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Dhu-l Nun al-Misri (d. c 859 CE /245 AH) is said t

Dhu-l Nun al-Misri (d. c 859 CE /245 AH) is said to have been of Nubian decent and was the teacher of the well-known Quran exegete Sahl al-Tusturi who in turn was a teacher of Mansur al-Hallaj. Prayers and poems from Dhul Nun have come down through the ages, and his miracles and mystical knowledge are legendary in oral and popular culture. Although he is known for his focus on knowledge of God or gnosis (ma’rifa) more than fear of God (makhafa) or love of God (mahabba), the following poem attributed to him has more of the devotional quality of a love poem.

I die yet my longing for You does not die
From the sincerity of my love for You
my desires are unobtained
My hope of hopes, of all hopes, You are my hope
The Possessor of all wealth in my neediness
You are the goal of my request, my utmost desire,
the locus of my longings and hidden depths of my secret
In You my heart has endured what I do not tell
No matter how long my plight and love-sickness for You may be drawn out
What is evident to You between my sides from You
Is not apparent to family or to neighbours
From You is a pervading ailment within me
So that my strength has crumbled
and my confidences have become known
Are You not the guide to wayfarers when they are bewildered?
Saviour from the brink of a crumbling precipice
You illuminate the way for those who are guided
When in their hands they do not hold a tenth of a tenth of this light
Grant me forgiveness from You that I may live in its closeness
Save me through ease from You that drives away my difficulties

You can sign up to our course on the poetic traditions of the Muslim world to learn more about early Sufi poets. Link in bio @lotetreepress

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Dhul Nun al-Misri (d. 245/859) was known for his f

Dhul Nun al-Misri (d. 245/859) was known for his focus on knowledge of God drawn from direct spiritual experience (ma’rifa). A story is told of a meeting between Dhul Nun al-Misri and Rabia al-Adawiyya in which he said to her: “Expound Love to me”, and she said, “Praise be to God, for you speak with the tongue of knowledge and (yet) you ask me about it”. He said to her, “The asker has a right to an answer”, to which Rabia al-Adawiya then recited her famous verses on the two types of love for God:

I love You with two loves – the love of longing
and a love because that is Your due
As for the love that is of longing
Your remembrance preoccupies me
from any but You
As for that which is Your due
Yours is the lifting of veils that I might see You
Praise is not mine in this or that
But praise is Yours in this and in that

Born to a poor family in Basra around 714, Rabia a

Born to a poor family in Basra around 714, Rabia al-Adawiyya first become an orphan and then a slave. Her owner later freed her after one night looking down from a window of the house to see a spiritual light above her head while she was praying illuminating the entire space around her. After being given her freedom she lived the life of an ascetic, and was known for her great love for and devotion to God and renunciation of everything else.

Many stories tell of her refusing marriage proposals. When refusing these proposals she said she didn’t want a husband to distract her from God. The following verses are attributed to her, said to be written by her when refusing a marriage proposal.

My peace, O my brothers, lies in my solitude
And my Beloved is always in my presence
There is no exchange for my longing for Him
And longing for Him is my trial in this world
In whatever direction I witness His beauty
He is my prayer-niche and my qiblah
Should I die of love and not find acceptance
How distressed and wretched in creation I would be
O heart’s Physician, O You of every hope
It is connection to You that heals my soul
O my everlasting joy and life
From You comes my existence and my elation
I have turned away from all creation
In hope of union with You for that is my utmost longing

You can find out more about the lives and work of early Sufi poets in the on-demand videos “Early Sufi Poets - from Rabia al-Adawiyya to Hallaj” and “Early Sufi Poets - Meditating on the Eternal and the Ephemeral - Poetry Writing Workshop” available in our course “Poetic Traditions of the Islamic World”. Link in bio @lotetreepress.

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Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a

Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a joyful and blessed Eid celebration.

Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ec

Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize 2025 award ceremony and poetry reading, with judges Baraka Blue and Sukina Noor and hosted by Medina Tenour Whiteman. Listen to the poets reciting their winning and shortlisted poems together with some interesting and uplifting commentary from the judges. Link in our bios @ecstaticexchangepoetry and @lotetreepress

This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel

This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry competition. You can listen to it being recited by the poet in the award ceremony replay (link in bio @ecstaticexchangepoetry) along with other winning entries and shortlisted poems. Also look out for the upcoming chapbook of the long listed, shortlisted and winning entries to be published by Lote Tree Press. You can sign up to our newsletter for poetry in your inbox and publication news and updates. Link in bio @lotetreepress

Access our course “Poetic Traditions of the Isla

Access our course “Poetic Traditions of the Islamic World” for a one time payment of £99, including any future updates to the course.

For centuries poetry was the primary form of literary expression in the Muslim world. In this course we discover some of the treasures of this rich poetic heritage. Explore the poetic traditions of the Islamic world with us from a faith-based perspective from the poetry of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, through the mystical verses of Sufi poets from South Asia to West Africa, to the history of Palestinian resistance poetry.

Poetry Writing Prompts
 The course includes poetry writing prompts inspired by the poetic traditions of the Muslim world to help spark your own creativity.

Community Online Space
 You will also gain access to our online poetry community space where you can post your own poetry and discuss all things poetry with other members.

Link in bio @lotetreepress

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For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are

For the sown fields of the soul
whose kernels are concealed
the cloud of mercy
is full of the water of Kawthar

زرع جان را كش جواهر مضمر است
ابر رحمت پر ز آب كوثر است

zar’-e jān rā kesh javāher muzmar ast
abr-e rahmat pur ze āb-e kawsar ast

sown fields of . zar’-e . زرع
the soul . jān . جان
‎را . rā . for
whose . kesh . كش
kernels/ essences . javāher . جواهر
concealed . muzmar . مضمر
are . ast. است
the cloud of . abr-e . ابر
mercy . rahmat . رحمت
full . pur . پر
of . ze . ز
water of . āb-e . آب
Kawthar . kawsar . كوثر
is. ast . است

Wash your hands Because the table and divine banqu

Wash your hands
Because the table and divine banquet from the heavens has arrived
Wash your hands and mouth
Do not eat or speak
Find those words and mouthfuls
which have arrived for the silent

‎دست بشو کز فلک مایده و خوان رسید
‎دست و دهان را بشو نه بخور و نه بگو
‎آن سخن و لقمه جو کان به خموشان رسید

dast beshu kaz falak māyede va khān rasīd
dast u dahān rā beshū nah bekhūr u nah begū
ān sukhan u lugma jū kān beh khamūshān rasīd

hand . dast . دست
wash . beshu . بشو
because . kaz . کز
the heavens . falak . فلک
heavenly banquet . māyede . مایده
and . va . و
table . khān . خوان
arrived . rasīd . رسید
hand . dast . دست
mouth . dahān . دهان
[direct object marker] rā . را
do not . nah . نه
eat . bekhūr . بخور
speak . begū . بگو
that . ān . آن
word/speech . sukhan . سخن
mouthful . lugma . لقمه
find/seek jū . جو
has . kān . کان
for . beh . به
the silent ones. khamūshān . خموشان
arrived . rasīd . رسید

When the self is in need the soul ascends on a jou

When the self is in need
the soul ascends on a journey to heaven
When the gate of the prison is broken
the soul reaches the land of the Beloved

‎نفس چو محتاج شد روح به معراج شد
‎چون در زندان شکست جان بر جانان رسید

nafs chu mohtāj shod rūh beh mi’rāj shod
chun dar-e zendān shekast jān bar-e jānān rasīd

the ego/self . nafs . نفس
when . chu . چو
in need . mohtāj . محتاج
is . shod . شد
soul/ spirit . rūh . روح
on . beh . به
ascension/ journey to heaven . mi’rāj . معراج
goes. shod . شد
when . chun . چون
the gate of . dar-e . در
the prison . zendān . زندان
is broken . shekast . شکست
the soul . jān . جان
the land of . bar-e . بر
the Beloved . jānān . جانان
arrives at/ reaches . rasīd . رسید

Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining d

Patience is like a gentle cloud,
wisdom raining down from it
Thus it was in such a month of patience
that the Qur’an came down

‎صبر چو ابریست خوش حکمت بارد از او
‎زانک چنین ماه صبر بود که قرآن رسید

sabr chu abrīst khosh hikmat bārad az u
zānke chonīn māh-e sabr būd ke qurān rasīd

patience . sabr . صبر
like . chu . چو
is a cloud . abrīst . ابریست
good/gentle . khosh . خوش
wisdom . hikmat . حکمت
rains . bārad . بارد
from . az . از
it . u . او
thus . zānke . زانک
such . chonīn . چنین
a month of . māh-e . ماه
patience . sabr . صبر
it was . būd . بود
that . keh . که
the Quran . qurān . قرآن
came/arrived . rasīd . رسید

Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that i

Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that is to say, speak little and fall silent
They will come to understand fasting
from fasting itself

سحوری کم زن ای نطق و خمش کن
ز روزه خود شوند آگاه روزه

‏sahūrī kam zan ay nutq u khamush kon ze rūze khod shavand āgāh-e rūze  
سحوری . sahūrī .
‏sahur drum (to wake people up)
کم . little . kam
زن . strike . zan
ای . meaning / that is . ay
نطق . speaking . nutq
و . and . u
خمش کن . be silent . khamush kon
ز . from . ze
روزه . fasting . rūze
خود . itself . khod
شوند . they will become . shavand
آگاه . aware of . āgāh-e
روزه . fasting . rūze

Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the

Like Yusuf,
the one who endures patiently
in the well of fasting
attains the kingdom of the Egypt of love

‎چو یوسف ملک مصر عشق گیرد
‎کسی کو صبر کرد در چاه روزه
 chū yūsuf mulk-e misr-e`ishq gīrad  kasī kū sabr kard dar chāh-e rūze

like . chū . چو
Joseph . yūsuf . یوسف
kingdom of . mulk-e . ملک
Egypt of . misr-e . مصر
‘ishq . love . عشق
attains . gīrad . گیرد
the one . kasī . کسی
who . kū . کو
patience . sabr . صبر
practices . kard . کرد
in . dar . در
the well of . chāh-e . چاه
fasting . rūze - روزه

Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my he

Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my head
Intoxicated as my head was by the Sovereign of fasting

‎نظر کردم کلاه از سر بیفتاد
‎سرم را مست کرد آن شاه روزه  nazar kardam, kolāh az sar beyoftād saram ra mast kard ān shāh-e rūze 
I gazed . nazar kardam . نظر کردم
hat . kolāh . کلاه
from . az . از
head . sar . سر
fell . beyoftād . بیفتاد
my head . saram . سرم
direct object marker . rā. را
intoxicated . mast kard . مست کرد
that . ān . آن
Sovereign of . shāh-e . شاه
fasting . rūze - روزه

How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and sple

How wonderful the felicity,
good fortune and splendour of fasting is!

زهی اقبال و بخت و جاه روزه

‏ zehī iqbāl o bakht o jāh-e rūze

how excellent/wonderful is . zehī . زهی
the felicity . iqbāl. اقبال
and . o . و
good fortune . bakht . بخت
splendour/rank of . jāh-e . جاه
fasting . rūze . روزه

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