| Start: | Mar 31, '07 12:00a |
Early Accounts of Mawlid
Ibn Jubayr’s in his book Rihal ("Travels"), describes his observation of Mawlid in Makkah:
"This blessed place [the house of the Prophet (saws)] is opened, and all enter to derive blessing from it (mutabarrikeen bihi), on every Monday of the month of Rabi` al-Awwal; for on that day and in that month was born the Prophet (saws)."
The 7th-century historians Abul `Abbas al-`Azafi and his son Abul Qasim al-`Azafi wrote in their book Kitab ad-durr al-munazzam about Makkah:
"Pious pilgrims and prominent travelers testified that, on the day of the Mawlid in Makkah, no activities are undertaken, and nothing is sold or bought, except by the people who are busy visiting his noble birthplace, and rush to it. On this day the Ka`ba is opened and visited."
The famous 8th-century historian Ibn Battuta related in his book Rihla:
"On every Friday, after the Jum`uah prayers and on the birthday of the Prophet (saws), the door of the Ka`ba is opened by the head of the Banu Shayba, the doorkeepers of the Ka`ba, and that on the Mawlid, the Shafi`i qadi (head judge) of Makkah, Najmuddin Muhammad Ibn al-Imam Muhyiddin al-Tabari, distributes food to the shurafa’ (descendants) of the Prophet (saws) and to all the other people of Makkah."
The following description consolidates eyewitness accounts by three 10th-century authorities: the historian Ibn Huhayra from his al-Jami` al-latif fi fasl makka wa ahliha; al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haytami from his Kitab al-mawlid ash-sharif al-mu`azzam, the historian al-Nahrawali from al-i`lam bi-a`lam bayt Allah al-haram. A fourth account by al-Diyarbakri (d. 960) in his Tarikh al-khamis correlates exactly with the following:
"Each year on the 12th of Rabi` al-Awwal, after the evening prayer, the four qadis of Makkah (representing the four Sunni Schools) and large groups of people including the scholars (fuqaha’) and notables (fudala’) of Makkah, shaykhs, zawiya teachers and their students, magistrates (ru’asa’), and scholars (muta`ammameen) leave the mosque and set out collectively for a visit to the birthplace of the Prophet (saws), shouting out dhikr and tahlil (la ilaha illa Allah). "The houses on the route are illuminated with numerous lanterns and large candles, and a great many people are out and about. They all wear special clothes and they take their children with them. Having reached the birthplace, inside a special sermon for the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet (saws) is delivered, mentioning the miracles (karamat) that took place on that occasion. Hereafter, the invocation for the Caliph, the Amir of Makkah, and the Shafi qadi is performed and all pray humbly." "Shortly before the night prayer, the whole party returns from the birthplace of the Prophet (saws) to the Great Mosque, which is almost overcrowded, and all sit down in rows at the foot of the Maqam Ibrahim. In the mosque, a preacher first mentions the tahmid (praise) and the tahlil, and once again the invocation for the Sultan, the Amir, and the Shafi`i qadi is performed. After this the call for the night prayer is made, and after the prayer the crowd disperses."
