History of Mawlid Nabi and The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad

Mawlid (Qur'anic Arabic: مَوْلِدُ النَبِيِّ‎ mawlidu n-nabiyyi, “Birth of the Prophet” Standard Arabic: مولد النبي mawlid an-nabī, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولد mawlid, mevlid, mevlit, mulud among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes ميلاد mīlād) is the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar.^[1]
The term Mawlid is also used in some parts of the world, such as Egypt, as a generic term for the birthday celebrations of other historical religious figures such as Sufi saints.^[2]

Etymology

Mawlid is derived from the Arabic root word (Arabic: ولد‎), meaning to give birth, bear a child, descendant.^[3] In contemporary usage, Mawlid refers to the observance of the birthday of Muhammad.^[1] Other terms used for this event include:

• Mawlûd – Birth of the Prophet (Kurdish)
• Mavlid or Mavlidi – Birth of the Prophet (Albanian)
• Mawlid an-Nabī (pl. al-Mawālid) – The Birth of the Prophet (Arabic)
• Milād an-Nabī – The Birth of the Prophet (Urdu)
• Mevlid-i Şerif – The Blessed Birth / Mevlüt – The Name (Turkish)
• Mevlud/Mevlid – Birth (Bosnian)
• Mawlūd-e Sharīf – The Blessed Birth (Dari/Urdu)
• Milād-e Payambar-e Akram – The birth of the great/blessed Prophet (Persian)
• Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī – Festival of the birth of the Prophet (Arabic)
• Eid-e-Milād-un-Nabī – Festival of the birth of the Prophet (Urdu)
• Mawlid en-Nabaoui Echarif – The Blessed Birth of the Prophet (Algerian)
• el Mūled (en-Nabawi)/Mūled en-Nabi – The birth (of the prophet)/Birth of the prophet (Egyptian Arabic)
• Yawm an-Nabī – The Day of the Prophet (Arabic)
• Maulidur-Rasūl – The Birth of the Messenger of Allah (Malay)
• Mulud – The Birth (Javanese)
• Maulid Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Indonesian)
• Maulud Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Malaysian)
• Maulidi – ? (Swahili)
• Meeladu Nabi – The Birth of the Prophet (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, South India)
• Gamou – ? (Wolof)
• Nabi/Mahanabi Jayanti – The birth of the (great) Prophet. (Sanskrit), (Indian Languages) 'Maha' means great.

Timing

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Mawlid falls in the month of Rabi' al-awwal in the Islamic calendar. Shias observe the event on the 17th of the month, coinciding with the birth date of their sixth Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq and the Prophet Muhammad while Sunnis observe it on the 12th of the month. As the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the corresponding date in the Gregorian calendar varies each year.

History

The basic earliest accounts for the observance of Mawlid can be found in 8th century Mecca, when the house in which Prophet Muhammad was born was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran (mother of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth and most famous Abbasid caliph).^[4] Though public celebrations of the birth of Muhammad did not occur until four centuries after his passing away. The oldest Mawlid-text is claimed to be from the 12th century and most likely being of Persian origin.^[5]
The early celebrations included elements of Sufic influence, with animal sacrifices and torchlight processions along with public sermons and a feast.^[6][7] The celebrations occurred during the day, in contrast to modern day observances, with the ruler playing a key role in the ceremonies.^[8] Emphasis was given to the Ahl al-Bayt with presentation of sermons and recitations of the Qur'an. The event also featured the award of gifts to officials in order to bolster support for the ruling caliph.^[9]

Legality

Milad Procession in India.

Islamic scholars are divided on whether observing Mawlid is necessary or even permissible in Islam. Some see it as a praiseworthy event and positive development,^[10][11] while others say it is an improper innovation and forbid its celebration.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the primary scholar of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, Grand Mufti of Cyprus Nazim Al-Haqqani, Habib Ali al-Jifri, Syed Shujaat Ali Qadri, Muhammad Ilyas Qadri, Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Grand Mufti of BosniaMustafa Cerić, Abdalqadir as-Sufi, Hamza Yusuf, Gibril Haddad, Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Shaikh A P Aboobackar Musliyar Malabr and Zaid Shakir, all subscribing to Sufi Islam, and have given their approval for the observance of Mawlid.^[12] They suggest that fasting on Mondays is also a way of commemorating Muhammad's birthday.
Scholars and preachers who consider Mawlid to be heresy and forbid its celebration, include Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz, who was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia^[13] Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, the imam of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia,^[14] of the Salafi movement, and Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Muhammad Rafi Usmani and Ebrahim Desai who subscribe to the Deobandi movement, and Zakir Naik,^[15] and Bilal Philips,^[16] who are unaffiliated. Although all agree that the birth of Muhammad was the most significant event in Islamic history, they point out that the companions of Muhammad and the second and third generation of Muslims did not observe this event.^{[citation needed]}

Observances

The Garebeg festival celebrating Mawlid in Yogyakarta, Java Island, Indonesia

Blackburn, UK Under supervision of Shaykh Sufi Riaz Ahmed Naqshbandi Aslami

Mawlid is celebrated in most Muslim countries, and in other countries where Muslims have a presence, such as India, Britain, Russia^[17] and Canada.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]} Saudi Arabia is the only Muslim country where Mawlid is not an official public holiday.^[27] Participation in the ritual celebration of popular Islamic holidays is seen as an expression of the Islamic revival.^[28]
Where Mawlid is celebrated in a carnival manner, large street processions are held and homes or mosques are decorated. Charity and food is distributed, and stories about the life of Muhammad are narrated with recitation of poetry by children.^[29][30][31] Scholars and poets celebrate by reciting Qaṣīda al-Burda Sharif, the famous poem by 13th century Arabic Sufi Busiri.
During Pakistan's Mawlid celebration, the national flag is hoisted on all public buildings, and a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute at the provincial headquarters are fired at dawn. The cinemas shows religious rather than secular films on 11th and 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal.Hundreds of thousands of people gather at Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore between the intervening night of 11th and 12th Rabi' al-awwal for Mawlid celebrations, this is the worlds biggest gathering for Mawlid celebrations.^[32]
Among non-Muslim countries, India is noted for its Mawlid festivities.^[33][34][35] The relics of Muhammad are displayed after the morning prayers in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir at the Hazratbal Shrine, on the outskirts of Srinagar. Shab-khawani night-long prayers held at the Hazratbal Shrine are attended by thousands.^[36]
Other non-Muslim countries noted for its Mawlid festivities are Kenya and Tanzania where it is known as "Maulidi". In Kenya, the most famous place is the coastal island of Lamu^[37][38][39] and Malindi. In Tanzania the largest celebrations are on the island of Zanzibar.^[40][41]
In many parts of Indonesia, the celebration of the Mawlid al-nabi "seems to surpass in importance, liveliness, and splendour" the two official Islamic holidays of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.^[42] The Indonesian Javanese week-long Sekaten ceremony commemorates Mawlid in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta.

Other uses of the term

In some countries, such as Egypt and Sudan, Mawlid is used as a generic term for the celebration of birthdays of local Sufi saints and not only restricted to the observance of the birth of Muhammad.^[43] Around 3,000 Mawlid celebrations are held each year and attended by tens of thousands of people. These festivals attract an international audience, with the largest one in Egypt attracting up to three million people honouring Ahmad al-Badawi, a local 13th century Sufi saint.^[2]

See also

Dua Durood Hamd Haḍra Madih nabawi Mehfil Na'at Nasheed Mawlid al-Barzanjī

Arabic music Islamic music Islamic poetry Mid-Sha'ban Sufi music Sufi poetry Sufism History of Sufism Ya Muhammad

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Mawlid. Reference.com
2. ^ ^{a b} In pictures: Egypt's biggest moulid. BBC News.
3. ^ Arabic: قاموس المنجد‎ – Moungued Dictionary (paper), or online: Webster's Arabic English Dictionary
4. ^ "Mawlid (a.), or Mawlud", Encyclopedia of Islam
5. ^ The Music of the Arabs, Touma (1975), p.148
6. ^ "Mawlid", Encyclopædia Britannica
7. ^ Schussman p.216
8. ^ Kaptein (1993), p.30
9. ^ Kaptein p.30
10. ^ Schussman (1998), p.??
11. ^ The Blessed Mawlid. Zaid Shakir.
12. ^ Shaykh Qardawi Approves of Celebrating Mawlid. Yusuf Al-Qardawi.
13. ^ Reasons for the forbiddance of Celebrating the Birthday of the Prophet, by Saalih al-Fawzaan^{[dead link]}
14. ^ http://www.docstoc.com/docs/71875801/Following-The-Sunnah-and-Shariah-Ruling-on-Milad-un-Nabi-by-Sheikh-Abdur-Rahman-Sudais
15. ^ [www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nkiu_22Y6c Dr. Zakir Naik about celebratatorinbbirthdays]
16. ^ d [1] Dr. Bilal Phillips "Celebrating the Mawlid"]
17. ^ "Mawlid celebration in Russia". Islamdag.info. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
18. ^ "q News". q News. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
19. ^ "Arts Web Bham". Arts Web Bham. 14 August 1996. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
20. ^ "Buildings of London". Buildings of London. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
21. ^ Js Board^{[dead link]}
22. ^ Sunni society UK ^{[dead link]}
23. ^ Bednikoff, Emilie. "Montreal Religious Sites Project". Mrsp.mcgill.ca. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
24. ^ "Muslim Media Network". Muslim Media Network. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
25. ^ Canadian Mawlid
26. ^ "Religion & Ethics – Milad un Nabi". BBC. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
27. ^ "Moon Sighting". Moon Sighting. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
28. ^ "Saudi Islam Politics". Atheism.about.com. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
29. ^ "Festivals in India". Festivals in India. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
30. ^ Pakistan Celebrate Eid Milad-un-Nabi with Religious Zeal, Fervor. Pakistan Times. 2007-04-02.
31. ^ Miladunnabi observed. The New Nation. 2006-04-12.
32. ^ Pakistan with Muslims world-over celebrate Eid Milad-un-Nabi tomorrow^{[dead link]}
33. ^ Celebrated^{[dead link]}
34. ^ "festivals India". Festivalsinindia.net. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
35. ^ "Milad Celebrated". The Times of India. 14 May 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
36. ^ TajaNews
37. ^ Boyd A.W. (1981). To Praise the Prophet: A processual symbolic analysis of 'Maulidi', a Muslim ritual in Lamu, Kenya. (PhD thesis). University of Indiana.
38. ^ Maulidi Celebrations, Lamu World Heritage Site. Retrieved 22 June 2010
39. ^ Maulidi: Heart and Soul of Lamu, Kenya Ministry of Tourism website. Retrieved 22 June 2010
40. ^ Poems for the Prophet in Zanzibar, BBC News Online, 14 October 2008
41. ^ Fuji, Chiaki, Ritual Activities of Tariqas in Zanzibar, African Study Monographs, Suppl.41: 91–100, March 2010
42. ^ Herman Beck, Islamic purity at odds with Javanese identity: the Muhammadiyah and the celebration of Garebeg Maulud ritual in Yogyakarta, Pluralism and Identity: Studies in Ritual Behaviour, eds Jan Platvoet and K. van der Toorn, BRILL, 1995, pg 262
43. ^ Kaptein (2007)

References

• Schussman, Aviva (1998). "The Legitimacy and Nature of Mawid al-Nabi: (Analysis of a Fatwa)". Islamic Law and Society 5 (2): 214–234. doi:10.1163/1568519982599535.
• Kaptein, N.J.G. (1993). Muhammad's Birthday Festival: Early history in the Central Muslim Lands and Development in the Muslim West until the 10th/16th century. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-09452-9.
• Katz, Marion Holmes (2007). The Birth of the Prophet Muḥammad: Devotional Piety in Sunni Islam. Routledge. ISBN 978-90-04-09452-9.
• "Mawlid". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2007.
• Fuchs, H; Knappert J (2007). "Mawlid (a.), or Mawlud". In P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth. Encyclopedia of Islam. Brill. ISSN 1573-3912.
• Kaptein, N.J.G (2007). "Mawlid". In P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Encyclopedia of Islam. Brill.

Further reading

• Malik, Aftab Ahmed (2001). The Broken Chain: Reflections Upon the Neglect of a Tradition. Amal Press. ISBN 0-9540544-0-7.
• Wikipedia English