The Burda Collection

Twenty-seven paintings on Imam al-Busiri's ode in praise of the Prophet ﷺ

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The Burda is Imam al-Busiri's seven-century-old poem in praise of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Painting my way through this ode was an opportunity to learn and memorise it. More importantly, it was my way of contemplating its spiritual depth: questions about faith and meaning that don't always have clear answers, but that I keep returning to nonetheless.

Each painting here carries a verse, or part of one. The collection follows the poem in order: Chapter One is about love and confessions of a restless heart, Chapter Two focuses on the ego's whims and reckoning with the self, and Chapter Three is on the praise of the Prophet ﷺ.

Figures appear in several of the paintings. To me they represent a soul on the path, walking through each chapter as it were. The collection was completed on 4 September 2026 · 22 Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 H, the month of the Mawlid, when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was born.

Where a painting includes more than one verse, the caption quotes the one that matches its title and meaning, selected from what's legible on the canvas. Each painting is a mixed media artwork on 640gsm Arches Aquarelle paper. I relied on Aziza Spiker's translation of this beautiful poem from her book, The Burda (Guidance Media), with her kind permission.

Pale as Bahar, a 15 × 15 cm painting from the Burda Collection, held in Sara Kabariti's hands above the rest of the collection laid out on marble — Each Burda painting comes in one of three sizes - 15×15cm, 25×25cm or 35×35cm - small artworks, made to be lived with up close.

Chapter One · On Words of Love

Dhu Salam, dark rectangular block with a collaged Arabic verse fragment, a pale abstract shape with dotted markings and black calligraphic marks, pink circular bubble-wrap marks, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DHU SALAM 2026 / 1448 - 25 × 25 cm
أَمْ هَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ كَاظِمَةٍ - "or is it the wind blowing from the direction of Kazima"

Lightning from Idam, pale ground with a dark hook-like calligraphic mark, olive-green and peach painted block shapes, black speckled texture and a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — LIGHTNING FROM IDAM 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَأَوْمَضَ الْبَرْقُ فِي الظَّلْمَاءِ مِنْ إِضَمِ - "And the lightning flashing in the black night from Mount Idam?"

Broken Heart, dark ground with orange and coral ribbon-like arcs, a dark horse-and-rider-like silhouette at centre, black scribbled marks and red drips, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BROKEN HEART 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
فَمَا لِعَيْنَيْكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اكْفُفَا هَمَتَا - "What is the matter with your eyes that when you tell them to refrain, they only weep more?”

Heart on Fire, a turbaned elder leaning on a cane against a sage-green ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — Caption: HEART ON FIRE 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
أَيَحْسَبُ الصَّبُّ أَنَّ الْحُبَّ مُنْكَتِمٌ - "Does the one in love suppose his love can be concealed"

Traces of the Beloved, a turbaned man seen from behind in a dark robe, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower right, a row of dark dots along the bottom edge, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — TRACES OF THE BELOVED 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
لَوْ لَا الْهَوَى لَمْ تُرِقْ دَمْعاً عَلَى طَلَلٍ - "If not for love, your tears would not pour forth over traces left by your beloved,"

Sleepless, pale ground with dark landscape-like marks, a navy textured block, a pale pillar form, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — SLEEPLESS 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَلَا أَرِقْتَ لِذِكْرِ الْبَانِ وَالْعَلَمِ - "Nor would be sleepless remembering the willow tree and the mountain"

WHY DENY 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
فَكَيْفَ تُنْكِرُ حُبّاً بَعْدَ مَا شَهِدَتْ - "So how can you deny this love, when such honest witnesses"

Honest Witnesses, a standing figure in a blue headwrap against a pale ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment upper right, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — HONEST WITNESSES 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
بِهِ عَلَيْكَ عُدُولُ الدَّمْعِ وَالسَّقَمِ - "as weeping and looking gaunt have testified to it against you?"

Agony of Love, pale pink ground with a striped brick-like pattern, a dark mountain-like silhouette, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower right, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — AGONY OF LOVE 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَأَثْبَتَ الْوَجْدُ خَطَّيْ عَبْرَةٍ وَضَنَى - "The agony of love has inscribed two lines of tears and grief"

Pale as Bahar, a dark bowed figure-like silhouette with an olive-green centre, a collaged map fragment left, a collaged Arabic verse fragment upper left, pink circular marks, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — ALE AS BAHAR 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
مِثْلَ الْبَهَارِ عَلَى خَدَّيْكَ وَالْعَنَمِ - "Upon your cheeks, pale as *bahar* and red as *‘anam*"

Vision by Night, a collaged dark patterned paper fragment left, a soft dark abstract silhouette, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — PERPETUAL 2VISION BY NIGHT 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
نَعَمْ سَرَى طَيْفُ مَنْ أَهْوَى فَأَرَّقَنِي - "Yes, a vision of the one I love came to me by night, and I could not sleep,”

Delight and Suffering, a dark olive pear-like silhouette resembling a bowed figure, pink splatter marks, black ink dots, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, a collaged map fragment lower right, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DELIGHT AND SUFFERING 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَالْحُبُّ يَعْتَرِضُ اللَّذَّاتِ بِالْأَلَمِ - "Oh, how love hinders the tasting of delight with its suffering!"

Ya Rasul Allah, a standing figure in a blue headwrap and cream robe with shadowed folds, against an ochre and olive-green ground, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — YA RASUL ALLAH 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
عَدَتْكَ حَالِي لَا سِرِّي بِمُسْتَتِرٍ عَنِ الْوُشَاةِ وَلَا دَائِي بِمُنْحَسِمِ - "May you be spared a state such as mine! My secret cannot be concealed, From my detractors, nor will there ever be an end to my malady"

Deaf to Counsel, a hooded figure in olive-green against a dark navy sky, a pale ground with vertical drip streaks, a collaged Arabic verse fragment left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DEAF TO COUNSEL 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
مَحَضْتَنِي النُّصْحَ لَكِنْ لَسْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ - "You gave me sincere good counsel, but I did not heart it,"

Chapter Two · A Caution about the Whims of the Self

Unheeded Warning, a hooded figure crouched with one arm resting across a raised knee, against a pale green-yellow ground with vertical drip streaks, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — UNHEEDED WARNING 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
فَإِنَّ أَمَّارَتِي بِالسُّوءِ مَا اتَّعَظَتْ - "My foolish reckless self refused to heed the warning"

Bridled Soul, a figure wearing a headscarf bent forward, a wing-like sweep of windswept white streaks on a blue ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BRIDLED SOUL 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
مَنْ لِي بِرَدِّ جِمَاحٍ مِنْ غَوَايَتِهَا - "Who can hold back my headstrong soul from the error of its ways,"

Infant Self, a bare abstract tree, trailing teal dots, a rounded boulder-like form, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — **INFANT SELF** 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
وَالنَّفْسُ كَالطِّفْلِ إِنْ تُهْمِلْهُ شَبَّ عَلَى - "The self is like an infant, if you neglect its proper care, It will grow up…"

Beware Its Passions, a dark blue-grey arching wave-like shape with a swirl of exposed white paper at its centre and thin drip lines above, a warm cream and peach ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — **BEWARE ITS PASSIONS** 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
فَاصْرِفْ هَوَاهَا وَحَاذِرْ أَنْ تُوَلِّيَهُ - "So dismiss its passions, beware of letting them take over,"

Watchful Eye, a teal ground with a large ringed circle, vertical lines and shorter horizontal lines on the right, four teal circles, a white flower-like shape, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — WATCHFUL EYE 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
وَرَاعِهَا وَهْيَ فِي الْأَعْمَالِ سَائِمَةٌ - "Keep a watchful eye on it as it grazes in the field of actions"

Only Regret, dense dark speckled marks over a teal ground, a grey-purple rock form, gold touches, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — ONLY REGRET 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
وَاسْتَفْرِغِ الدَّمْعَ مِنْ عَيْنٍ قَدِ امْتَلَأَتْ - "let your only diet henceforth be regret"

OPPOSE AND DEFY 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm

وَخَالِفِ النَّفْسَ وَالشَّيْطَانَ وَاعْصِهِمَا - "Oppose the self and shaytan - and defy them"

Words Without Deeds, cool blue-grey and sage wash ground, a cloud-like white form, dark vertical bar shapes, a collaged ochre verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — WORDS WITHOUT DEEDS 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ قَوْلٍ بِلَا عَمَلٍ - "I beg Allah’s forgiveness for saying things I do not do,"

Before Death Comes, an abstract landscape with a deep aubergine mountain-like form, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BEFORE DEATH COMES 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
وَلَا تَزَوَّدْتُ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ نَافِلَةً - "little provision of voluntary prayer made before death"

Chapter Three · On the Praise of the Prophet ﷺ

Path of Night Prayer, a sage-green ground, a dark tree-like silhouette, ridged dark navy-teal brushstrokes, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — PATH OF NIGHT PRAYER 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
ظَلَمْتُ سُنَّةَ مَنْ أَحْيَا الظَّلَامَ - "I have done injustice to the path of the one who prayed at night"

Hunger Stone, a dark triangular wedge teal form beside pale cloud-like brushwork, thin drip streaks, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — HUNGER STONE 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَشَدَّ مِنْ سَغَبٍ أَحْشَاءَهُ وَطَوَى - "While he bound up his insides against the extremity of his hunger,"

True Elevation, mountain forms ranging from dark blue-purple to violet, a splash of gold paint, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — TRUE ELEVATION 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الْجِبَالُ الشُّمُّ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ - "The high mountains of gold sought to entice him,"

Impeccable Virtue, date palm trees against a teal-green ground, thin reed-like strokes at the base, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — IMPECCABLE VIRTUE 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
إِنَّ الضَّرُورَةَ لَا تَعْدُو عَلَى الْعِصَمِ - "For even dire need cannot assail such impeccable virtue"

INSPIRED BY THIS POEM

أَمِنْ تَذَكُّرِ جِيرَانٍ بِذِي سَلَمِ
مَزَجْتَ دَمْعاً جَرَى مِنْ مُقْلَةٍ بِدَمِ

أَمْ هَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ كَاظِمَةٍ
وَأَوْمَضَ الْبَرْقُ فِي الظَّلْمَاءِ مِنْ إِضَمِ

فَمَا لِعَيْنَيْكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اكْفُفَا هَمَتَا
وَمَا لِقَلْبِكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اسْتَفِقْ يَهِمِ

أَيَحْسَبُ الصَّبُّ أَنَّ الْحُبَّ مُنْكَتِمٌ
مَا بَيْنَ مُنْسَجِمٍ مِنْهُ وَمُضْطَرِمِ

لَوْلَا الْهَوَى لَمْ تُرِقْ دَمْعاً عَلَى طَلَلٍ
وَلَا أَرِقْتَ لِذِكْرِ الْبَانِ وَالْعَلَمِ

فَكَيْفَ تُنْكِرُ حُبَّاً بَعْدَ مَا شَهِدَتْ
بِهِ عَلَيْكَ عُدُولُ الدَّمْعِ وَالسَّقَمِ

وَأَثْبَتَ الْوَجْدُ خَطَّيْ عَبْرَةٍ وَضَنًى
مِثْلَ الْبَهَارِ عَلَى خَدَّيْكَ وَالْعَنَمِ

نَعَمْ سَرَى طَيْفُ مَنْ أَهْوَى فَأَرَّقَنِي
وَالْحُبُّ يَعْتَرِضُ اللَّذَّاتِ بِالْأَلَمِ

يَا لَائِمِي فِي الْهَوَى الْعُذْرِيِّ مَعْذِرَةً
مِنِّي إِلَيْكَ وَلَوْ أَنْصَفْتَ لَمْ تَلُمِ

عَدَتْكَ حَالِيَ لَا سِرِّي بِمُسْتَتِرٍ
عَنِ الْوُشَاةِ وَلَا دَائِي بِمُنْحَسِمِ

مَحَّضَتْنِي النُّصْحَ لَكِنْ لَسْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ
إِنَّ الْمُحِبَّ عَنِ الْعُذَّالِ فِي صَمَمِ

إِنِّي اتَّهَمْتُ نَصِيحَ الشَّيْبِ فِي عَذَلٍ
وَالشَّيْبُ أَبْعَدُ فِي نُصْحٍ عَنِ التُّهَمِ

- IMAM AL-BUSIRI

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On the Word Burda

In Arabic, burda means cloak, or mantle. The name comes from a story Aziza Spiker recounts in her own introduction to the poem. After a stroke left him partially paralysed, Imam al-Busiri wrote the Burda out of longing for nearness to the Prophet ﷺ and in regret for wasted years spent as a court poet, praising worldly figures. He would sing the poem over and over until one night, falling asleep mid-recitation, he is said to have dreamed that the Prophet ﷺ cast his own cloak over him and awoke completely healed.

The poem has kept this name and been sung, recited, and carried onward, for the better part of a thousand years. It is known in English as the ‘Poem of the Cloak’. This collection is one small, recent addition to that long line of response.

Who Was He ﷺ, Really

For me, these paintings became a way of pondering a deeper question: what does it mean to move through life, through its different stages and states, in connection with Allah ﷻ? All of creation strikes me as deeply interconnected, and I wanted to reflect on what it means to walk alongside it with heart, mind and soul all reaching toward Him. This body of work is my attempt to pay tribute to the greatness of our Creator, and to glimpse, in some small way, the visible and hidden depths of His creation, depths I don't expect to ever fully comprehend. It's part of why I turned to the Burda. It explores spirituality: the Prophet's ﷺ character, the nature of prophethood, the struggle with one's own ego, and how a person might draw nearer to Allah ﷻ.

This led me to another question: who was the Prophet ﷺ really, and what that entails for anyone trying to walk through the world now, so many centuries on? Two lines feel like they hold both the question and the closest thing I have found to an answer. The first has been recited and repeated for generations alongside the Burda, though its own authorship is less certain than the poem's:

مُحَمَّدٌ بَشَرٌ وَلَيْسَ كَالْبَشَرِ ... بَلْ هُوَ يَاقُوتَةٌ وَالنَّاسُ كَالْحَجَرِ

"Muhammad was human, but not like other humans. He was a ruby, and people are like stone."

The second is from the Burda itself:

دَعْ مَا ادَّعَتْهُ النَّصَارَى فِي نَبِيِّهِمْ

... وَاحْكُمْ بِمَا شِئْتَ مَدْحاً فِيهِ وَاحْتَكِمْ

فَمَبْلَغُ الْعِلْمِ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ بَشَرٌ

وَأَنَّهُ خَيْرُ خَلْقِ اللهِ كُلِّهِمِ

"Abandon what the Christians have claimed about their prophet. Beyond that you may say whatever you wish in praise of him…The extent of the knowledge we have of him is that he is a man, and that he is the best of all Allah’s creation."

A man entirely human and yet the standard against which everything else is measured. That paradox, held rather than resolved, is what these verses encapsulate for me: my question and an answer that satisfies the heart, albeit recognising that few of us will ever truly know.

Eight unframed paintings from the Burda Collection laid out on marble, by Sara Kabariti

View All 27 Paintings

The Burda Collection continues an ongoing exploration of my Islamic spiritual heritage and the wider Arabic literary tradition, alongside the Athar Collection.