Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Sayyidinā Muḥammad, wa bārik wa sallim. O Allah, send Your blessings upon our master Muḥammad, and upon the family of our master Muḥammad, and send blessings and peace.
There are names we use because they identify. And there are names we use because they remember.
When we say Muḥammad ﷺ, we are saying his blessed name. When we say Rasūlullāh ﷺ, we are acknowledging his mission. When we say Raḥmatun lil-ʿĀlamīn ﷺ, we are remembering the mercy with which Allah sent him. When the lovers of South Asia say سَیِّدِ کَائِنَات, فَخْرِ مَوْجُودَات, سَرْوَرِ کَوْنَیْن, or حَبِیبِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِین, they are not merely adding decorative phrases. They are trying, in the language of reverence, to gather what the heart knows but ordinary speech cannot carry.
The Qur’an itself commands the believers to send blessings and salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ:
Inna Allāha wa malāʾikatahu yuṣallūna ʿala-n-Nabiyy; yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū ṣallū ʿalayhi wa sallimū taslīmā.
Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers, invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and greet him with worthy greetings of peace. (Quran.com)
So ṣalawāt is not a cultural ornament. It is Qur’anic obedience. But cultures, when healthy, give that obedience a language, a cadence, a tenderness. South Asia did this through Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Sindhi, Pashto, Malayalam, Tamil, and many other tongues. The result is a world of praise: naʿt, salām, durūd, mawlid, manqabat, qawwali, and the quiet daily invocations of ordinary believers.
Yet love needs adab. The highest praise of the Prophet ﷺ must never blur the distinction between the servant and the Lord. Allah alone is Rabb. Allah alone is worshipped. Allah alone grants benefit independently. The Prophet ﷺ is the most beloved, the most honored, the most radiant guide — but always as عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ وَرَسُولُهُ, the servant of Allah and His Messenger.
That is why the best praise is both warm and careful.
1. The titles Allah Himself teaches us
Before we enter the garden of South Asian devotional titles, we must begin with the Qur’an. The Qur’an gives us the most secure language of praise.
رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ ﷺ
Rasūl Allāh The Messenger of Allah
This is the central title of his mission. He is not a philosopher offering a private vision, nor a poet offering only beauty, nor a reformer offering only social repair. He is the Messenger of Allah. He brings revelation, guidance, warning, mercy, law, purification, and the path of return.
خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ ﷺ
Khātam an-Nabiyyīn The Seal of the Prophets
The Qur’an names him رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ — the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. (Quran.com)
This title closes the door of prophethood, but it does not close the door of mercy. In fact, because revelation is sealed, the responsibility of remembering, transmitting, embodying, and loving his Sunnah becomes greater.
He is the final Prophet, but his light of guidance continues through every sincere act of following.
Wa mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan lil-ʿālamīn. We have sent you only as a mercy for the whole world. (Quran.com)
This is one of the most complete titles of the Prophet ﷺ. It does not say merely that he showed mercy. It says that his being sent is mercy. His message is mercy. His Sunnah is mercy. His firmness is mercy. His tenderness is mercy. His warnings are mercy. His tears are mercy. His concern for the sinner is mercy. His care for the weak is mercy.
To call him Raḥmatun lil-ʿĀlamīn is to say that the door of prophetic guidance opens not with cruelty, but with mercy.
شَاهِدًا، وَمُبَشِّرًا، وَنَذِيرًا ﷺ
Shāhidan, wa Mubashshiran, wa Nadhīrā A witness, a bringer of good news, and a warner
Yā ayyuhā-n-Nabiyyu innā arsalnāka shāhidan wa mubashshiran wa nadhīrā. O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good news, and a warner. (Quran.com)
These titles hold the balance of prophetic education.
He is شَاهِد — a witness. He sees truthfully and bears witness truthfully. He is مُبَشِّر — a giver of glad tidings. He opens hope. He is نَذِير — a warner. He does not flatter the soul into destruction.
A teacher who only warns can break the heart. A teacher who only comforts can deceive the heart. The Prophet ﷺ gives hope and warning in the right measure.
دَاعِيًا إِلَى اللّٰهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا ﷺ
Dāʿiyan ilā Allāh wa Sirājan Munīrā A caller to Allah and a radiant lamp
Wa dāʿiyan ilā Allāhi bi-idhnihī wa sirājan munīrā. And a caller to Allah by His permission, and a radiant lamp. (Quran.com)
This is why I prefer to understand all “light” titles through this Qur’anic foundation. He is not light in a way that competes with Allah. He is light because Allah made him a lamp of guidance. He illumines the path, but Allah is the One who sent him, honored him, and made hearts benefit through him.
2. The names he ﷺ gave us in ḥadīth
There is a special sweetness in the names the Prophet ﷺ taught about himself. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, he said:
Lī khamsatu asmāʾ: anā Muḥammad, wa Aḥmad, wa anā al-Māḥī, wa anā al-Ḥāshir, wa anā al-ʿĀqib.
I have five names: I am Muḥammad and Aḥmad; I am al-Māḥī through whom Allah removes disbelief; I am al-Ḥāshir after whom people will be gathered; and I am al-ʿĀqib, after whom there is no prophet. (Sunnah)
مُحَمَّد ﷺ
Muḥammad The much-praised one
The name itself carries praise. He is praised in the heavens and on earth, praised by angels and believers, praised in revelation, praised in ṣalawāt, praised in the memories of the righteous, praised in the tears of those who miss him without having seen him.
أَحْمَد ﷺ
Aḥmad The most praiseworthy / the one who praises most fully
Muḥammad and Aḥmad both come from the root ح م د — praise. But they do not feel identical. Muḥammad suggests one who is repeatedly praised. Aḥmad carries the sense of being most worthy of praise, or most complete in praise.
So his name begins and ends with ḥamd.
الْمَاحِي ﷺ
al-Māḥī The Effacer
The ḥadīth explains: Allah removes disbelief through him. This is not merely a political removal or a social change. It is the wiping away of darkness from the heart, falsehood from belief, and idolatry from worship.
الْحَاشِر ﷺ
al-Ḥāshir The Gatherer
The Prophet ﷺ comes near the end of sacred history. Humanity is gathered after him. His coming is one of the signs that history is moving toward accountability.
الْعَاقِب ﷺ
al-ʿĀqib The Last in succession
There is no prophet after him. His finality is not a limitation. It is completion.
Anā Sayyidu Waladi Ādama yawma-l-qiyāmati wa lā fakhr. I am the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Judgment, and I do not boast. (Sunnah)
The phrase وَلَا فَخْرَ matters deeply: “and I do not boast.”
This is prophetic greatness. He names the rank Allah gave him, but without vanity. He is the greatest of creation, yet the most complete in humility. That is why our praise of him should also be free from ego. We do not praise him to win arguments. We praise him because truth, love, gratitude, and adab require it.
4. The South Asian garland of praise
In South Asia, love for the Prophet ﷺ often speaks through Persian and Urdu compounds. The small -e sound in phrases like Sayyid-e Kāʾināt or Fakhr-e Maujūdāt is the Persian izāfat, meaning “of.” It joins two words into a relationship of beauty: master of creation, pride of all existents, beloved of the Lord of all worlds.
The Urdu/Persian titles below are vocalized for ease of reading.
سَیِّدِ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Sayyid-e Kāʾināt Master of creation
This title means that among all created beings, he ﷺ is the most honored, most beloved, and highest in rank. It does not mean that he is the Creator. It means that Allah, the Creator, honored him above creation.
When this title is said properly, it increases humility before Allah. For the One who made Muḥammad ﷺ the master of creation is greater than all creation.
سَرْوَرِ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Sarwar-e Kāʾināt Chief of creation
Sarwar is a Persian-Urdu word for chief, leader, or one who stands at the head. It is close to sayyid, but it has a warmer South Asian sound. It is the language of gatherings, naʿt, salām, and the affectionate speech of elders.
Sarwar-e Kāʾināt says: when creation seeks its noblest human form, it looks to him ﷺ.
فَخْرِ مَوْجُودَات ﷺ
Fakhr-e Maujūdāt Pride of all existents
This is one of the grandest South Asian titles. Maujūdāt means all things that exist. Fakhr means pride, glory, or honor.
The meaning is not that he ﷺ needs creation’s praise. Rather, creation is honored by being connected to him. Humanity is honored because he was human. Language is honored because it carried his words. Madinah is honored because it received him. The poor are honored because he sat with them. The orphan is honored because he was an orphan. Tears are honored because he wept before Allah. Mercy is honored because he embodied it.
سَرْوَرِ کَوْنَیْن ﷺ
Sarwar-e Kaunain Chief of the two worlds
Kaunain means “the two worlds.” In devotional usage, it is often understood as this world and the Hereafter, or the seen and unseen orders of existence.
To call him Sarwar-e Kaunain is to remember that his significance is not confined to one historical moment. He is not only the Prophet of seventh-century Arabia. He is the Prophet whose guidance remains alive until the Last Day.
سَیِّدِ کَوْنَیْن ﷺ
Sayyid-e Kaunain Master of the two worlds
This is close to Sarwar-e Kaunain, but Sayyid carries the Arabic weight of nobility, rank, and preeminence. In South Asian usage, Sayyid-e Kaunain combines Arabic authority with Persian-Urdu tenderness.
آقَائے دَو جَہَاں ﷺ
Āqā-e Do Jahān Master of both worlds
Āqā is a word of intimacy and reverence. It means master, patron, or honored leader. In Urdu devotional speech, Āqā is often softer than “master” in English. It carries love, belonging, and dependence.
When the lover says Āqā-e Do Jahān, the heart is saying: You are my guide in this life, and my hope by Allah’s permission in the next.
حَبِیبِ خُدَا ﷺ
Habīb-e Khudā Beloved of God
This title is simple and powerful. Ḥabīb is the beloved. In South Asian homes, mosques, and gatherings, Habīb-e Khudā is one of the most natural ways of addressing the Prophet ﷺ.
Love is not a small matter here. To love the one Allah loves is part of faith. To send blessings upon him is part of obedience. To imitate him is the proof that love has entered the limbs and not only the tongue.
حَبِیبِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِین ﷺ
Habīb-e Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn South Asian pronunciation: Habīb-e Rabbul-ʿĀlamīn Beloved of the Lord of all worlds
This title expands Habīb-e Khudā through Qur’anic language. Allah is رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ — the Lord of all worlds. The Prophet ﷺ is His beloved servant and messenger.
This title should be heard with theological care. The Prophet ﷺ is not Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn. Allah alone is the Lord of all worlds. The Prophet ﷺ is Ḥabīb of the Lord of all worlds.
The grammar protects the creed, and the love fills the phrase with warmth.
مَحْبُوبِ رَبِّ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Maḥbūb-e Rabb-e Kāʾināt Beloved of the Lord of creation
Maḥbūb and Ḥabīb are related, but not identical in feeling. Ḥabīb is the beloved one. Maḥbūb emphasizes being loved. In this title, the heart rests in the idea that the Prophet ﷺ is not only loved by believers; he is loved by Allah.
And the believer’s love for him is, in its soundest form, a response to Allah’s own honoring of him.
شَاہِ مَدِینَہ ﷺ
Shāh-e Madīnah The king/chief of Madinah
The word Shāh is royal, but this is not the royalty of palaces and arrogance. The Prophet ﷺ lived simply, mended his own sandals, sat with the poor, accepted invitations, forgave enemies, and feared Allah more than anyone.
So Shāh-e Madīnah is a paradox: he is kingly without worldly kingship, majestic without vanity, commanding without harshness, beloved without needing display.
تَاجْدَارِ مَدِینَہ ﷺ
Tājdār-e Madīnah Crown-bearer of Madinah
This is one of the most beloved titles in South Asian naʿt. Tāj means crown, and dār means holder or bearer.
The crown here is not gold. It is mercy. It is nubuwwah. It is adab. It is the crown of being chosen by Allah and loved by the believers.
Madinah itself becomes, in Muslim memory, not merely a city but a place perfumed by his presence.
تَاجْدَارِ حَرَم ﷺ
Tājdār-e Ḥaram Crown-bearer of the Sacred Sanctuary
This title joins prophetic majesty with sacred geography. It evokes Makkah, Madinah, the sanctuary, the qiblah, the Kaʿbah, the Rawḍah, and the journey of longing that has moved Muslim hearts for centuries.
But again, it is poetic honor, not divine lordship.
شَاہِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Shāh-e Anbiyā Chief of the Prophets
This title praises his rank among the prophets عليهم السلام. It should never reduce the honor of the other prophets. True praise of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ increases love for all prophets, because he himself taught us to honor them.
He is the seal, the leader, and the most complete inheritor of prophetic beauty.
سَرْدَارِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Sardār-e Anbiyā Leader of the Prophets
Sardār means leader or chief. In South Asian language it has a noble, communal feeling. It names not only rank but leadership.
The Prophet ﷺ leads not by force, but by being the most complete servant of Allah.
اِمَامِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Imām-e Anbiyā Imam of the Prophets
This title is especially connected in devotional imagination to the Miʿrāj, where the Prophet ﷺ leads the prophets in prayer. The meaning is profound: he is not only followed by his Ummah; he stands as the imam of prophetic completion.
نَبِيِ آخِرُ الزَّمَاں ﷺ
Nabī-e Ākhir-uz-Zamān The Prophet of the final age
This is the South Asian way of expressing final prophethood with tenderness. Ākhir-uz-Zamān means the last age, the final period of sacred history.
To say this title is to remember that we live after the final Prophet ﷺ. Our task is not to wait for another prophet. Our task is to return to his guidance.
مُصْطَفَى جَانِ رَحْمَت ﷺ
Muṣṭafā Jān-e Raḥmat Muṣṭafā, the soul/life of mercy
Muṣṭafā means the Chosen One. Jān means life, soul, or beloved essence. Raḥmat means mercy.
This title is almost impossible to translate without losing its fragrance. “Soul of mercy” is close, but in Urdu jān also carries affection: “dear life,” “beloved soul,” “the living heart of something.”
So Muṣṭafā Jān-e Raḥmat means: the Chosen One, the very life of mercy for us.
أَحْمَد مُجْتَبَى ﷺ
Aḥmad Mujtabā Aḥmad, the selected one
Mujtabā means chosen, selected, drawn near. It pairs beautifully with Aḥmad, the name of praise.
This title says: the one praised is the one chosen; the one chosen is the one through whom we learn how to praise Allah.
مُحْسِنِ اِنْسَانِيَّت ﷺ
Muḥsin-e Insāniyyat Benefactor of humanity
This is a moral title. It reminds us that the Prophet ﷺ was not sent for private spirituality alone. He transformed how human beings understand mercy, dignity, family, neighbors, the poor, women, children, orphans, strangers, enemies, animals, worship, knowledge, cleanliness, speech, forgiveness, and justice.
To call him Muḥsin-e Insāniyyat is to admit that humanity owes him more than it knows.
شَفِيعِ رُوزِ جَزَا ﷺ
Shafīʿ-e Rōz-e Jazā Intercessor on the Day of Recompense
This title is full of hope. Rōz-e Jazā means the Day of Recompense, the Day when deeds are weighed and realities become clear.
But this title must always be understood with the Qur’anic and theological safeguard: intercession belongs to Allah and is granted by Allah’s permission. The Prophet ﷺ intercedes because Allah honors him with that station.
So the believer hopes in his intercession, but worships Allah alone.
شَفِيعِ مَحْشَر ﷺ
Shafīʿ-e Maḥshar Intercessor at the Gathering
Maḥshar is the place and event of gathering on the Day of Judgment. This title remembers the fear of that Day and the mercy Allah grants through His beloved Messenger ﷺ.
The title carries trembling and hope together.
سَاقِيِ کَوْثَر ﷺ
Sāqī-e Kawthar Giver of drink at al-Kawthar
Allah says:
إِنَّآ أَعْطَيْنَـٰكَ ٱلْكَوْثَرَ
Innā aʿṭaynāka-l-Kawthar. Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar. (Quran.com)
The title Sāqī-e Kawthar comes from the devotional hope of being given to drink from the Prophet’s blessed pond by Allah’s mercy. It is one of the tenderest South Asian titles because thirst is such a human image: thirst of the body, thirst of the soul, thirst after sin, thirst after exile, thirst after a life of forgetfulness.
The lover says: may I not be turned away.
صَاحِبِ الْمَقَامِ الْمَحْمُود ﷺ
Ṣāḥib al-Maqām al-Maḥmūd Holder of the Praised Station
The Qur’an speaks of the Prophet ﷺ being raised to مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا — a praised station. (Quran.com)
This title is majestic. It points to the honor Allah gives him in the Hereafter, especially in the language of intercession and praise. But the word maḥmūd also returns us again to ḥamd. His name is Muḥammad. His station is Maḥmūd. His banner is the Banner of Praise.
Praise surrounds him because his whole life leads creation back to the praise of Allah.
نُورِ ہُدَى ﷺ
Nūr-e Hudā Light of guidance
This is one of the safest and most beautiful light titles. It means that through him Allah guides. His Sunnah lights up conduct. His words light up confusion. His mercy lights up harsh hearts. His worship lights up the night. His character lights up the meaning of being human.
نُورِ مُجَسَّم ﷺ
Nūr-e Mujassam Embodied light
This title is common in devotional speech, but it needs careful explanation. The safest meaning is not that the Prophet ﷺ is divine light. Rather, he is so completely filled with guidance, mercy, purity, truthfulness, and beauty that his very person becomes light-giving for those who follow him.
The Qur’anic anchor remains سِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا — a radiant lamp.
5. A small working glossary of titles
Original title
Transliteration
Meaning
مُحَمَّد ﷺ
Muḥammad
The much-praised one
أَحْمَد ﷺ
Aḥmad
The most praiseworthy / one who praises most fully
رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ ﷺ
Rasūl Allāh
Messenger of Allah
نَبِيُّ اللّٰهِ ﷺ
Nabiyy Allāh
Prophet of Allah
خَاتَمُ النَّبِيِّينَ ﷺ
Khātam an-Nabiyyīn
Seal of the Prophets
رَحْمَةٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ ﷺ
Raḥmatun lil-ʿĀlamīn
Mercy for all worlds
سِرَاجٌ مُّنِيرٌ ﷺ
Sirāj Munīr
Radiant lamp
سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ ﷺ
Sayyid Walad Ādam
Master of the children of Adam
الْمَاحِي ﷺ
al-Māḥī
The Effacer
الْحَاشِر ﷺ
al-Ḥāshir
The Gatherer
الْعَاقِب ﷺ
al-ʿĀqib
The Last, after whom there is no prophet
سَیِّدِ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Sayyid-e Kāʾināt
Master of creation
سَرْوَرِ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Sarwar-e Kāʾināt
Chief of creation
فَخْرِ مَوْجُودَات ﷺ
Fakhr-e Maujūdāt
Pride of all existents
فَخْرِ دَو عَالَم ﷺ
Fakhr-e Do ʿĀlam
Pride of both worlds
سَرْوَرِ کَوْنَیْن ﷺ
Sarwar-e Kaunain
Chief of the two worlds
سَیِّدِ کَوْنَیْن ﷺ
Sayyid-e Kaunain
Master of the two worlds
آقَائے دَو جَہَاں ﷺ
Āqā-e Do Jahān
Master of both worlds
حَبِیبِ خُدَا ﷺ
Habīb-e Khudā
Beloved of God
حَبِیبِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِین ﷺ
Habīb-e Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn
Beloved of the Lord of all worlds
مَحْبُوبِ رَبِّ کَائِنَات ﷺ
Maḥbūb-e Rabb-e Kāʾināt
Beloved of the Lord of creation
شَاہِ مَدِینَہ ﷺ
Shāh-e Madīnah
Chief of Madinah
تَاجْدَارِ مَدِینَہ ﷺ
Tājdār-e Madīnah
Crown-bearer of Madinah
تَاجْدَارِ حَرَم ﷺ
Tājdār-e Ḥaram
Crown-bearer of the sanctuary
شَاہِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Shāh-e Anbiyā
Chief of the Prophets
سَرْدَارِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Sardār-e Anbiyā
Leader of the Prophets
اِمَامِ اَنْبِيَا ﷺ
Imām-e Anbiyā
Imam of the Prophets
نَبِيِ آخِرُ الزَّمَاں ﷺ
Nabī-e Ākhir-uz-Zamān
Prophet of the final age
مُصْطَفَى جَانِ رَحْمَت ﷺ
Muṣṭafā Jān-e Raḥmat
The Chosen One, life of mercy
أَحْمَد مُجْتَبَى ﷺ
Aḥmad Mujtabā
Aḥmad, the selected one
مُحْسِنِ اِنْسَانِيَّت ﷺ
Muḥsin-e Insāniyyat
Benefactor of humanity
شَفِيعِ رُوزِ جَزَا ﷺ
Shafīʿ-e Rōz-e Jazā
Intercessor on the Day of Recompense
شَفِيعِ مَحْشَر ﷺ
Shafīʿ-e Maḥshar
Intercessor at the Gathering
سَاقِيِ کَوْثَر ﷺ
Sāqī-e Kawthar
Giver of drink at al-Kawthar
نُورِ ہُدَى ﷺ
Nūr-e Hudā
Light of guidance
نُورِ مُجَسَّم ﷺ
Nūr-e Mujassam
Embodied light
6. How these titles should change us
The purpose of these titles is not only to decorate gatherings. They should educate the heart.
When we say رَحْمَةٌ لِلْعَالَمِينَ, we should become more merciful. When we say سِرَاجٌ مُّنِيرٌ, we should ask whether our own homes have become brighter through his Sunnah. When we say شَفِيعِ رُوزِ جَزَا, we should feel shame for sin and hope in Allah’s mercy. When we say فَخْرِ مَوْجُودَات, we should ask whether our character brings honor or embarrassment to his Ummah. When we say حَبِیبِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِین, we should ask whether we love what he loved and leave what he disliked. When we say تَاجْدَارِ مَدِینَہ, we should remember that his crown was humility, service, hunger, prayer, forgiveness, courage, and mercy.
A title on the tongue is beautiful. A title that reforms the heart is better. A title that becomes action is the beginning of true following.
The South Asian tradition of praising the Prophet ﷺ is one of our inherited treasures. But its beauty is protected when it remains connected to the Qur’an, ḥadīth, adab, and tawḥīd. We should neither flatten its poetry into dry literalism nor allow poetry to become careless theology.
The balanced path is this: love him deeply, praise him generously, follow him seriously, and worship Allah alone.
Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim wa bārik ʿalā Sayyidinā Muḥammad, Sayyid-e Kāʾināt, Fakhr-e Maujūdāt, Sarwar-e Kaunain, Habīb-e Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn, wa ʿalā ālihi wa aṣḥābihi ajmaʿīn.
O Allah, send blessings, peace, and barakah upon our master Muḥammad — master of creation, pride of all existents, chief of the two worlds, beloved of the Lord of all worlds — and upon his family and all his companions.
There are poems that are carefully preserved in manuscripts, and there are poems that live upon the tongues of lovers.
They travel from gathering to gathering, from one generation to another, carried not by ink alone but by voices softened through longing. Their words may vary slightly from one land to another, yet their heart remains unchanged.
The qaṣīdah Liyuḥibbūnahu belongs to this second family.
It has long been recited in gatherings of remembrance across Yemen, the Ḥijāz, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. As with many devotional poems transmitted orally, slight differences have appeared in wording and pronunciation over the centuries. Some expressions survive only as they were heard, producing spellings that no longer correspond neatly to Classical Arabic. This is not unusual. Oral traditions often preserve devotion more faithfully than orthography.
The enduring beauty of the poem lies elsewhere.
It asks a remarkably simple question:
What does it mean to love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?
The answer unfolds, not through abstract theology, but through images that have nourished Muslim hearts for centuries.
The lovers remain at his door.
They never abandon him.
They seek nearness through him.
They remember him continually.
They walk in his footsteps.
They become known by his character.
Love, in this poem, is not merely an emotion. It becomes a way of being.
His beloved followers uphold his noble manners and establish his Sacred Law.
This pairing is profound.
The poem does not separate outward practice from inward beauty.
The Sharīʿah without beautiful character becomes harsh.
Character without revealed guidance loses its compass.
The lovers preserve both.
One may recite thousands of blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, yet if patience, generosity, humility, mercy, truthfulness, and gentleness fail to grow within the soul, something essential has been missed.
The measure of love is resemblance.
Why Remember Him Constantly?
The qaṣīdah repeatedly returns to remembrance.
This is deeply rooted in the Prophetic tradition.
The tongue shapes the heart.
What we repeatedly remember gradually becomes what we love.
What we love eventually becomes what we imitate.
And what we imitate slowly becomes our character.
This explains why generations of Muslims filled their mornings, evenings, journeys, gatherings, and moments of solitude with abundant ṣalawāt.
Not because Allah needs our praise.
Nor because the Messenger ﷺ gains honour through our words.
Rather, because we do.
Each blessing softens the heart.
Each remembrance reorients the soul.
Each mention renews a forgotten covenant.
The Language of Devotional Poetry
Some modern readers encounter lines describing the Prophet ﷺ as the light of creation, or portraying the sun and moon receiving their radiance through him, and immediately ask whether such expressions should be understood literally.
Classical Muslim poets never intended them to function as scientific descriptions.
They belong to the long tradition of madīḥ—devotional praise—which speaks through metaphor, beauty, reverence, and spiritual symbolism.
The Qur'an itself describes the Messenger ﷺ as "a radiant lamp" (sirājan munīrā). Muslim poets simply unfolded the spiritual implications of that image.
Poetry has its own language.
It seeks not to define, but to awaken.
The Beauty of an Oral Tradition
An interesting feature of this qaṣīdah is that no universally accepted written version appears to exist.
Different reciters sing slightly different words.
Some lines preserve regional pronunciations.
Others have accumulated small transcription errors over generations.
This should not surprise us.
Much of the Islamic scholarly tradition was oral long before it became textual.
Children memorised the Qur'an before they could write.
Students memorised ḥadīth before books became widespread.
Poetry was carried in the chest before it was preserved upon the page.
When oral traditions cross languages—from Arabic into Malay, Javanese, Swahili, or Urdu—small phonetic changes naturally emerge.
The task of scholarship is not merely to correct spelling.
It is to recover meaning while respecting the devotion that carried the words across centuries.
Education Begins with Love
Perhaps this is the greatest lesson of Liyuḥibbūnahu.
Education in Islam has never begun with information.
It begins with attachment.
A child first learns to love.
Then to imitate.
Then to understand.
Only afterwards does knowledge become deeply rooted.
This is why the earliest generations taught love of the Prophet ﷺ before many other sciences.
Not sentimentality.
Formation.
When the heart loves rightly, learning acquires direction.
Character acquires beauty.
Knowledge acquires purpose.
Without love, education becomes accumulation.
With love, education becomes transformation.
That They May Love Him
The poem ends as it began.
An invitation.
Not merely to admire the Messenger ﷺ from a distance.
Nor only to study his biography.
But to remember him until remembrance becomes familiarity.
To follow him until following becomes habit.
To imitate him until imitation becomes character.
And finally,
to love him until that love quietly reshapes everything else we love.
Perhaps that is why generations continued singing this simple refrain:
لِيُحِبُّونَهُ
That they may love him.
For in the end, every lesson of the Prophetic way begins there—and every journey of spiritual formation returns there.
Yā Nabī salām ʿalayka Yā Rasūl salām ʿalayka Yā Ḥabīb salām ʿalayka Ṣalawātullāh ʿalayka
Translation
O Prophet, peace be upon you.
O Messenger, peace be upon you.
O Beloved, peace be upon you.
May the blessings of Allah be upon you.
لِيُحِبُّونَهُ
دَائِم عَلَى بَابِهِ
مَا يُجَافُونَهُ
لِلْوَصْلِ طُلَّابُهُ
Sung transliteration
Illī yiḥibbūnah
Dāyim ʿalā bābah
Mā yijāfūnah
Lil-waṣl ṭullābah
Translation
That they may love him. Ever standing at his door, they never turn away from him, for they are seekers of nearness to him.
Explanation
The opening portrays sincere lovers who remain constantly at the Prophet's ﷺ door—not physically, but spiritually. "His door" is a traditional metaphor for seeking his intercession, guidance, and noble example. The final line means that those who seek true union (waṣl) remain attached to him.
The Generous One would never turn them away. He enveloped them in goodness and fulfilled their hopes.
Explanation
"Al-Karīm" may refer directly to Allah—the Most Generous—or, in devotional poetry, to the Prophet ﷺ as the most generous of creation, whose generosity is bestowed by Allah. Both meanings coexist in traditional madīḥ.
The moon and the sun receive their radiance through him. He possesses every excellence before them and after them.
Explanation
This is devotional hyperbole (madīḥ) common in Islamic poetry. It echoes the Prophetic description as Sirājan Munīrā ("an illuminating lamp") and emphasizes his spiritual precedence rather than physical causation.
On the Day of Divine Judgment, people long for him before the Most Merciful— that they may love him.
Explanation
This refers to the Prophet's ﷺ intercession (ash-shafāʿah al-kubrā) on the Day of Resurrection.
7
Arabic
لِيَسِيرُونَ قَامُوا بِآدَابِهِ
شَرْعَهُ يُقِيمُونَ لِلْمُصْطَفَى أَحْبَابُهُ
Transliteration
ī yisīrūn qāmaū b-ādābah
sharʿah yuqīmūn lil-Muṣṭafā aḥbābah
Translation
In order to walk his path, his beloved followers uphold his noble manners and his Sacred Law.
Explanation
Love for the Prophet ﷺ is shown through both adab (beautiful character) and Sharīʿah (faithful practice).
8
Arabic
فِي الْوَرَى وَاللّٰهِ لَا مَا مِثْلُهُمْ
مَنْ يُرِيَدِ الْقُرْبَ يَسْلُكْ دَرْبَهُمْ
Sung Transliteration
Fil-warā wallāhi lā mā mithluhum Man yurid al-qurba yasluk darbuhum
Translation
By Allah, among all creation, no—there are none like them. Whoever seeks nearness should follow their path.
Explanation
"Them" refers to the Prophet ﷺ and his righteous inheritors—his Companions, Family, and the people who faithfully preserve his way. In formal written Arabic, one might expect:
لَا مِثْلَ لَهُمْ
lā mithla lahum
But the sung oral form لَا مَا مِثْلُهُمْ has its own devotional rhythm and should be preserved here.
9
Arabic
مَنْ تَقَرَّبَ مِنْهُمْ مَرَّةً يَضُمُّونَهُ
لِيُحِبُّونَهُ
Sung Transliteration
Fil-warā wallāh lā mā mithluhum
Man yirid al-qurb yisluk darbahum
Translation
Whoever draws near to them even once, they embrace him— that they may love him.
Explanation
The imagery reflects the welcoming nature of the righteous, who receive sincere seekers with mercy and affection.
10
Arabic
قُلُوبٌ مَفْتُونَةٌ
وَأَرْوَاحٌ مُنْذَابَةٌ
Sung Transliteration
Qulūbun maftūnatun Wa arwāḥun mundhābah
Translation
Hearts captivated with love, and souls melted in longing.
Explanation
The expression "souls melted" is a classical Sufi metaphor for complete love and surrender.
11
Arabic
فِي نَظْرَةِ عُيُونِهِ
وَرَمْشِهِ وَأَهْدَابِهِ
Sung Transliteration
Fī naẓrati ʿuyūnihi Wa ramshihi wa ahdābihi
Translation
Within the gaze of his eyes, his eyelashes and every delicate beauty.
Explanation
This is a traditional poetic description of the Prophet's ﷺ physical beauty (Shamāʾil literature). It should not be read literally but as devotional praise.
Akthirū dhikra an-Nabiyyi yā man yuḥibbūnahu Liyuḥibbūnahu
Translation
Increase your remembrance of the Prophet, O lovers of him, that you may love him ever more.
Explanation
The poem concludes with a practical invitation: abundant remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ deepens love for him. This reflects the Prophetic teaching that one's heart becomes attached to what one's tongue frequently remembers.
Notes on the Text
Several expressions are not standard Arabic spellings and likely reflect dialectal pronunciation or transcription by ear. I have reconstructed them into grammatically correct Arabic while preserving the intended meaning.
For a critical edition, the ideal next step would be to locate an authoritative recording or manuscript from the Hadrami or Ḥijāzī tradition from which this qaṣīdah originates. That would allow every line to be established with confidence while preserving the original poetic meter and rhyme.
You can listening to the first rendering that I heard during my college years, here:
Muslim communities worldwide have celebrated the life of the Prophet ﷺ in myriad poetic forms and narratives, transmitted from manuscript page to prayer gathering, from private wird to congregational recitation, and even into weddings. One such mawlid that has taken deep root in living devotional practice is سِمْطُ الدُّرَر (Simṭ al-Durar). Associated with al-Ḥabīb ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. Ḥusayn al-Ḥabshī, it remains a cherished mawlid in Ḥaḍramī and Indonesian circles.
The title Simṭ al-Durar—a string or necklace of pearls—is not merely decorative language; it sheds light on the work’s inner form. Pearls are gathered, threaded, and set in order; so too does this mawlid gather praise, lineage, longing, birth, beauty, and remembrance into a composition shaped by sequence and return. The fuller title preserved in public textual witnesses—Simṭ al-Durar fī Akhbār Mawlid Khayr al-Bashar wa-mā lahu min Akhlāq wa-Awṣāf wa-Siyar—makes plain that this is at once a praise text, a birth narrative, and a devotional sīrah.
One reason it has endured, in my view, is that it lives in several registers at once. There is the authored matn itself, and there is the received recital form, which many communities know by sound before they know it on the page: the opening ṣalawāt, the مأخذ, the Qurʾanic passages, the flowing prose, the repeated congregational responses, and the standing section of maḥall al-qiyām. Public recital copies make this layered life unmistakable.
The prose opening after the basmala already explains much of its staying power:
It is an opening of great amplitude. It does not hurry towards the narrative. It begins where a true mawlid should begin: with praise of Allah, and only then with the unfolding of the story of the Beloved ﷺ. That movement matters. Simṭ al-Durar is not simply a retelling of sacred biography; it is sīrah warmed by love, adab, and liturgical sound.
What continues to give the text life is its balance. It is learned without becoming dry, lyrical without losing structure, and intimate without becoming careless. It moves through themes the mawlid tradition knows well—the Muḥammadan light, noble lineage, blessed birth, beauty of character, and the sweetness of communal praise—yet it keeps returning the listener to something simple and lasting: gratitude, longing, remembrance, and ṣalawāt.
That is why Simṭ al-Durar still belongs as much to breath as to ink. It is preserved not only in printed editions and digital scans but also in gatherings where repeated recitation allows its cadences to settle in the heart. What follows, then, is more than an introduction to a famous mawlid text: it is an attempt to listen more carefully to one of the best-loved devotional compositions in the Ḥaḍramī–Nusantara inheritance.
Below is a widely performed recital form, heard not only in mawlid majālis (gatherings) but also at weddings within Yemeni diaspora communities in Southeast Asia. To follow the complete mawlid, play the video while reading the text below. I have also provided links to the corresponding points in the video alongside the relevant sections.
Indeed, We have granted you a manifest victory, so that Allah may forgive you what preceded of your fault and what followed, complete His favour upon you, guide you to a straight path, and support you with mighty support. (Qurʾan 48:1–3)
A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Your suffering weighs upon him; he is deeply concerned for you, and to the believers he is gentle and merciful. If they turn away, say: Allah is sufficient for me. There is no deity but Him. In Him I place my trust, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne. (Qurʾan 9:128–129)
Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with complete peace. (Qurʾan 33:56)
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ
Allāhumma ṣalli wa-sallim wa-bārik ʿalayhi.
O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him ﷺ, and bless him.
Ṣalawāt:
Section of the video corresponding to the Ṣalawāt:
And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without any partner — a testimony through which the tongue gives outward expression to what the heart already holds within it of belief and willing surrender.
Tathbutu bihā fī l-ṣudūri mina l-īmāni qawāʿiduhu, wa-talūḥu ʿalā ahli l-yaqīni min sirri dhālika l-idhʿāni wa-l-taṣdīqi shawāhiduhu.
Through it, the foundations of faith are established in hearts, while the signs of the secret of that submission and affirmation become manifest to the people of certainty.
Wa-ashhadu anna sayyidanā Muḥammadan al-ʿabdu l-ṣādiqu fī qawlihi wa-fiʿlihi, wa-l-muballighu ʿani Llāhi mā amarahu bi-tablīghihi li-khalqihi min farḍihi wa-naflihi.
And I bear witness that our master Muḥammad is the truthful servant in word and deed, and the one who conveyed from Allah what He commanded him to deliver to His creation, both the obligatory and the supererogatory.
A servant whom Allah sent to all the worlds as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. He conveyed the Message and discharged the trust. Through him Allah guided many people of the community; amid the darkness of ignorance, he was a lamp and a luminous moon for those seeking insight.
Fa-mā aʿẓamahā min minnatin takarrama Llāhu bihā ʿalā l-bashari, wa-mā awsaʿahā min niʿmatin intashara sirruhā fī l-baḥri wa-l-barri.
How immense a gift it was, that Allah in His generosity bestowed upon all of humanity — and how vast a blessing, whose secret has spread across both sea and land.
O Allah, send the most majestic and comprehensive of blessings, and the purest and most expansive of salutations, upon this servant who fulfilled the right of servitude completely — appearing within it clothed in the garment of perfection — and who stood firm in honoring the right of the Lord in every station of service to Allah, turning toward Him with the fullest and most absolute of turning.
A blessing through which the soul of the one who invokes blessings upon him becomes connected to him, so that the light of the secret of attachment to and love for him spreads within that person’s heart. Through it, by Allah’s care, that person is recorded among his company. And may blessings be upon his family and companions, who ascended the summit of glory through nearness to him and rested in the shade of innate nobility through affection and love for him,
O Allah, O Lord, O Knower of my state—perhaps after thirst a sweet drink will come to me.
A note on the language: this qaṣīdah keeps a consistent ḥālī end-rhyme—the lām–yāʾ pattern—and draws on the classical language of munājāh, intimate address to God. Several lines retain a Ḥaḍramī devotional register, including colloquial forms such as bā-yaqaʿ (‘it will happen or come to pass’) and hānā (‘here’). The phrase ʿulūm al-salāṭīn al-rijāl refers not to worldly kingship but to the inward knowledge of the great spiritual masters—the ‘sovereigns among humankind.’ The closing couplet expresses the hope of tabdīl al-sayyiʾāt ḥasanāt, the transformation of sins into good deeds, as in Qurʾan 25:70.
ʿAbd al-Razzāq has transmitted through his chain from Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, may God be pleased with them both, who said: "I said, 'O Messenger of God — may my father and mother be your ransom — tell me of the first thing God created before all things.'
And it has come to us from the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: "I was the first of the prophets in creation, and the last of them in being sent."
This Light passed from the loins of Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, until the Hand of Pre-eternal Knowledge delivered it to the one it had singled out for honour—his noble father, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, the one of tremendous rank,
وَأُمِّهِ الَّتِي هِيَ فِي المَخَاوِفِ آمِنَةٌ
السَّيِّدَةِ الكَرِيمَةِ آمِنَةَ.
Wa-ummihi llatī hiya fī l-makhāwifi āmina
al-sayyidati l-karīmati Āmina.
and his mother—she who was safe amid dangers (āmina)—
She carried him under Allah’s care, as has been related of her—an easy pregnancy whose weight she did not feel, and from which she suffered neither pain nor illness.
The earth and heavens remained perfumed with joy at meeting the noblest of created beings and at his emergence from the world of concealment into the world of manifestation, after his passage through wombs and loins.
Through the emergence of this noble human being, Allah manifested the splendour of honour in existence and spread throughout the great world the banquet of ennoblement and glorification.
The rains of divine generosity poured abundantly upon the people of existence, while the tongues of the angels resounded with glad tidings for all the worlds.
Divine Power lifted the veil from this hidden one, so that his light might emerge fully in the world of manifestation—a light surpassing every other light.
وَأَنْفَذَ الْحَقُّ حُكْمَهُ
عَلَى مَنْ أَتَمَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ النِّعْمَةَ
مِنْ خَوَاصِّ الْأُمَّةِ
أَنْ يَحْضُرَ عِنْدَ وَضْعِهِ أُمَّهُ
Wa-anfadha l-Ḥaqqu ḥukmahu ʿalā man atamma Llāhu ʿalayhi l-niʿmata min khawāṣṣi l-ummati: an yaḥḍura ʿinda waḍʿihi ummahu.
The Real carried out His decree concerning those elect members of the community upon whom Allah had completed His favour: that they should attend his mother at the time of his birth.
Fa-ḥaḍarat bi-tawfīqi Llāhi l-sayyidatu Maryamu wa-l-sayyidatu Āsiyatu, wa-maʿahumā mina l-ḥūri l-ʿīni man qasama Llāhu lahu mina l-sharafi bi-l-qismati l-wāfiyati.
Then, by Allah’s enabling grace, the Lady Maryam and the Lady Āsiya attended, accompanied by those wide-eyed maidens of Paradise to whom Allah had apportioned a full share of honour.
Then came the moment upon whose arrival Allah had ordained the existence of this newborn. The dawn of perfection broke, revealing a pillar of light, and the Praiser, the Praised One, came forth—submissive to Allah in glorification and prostration.
O Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Messenger ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Beloved ﷺ, peace be upon you. O Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon you.
The universe shone with joy at the coming of the Chosen One, Aḥmad. For all creation there is companionship—O Messenger of Allah—and a joy ever renewed.
O Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Messenger ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Beloved ﷺ, peace be upon you. O Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon you.
Rejoice, O people of the oft-repeated praises; the nightingale of felicity has sung. Be illumined by a beauty—O Messenger of Allah—that surpassed all beauty in peerless uniqueness.
O Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Messenger ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Beloved ﷺ, peace be upon you. O Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon you.
O Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Messenger ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Beloved ﷺ, peace be upon you. O Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon you.
O Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Messenger ﷺ, peace be upon you; O Beloved ﷺ, peace be upon you. O Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings be upon you.
When he ﷺ emerged from his mother’s womb, he came forth with his gaze raised towards the sky, indicating by that upward gesture a nobility whose glory had risen high and soared.
It has been related that he ﷺ was born circumcised, with eyes lined as if with kohl and his umbilical cord already severed—the hands of Divine Power having attended to this in honour of his rank before Allah.
It is related from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, from his mother al-Shifāʾ, that when Āmina gave birth to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he fell into her hands and uttered his first cry. She heard a voice pray for mercy upon him, and everything between east and west was illuminated for him until she saw some of the palaces of Byzantium. She then experienced darkness and awe first from her right and then from her left, hearing that he had been taken to the west and to the east. The account remained in her mind until Allah raised him as a Prophet, and she was among the first people to embrace Islam.
How abundantly the Prophetic tradition has conveyed tremendous miracles and radiant, manifest signs—attesting to the greatness of his honour before his Lord, to the eye of divine care watching over him at every moment, and to his being the Guide to the Straight Path.
Wa qad inbasaṭa al-qalamu fī tadwīni mā afādahu al-ʿilmu min waqāʾiʿi mawlidi al-Nabiyyi al-Karīm,
wa ḥikāyati mā akrama Allāhu bihi hādhā al-ʿAbda al-Muqarraba min al-takrīmi wa al-taʿẓīmi wa al-khuluqi al-ʿaẓīm.
The pen has spread itself in setting down what knowledge has conveyed of the events of the birth of the Noble Prophet, and the account of what God bestowed upon this favoured servant of honour, veneration, and magnificent character.
Glad tidings to you, Āmina of contentment—through Muḥammad, the very essence of bliss. (The first phrase is sung four times, then the couplet is repeated.)
In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muḥammad, and bless the family of our master Muḥammad.
Now that thought has strung necklaces from the lustrous pearls of the Muḥammadan qualities, I turn to Allah, taking my master and beloved Muḥammad ﷺ as a means of approach. I ask Him to make my effort gratefully accepted and my deed praiseworthy, to inscribe my labour among accepted works, and my turning among sincere devotions and unbroken prayers.
O Allah, to whom all hopes turn and return triumphant, and at whose gate of glory travellers set down their loads and are enveloped by overflowing grace: we turn to You through the noblest means before You—the Master of the Messengers, Your truthful and trustworthy servant, our master Muḥammad, whose message encompassed all worlds. Send blessings and peace upon that Perfect Being: repository of Your trust, guardian of Your secret, bearer of the banner of Your all-embracing call, the great father, Your beloved, distinguished with splendid honour at every station of nearness and manifestation, distributor of Your aid among Your servants, pourer of the cups of Your guidance for those who love You, Master of the Two Worlds, the noblest of humankind and jinn, the beloved, sincere servant whom You singled out with the greatest distinctions.
Allāhumma innā nuqaddimu ilayka jāha hādhā l-nabiyyi l-karīmi, wa-natawassalu ilayka bi-sharafi maqāmihi l-ʿaẓīmi, an tulāḥiẓanā fī ḥarakātinā wa-sakanātinā bi-ʿayni ʿināyatika, wa-an taḥfaẓanā fī jamīʿi aṭwārinā wa-taqallubātinā bi-jamīli riʿāyatika wa-ḥaṣīni wiqāyatika, wa-an tuballighanā min sharafi l-qurbi ilayka wa-ilā hādhā l-ḥabībi ghāyata āmālinā, wa-tataqabbala minnā mā taḥarraknā fīhi min niyyātinā wa-aʿmālinā, wa-tajʿalanā fī ḥaḍrati hādhā l-ḥabībi mina l-ḥāḍirīna, wa-fī ṭarāʾiqi ittibāʿihi mina l-sālikīna, wa-li-ḥaqqika wa-ḥaqqihi mina l-muʾaddīna, wa-li-ʿahdika mina l-ḥāfiẓīna.
O Allah, we present before You the rank of this Noble Prophet and seek approach to You through the honour of his exalted station. Watch over our movements and stillness with Your care; preserve us through all our states and changes with Your beautiful protection and secure safeguarding; bring us to the utmost of our hopes in nearness to You and to this Beloved; accept from us whatever intentions and deeds we have undertaken; place us among those present in his presence and those who follow his paths; and make us fulfil what is due to You and to him and faithfully keep Your covenant.
O Allah, we yearn for Your special mercy, so do not deny us. Our good opinion of You is our means of approach, so do not disappoint us. We believe in You, Your Messenger, and the religion he brought. Through him we turn to You seeking intercession: meet the sinner among us with forgiveness, the wrongdoer with kindness, the petitioner with what was asked, and the hopeful with what was hoped for. Make us among those who supported this Beloved, stood by him, befriended him, and aided him. Through his blessing and noble spiritual direction, encompass our children, our parents, the people of our land and valley, and all Muslim and believing men and women everywhere. Keep the banner of the upright religion unfurled in every land and the signs of Islam and faith flourishing among their people, inwardly and outwardly.
O Allah, relieve the distressed, settle the debts of the indebted, forgive sinners, accept the repentance of the penitent, and spread Your mercy over all Your believing servants. Restrain the harm of aggressors and wrongdoers. Extend justice through righteous authorities in every region and land, and support them with reinforcement from You and victory over the obstinate among the hypocrites and disbelievers.
Place us, O Lord, within an impregnable fortress against every affliction and a secure refuge from sins and transgressions. Keep us steadfast in obedience to You and truthful service to You; and when You take our souls, take us as Muslims and believers.
By His grace: Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Might, far above what they ascribe; peace be upon the messengers; and all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.
الْفَاتِحَةُ
Al-Fātiḥah.
(At this point the gathering recites Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.)
Early Childhood with Sayyidah Ḥalīma (not included in the video)
The wet nurses vied with one another to nurse him, and the people of existence longed to care for this blessed being. Then the decree issued from the Exalted Presence, by virtue of what had been preordained from eternity, that the lady Ḥalīma was most worthy to rear and nurture this Beloved.
Wa-ḥīna lāḥaẓat-hu ʿuyūnuhā, wa-baraza fī shaʾnihā min asrāri l-qudrati l-rabbāniyyati maknūnuhā, nāzala qalbahā mina l-faraḥi wa-l-surūri mā dalla ʿalā anna ḥaẓẓahā mina l-karāmati ʿinda Llāhi ḥaẓẓun mawfūrun.
When her eyes beheld him and the hidden secrets of Divine Power became manifest in her affairs, such joy and gladness came upon her heart that it revealed the abundant share of honour reserved for her with Allah.
She showed him the tenderness mothers show their sons, and longed to nurse him in the hope of receiving his blessings, which encompassed all the worlds.
She had arrived with her old she-camel and donkey both feeble; on the return journey they outpaced the caravan’s animals. The she-camel and sheep yielded so much milk that minds were left astonished.
He remained in her and her husband’s care for two years. During that time she received blessings and witnessed miracles that delighted the eye, while his mysteries spread through both worlds.
Then, while he was tending the sheep, the angels of special election and honour encountered him with the distinction whose blessing embraced all creation.
She therefore returned him to his mother, though she was deeply unwilling to part from him, because of the sorrow and anxious concern for him that had arisen within her heart.
