Drawing Near to the Beloved

Poetry in Praise of the Prophet ﷺ

Calling all lovers of the beloved from around the world for this month-long online course which coincides with the month of the Prophet’s birth, Rabi al-Awwal. Praise of the Prophet has always been a central facet of Islamic spirituality. Rumi famously said that to praise someone is to open a curtain within one’s heart to allow the qualities of that person to enter. Our intention in coming together this month is to draw near to the Prophet in understanding, love, and emulation. To know him is to love him and to love him is to emulate him and to emulate him is to come to know him deeper still.

The course will consist of weekly lessons, writing exercises and meditations from Baraka Blue that focus on poetic form and meaning. Baraka will also introduce some of the key poems, poets, and themes of the great 1400 year tradition of poetic praise of the Prophet that began with the Prophet’s companions and lives on to this day. The course will feature guest videos from scholars of this tradition as well as contemporary poets and songwriters who are its living inheritors. Participants will be able to share their writings and reflections with the teacher and their peers online. We will reflect on key aspects of the Prophet’s life and legacy, not as a history lesson, but as a living example with the alchemical power to transform and transmute hearts and souls. This course is for people with all levels of experience with writing. We will be exploring writing as a spiritual practice and as a tool for contemplation and reflection.