Religions of India in Practice

This selection incorporates material from a manual that is used by individuals, primarily women, in celebrating a ceremony in honor of the Prophet Muḥammad known as a “noble birth” (mīlād sharīf). Although this name refers to the birth (mīlād) of Muḥammad, these ceremonies may be performed at any time and are usually done at times of need or crisis, when it is hoped that a wish may be answered or a difficulty resolved through divine intervention. A person may also vow to sponsor such a ceremony after such a request has been granted.

It will be noted that some of the narrative material included in the ceremony recounts episodes from the sacred biography of the Prophet. Passages from the Qur’ān or the reports and sayings (ḥadiīth) of the Prophet are cited to justify or enhance points made in the narrative. The manual is performative, in that there are instructions for conducting the ceremony and sections in the text that lend themselves to repetition by the listeners, such as short poems, refrains, and repeated exhortations to send blessings on the Prophet. This sending of peace and blessings is known as durūd.

This material indicates the importance of the Prophet Muḥammad in popular Muslim piety and the presence of popular religious rituals that take on regional forms, although versions of ceremonies honoring the Prophet are found in most Muslim cultures. These ceremonies, which often take place in private homes, provide the major context for women to participate in communal religious rituals.

In contemporary Pakistan, the issue of popular devotion to the saints and the Prophet is somewhat controversial. Although the vast majority of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent favor this type of pious expression, some groups promote a more strict reformist adherence to textual tradition and discourage the elevation of the Prophet to the status of a super-human being. In the context of this controversy, the author of this manual includes at the end of the text legal opinions by Arab Muslim scholars that affirm the permissibility and desirability of these ceremonies.

The manual finishes with a section of some twenty-five pages (pp. 144-69) of legal opinions solicited from religious scholars of Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, concerning the legality of holding such ceremonies in honor of the Prophet. These are reproduced in the original Arabic with Urdu translations. This indicates both the sensitivity of the issue of whether these ceremonies are non-Islamic innovations and the appeal for legitimacy to the classical tradition and to the scholars of Arabia. One such opinion is translated here.

The translation is from Khwāja Muḥammad Akbar Wārithī, Mīlād-e-Akbar (Lahore: Shaikh Ghulām Publishers, n.d.)

THE PROPER CONDUCT FOR HOLDING AN ASSEMBLY OF IN HONOR OF THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET (MīLĀD SHARĪF)

The location must be clean and ritually pure; only money that has been earned by religiously approved means can be spent. The more perfumes, incense, fragrances and flowers, and so on, that are used, the better. Showing off must absolutely not enter into this. A high pulpit or chair on which is placed a stand or some ritually pure cloth should be used. Nice decoration should be employed for a pleasing effect—if possible also make arrangements for food. For performing the recitation of the Qur’ān over the food to bless it, use only sweets that are made by Muslims and preferably use candles for lighting because the bad odor of clay oil lamps should be avoided during this blessed gathering. The listeners and participants should be in a state of cleanliness and ritual purity, and should sit politely. The reciter of the mīlād sharīf ceremony should be someone who adheres to the Islamic Law. Persons should be exhorted again and again to recite salutations and blessings upon the Prophet (durūd).

In whichever place the remembrance of Aḥmad, the Chosen One, Muḥammad Muṣṭāfa—may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, the leader of all the righteous ones and messengers—takes place, in it this merit is found that voices are raised in praising him. Why shouldn’t blessings descend on those present there, and why shouldn’t the desired article be obtained by the audience? It is reported that, in whatever home this blessed gathering is held, for the next whole year showers of mercy will rain down on those who dwell there and they will live in protection and security with infinite good and blessings. In blessed Mecca and radiant Medina it is customary that when a son is born to someone, or when some other ceremony such as first hair cutting, circumcision, wedding, building of a new home, returning from a journey, or recovering from an illness is held, among all of the other functions a mīlād sharif is sure to be included. May God also give us people such success that we will illuminate and ennoble our homes and gatherings with the mention of Muḥammad, and that we will be spared corruptions such as dancing and playing music, and so on. Amen.

Ḥadīth: Ḥaẓrat [the Prophet] said, “The person who sends salutations to me morning and night will obtain my intercession on the Day of Judgment.” Ḥadīth: The Prophet said, “Whoever recites salutation to me one hundred times on Fridays will find the sins of the whole year forgiven.”

In short, true reports and ḥadīths have confirmed that sending blessings and salutation to the Prophet are a means to good and blessings in this world and a means to forgiveness and salvation in the afterlife. They cure illnesses and cheer up the grief-stricken. Doing these practices a lot brings blessings in material possession and advancement for one’s children and, best of all, the one who does this often comes to love the Prophet more completely, and love for him is love for Allah—and this is faith and the basis of Islam.

Recite the salutation, recite O lovers, recite the salutation,

never be neglectful of the salutation, recite the salutation,

send infinite salutation and blessings

to the spirit of Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BIRTH OF THE LIGHT OF MUḤAMMAD, MAY THE PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF GOD BE UPON HIM.

The mirror the divine essence was placed face to face,

so that this form was duplicated,

the reflection of the divine essence appeared in the mirror,

the name of this reflection became Muṣṭāfa.

If such an image had not been born

the conclusion of beauty would come with him.

All flames come from this one flame

which illuminates from earth to heaven.

The explanation of this is given thus by the masters of knowledge and the possessors of inner wisdom. The first emanation of God, may his state be exalted, is the light of Muḥammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him. That is, the absolute Creator brought the light of Muḥammad into being 1,670,000 years before all other existent and created things. Hazrat ibn Jauzī wrote that God said to this light, “Become Muḥammad,” so that it became a column of light and stood up and reached to the veil of divine greatness—then it prostrated and said, “Praise Be to God!” Then God said, “For this I have created you and I will make you the beginning of creation and the end of the Prophets.”

It is reported that according to the lunar calculation exactly nine months had passed so that the time for his birth was near, when along with many other women, Asia [wife of Pharaoh] and Mary, may peace be upon her, came to attend his mother from the spiritual world, and with them were many houris of Paradise. His mother said, “Right now I feel rather thirsty.” At that very moment a radiant angel came to her holding in his hand a glass filled with a refreshing drink which was whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, colder than snow, and more fragrant than rose. He put it in her hand saying, “Drink this beverage which has come to you from paradise.” She thus drank her fill. Then he said, “Have more,” so she drank more and all thirstiness was lifted and she became calm. Then the angel made this appeal. “Come forth, O Master of messengers, come forth Master of the worlds, come forth, O Seal of the Prophets.”

There is a report related from his paternal grandfather, Abd al-Muṭṭalib, that at that time [of his birth] he was inside the noble Ka’ba when all at once God’s Ka’ba moved from its place and jumped for joy, then it bowed with its four walls and made a prostration at the station of Abraham. Then the walls stood up in their place and several times raised the call, “God’s accepted one, Muḥammad may peace be upon him, is born.”

His nurse [Ḥalīma] related that he grew at such a fast rate that in one day his size increased as much as most children’s would in a month. In a month he grew as much as others would during a year! Thus in his second month his arms were so strong that he could crawl and after five months he could walk on his own legs and by the ninth month he could speak fluently and his first words were, “God is Great, God is Great, and praise be to God Lord of the Worlds. Praise be to God first and essentially.” His statements were extremely wise. When he saw children playing he would stop them, and if they asked him to play he would say, “God did not create us for playing.”

One day a woman brought a person who had been dumb since birth, and had never uttered even one word. When the holy Prophet(s) asked him “Who am I?” the dumb person said, “I testify that there is no God but God and Muḥammad is his Prophet.”

Since even the dumb person has attested to his position as the Messenger,

Why should not the two worlds utter the praises of Muḥammad?

A shepherd was tending goats in the forest. The Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, arrived so that a she-wolf informed the shepherd saying, “The Prophet of God has come to your forest, I will tend your flock while you go to him.” The shepherd immediately went to meet the Prophet and, having accepting the faith, began to perform the ritual sacrifice.

The she-wolf protected the sheep folds in the wilderness

While the shepherd became the sacrifice of Muḥammad.

A camel, after prostration before the Prophet, said, “My master loads me with too much baggage and gives me very little food.” The Prophet called his master and requested him to load him more lightly and feed him until his stomach was full.

One day many companions and helpers were with the Prophet, and when they drew near to a goat pen the goats prostrated to the Prophet.

Some prostrated, some recited the profession of faith,

Even the wild animals were the Muslims of Muḥammad.

Stones turning into wax beneath his blessed feet is a well-known miracle of the Prophet. Once it occurred that by night in Mecca some of the most powerful unbelievers had gathered. The full moon shone in the sky. The unbelievers said that if the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, could perform the miracle of splitting the moon in the sky into two pieces then they would believe in him. At that very moment Ḥaẓrat, peace be upon him, lifted his index finger and pointed at the moon. It immediately split into two pieces.

The stones turned into wax, the moon split into two pieces

The heavens and earth are at the command of Muḥammad.

LEGAL OPINIONS OF THE NOBLE ARABS: FATWA FROM THE SCHOLARS OF MEDINA, THE RADIANT, CONCERNING THE HOLDING OF MĪLĀD CEREMONIES

Question: What is your opinion, may God have mercy on you, concerning the memorializing of the birth of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, and standing up at the mention of the birth of the Prophet, and appointing a particular day for this and decorating the place and using scents and reciting some chapters of the Qur’ān and distributing food to the Muslims? Is this permissible and rewarded by God? Please give an explanation, may God reward you with the best reward!

Answer: Praise be to God who raised the heavens without a support. I ask Him for help, success, and assistance. Know that memorializing the birth of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, and all of his virtues in the presence of listeners is a tradition, since it has been reported that al-Ḥassān used to praise the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, in his presence while people were gathered to listen to him, and indeed the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, invited al-Ḥassān and let him mount the pulpit, so that he mentioned these virtues while standing on it. However, the holding of a noble birth ceremony in a communal form by specifying a day, standing up, and distributing food, and these other things which were mentioned in the question is a “sound innovation” (bid a ḥasana) which is recommended and in which nothing prevents the obtaining of a reward from God so long as the intention is good, and especially if this is combined with exalting, honoring, and joy and happiness at the birthday of the noble Prophet. It is hoped that his reward from the Generous One will be to enter blessed Paradise through his grace. The people of Islam have continued to take care to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, and to make tasty food and give out various types of charity, and to be extremely joyful and have the recitation of the noble mīlād [ceremony] undertaken at this time.