al-karami
And may Allah's good pleasure be with Abu
Bakr, `Umar, `Ali, and `Uthman the noble one,
161. wa
al-ali wa al-sahbi thumma al-Tabi`ina lahum / ahli al-tuqa wa al-nuqa
wa al-hilmi wa al-karami
And with the Family of the Prophet and
his Companions, and their Successors the People of Godwariness and
Purity and Kindness and Nobility
162. ma rannahat `adhabat
al-bani rihu saban / wa atraba al-`isa hadi al-`isi bi al-naghami
As
long as the gentle Eastern wind waves the stalks of the moringa-tree,
and the camel-leader enlivens the camel with his songs.
163.
ya rabbi bi al-mustafa balligh maqasidana / wa ighfir lana ma mada ya
wasi`a al-karami
O my Lord! with the Elect One make us attain
our goals, and forgive us for what has passed, O Most Munificent
One!
164. wa ighfir ilahi li kulli al-muslimina bi ma /
yatluhu fi al-masjidi al-aqsa wa fi al-harami
And forgive, O my
God, all Muslims who recite this in the Farthest Mosque and the Holy
Sanctuary,
165. bi jahi man baytuhu fi tibatin harami / wa
ismihu qasamun min a`zami al-qasami
For the Honor and sake of
the one whose house lies in the verdant sacrosanct land, and whose
name is one of the greatest oaths.
AL-BURDA: THE PROPHET'S MANTLE Composed by:
IMAM AL-BUSIRI
He composed the Burda while suffering from a stroke which had paralysed half of his body. After praying to Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala to heal him, he fell asleep and in his dream recited this qasida to the Holy Prophet Sayyidina wa Mawlana Hadhrat Muhammad Mustafa Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam who touched the paralysed part of his body and threw his mantle (Burda) over him. On arising, he was miraculously cured, the news of which spread far and wide. Hence the qasida came to be called Qasida tu'l Burda and received veneration among all Muslims as a qasida especially approved by the beloved Prophet Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam. Its verses are often learned by heart and inscribed on the walls of public buildings. It is congregationally recited in the majalis (spiritual gatherings) of the Zaakireen (those who remember Allah Ta'ala) all over the world. It cures diseases as well as purifies hearts if recited with love and devotion.
More than 100 commentaries have been written on this Qasida and it has been translated in Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Berber, Punjabi, English, French and German, among other languages.
1. Love for Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam
2. A warning against the desires of the nafs
3. Praise of the beloved Prophet Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam
4. Events occuring on his birth
5. His miracles
6. Praise of the Glorious Qur'an
7. The "Isra" and "Mi'raj" of the noble Prophet Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam
8. His battles
9. Repentence, asking forgiveness of Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala and seeking intercession of the beloved Prophet Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam
10. Supplication to Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala
Copy of the Qaṣīdat al-Burdah (The poem of the mantle) Here
Amplification (takhmīs) by Naṣīr al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Fayyūmī.
The amplification and the text of the Qaṣīdat al-burdah were written in naskh and thuluth scripts respectively by Riḍwān ibn Muḥammad al-Tabīzī in 767 AH / 1366 CE, probably for the Mawlawī (Mevlevi) Library in Konya, Turkey. [Walters Art Museum, 1931,W.581]Here
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In fact, this poem has received somewhere around 100 commentaries from the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah and none declare it to include 'blatant and obvious kufr and heresy'.
This
is just the opinion of the Wahhabi
scholars who have
a takfiri mindset. Twisted minds will read and interpret the
text in a twisted way and there is little that can be said or done to
convince them.
In
actual fact,
if one want to determine what 'the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna
wa'l-Jamaa'ah' who have studied it have said then they ought to
consult what some of the true classical Sunni scholars of the
last 500 years
have said in their respective commentaries.
Imams Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Sakhawi, and al-Suyuti (ra), who all included it as required reading in the Islamic curriculum. [Cf. al-Suyuti, Husn al-Muhadara (Cairo 1293 ed. 1:260) and al-Sakhawi, in A.J. Arberry, Sakhawiana: A Study Based on the Chester Beatty Ms. Arab. 773 (London: Emery Walker Ltd., 1951, p. 5-9).]
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Imam Al-Zarkashi (d. 794),
Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Anṣārī (d. 926)
Imam Muhammad Abu al-Su`ud al-Hanafi (d. 951),
Shaykh Zadah (d. 951),
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami al-Shafi`i (d. 973)
Mulla `Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi (d. 1014),
Allama Ibrahim al-Bajuri al-Shafi`i (d. 1277),
Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn `Ashur al-Maliki (d. 1284)
Imam Muhammad Abu al-Su`ud al-Hanafi (d. 951), quoted in Sayyid Hasan al-`Idwi al-Hamzawi al-Maliki's (d. 1303) al-Nafahat al-Shadhiliyya fi Sharhi al-Burdat al-Busiriyya
2. Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Muhammad ibn Mustafa al-Hanafi, known as Shaykh Zadah (d. 951), Hashiyat al-Burda in the margin of al-Kharputi's `Asidat al-Shuhda Sharh Qasidat al-Burda (Ottoman 1320 ed. p. 219).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami al-Shafi`i (d. 973), al-`Umda fi Sharh al-Burda, ed. Bassam Muhammad Barud (UAE: Dar al-Faqih, 2003, p. 666-669).
Mulla `Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi (d. 1014), al-Zubda fi Sharh al-Burda, ms. from the Damascus library of the Musnid Sayyid Muhammad Salih al-Khatib (also containing al-Qari's two treatises on the Mawlid), folios 54b-55a.
`Allama Ibrahim al-Bajuri al-Shafi`i (d. 1277), Sharh al-Burda (`Abd al-Rahman Mahmud Cairo ed. p. 132-133)
Imam Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn `Ashur al-Maliki (d. 1284), Shifa' al-Qalb al-Jarih fi Sharhi Burdati al-Madih
"Some of the above excelled their respective contemporaries in the Arabic language and they excelled also in fiqh and usul, while Ibn `Ashur and Abu al-Su`ud were arguably the two greatest mufassirs of the last five hundred years."
In English one may refer to the recently published The Mainstay – a Commentary on Qaṣīda al-Burda by Shaykh Ibn ʿAjība d.1224 AH [1809 CE], al-ʿUmda fī Sharḥ al-Burda.
Imam Al-Zarkashi (d. 794/1392) who was a Shafi'i scholar of fiqh and Tafsir who studied with Ibn Kathir and lived two generations after Imam Al-Busiri said about the Burdah in the introduction to his commentary Sharḥ al-Burdah: Reciting [the Burdah] can prevent disasters, if people only knew about value of the poem, then they would write it on their pupils of their eyes with gold ink.
He also said: When I saw the eloquence of the Burdah, I wanted to explain it with a commentary that would open people’s eyes. This commentary includes [references] to many [Islamic] sciences; and through this commentary, as a sinful servant of God, I seek intercession from the Prophet, almamdūḥ [the praised one], the most noble of creation…to wipe away my sins
Shaykh Zadah (d. 951) said (Rāḥat alarwāḥ,383): The pen cannot even record its wonders, and its benefits make the tongue aware of its affairs…with this commentary, one can only attempt to uncover its issues and to clarify its enigmas…with an interpretation, one can uncover its secrets and raise the veils off it…I saw that there were pure souls who wanted to understand its [the Burdah] benefits, so I found some wonderful opinions that helped explain its usage. And I saw the most amazing thing that one could desire, and I ascended to it…so I commenced to compose a commentary that would simplify [the Burdah], solve its enigmas, and analyze its meanings
Shaykh Ibn 'Ashur quotes another commentator, al-Anṭākī in his Shifāʾ al-qalb al-jarīh bi sharḥ Burdat al-madiḥ saying: I saw amazing things from its blessings, but all of this is miniscule compared to the object of its praise (mamdūḥha) [the Prophet]. Of course this is so because he is the greatest intercessor, the protector...he can implore for him [the Prophet] to intercede for him to God to help him acquire his heart’s desire.
Ibn 'Ashur also says on p.68: Some of the shaykhs used to advise their students to recite the Burdah. It was said that it was the greatest way to connect with God, that it helps people succeed in their lives, its recitation calms someone who is frightened, gets rid of anxiety, and brings joy to people’s hearts. The place in which the poem is recited becomes full of mercy and blessings.
Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Anṣārī (d. 926/1520) who needs no introduction also has a commentary entitled: Al Zubdah al-rāʾiqah fī sharḥ al Burdah al-fāʾiqah.
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al-Kawakib al-durriyya fi madh khayr al-bariyya
(The resplendent stars in the praise of the Best of Creation)
Which became known as Qasidat al-Burdah
After claiming HIS, love in the first chapter, and how to attain it, in the second Imam Busiri begins the praises of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In chapter 3, He openly declares his love and shows the great qualities and perfect character of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
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