Qasidat al-Burda: The Ode of the Prophetic Mantle

The ode al-Kawakib al-Durriyya fi Madh Khayr al-Bariyya ('Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation') - more famously known as the 'qasidat al-burda' ('Ode of the Prophetic Mantle') by the famed 13th century Mamluk satirical poet turned Sufi Sharaf al-Din al-Busiri (d.695/1296) - is perhaps the most exceptional poem in Islamic history. It inspired hundreds of commentaries, is translated into dozens of languages and is held in extreme reverence by Muslims all over the world. One commentary that is broad, lucid and early is that of the Damascene Shafi'ite jurist and social critic Abu Shama (d.665/1268). Major portions of Section 3 which is the madih (eulogy) segment of that commentary is translated here for the first time with an extensive introduction to the Burda, the lives of both author and commentator as well as additional notes to help guide the reader. It is hoped this small work will add to the growing literature in English on the emerging genre of 'Burda Studies'.