[1][2] The poem is considered one of the most famous Arabic pieces of its era[3], yet, it's origin comes from Al-Andalus, being this a Muwashshah or Andalusian Moaxaja.
The author of the piece is disputed, and thought to be either Lisan al-Din Ibn al-Khatib (1313 - 1374 AD), which is the most plausible, or Muhammad Abdulrahim Al-Maslub [ar] (1793 - 1828 AD).
[4] Its mode is the nahawand maqam (مقام نهاوند [ar], harmonic minor scale).
[4] The song is a standard of Arabic and Middle Eastern musical repertoires.
Versions of the song have been recorded by artists including Fairuz,[5] Sabah Fakhri,[5] Souad Massi, Lena Chamamyan,[6] Nabyla Maan, Hamza El Din, Sami Yusuf and Abeer Nehme.