Busiri

Muhammad ibn Saʿid ibn Hammad al-Sanhaji al-Busiri (608 AH – 696 AH / 7 March 1213 – 1295) was a poet. He was from the Sanhaja people. He became famous for poems that praise the Prophet Muhammad. His most famous poem is Burda, also called “Al-Kawakib al-Durriyya fi Madh Khayr al-Bariyya”.

 His life 
It is said that Busiri was born in the village of Dilas (Dellys) in Algeria.Djazairess, “Min A‘lam al-Jaza’ir,” accessed 10 September 2020, archived 15 December 2018.

 Al-Ittihad Newspaper, “Boumerdes… an Algerian city that attracts hearts,” 23 August 2007, accessed 10 September 2020, archived 10 September 2020.

He was born on 1 Shawwal 608 AH, which is 7 March 1213. His family came from the Sanhaja tribe, a large Amazigh group in North Africa.

Another opinion says he was born in the village of Dilas in Beni Suef in Upper Egypt. He grew up in a village called Busir. Later, he moved to Cairo.Al-Haqqani website, “Imam Sharaf al-Din Muhammad ibn Saʿid ibn Hammad al-Sanhaji al-Busiri,” accessed 29 January 2014, archived 9 May 2021.Encyclopaedia Britannica, “al-Busiri | Arabian poet,” accessed 21 July 2016, archived 7 January 2022.

When he was a child, Busiri learned the Qur'an by heart. He studied with many famous scholars. Later, many scholars also studied with him. Some of them were Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati, Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi, and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas.

 His poetry 
Busiri loved to study the life of the Prophet Muhammad. He learned many small details about the Prophet’s life. He used all his poetry to praise the Prophet.

He wrote three long praise poems. Each poem begins with lines about feelings, faith, and asking for forgiveness.

He also wrote other praise poems, such as:

 the Ha’iyya poem, where he speaks to God and asks for mercy,
 the Dal’iyya poem, where he thanks God for all blessings.

 Burda 
His most famous poem is “Al-Kawakib al-Durriyya fi Madh Khayr al-Bariyya”, known as Burda.

This poem has 160 lines. It begins with sadness and memory. It ends with love and praise for the Prophet Muhammad.

The most famous line in the poem asks God to bless and give peace to the Prophet.

This poem inspired many poets for hundreds of years. Many poets wrote poems following the same style. One famous example is “Nahj Burda” by Ahmad Shawqi.

 His works 
Busiri wrote many poems. They were collected into one book and printed in Cairo in 1955.

His works include:

 Burda
 Al-Hamziyya
 Al-Mudariyya
 Dhukhr al-Maʿad
 A poem answering Jews and Christians
 A book about improving spoken words

He also wrote a poem praising the Turks in 1291 after the city of Acre was taken back from the Crusaders.Al-Sharq News Portal, “The Seljuks and the Arabs,” 2 September 2020, accessed 15 November 2020, archived 16 November 2020.

 Death 
Busiri died in Alexandria in 696 AH / 1295. He was 87 years old.

 References