THE SULTAN PREACHES TO SAINT FRANCIS, AD 1219

 THE SULTAN PREACHES TO SAINT FRANCIS, AD 1219

Saint Francis, restless, always on the move,
wanting Morocco, Palestine, and Spain,
(though oft prevented by illness) to prove
 ways of fraternity, and peace explain.

Embarks at last to crusade in the Nile,
no fixed strategy, gospelling his goal;
to nurse crusaders who undergo the trial
of dysentery, and their homesickness console.  

At last, with Brother Illuminato,
Francis discovers God’s authentic aim:
befriend the Sultan, talk love and credo,
and Islam in the Christian to proclaim.

On coming home, he sounds the bells for prayers,
and all true Christian Names of God he shares.

Ted Witham, St Francistide 2025

The Sufi Path of Love – Saint Francis and the Sultan