Lot 206 A LARGE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT, MUHAMMAD BIN SA'ID AL-BUSIRI (D. 1296), QASIDA AL-BURDA (THE POEM OF THE MANTLE'), 19TH/ 20TH CENTURY

Arabic manuscript on paper, comprising 10 leaves and four fly-leaves, each page arranged in nine lines of elegant Thuluth script, alternating in red and gold and framed by bands of gilt Kufic script. The manuscript opens with the Basmala in black Thuluth, followed by an introduction and passages of poetry rendered in gilt Naskh.

The celebrated Qasida al-Burda (The Poem of the Mantle) by Imam al-Busiri (d. c. 1296), one of the most renowned works of devotional poetry in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. Comprising ten chapters and 160 verses, the poem is distinguished by its recurring refrain invoking blessings and peace upon the Prophet, while each verse concludes with the Arabic letter mīm, giving the poem its characteristic Mīmiyya form.

The ten chapters encompass themes of spiritual longing, the struggle against the self, praise of the Prophet, his birth and miracles, the Qur’an, the Miʿraj, his struggles, intercession, and devotional supplication. The manuscript is preserved in a large brown leather Moroccan binding, lending the work a particularly imposing presence. 43 × 38 cm