Qasida al-Burda - The Poem of the Mantle

Rendition of 'The Poem of the Mantle' led by Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad - Cambridge - 14th June 2007 - 52 minutes 20 seconds

The Sheikh leads a rendition of the Qasida al-Burda - a poem famous across the Muslim world - after the Maghrebi fashion. The poem, properly known as al-Kawakib ad-Durriya fi Madh Khayr al-Bariya ("Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation") was written in Egypt in the 13th century by Imam Salih Sharaf ad-Din Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Busiri. Previously a court poet famed for his panegyrics of contemporary figures of authority, an intractable period of paralysis inspired him to turn his talents towards praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Tradition holds that upon completion of the poem the Imam was visited in his sleep by the Prophet himself, who with a sweep of his cloak (Burda) cured him of his malady. The Qasida's fame quickly spread and soon after the poem could be heard recited regularly in the far corners of the Islamic world, much loved by Muslims due to its beauty and expression of love for the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Listen to this Qasida

Download this Qasida (MP3, 47.7MB)

This resource may be of use in following the poem:

http://www.deenislam.co.uk/burdah/burdah.htm

The Sheikh can also be heard talking about the poem on the following video