Comments on: Rabi’ al-Awwal

By: nnydd

nnydd — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Assalamualaikum,
Ourselves here in the UK are going to have the mawlid on 16th May 2003 in Lancaster. Although organised by the local Malay community, others (incl. non-Muslims) are welcomed. There should not be any language problem because our teacher, Sidi Afifi al-Akiti speaks English better than Malay.

I will be waiting impatiently to see the pictures from Kuching. Any audio files too?

Wassalam.
Your very poor brother in Cardiff.

By: Shahed

Shahed — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Where’s the link to the image, or the image itself? I can’t seem to find it…

By: Bin Gregory

Bin Gregory — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

sorry, don’t know why it’s not showing up… Shahed, I’ll email it to you.

By: amjad

amjad — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In my 39 years of observing milaad here in Pakistan, I have found a continuous progression of its ceremonies from bidaa hasana to almost haram. For example now we have naats here in pakistan that are on the tune of Indian songs. These naats are becoming popular on such occasions. I have also observed that muslims indulging in these activities here tend to view other muslims who do not beleive in milaad to be non-muslims by implying that they do not love the prophet sallalaho alahi wassalam or even worse that they are disrespectful by not observing the milaad and other such congregations. These sentiments have created a strong rift between muslims.

By: Bin Gregory

Bin Gregory — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing, Amjad. Certainly, participation in such a thing is not obligatory, though why someone would stay away from such a gathering, particularly in those countries where the mawlid is a national holiday, is beyond me. For my part, in the past 11 years in Michigan, 12 Rabi’ ul-Awwal has passed by without even a mention in masjids near me, or if it is mentioned, it is to warn the congregation away from it. Things are slowly changing to the point where people won’t whisper when they say they will be holding a mawlid celebration in their homes. But even last year, in a masjid claiming to be Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamaat, I attended a talk by a noted scholar from Yemen. After his lecture, we had to adjourn with him to a private location to praise the Praised One and recite poetry in his honor. No permission to do it in the masjid. Astaghfirullah! No one in that masjid or on it’s e-board remotely approached the Shaykh in religious knowledge, I can say that without reservation. Yet we were forbidden as though we were preparing to worship stones.

Is it bad to take an Indian pop melody and retool it with lyrics praising God and His Beloved? Here in the US, there is a popular tape of nursery rhymes for muslim children. They have taken melodies such as “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and substituted Islamic lyrics. It drives me nuts because the tunes are so obnoxious to begin with, but I don’t see the harm [or haram] in it, religiously.