The Hamziyyah of Imam al-Buṣīrī: An Ode in Praise of the Best of Creation
by Abdullah Muhammad ibn Said al-Sanhaji al-Busiri
Foreword by Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi
Translation and Introduction by Hamza Yusuf
After translating Imam al-Buṣīrī’s famed Burdah over 20 years ago, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf presents the English rendition of the Hamziyyah, Imam al-Buṣīrī's more intricate praise poem of the Prophet ﷺ.
This hardcover publication includes the full poem, beautifully calligraphed, with each page adorned with delicate border of ornamentation. Readers will enjoy a brilliant foreword by the esteemed and noble Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, followed by Shaykh Hamza’s own introduction to the poem that provides the eager reader context and appreciation of Imam al-Busiri’s craft as a poet par excellence. In these days of confusion and tribulation, the Hamziyyah provides the perfect medicine for the ailing heart.
From the introduction:
Great poetry has moved hearts and souls across civilizations from premodern times until today. Imam al-Buṣīrī excelled at praise poetry, and his verses attained global a reach because he praised the best of creation. His two most sublime poems, the Burdah and the Hamziyyah have over the centuries occasioned countless commentaries explicating their eloquence and linguistic subtleties.
The Hamziyyah takes the reader on a journey of love to the Best of Creation ﷺ, covering substantial parts of the Prophet’s ﷺ blessed life, his historical period, and the miracles that attended him. Imam al-Buṣīrī expresses his burning love of God and God’s final Messenger with such beauty that his verses continue to resonate with hearts all across the world.
From His Eminence, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi:
“After the Qur’an and the prophetic sayings, the highest level of eloquence to which any Arab can aspire is realized in Arabic poetry. Thus, poets in subsequent generations invariably expressed their love for the Prophet ﷺ in marvels of verse that poured forth from their tongues and pens like pearls unbound…Having spent over fifty-five years of my life immersed in the poetry of Imam al-Buṣīrī, listening to the Burdah and Hamziyyah sung in weekly gatherings, and having penned two poetic expansions myself, I can say that Shaykh Hamza’s translation deserves both praise and celebration.”
Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan
“Piety toward the Prophet Muhammad and celebration of his life as exemplary are central to over 1,400 years of Muslim spirituality, but with the exception of Annemarie Schimmel, few scholars of Islam in the West have focused on this durable phenomenon. Hamza Yusuf ’s accessible and insightful translation of a praise poem by a celebrated poet and mystic adds a key work to our literature in English on Muslim spirituality.”
Alexander Key, Associate Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature, Stanford University
“This very attractive volume captures an exciting nexus of collaborations. The Hamziyyah connects a contemporary translator and his Arabic text, connects that translator to his scholarly predecessors in chains of pious transmission, connects the translator-as-English- poet to his translator into Arabic, and most importantly connects—with the aesthetic and affective ties that bind—communities across the ages who have loved al-Busiri’s poem.”
