QASÎDAT AL-BURDA (I)

Imâm Muhammad ibn Sa’îd al-Busîrî (rahimah-Allâhu ta’âlâ), who passed away in 695 A.H., was one of the superiors of tasawwuf. He was one of the awliyâ’ educated by Abu ’l-’Abbâs al-Mursî ash-Shâdhilî, who was Abu’l-Hasan ash-Shâdhilî’s khalîfa. When he suffered a stroke and half of his body was paralysed, he asked for Rasûlullâh’s help and composed his famous qasîda in praise of the Highest of Mankind, Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), to whom he chanted it in his dream. Rasûlullâh liked it and took off his khirqa, put it on the Imâm and rubbed the paralysed parts of his body with his blessed hand. When the Imâm woke up, his body was restored to health, and the khirqat assa’âda was still on him. That was why his eulogy was called “Qasîdat al-Burda.” ‘Burda’ means ‘khirqa, overcoat.’ Hadrat Imâm ran in joy to the mosque for morning salât, and on the way met a person known for his righteousness and pious ascetism, who said:

“I would like to listen to your qasîda.”
“I have many qasîdas. Everyone knows all of them,” the Imâm said.
“I want the one which no one knows and which you recited to Rasûlullâh last night.”
“I haven’t told anybody about it. How do you know it?”

Thereupon, that person told exactly what the Imâm dreamt. Vizier Bahâ’ ad-dîn heard about this qasîda, had it recited through and listened to it standing respectfully. It has been seen that the sick got well and places became safe of malady and calamity when it was recited. In order to receive the value of it, it is necessary to believe and read it with a sincere resolve.