Who wrote this poem and why?
It was written seven centuries ago by a man who wanted to write one final poem among his many poems already written to the person he loved but had never seen; to the person he always cherished to meet but had been unable to do so; the person he had always thought about and felt so distant from. Suffering from paralysis the destitute poet Sharafuddin Muhammad Al-Busiri penned a poem written from the innermost depths of his yearning heart and it was on that fateful night thereafter when he fell asleep. The person he so loved and yearned to meet embraced him in his dream moving his noble hand across his face, and placed his cloak upon him as an acceptance of his love that forms the spirit of the Burdah poetry. The Burdah poem or the poem of the cloak/mantle is a simple and sheer rendering of spiritual love and praise from one soul to the beloved of beloveds, Muhammad
(May peace be upon him).
"And every single sign brought by the noble Prophets was theirs only in connection to his light,
For verily he is a sun of perfection of which they are the moons bringing its light to people in the midst of darkness.
How noble was the form of this Prophet adorned with a high character that encompassed beauty and was marked with cheerful countenance!
A form like the soft lilies and the full moon in splendour, a character like the ocean in generosity and Time in endeavours,"
( Extract from The Burdah )