
15/07/2025
Dhu-l Nun al-Misri (d. c 859 CE /245 AH) is said to have been of Nubian decent and was the teacher of the well-known Quran exegete Sahl al-Tusturi who in turn was a teacher of Mansur al-Hallaj. Prayers and poems from Dhul Nun have come down through the ages, and his miracles and mystical knowledge are legendary in oral and popular culture. Although he is known for his focus on knowledge of God or gnosis (ma’rifa) more than fear of God (makhafa) or love of God (mahabba), the following poem attributed to him has more of the devotional quality of a love poem.
I die yet my longing for You does not die
From the sincerity of my love for You
my desires are unobtained
My hope of hopes, of all hopes, You are my hope
The Possessor of all wealth in my neediness
You are the goal of my request, my utmost desire,
the locus of my longings and hidden depths of my secret
In You my heart has endured what I do not tell
No matter how long my plight and love-sickness for You may be drawn out
What is evident to You between my sides from You
Is not apparent to family or to neighbours
From You is a pervading ailment within me
So that my strength has crumbled
and my confidences have become known
Are You not the guide to wayfarers when they are bewildered?
Saviour from the brink of a crumbling precipice
You illuminate the way for those who are guided
When in their hands they do not hold a tenth of a tenth of this light
Grant me forgiveness from You that I may live in its closeness
Save me through ease from You that drives away my difficulties
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