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I
picked up a South Asian newspaper this weekend which reports a message
from Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-
Sheikh, Grand Mufti and highest religious official in Saudi Arabia. The
article titled “Prophets Birthday Celebrations blasted as heresy”
quotes the Grand Mufti telling the London based “Asharq Al-Awsat”
Arabic newspaper, “some Muslims have deviated from the right
path…..These celebrations and feasts are heresy that have never been
allowed by God”. He continues that
celebrating the Prophets birthday is heresy and mimicking Christians.
According
to the Grand Mufti, I must be a heretic, because I’ve been
commemorating Prophet Mohammad’s birth as long as I can remember.
For me, this has a deep spiritual significance because I believe
that although the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday is not an
Islamic duty,
it is a tradition and custom developed by Muslims out of love and
reverence of the Holy Prophet and his family. It helps us understand the
role of Mohammad as the
messenger of God and brings us closer to the message. In a time when
birthdays of our children are celebrated alongside birthdays of our
country, surely, commemorating the birth of our Holy Prophet should take
some precedence in our lives? Having
personally observed the harsh and intolerant treatment of women and
minorities in Saudi Arabia, I would say that remembrance of the Prophet
is essential for us to live our lives in moderation as decent human
beings. The Qur’an says “You
have indeed in the Apostle of Allah, a beautiful pattern of conduct”.
The
month of Rabi-al-Awwal in the Islamic lunar calendar is the birth month of Prophet
Mohammad (mid-May to mid-June this year). In Arabic this occasion is called
Milaad-un-Nabi
or Maulud. Milaad
denotes poetry or literature written in honour of the Holy Prophet's
birth, his life and his family. The
tradition of celebrating the Holy Prophet’s birthday on a large and
festive scale first emerged during the Fatimid era. It was an occasion in which mainly scholars and members of the
religious establishment participated. They listened to sermons after
which sweets, particularly honey (which was favoured by the Prophet )
were distributed and the poor received alms.
In Turkey, more festivities and illuminations were added to this
solemn and pious occasion; mosques
were decorated and homes lit up.
Throughout
the middle ages the Prophet’s
birthday was lovingly and enthusiastically celebrated in Mecca
and Maulud celebrations
became more common in Muslim lands.
A Maulud traditionally involves recitation
from the Qur’an, Hamd
(poetry in appreciation of God), na’at
(poetry in praise of the Prophet), ending with dua
which is supplication to God.
Poetry,
even in pre-Islamic Arabia has played a very important part in
molding the thinking and attitudes of people. Poetry was a vital
means of communication in terms of happiness, grief, war and
peace.
At times,
non believers ridiculed the Prophet in poetry while the Muslims
praised him in poems. The
first poems in praise were written during the Prophet's
lifetime. Hasan bin
Thabit served as a poet in Medina.
His duty was like that of a journalist who recorded
important events in the new Islamic community, in poetic form.
He was there to expose the Prophet’s enemies and to
extol the brave deeds of the Prophet and his followers. His
poems therefore are an important source for the earliest history
of Islam. When
Mohammad passed away, numerous short dirges were composed
for him.
This
was the development of na’at
poetry in Muslim life. The Holy Prophet’s character, elaborate
descriptions of his qualities and virtues as determined in the na'at
poetry presents to the world an ideal example of submission and
harmony with God’s will, and a perfect role model as husband,
father, grandfather and companion.
The most important part of na’at
poetry is related to the moral and spiritual values which are
directly concerned with the training of the individual and
collective self of man.
The na’at is a branch of
Islamic literature which plays an important part in building up the type
of character aimed at breaking racial, geographical and class barriers.
The legends that surrounded the life of the
Prophet plus his family, and the descriptions with which the
Sufis had glorified him were all integrated in the poetical praise of
the Prophet as the Beloved of Allah.
To praise him appropriately, selection was made of the
choicest expressions and the most artistic forms.
In
the course of the last century there emerged a shift in the mystical and
mythical orientation of the Maulud
celebrations towards a more practical, time bound emphasis on the Holy
Prophet’s political and social achievements, his exemplary moral
behavior and his unmatched way of organizing communal life.
Still, despite all attempts at modernizing, the old tendency to
recite colorful songs about the wonder of Prophet Mohammad's birth are
still sung. And thanks to
them, love of the Holy Prophet and his family, is implanted in the
hearts of children to become an integral part of their religious life.
Na’at
poetry inspires our hearts with love for the Prophet and motivates us to
follow his example and look up to him as the best role model in every
aspect of life. In the
Qur’an we read, "Allah
and His angels send blessings on the Prophet.
O ye who believe, send your blessings on him salute him with all
respect.”
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