Devotion and the Poetry of A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه.’ May we have the honour of listening to the Bayan in its entirety. Let us first listen to an account:

Why should I praise the affluent?

Once, some poets wrote some poetry in praise of the governor of Naan Paarah (Bahraich district, U.P., India). As A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه was a master poet, some people requested him to write some poetry in the praise of the governor. However, he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه did not write any poetry in the praise of the governor, and instead penned a Na’t in praise of the Beloved Prophet
صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in response to this request. The first line of which is as follows:

Woh kamal-e-husn-e-Huzoor hay keh guman-e-naqs jahan nahin
Yahi phool khaar say door hay yahi shama’ hay keh dhuwan nahin

(Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish, p. 107)

Meaning, the perfection of the Beloved Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم beauty is such that never mind there actually being a defect therein, one cannot even imagine there being a defect.

The meaning of the second line is that, flowers generally have thorns attached, and lanterns give off smoke, however, the Beloved Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم   is that flower of the Prophetic garden which has no thorn, and he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is such a lantern which does not give off smoke.

In the final couplet of this Na’t, in a loving and devotional manner, heرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه   mentions the reason for not praising the governor:

Karun madh-e-ahl-e-duwal Raza, paray is bala mayn mayri bala
Mayn gada hoon apnay kareem ka mayra deen para-e-na nahin

(Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish, p. 109)

Meaning, O Raza! Shall I praise and flatter the affluent, governors and leaders of this world? This can never happen. Extolling the affluent is a calamity, and may my own calamity fall into this calamity (i.e. I can never do this). In the second line, he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه is saying: I am a beggar in the court of my Generous Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and my Deen (religion) is not a ‘piece of bread’ that I