Reflection on the Burdah Tour as it Goes Global
“By the praise & mention of the Chosen One (peace and blessings be upon him) hearts are brought to life.”
The week long UK Burdah tour may have come to an end, but it is now headed all the way to Sydney Australia later this month.
The Vision Behind the Tour
After much planning and preparation, Sr. Bano Murtuja’s vision of a tour dedicated to celebrating our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was finally realized. On the need for the tour, Bano said “whilst Muslims across the globe recite and memorise the profound verses of the Qasidah Burdah shareef, rarely is time taken to reflect on how it connects us to the Prophet Peace and blessings be upon him or even the advice and guidance the burdah offers to us in the busy lives we lead”.
The UK Tour
The tour enabled attendees to reflect deeply on the poem and the first tour in the UK covered seven cities across Northern England, closing with a one-day intensive.
The opening night of the tour, in Nelson, saw Sidi Nader Khan initiate the tour with an evening of praise for the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him. Combining anasheed with renditions of chapters 1 & 2 of the burdah and an introduction to Imam Busairi and the poem. Shaykh Faraz joined the tour in Liverpool, covering chapters 1 & 2. The following night saw the tour stop in Huddersfield, covering chapter 3. In Sheffield on Monday evening, he covered chapters 4 & 5 and the next night in Blackburn, chapter 6. the penultimate night was spent in Rochdale covering chapters 7 & 8 and the khatum with chapters 9 & 10 done in Bradford.
After a days break, the one day intensive saw a line by line analysis of the burdah, as Shaykh Faraz explained the context, meaning and guidance of the burdah. Teaching from 9am to 9pm Shaykh Faraz tirelessly went through each chapter, supported by consecutive recitals by Sidi Nader. Attendees of the tour were encouraged to have a copy of Sh. Abdal Hakim Murad’s excellent translation of the Burda, “The Mantle Adorned.”
A Tour of Love
The day was filled with immense barakah, and the love engendered for the Prophet (peace be upon him) was palpable. Brothers and sisters alike left the day with commitments to express their love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) in poem or prose as well as regular gatherings for the recital of the burdah. One attendee summarized her experience by saying “we sat with blessed people, being reminded of love and how to love”.
Now Coming to Australia
The success for the UK tour led to an invite to hold it in Australia, spread over three evenings, from April 27th – 29th 2011. At least half of the tickets for these events have already been purchased, so we would recommend that you do not delay.
For more details, including how to register, please visit alghazzali.org/events/burda
Related SeekersGuidance Content
Online Courses:
Meccan Dawn: The Life of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad
Blog:
Sending prayers upon the Prophet (PBUH)
Virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH)
Answers:
Celebrating the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday (mawlid) – Sh. Faraz Rabbani
The Prophet (PBUH) and companions and poetry – Ustadh Abdullah Misra
