Ode to the Prophet

 بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Maulana Jami (نورالدین عبدالرحمن جامی) was a 15th century poet and theologian from what is modern day Afghanistan. A great scholar and mystic of the school of thought of Ibn Arabi, he has written seversal devotional poems (na'at) in honor of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is reportedly one of them which is regularly recited in masjids around Kashmir, however, it is not to be found in his collection (diwan):

یا رسولِ هاشمی قربان نامت جانِ من

جانِ من جانانِ من با جمله فرزندانِ من

O Messenger(ﷺ), from the Hashemites, May my life be sacrificed in your name
My very soul, my beloved, and all my children with me

Brief Explanation:
“قربان” expresses total self-offering. The poet places not only himself but his lineage in devotion.

 “جانان” (beloved) adds intimacy—this is not distant praise but personal love. 

از شعاعِ نورِ پاکِ تو منوّر یا رسول
دیدهٔ من سینهٔ من قلبِ من قلبانِ من

 By the rays of your pure countenance, O Messenger(ﷺ),  did indeed
My eyes, my breast, my heart and my inmost being get illuminated

Brief Explanation: 

“شعاعِ نور” evokes prophetic light (nūr). The movement from eye to breast to heart suggests inner awakening. “قلبانِ من” intensifies the idea—my many inner hearts, all levels of consciousness. 

حضرتِ یعقوب می‌گوید فدایت یا رسول
دیدهٔ من یوسفِ من مصرِ من کنعانِ من

Even the honorable (Prophet) Yaqub(عليه السلام) would say that May I be sacrificed to you O Prophet(ﷺ)
And my sight, and my Yousuf(عليه السلام), and my Egypt and Canaan

Brief Explanation:
The poet invokes Prophet Yaʿqūb and his longing for Yūsuf. Egypt and Canaan symbolize loss and reunion. The Messenger is portrayed as dearer than all beloved things. 

بندهٔ کم‌طاعتم از لطف آزادم بکن
خواجهٔ من سیّدِ من شاهِ من سلطانِ من

I am a slave who obeys but little, yet free me, by your grace
O my master, my leader, my king, my sultan

 
Brief Explanation:
A paradox: freedom comes through mercy, not independence. Titles accumulate to express reverence—spiritual authority, not political dominion.

 خاکِ راہِ  رہروانِ راہِ عشقت یا رسول
 سرمہ من دیدہ من چشمِ من چشمانِ من

The dust from the path of those who walk in your love, O Messenger(ﷺ),
Forms the collyrium of my eyes, and my eyes, and my vision itself

Brief Explanation:
Dust becomes sacred. “سرمه” (kohl) beautifies and sharpens sight. The image conveys humility: even the dust of lovers’ footsteps enlightens.

  یا رسولِ ابطحی بابُ السّلام روضہ ات
 قبلہ من کعبہ من دینِ من ایمانِ من 

O Prophet(ﷺ) from al-Abṭaḥ, the bab al-salaam of your sanctuary is 
My Qiblah, my Ka'abah, my religion and my faith

 

Brief Explanation:
“ابطحی” links him to Mecca. The shrine imagery reflects devotional orientation. The language is hyperbolic love, not literal theology—it expresses direction of the heart. 

سجدہ پاکت کہ باشد در قیامت یا رسول
 راحتِ من رحمتِ من ابرِ من نیسانِ من  

Your sincere prostration on the Day of Judgment, O Prophet(ﷺ)

Will be my solace, my mercy, my cloud (shade) and my Nisan (Read the meaning here or in Wikipedia) 

 

Brief Explanation:
“Nīsān” here symbolizes reviving mercy. The Prophet’s intercession becomes life-giving rain over a barren and dead soul. 

یک تكَّلم زآن دو لعلِ شكَّرین فرما کہ ہست

قوّتِ من قوتِ من یاقوتِ من مرجانِ من 

From those sweet garnet lips, do utter a phrase that becomes
My strength, my nourishment, ruby, my pearl

 

Brief Explanation:
The lips are “rubies”; speech is sustenance. “قوت” means both strength and daily provision. Divine words nourish the spirit.

چشم دارد جامیِ مسکین کہ فرمائی قبول
گریهٔ من نالهٔ من آہِ من افغانِ من  

A glance of acceptance for-Jami the hopeful pauper  
my tears, my laments, my sighs and my pleas 

 

Brief Explanation: 

The closing couplet presents the poet as “مسکین” (destitute in spirit). Nothing remains but supplication. Devotion culminates in vulnerability.

 

Notes about the origin of the poem:

• Origin as a living liturgical piece in Kashmir: well supported by public recitation circulation. 
• Origin as a securely attested Jāmī dīwān poem: not established from the materials above; the best we can say is that modern devotional compilations attribute it to Jāmī. 
• An alternative bibliographic origin under “Saʾil” exists in a major curated database (Sufiname), and that cannot be brushed aside. It has this line:

سر بر آر از خاک و گو با سایلؔ و یاران او
امت من بیدل من کلب من کلبان من

Raise your head from the dust and say to this requester and his companions:
They are my community, my love-stricken ones—my dogs, my faithful hounds.

 

Brief Explanation: 

“سر بر آر از خاک” evokes resurrection. The line imagines a divine or prophetic address affirming acceptance. “بیدل” means love-struck, heart-emptied by longing. The striking phrase “کلبِ من کلبانِ من” (my dog, my dogs) reflects a classical Sufi idiom of humility and loyalty. In Persian mystical language, calling oneself a “dog” at the Beloved’s door signifies devotion, watchfulness, and utter submission—an image of fidelity rather than insult.

The couplet therefore functions as a reassurance: even those who see themselves as lowly and broken are embraced as belonging