Poetry

Mystical Poems of Aishah al-Bauniyah
Aishah al-Bauniyah (d. 923/1517) was one of the greatest women scholars in Islamic history. A mystic and prolific poet and writer, Aishah composed more works in Arabic than any other woman prior to the 20th century.  Often, she expressed her great devotion to God and His Prophet, and spoke of love and longing on the mystical quest.
She also alluded to her extensive education and mystical training, and her  own particular life experiences, which are often reflected in her verse. Her many writings were read and copied by later generations of admirers who  preserved her substantial literary and mystical legacies.

The selection of poems from this volume, edited and translated into English here for the first time, recount Aishah al-Bauniyah remarkable story of devotion and mystical illumination.

Seyh Galip

The girl Beauty and the boy Love are betrothed to each other as children. But Beauty violates the custom of the tribe by falling in love with him, and Love must undergo the trials of a journey to the Land of the Heart to prove himself worthy – a journey to the realisation of both his and Beauty’s true nature.

The Turkish verse romance ‘Beauty and Love’, written in 1783 by Seyh Galip, head of an Istanbul centre of Mevlana Rumi’s order of the whirling dervishes, is an innovative interpretation of the Islamic love tale as a story of the action of God’s qualities in the world. With its stunning imagery, fast-moving plot, and nonchalant, erudite humor, it is widely known as the greatest work of Ottoman literature.

The Poems of Uftade

Paul Ballanfat

‘The Mantle Adorned: Imam Busiri’s Burda’ translated by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. This breathtakingly beautiful work is filled with praise and love for the Noble Messenger of God, s.a.w.

‘The Mantle is the favourite poem of Muslims everywhere’ – Annamarie Schimmel

Ninety-nine poems by Hafiz of Shiraz

Johar Buang

Commentaries on Sufic songs

Farid Ud-din Attar

‘The paths of God are intricate and strange’

Composed in the twelfth century in north-eastern Iran, Attar’s great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature. A marvellous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic doctrine of Sufism an esoteric system concerned with the search for truth through God it describes the consequences of the conference of the birds of the world when they meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that to find him they must undertake an arduous journey, the birds soon express their reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, however, the hoopoe calms their fears, using a series of riddling parables to provide guidance in the search for spiritual truth. By turns witty and profound, The Conference of the Birds transforms deep belief into magnificent poetry.

The Poems of Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir