Mawlid

Mawlid (Qur'anic Arabic: مَوْلِدُ آلنَبِيِّ mawlidu n-nabiyyi, “Birth of the Prophet”, Standard Arabic: مولد النبي mawlid an-nabī, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic مولد , mawlid, mulud, milad among other vernacular pronunciations) is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. The origins of the observance can be traced back to the Fatimid dynasty in eleventh century Egypt, four centuries after the death of Muhammad, as a Shia ruling class festival.

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.

Etymology

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

• Mawlid an-Nabī (pl. al-Mawālid) - The Birth of the Prophet (Arabic)
• Milād an-Nabī - The Birth of the Prophet (Arabic / Urdu)
• Mevlid Serif - The Blessed Birth (Turkish)
• Mawlūd Sharīf - The Blessed Birth (Urdu)
• Zadruz-e Payambar-e 'Azam / Milad-e Nabi-ye 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 - Algerian (North Africa)
• Yawm an-Nabī - The Day of the Prophet (Arabic)
• Maulidur-Rasūl - The Birth of the Messenger of Allah (Bahasa Malaysia / Malay)

Timing

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, 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. The following table gives a list of dates showing the date Mawlid will be observed.

Approximate dates for Mawlid, 2007-2013

Gregorian Year	12th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal (Sunni)	17th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal (Shi'a)
2007*	March 31	April 5
2008*	March 20	March 25
2009	March 9	March 14
2010	February 26	March 3
2011	February 15	February 20
2012	February 4	February 9
2013	January 24	January 29
* Confirmed All future dates are an estimate since the actual date may vary according to the sighting of the moon for the start of the month.

History

The earliest accounts for the observance of Mawlid can be found in eighth century Mecca, the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, when the house, in which he was born, was transformed into a place of prayer by Al-Khayzuran, the mother of Harun al-Rashid, the fifth and most famous Abbasid caliph. Public celebrations of the birth of Muhammad did not occur until four centuries after the death of the Muhammad and was originally a festival of the Shia ruling class, not attended by the common people, with the first official Mawlid celebrations occurring in Egypt towards the end of the eleventh century. The Fatimids, who were descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah, celebrated the birth of Muhammad as well as his daughter Fatimah, her husband Ali, and the ruling Fatimid caliph. The early celebrations included elements of Christian and Sufic influence with animal sacrifices and torchlight processions along with public sermons and a feast. The celebrations occurred during the day, in contrast to modern day observances, with the Fatimid ruler playing a key role in the ceremonies. Emphasis was given to the Ahl al-Bayt with presentation of sermons and recitations of the Qur'an along with the award of gifts to officials in order to bolster support for the ruling caliph.

The first public celebrations by Sunnis took place in twelfth century Syria, under the rule of Nur ad-Din, but there is no firm evidence to indicate the reason for the adoption of the Shi'ite festival by the Sunnis although some theorise the celebrations took hold to counter the Christian influence in places such as Spain and Morocco. The practice was briefly halted by the Ayoubides when they came to power, and it became a family event, but regained status as an official event again in 1207 when it was re-introduced by Muzaffar ad-din, the brother-in-law of Saladin, in Arbil, a town near Mosul, Iraq. The practice spread throughout the Muslim world, assimilating local customs, to places such as Cairo, where folklore and Sufic practices greatly influenced the celebrations, and later in 1588 to the court of Murad III, Sultan of the Ottoman empire. In 1910, it was given official status as a national festival throughout the Ottoman empire and is also an official holiday in many parts of the world.

Observances

Milad Procession in India.

File:Milad image.jpg

Typical Mawlid Gathering in Kerala India.

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. On this day Scholars and Poets recites Qaṣīda al-Burda Sharif in Special gatherings, the famous poem by 13th century Arabic Sufi Busiri. Muslims Celebrates Mawlid in Muslims and in many Non Muslim Countries like India ,Britain and Canada with great Splendour and in Ceremonial way.At Present it is celebrated by large number of Muslim around the world.Saudi Arabia is a Single Muslim Country Where there is no Public Holiday for Mawlid but Some elite Hijazi families have revived the mawlid here ,Where the participation in the ritual celebration of popular Islamic holidays was another expression of the Islamic revival. Among Non Muslim Countries India is a quite noted to Celebrate this Festival throughout the Country. The holy relic of the Prophet are displayed in Jammu and Kashmir state of India at Hazratbal shrine, on the outskirts of Srinagar, after the morning prayers. 'Shab-khawani' night-long prayers are held at the Hazrat bal shrine Which is attended by thousands of people.

In Pakistan , the national flag is hoisted on all public buildings and 31 guns salute in the federal capital and 21 guns salute at the provincial headquarters are given at dawn of the day.The cinema houses shows films on morale building themes instead of screening usual movies on 11th and 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal.

Legality of Mawlid

Islamic scholars have been divided on whether observing Mawlid is permissable in Islam. Some see it as a praiseworthy event and good Innovation, while others say it is an innovation and forbid its celebration.

A number of Islamic scholars, such as Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, a well known Maliki scholar from Saudi Arabia who taught in the Sacred Mosque, Gibril Haddad, and Zaid Shakir, all subscribing to the Sufi movement, and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the primary scholar of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, have given their approval for the observance of Mawlid. They cite hadith where Muhammad recommended fasting on Mondays as that was the day he was born and also the day prophecy decended on him. They suggest that fasting on Mondays is also a way of commemorating Muhammad's birthday. However, there is division among them on the lawfulness of the methods of the celebrations. Most accept that it is praiseworthy as long as it is not against sharia (i.e. inappropriate mingling of the sexes, consuming forbidden food or drink such as alcohol, playing music etc).

Notable Sunni scholars who consider Mawlid to be bid'ah and forbid its celebration include Muhammad Taqi Usmani, a Hanafi scholar from Pakistan who has served as a judge on the Shariah Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and subscribes to the Deobandi movement, and Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz, who was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia subscribing to the Salafi movement. Although all are in agreement in the belief that the birth of Muhammad was the most significant event in Islamic history, they point out that the companions of Muhammad and the next generation of Muslims did not observe this event. Furthermore, they highlight that Muhammad did not observe the birth or death anniversaries of his family and loved ones, including that of his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, nor did he advise his followers to observe his birthday.

Other uses

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. 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 Ahmed el-Bedawi, a local 13th Century Sufi saint.

See also

• Mid-Sha'ban

References

• Schussman, Aviva (1998). "The Legitimacy and Nature of Mawid al-Nabi: (Analysis of a Fatwa)". Islamic Law and Society. Vol. 5 (No. 2): pp. 214-234. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help); |volume= has extra text (help)
• 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.
• "Mawlid". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2007.
• Fuchs, H; Knappert J (2007). "Mawlid (a.), or Mawlud". In P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth (ed.). Encyclopedia of Islam. Brill. ISSN 1573-3912.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Kaptein, N.J.G (2007). "Mawlid". In P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs (ed.). Encyclopedia of Islam. Brill.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)

Further reading

• Malik, Aftab Ahmed (2001). The Broken Chain: Reflections Upon the Neglect of a Tradition. Amal Press. ISBN 0954054407.

External links

• Mawlid from the Encyclopedia of the Orient
• Mawlid.ca
• Turkish Mawlid