al-Qasida al-Wardiyya fi Sirat Khayr al-Bariyya
- Author died
- 1426 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Hurriyah
al-Qasida al-Wardiyya fi Sirat Khayr al-Bariyya (Arabic: القصيدة الوردية في سيرة خير البرية, lit. 'The Roseate Ode on the Biography of the Best of Creation') is an Arabic didactic poem on the prophetic biography (sirah), virtues, and traits of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, authored by the Iraqi Kurdish scholar Abd al-Karim al-Mudarris (also known as Abd al-Karim Bayara; 1323–1426 AH / 1905–2005 CE) .
Composition and Publication
The author identified himself at the conclusion of the poem as the servant of religious knowledge Abd al-Karim Muhammad al-Kurdi al-Shahrazuri al-Mudarris, a teacher at the madrasa of the mosque of Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani in Baghdad . He completed the composition just before noon on Thursday, 11 Rabi' al-Thani 1415 AH (15 September 1994 CE) . The text was published in Baghdad by Dar al-Hurriyya lil-Tiba'ah in 1415 AH / 1995 CE .
Structure and Content
The work is composed as a single monorhymed poem ending in the letter mīm (qasida mīmiyya) . It opens with an introductory section (al-madkhal) offering praises to God and introducing the work as a poetic gift describing the Prophet's station, primordial creation, universal messengership, and the Great Intercession (al-shafa'ah al-kubra) .
The biographical portion of the poem is organized chronologically through explicit thematic headings, covering:
- Birth and Lineage: The Prophet's noble ancestry tracing back to Adnan and the prophet Ibrahim, his birth in the Year of the Elephant on Monday, 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, his nursing by Thuwayba and Halima al-Sa'diyya, and his early upbringing under the guardianship of his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib .
- Early Life and Youth: The opening and purification of his chest by Jibril at the age of four, followed by the guardianship of his uncle Abu Talib .
- Travels and Marriage: His journey to the Levant with Abu Talib and the encounter with the Christian monk in Busra, his mercantile travel to Yemen with his uncle al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib, his trade for Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and his marriage to her at the age of twenty-five .
- Prophethood and Persecution: The onset of revelation in the cave of Hira on Monday, 17 Ramadan at age forty, the earliest converts to Islam, the persecution of early believers in Mecca, the migration to Abyssinia, the boycott in the valley of Abu Talib, and the Year of Sorrow following the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadijah .
- The Night Journey and Emigration: The Night Journey and Heavenly Ascension (al-Isra wa-l-Mi'raj), the three pledges of al-'Aqaba, the Prophet's emigration (Hijrah) to Medina accompanied by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, their concealment in the cave of Thawr, the miracles at the tent of Umm Ma'bad and with Suraqa ibn Malik, the arrival at Quba, the founding of its mosque, and the establishment of brotherhood between the Muhajirun and the Ansar .
- Campaigns: The permission for military engagement and a survey of twenty-six military expeditions (ghazawat), beginning with the Battle of Badr and concluding with the Expedition of Tabuk, along with praise for the Prophet's Companions .
Virtues, Relics, and Supplication
Following the biographical narrative, the poem describes the Prophet's moral virtues, his physical qualities, his legal guidance, and his miracles—such as the splitting of the moon, the prostration of trees, the gushing of water between his fingers, the multiplication of food, and the inimitable nature of the Quran .
The author details the Prophet's attire, his sandals, ring, and staff, noting the historical preservation of prophetic relics (athar) across different lands, including garments in Istanbul and sacred hairs (sha'arat) venerated in Iraq at the shrines of Abu Hanifa and Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, as well as in the Kurdish localities of Biara and Tawella .
The text concludes with an extended section of supplication (du'a) and entreaty (tawassul), invoking God by His divine attributes, the angels, previous prophets, religious learning, the rituals of Hajj, the Companions, and the martyrs of early Islam (such as those of Badr, Uhud, and Bi'r Ma'una), as well as later historical Muslim figures and armies under the Umayyad Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Seljuk Empire, Saladin, and Mehmed II .
Answer updated