Born in the 2nd
month of the Islamic calendar in 608 Hejira, circa 1232 A.D,
Imam
Muhammad Bin Saeed Bin Hammad Buseiri
had the natural talent of poetry
which in an early age earned him respect among literary circles. He had
his early education in his native village called Buseir near a city
called Dalas in Egypt, hence his title Buseiri. He then came to Cairo
for higher education and specialized in Islamic jurisprudence.
His
poetry centered around writing eulogies for kings and the rich and also
highlighting the sufferings of the poor on the hands of kings. A small
part of his poetry deals with different religions and their comparison
to Islam.
This
eulogy for the Prophet (Qaseeda) was written in the later stage of his
life when he suffered from paralysis. All possible means of treatment
that he employed could not prove effective. A thought crossed his mind
that he had been writing eulogies for ordinary kings and that he should
write one in praise of the King of all the worlds, i.e., Prophet
Muhammad.
According to traditions
regarding Imam Buseiri’s life, one night while he was asleep, he dreamt
of Prophet to whom he implored to pray for his recovery. Prophet
demanded Imam Buseiri to recite the eulogy he had written for him. On
hearing the eulogy, Prophet smiled and swept his hand across imam
Buseiri’s body. On waking up in the morning, Imam was startled to see
his illness cured and found Prophet’s black cloak (Burda) near
his bed, hence the title Burda for the eulogy.
He
died in 696 Hejira, 1320 A.D. His mausoleum is in Alexandria, Egypt
where millions of people come to pay homage.
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In the opening Chapter,
Imam Buseiri recalls all such things and places associated with Prophet.
His intense love for the Prophet extends over everything that the
Prophet did, possessed, touched, or even the places he visited. Makkah
and Medina were the two places where Prophet spent his life before and
after the migration (Hejira). Dhi Salam and Kazima were in close
proximity to the Prophet’s cities. According to the old Arabic
tradition, poets while writing eulogy for their beloved ones, would
express their love and longing for everything associated with their
beloved. In most of the oriental poetry, the role of veteran counselors
who stressed reason and wisdom even in matters relating to heart is
ubiquitous.
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Chapter Two
deals with the importance
of self-restraint and temperance. Human beings are prone to indulgences.
Their inner self is a battleground of the forces of evil and virtues.
The forces of evil tempt human beings towards wrongdoing ignoring the
calls of wisdom and reason. One who does not heed the warnings of
reasons and reins in his temptations, drowns himself in the abyss of
sins. Imam Buseiri alludes to the importance of intention (niyya).
It forms the basis of all deeds and hence, qualifies them for the reward
from the Almighty accordingly. A good deed done in love for God will
have a higher reward both in material and spiritual terms, while the one
done for earthly gains has no value in the eyes of God.
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Prophet
as emancipator is a central thought in
Chapter Three
where his role in liberating Mankind from the agony of worshipping many
gods diverting them toward the Almighty is highlighted. It is therefore
incumbent upon us to invoke God’s mercies and blessings on the Prophet
and fulfilling the obligations towards others in the manner done by the
Prophet.
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Chapter Four
deals with the announcement of prophet hood which sent shockwaves to the
much vaunted invincible fortresses of the pagans. Here, reference to
jinns requires elaboration. According to Arabic philology, the word
Janna means “something secret or someone concealed” besides the
ordinary meanings of the word Janna as paradise. According to one
of the translators and interpreters of the holy Qur’an, the word
Janna in Arabic folklore is used to refer to ghosts, demons, and the
like, a group of creatures that was beyond the corporeal perception of
ours. In the holy Qur’an, jinns are mentioned as beings created
out of fire like angels were created out of light, both being similar in
nature and beyond human perception. Since our physical senses cannot
feel or perceive beyond what is seen and perceived in our world, it
cannot be deduced that other worlds with other types of creatures much
different in nature and character do not exist. Allah, on many occasions
in the Holy Qur’an, is referred to as Sustainer of all the Worlds (Rabbul
Alamin). Like human beings, jinns can be virtuous or evil
doers (shayatin).
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Chapter Five
deals with some of Prophet’s miracles including the one when the trees
came running towards him when he summoned them. Similarly, the chapter
refers to the splitting of the moon on the demand of the infidels who
made their acceptance of the prophet-hood conditional on seeing a
miracle happen such as the splitting of the moon. Also, on the occasion
of Prophet’s migration to Medina accompanied by his closest friend Abu
Bakr, the two took shelter in a cave outside Makkah. A group of infidels
in their pursuit arrived at the mouth of the cave, but by Prophet’s
prayers, was blinded and perplexed seeing a spider weaving its web on
the mouth of the cave and dove laying egg by Allah’s will as an
indication that no one had entered the cave for a long time.
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Chapter Six
describes the miracle of Qur’an as the most outstanding book that Allah
gave to any of his prophets. Its unique style, immense wealth of
knowledge and literary excellence are unparalleled and are a guide to
the well being in this world and salvation in the hereafter. Qur’an has
endured successfully the depredations of its critiques ever since it was
revealed fourteen hundred years ago. While all other books and
scriptures have suffered distortions and amendments and can therefore
hardly be called the word of Allah, Qur’an has remained unchanged
despite arduous efforts by many to amend it.
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Another
outstanding miracle of Prophet described in
Chapter Seven
is his journey from Makkah to Jerusalem accompanied by the archangel
Gabriel at night, where he led a congregational prayer of all the
prophets that preceded him. He was then taken to the seven heavens where
an intimate conversation with Allah took place. While Muslim scholars
believe in the object reality of Prophet’s journey in one night from
Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to the seven heavens, they differ
in the nature of the journey. A vast majority of Muslims believes based
on the authentic Traditions of the Prophet alluding that the journey was
bodily while some believe that the journey was spiritual. It may be
mentioned here that the journey described in the holy Qur’an and
Prophet’s ascension to the heavens was corporeal in nature while he was
ascended to the heavens on many other occasions spiritually. During
Prophet’s meeting with Allah, the distance between the two was almost
negligible which Qur’an metaphorically states as ‘two bows’ or ‘even
less’. It was during this journey that the Prophet met many other
messengers that came before him and five times prayers and Ramadans’
compulsory fasts were ordained.
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Chapter Eight
highlights the blessings of Allah in the form of Prophet’s person on
Mankind and the exasperation of the rejecters of faith over the message
of the unity of Allah that directly challenged their faith of
worshipping idols. They, in their frenzy of effacing Islam, waged
unsuccessful wars against the faithful only to suffer more humiliation
and ignominy. The battles of Badr and Uhud fought
immediately after the establishment of the Islamic state in Medina
between a handful and scarcely armed Muslims with the numerically
superior and well equipped infidels bear testimony to the unswerving
faith of the Muslims in Allah and His Prophet who sacrificed everything
they had in defense of their faith. Prophet who led the battles, fought
with exemplary grit. The triumph in these battles strengthened the
belief among Arabs that Islam was there to stay.
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In
Chapter Nine,
Imam Buseiri winces at the wrong he has committed by ‘selling’ his
poetry. Here, he highlights the authority given to Prophet on the Day of
Judgment by Allah’s permission to intercede on behalf of the believers
who erred in life and were therefore likely to get their just deserts.
His intercession will save the condemned from retribution.
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Chapter Ten
epitomizes this eulogy by invoking God’s mercies on the Prophet and his
followers both in this world and the hereafter. The Prophet, though
unlettered, was given unfathomable wealth of knowledge, of this world
and of those that are beyond ordinary perception. The Pen and the Tablet
symbolize the repositories of this knowledge through which he guides his
followers to the right path who, otherwise, would go astray and hence,
be doomed.
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