Nana Asma’u (1793-1864) was a poet, educator and activist who wrote poetry in Arabic, Fulfulde and Hausa. She was the daughter of Uthman dan Fodio and was raised in a scholarly environment that valued the education of…
Uthman dan Fodio opens one of his most famous and widely recited poems, Al-Dāliyya, written in 1772 (1188AH) when he was just twenty years old, expressing his longing to visit the Prophet’s tomb in Medina. It is…
In her talk Dr. Hina Khalid gave us a fascinating comparison of the logic of love in the work of Iqbal and Tagore. Watch the recording for a thought-provoking exploration of their overlapping and spiritually refreshing outlooks on love. You can…
Friends that were – I do not know where they areO Lord, what day was it that they were divided from us?If the new spring should come, asking after those friendsSay, ‘O gentle breeze, those roses have all turned to weeds!’O…
My peace, O my brothers, lies in my solitudeAnd my Beloved is always in my presenceThere is no exchange for my longing for HimAnd longing for Him is my trial in this worldIn whatever direction I witness His…
Solomon tells you, “listen to the language of the birds!” * You are a snare and the birds flee from you. Go! Become a nest! Become a nest!گوید سلیمان مر تو را بشنو لسان الطیر را * دامی…
A little shaykh from the land of Meknes in the middle of the markets is singing what have I to do with people, and what have they to do with me? شُوَيْخ مِن ارْضِ مَكناس وَسْطِ الاَسْواقِ يَغْني…
The door is open, but the question is in who desires to enter it Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya البابُ مفتوحٌ ولكنّ الشّأن فِيمَنْ يَرغَبُ أن يدخُلَهُ al-bābu maftūḥun walākinna al-shaʾnu fīman yarghabu an yadkhulahu The door . al-bābu . البابُ…
Ever since they cut me from the reed-bed Men and women have cried at my wail كز نيستان تا مرا ببريده اند در نفيرم مرد و زن ناليده اند kaz nayistan tā marā bobrīdeʾand dar nafīram mard o…