Help us honor the poetic legacy of Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore! Make a contribution and please share with family and friends.

Daniel Moore burst onto the Beat poetry scene in 1964 with his debut collection Dawn Visions, founding the Floating Lotus Magic Opera Company, his “sacred theatre” soon after.

Becoming intrigued by Rumi around 1970, Daniel would give readings from the Mathnawi to a group of seekers and artists who looked to him as a guide. Captivated by the sincere devotion to God he saw in this spiritual path, Daniel embraced Islam, taking the name Abdal-Hayy.

For ten years, Abdal-Hayy took a hiatus from writing poetry, absorbing himself instead in his new faith and the remembrance of Allah. He made Hajj in 1972, traveled widely, and edited several books including a new English translation of the Qur’an.

But around 1980, he began writing prolifically again, a dazzlingly unique American free verse steeped in Islamic spirituality. He founded the annual Santa Barbara Poetry Festival, and his puppet show based on the story of Layla and the lovestruck Majnun was performed in New York and Philadelphia in the mid-90s.

Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore’s trailblazing poetry is a deeply authentic prayer, infused with a profound love of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, rich in relatable details as well as visionary insights into the spiritual path.

Abdal-Hayy wrote over 60 manuscripts, won several awards, and was twice named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims. He also edited the work of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, and Hamza Yusuf’s translation of the Burda of Imam al-Busiri. As well as making collages for many of his book covers, his exuberant performances were often peppered with zither, drum or harmonica music, hand-made puppets, and a dash of his sparkling wit.

In 2011, Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore was diagnosed with cancer. Chronicling his journey over several books, the last, Holy Door in the Ground, was written from his bed in a palliative care home. He passed away peacefully in April 2016, with the highest opinion of his Lord.

Now we want to celebrate and share Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore’s outstanding legacy as one of the Ummah's foremost poets with a collection of his Selected Poems. This will distil the essence of his poetry, exploring topics from prayer, fasting and pilgrimage to family, love, and death – all shot through with a dazzling taqwa that speaks straight to the soul.

Preorder your copy of From a Shore Beyond Water today, and take a look at some of the unique perks available in this campaign! Your contribution will cover design, printing, and distribution costs, bringing Abdal-Hayy’s “Ecstatic Exchange” to readers who are thirsty for a spirituality that speaks their language.

​What people say about Daniel Abdal-Hayy’s Poetry:

Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore is really at the vanguard of a cultural movement within our ranks, of creating an indigenous Muslim art form that reflects the best of our culture.

– Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna Institute

If Nobel Prizes were given for genius in theater and poetry, Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore would be a Nobel Laureate.

– Michael McClure, Beat poet

Moore is an unacknowledged giant, master craftsman of the spiritual poem of our age, […] a bearded beatnik murid Muslim poet taking us with him on the path, thawing our hearts in a thoroughly American landscape. 

– Mohja Kahf, poet, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Arkansas

From beekeepers in the mountains to exotic birds in the desert, Daniel Moore always travels to the essential question of who we are, why we are here, and where we are going.

– Shems Friedlander, author, filmmaker, emeritus professor at the American University of Cairo

Daniel Moore is that rarity among his contemporaries – a surrealist of the sacred – whose poems are shimmering cornucopias of xylophones, gazelles, minarets and herons…suffused with spiritual awe and love of God.

 – Carolyn Forsché, poet

He’s like an old wisdom tradition come up off the streets.

– Coleman Barks, Rumi interpreter

Watch the full-length campaign video here!

Find out more about Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore’s work at the official website: www.ecstaticxchange.com