al-m zan Newsletter of the Claremont Main Road Masjid ° No. 23
Mawlud 1440 November 2018 °
The Qasida Burdah Bashir Sacranie
Mawla ya salli wa sallim daiman abada; Ala habibika Kharul Khalqui Kulli hi mi. O Lord, let salutations upon your servant rain; Your beloved, he, the best in creation’s whole domain
Nothing is more expressive of love than song – qasida. From the soul arousing chant of the Qur’an to the soft soothing melody of a lullaby that the mother sings to her baby, to the wailing of the grief stricken – all these are the expressions of the soul that combine word and melody and transcend both, and transport us to dimensions beyond the norm. Imam Busiri’s love for the Prophet informed his work and his life. He was known for his poetry and his love for and devotion to the Prophet. Late in his years, he was struck down by a stroke and was partially paralyzed. Whilst in his affliction he composed the Qasida and, according to his own account, recited it repeatedly and with tearful emotion. He fell asleep and dreamt that the Prophet came to him, soothed and comforted him and cast his cloak upon him as a gesture of approval. When he awoke he found his affliction was gone. He went into the city and met a dervish who asked him to recite the Qasida. No one had ever heard the Qasida Burdah that the Imam had just composed, but the dervish recited the unique verse of its chorus and said that he was present when the Imam had sung it and had witnessed the Prophet express his approval of it by casting his cloak over the Imam. And so news of the miraculous Qasida spread and it became one of the most important devotional songs and chants for Muslims over the world. The Burda is divided into 10 sections and comprises some 160 odd couplets and we can only touch upon these in this limited space. [The verses quoted below are loosely translated into English to provide a semblance of the original] The chorus or refrain in the Burdah is –
The Qasida begins tentatively with the Imam describing a state of secret yearning and longing. Despite the poet’s inclination to secrecy, the soul, stirred and vivified, bursts to give expression in the most beautiful way to the joyous grief, the longing and yearning, which meld and emerge like the cooing of the bird whose love call lingeringly resounds through the stillness of the valley. Amin tha dhakkari jyiranin bi dhi salami; Mazajta dam’an jaraamin muqlatin bidami. Ayahsabus sabbu annalhubba munkatimun; Maabaina munsajimin minhu wa mud. twarimi
“The Qasida Burdah provides us with a distilled form of dhikr and prayer; a means of calling upon the mercy of Allah in times of celebration as well as distress” Is it because Dhisalaam’s environs you recall; That blood stained tears down your cheeks you let fall? In vain it is your love you labour to conceal; That teary eyes and burning heart so plainly reveal. Before he discloses who it is he yearns and pleads his love for, the poet expresses remorse and contrition for his past behaviour. He considers himself unworthy of his Beloved’s attention for he has been remiss and has wronged himself and lost himself is ghaflat, or carefree self-indulgence. Then he comes to declare his love and the object of his heartfelt lament: Of the one who stood in pain all night, footsore, to plead; And in grateful obedience faced his Lord, I followed not the lead Muhammad, Sayyid, he is of the creations twain; The best amongst the Arabs all and the best of the remain The Burdah then goes on to eulogize the Prophet’s advent, his struggles, his miracles,
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the Qur’an, the Mi’raaj, and his personality: his beauty, majesty, dignity, modesty, humility, compassion, shining intelligence and wisdom and his absolute devotion to his Master, Allah (Azwajal). In his modest cup Busiri tries to drown the sea, and fairly succeeds to offer up a draft for us to drink, that gives us a taste and a sense of the magnitude and profundity of the subject, and glimpses of the beauty of the persona, life and example of Muhammad (PBUH). The cup is there left for us to drink from at will, and, strangely, each time you raise it to your lips it yields more. The Imam finally makes his plea: O generous, relenting one, none else is there to hear my plea; In this my hour of dire distress and mounting calamity; O Rasulallah, of loss for you there will be no whit; On Judgment Day when the Generous One in Judgment will sit; O Lord! Fulfill my hopes, let them not barren remain; Let not my life on Judgment Day be rendered worthless and vain; And upon Your Nabi let cloud loads of blessings freely pour; Blessings generous full in measure and infinitely more; Much with Abubakr and Umar pleased may You be; and with Ali and Uthman, together all the people of nobility; And ‘pon his progeny, companions and devotees withal; the assemblies of the pious, sage and generous all; And while breezes stir the leaves of the cypress and make them rustle; and camel drivers with exotic chants their camels hustle O Lord! For the sake of Mustafa, approve our humble praise; And forgive us O Forbearing One our wayward ways; Forgive the one who wrote or who recites this humble piece; Receive them O Generous One into safety and ease. The Qasida Burdah provides us with a distilled form of dhikr and prayer; a means of calling upon the mercy of Allah in times of celebration as well as distress. It is uplifting and heartening, and a source of solace and succour.
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