Qaṣīdat-ul-Burda
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Qaṣīdat-ul-Burda ("Poem of the Mantle"), as it came to be called, is an ode composed by the eminent Sufi Shaikh Sharafuddin Muhammad Al-Busiri (d. 1296) of Egypt. The poem, whose actual title is al-Kawākib ad-Durrīya fī Madhi Khair-ul-Barīya ("Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation"), is recited throughout the Muslim world.
al-Būṣīrī composed the Burda while suffering paralysis of half his body. After praying to God for health, he fell asleep and dreamt of reciting his compilation to Muhammad. The prophet touched the paralysed body parts and threw his mantle (burda) over al-Būṣīrī. On arising, the shaikh was cured. His story spread and the poem became famous.
Muslims venerate the ode. The poem is memorized and recited in congregations, and its verses decorate the walls of public buildings and mosques. Some Muslims believe that, if recited with love and devotion, the Burda can cure diseases and purify hearts. Over 90 commentaries have been written on this poem and it has been translated into Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Berber, Punjabi, English, French, German, and other languages.
The Burda is divided into 10 chapters and 160 verses. Each verse ends with the Arabic letter mīm, a style called mīmīya. The 10 chapters of the Burda comprise
- On Lyrical Love Yearning
- On Warnings about the Caprices of the Self
- On the Praise of the Prophet
- On his Birth
- On his Miracles
- On the Exalted Stature and Miraculous Merits of the Qur'ān
- On the Ascension of the Prophet
- On the Chivalrous Struggle of God’s Messenger
- On Seeking Intercession through the Prophet
- On Intimate Discourse and the Petition of One’s State
