Loving al-Jazuli

Bismillah.

At long last, I got to see you
O al-Jazuli
Surely, BEAUTY is your destiny
My eyes smiled joyfully
when they landed on your abode
how colorful
how beautiful
the home of one honorable poet

You orchestrate a million lips
Singing praises to Muhammad
Dala'il al-Khayrat
'Waymarks of Benefits'

O adorable saint of Marrakech
we would be lost for words
if not for your pen
dancing in Fez

The inkwells dried
so the mouth of a pious could rehearse
It didn't matter you're poisoned
for you remain alive years and years

None could honor you as best as Allah
inviting you to Himself while in solah
Seventy years in the grave
yet your body uncorrupted
Telling the world
Al-Jazuli is a Beloved

O wali, be my guide
I do not dream to memorize
only wish to read flawlessly
else it would be a shame
if Nabi heard me pronounce wrongly
Have mercy on ajami

O Al-Jazuli
I bow to you sincerely
as a mureed would
to his Sayyidi
O 'splendor of the awliya'
we know you are now happy
in the company of Taha

_______________________________________
In loving memory of
Al-Imam Abi Abdillah Muhammad bin Sulaiman al-Jazuli as-Shadhilli rahimallahu ta'ala (d. 1465)
AL FATIHAH

Poem written upon seeing pictures of Al-Jazuli's maqam for the first time. Read 'The Story of Dala'il al-Khayrat' by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller here. Photo credit: Ali Diallo of Haqqani Fellowship