The Mawlid of Imam al-Barzinji
Zawiyah Qadariyah Dhu al-Hijja 1426
Bismillah-i-Rrahman-i-Rrahim.
“Surely Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet O you who believe send blessings upon him and ask for him peace” O Allah, grant prayers, peace and blessings upon our master, Muhammad, the point of the holy fitra circle manifest upon him in the mihrāb of Your holiness and intimacy; and upon his family and companions (٣ times) Then know that “There is no god but Allah” (١٠٠ times) Praise belongs to Allah Who began this existence with the Light of Muhammad (al- Nūr al-Muhammadiya)—the Night Traveler, whose light is the secret in each affair And Who made his appearance its seal and completion And Who bestowed upon his glorious family and pure descendants the divine secrets They being, for the people of the earth, an invulnerable fortress, and for the religion (dīn) a guardian Blessing and peace be upon our master, Muhammad, the best of mankind And upon his family, companions, followers and whoever supports him So I, the ‘arif, who gains from the overflowing every splendid and brilliant favor And who is adorned with the two knowledges—the outward and the inward—so that it becomes his practice and most cherished goal The one with the pure lineage whose love for the standing (before his Lord) delivers him from the burning fire Our master Sayyid Ja‘far ibn Hasan who traces his lineage to al-Barzanji Starts this recitation in the name of the Exalted Essence Causing the flow of blessings on what I work for and obtain I praise its wholesome source easily imbibed Riding the mounts of good thanks I give blessings and send peace upon the light described as foremost and first Conveyed in the noble white marks placed on foreheads and faces I humbly ask Allah the Exalted to bestow a special favor upon the pure prophetic ‘itra Which includes his companions, followers and those who support him I implore Him for a guidance by which I will travel the clear established ways And for safety from the raise belongs to Allah Who began this existence with the Light of Muhammad (al- Nūr al-Muhammadiya)—the Night Traveler, whose light is the secret in each affair And Who made his appearance its seal and completion And Who bestowed upon his glorious family and pure descendants the divine secrets They being, for the people of the earth, an invulnerable fortress, and for the religion (dīn) a guardian Blessing and peace be upon our master, Muhammad, the best of mankind And upon his family, companions, followers and whoever supports him So I, the ‘arif, who gains from the overflowing every splendid and brilliant favor And who is adorned with the two knowledges—the outward and the inward—so that it becomes his practice and most cherished goal The one with the pure lineage whose love for the standing (before his Lord) delivers him from the burning fire Our master Sayyid Ja‘far ibn Hasan who traces his lineage to al-Barzanji Starts this recitation in the name of the Exalted Essence Causing the flow of blessings on what I work for and obtain I praise its wholesome source easily imbibed Riding the mounts of good thanks I give blessings and send peace upon the light described as foremost and first Conveyed in the noble white marks placed on foreheads and faces I humbly ask Allah the Exalted to bestow a special favor upon the pure prophetic ‘itra Which includes his companions, followers and those who support him I implore Him for a guidance by which I will travel the clear established ways And for safety from the seduction in the plans of those who make errors and from following in their footsteps I will simplify from the story of the noble Prophet’s birth beautiful burdas Making from the noble lineage a beautiful necklace that will ornament the ears with its beauty I ask for assistance by Allah’s might and power For surely there is no might or power except by Allah
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah I say he is Sayyiduna Muhammad son of ‘Abd Allah son of ‘Abd al-Muţţalib, named Shaybat al-Hamd whose brilliant qualities were praised Son of Hashim, whose name is ‘Amr, son of ‘Abd Munāf, whose name is al-Mughira to whose exaltedness the ascension is related Son of Quşay, whose name is Mujammi‘ because he used to travel far into Quđā‘a land Until Allah brought him to the sacred haram and its protection Son of Kilāb, whose name is Hakīm, son of Murrah son of Ka‘b son of Lu’ay son of Ghālib son of Fihr, whose name is Quraysh, to whom the clans of Quraysh are related What is above Quraysh is Kināni as accepted by many Ibn Mālik son of al-Nađr son of Kinānah son of Khuzaymah son of Mudrikah son of Ilyās, the first to offer camels as a present to the sacrosanct precinct And in whose loins the Prophet was heard mentioning Allah and responding to Him Son of Muđar son of Nizār son of Ma‘add son of ‘Adnān—this is a thread whose precious gems were strung by the finger of the brilliant sunnah ‘Adnān, whom Allah connected to the Khalil, Ibrahim (upon him be peace), whose way Sayyiduna Muhammad took and whose father he is And here there is no doubt for those who have knowledge of his ineage That ‘Adnān descends from the Sacrificed, Ismā‘īl, where Sayyiduna Muhammad’s lineage ends How great a necklace whose pearls like stars shine And why not, since its most precious, the Master the Noble, is among the lineage That ‘Adnān descends from the Sacrificed, Ismā‘īl, where Sayyiduna Muhammad’s lineage ends How great a necklace whose pearls like stars shine And why not, since its most precious, the Master the Noble, is among them Lineage measures exalted nobility by his adornment Gemini beautifies the necklace of stars Deference to the necklace of dominion and glory In which you are the orphan and jewel How noble is the lineage that Allah has purified from the immorality of jahiliyya (Referencing Zayn al-Iraqi’s book The Wholesome Mawlid) Allah has preserved the nobility of Muhammad His noble forefathers safekeeping his name Never having indulged themselves in immorality From Adam to his father and mother he light of prophethood appeared as a beautiful white mark on their foreheads His new moon appeared on the foreheads of his grandfather and his son ‘Abd Allah (Sayyiduna Muhammad’s father)
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When Allah wanted to send forth His Muhammadan Reality His appearance as a body and soul in form and meaning He moved it to its resting place inside Āmana, the Radiance of Beauty Allah the Most Near the Responder selected her to be the mother of His Chosen One It was announced in the Heavens and on Earth that she was carrying the lights of Allah Himself Every ardent lover turned toward the scented breeze of his beloved After long being barren, the Earth became clothed in lush green Fruits ripened and trees bowed heavy laden easy for the picking In tongues of clear Arabic the animals spoke of his conception Beds (of tyrants) and idols tumbled landing on their faces and mouths Beasts of East and West, of land and sea, exchanged the good news The worlds drank from the cup of great joy The jinn were told the approach of his time, soothsayers prophesied, and monks became afraid Every learned rabbi was eager for news of his coming and became lost in astonishment by the display of his beauty His mother was visited in her sleep and was told: “You have become pregnant with the Master of the Worlds and the Best of Mankind” “So when you give birth to him, name him Muhammad, for surely all that issues from him will be praised”
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah Two months after his conception, according to the most well-known narrations His father, ‘Abd Allah, died in Madinah al-Munawwarah Passing by his uncles on his mother’s side, Bani ‘Uday from the tribe of Bani Najjār He fell ill, and for a month remained among them while they tried to treat him
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah Nine lunar months passed after his conception, according to the numerous traditions Now, time’s thirst for him would be quenched On the night of his noble birth, Āsyah and Maryam with other women of paradise attended his mother The moment labor pains began she gave birth to him (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) as a radiance whose brilliance illuminates the world O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah Several imams of narration and knowledge say that standing at the mentioning of his noble birth is preferred So paradise is for the one whose sole aim is to honor his greatness
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah Recite the Fātiĥah and make a du‘ā p He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) appeared putting his hands on the earth and raising his head up to the exalted heaven This raising of his head indicating his sovereignty His high rank above mankind And that he is the Beloved One whose character and personality are good His mother called ‘Abd al- Muţţalib who the while had been performing ţawāf of the Ka‘bah (of the unseen), the Ka‘bah built for the angels (before the building of the Ka‘bah in the sensory) He came quickly and looked at him with utmost pleasure Then he took him inside the Ka bah, the Noble and Unique, and stood making dua with sincere intention Thanking Allah, the Exalted, for what He gave freely and with His pleasure He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was born clean, circumcised, the embilical cord cut by the hand of Divine Power Scented, oiled, and with the kohl of divine care on his eyes It is also said that he was circumcised seven nights after his birth by his grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muţţalib Who served a feast and fed the people and named him Muhammad, and honoring him in his abode
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah At his birth abnormal and strange events appeared In order to facilitate his prophethood and notify (the world) that he is Allah’s Chosen One Heaven (alsamā’a) was increased in protection and the vicious and powerful jinn and those humans with devilish natures (nafs) were driven away The luminous stars stoned every accursed one at his raising himself And then lowered themselves to him in nuturing love By their light the valleys and hills of the Haram (Makkah) were illuminated A light came out with him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) illuminating the Roman castles of Sham for him And thus he saw from the valleys of Makkah, his home That the Persian palace at Mada’in had cracked The high and strong palace built by Anu Sharwan (a Persian king) And that fourteen of its high balconies had fallen The bed of King Kisra was broken—a shocking frightening event The fires worshipped by the Persian kingdoms went out At the appearance of his illuminating full moon and the dawning of his noble countenance Lake Sāwah which had been between Hamadhān and Qom dwindled away Because its source which had been gushing with water, dried up The valley of Samāwah a dry desert overflowed with water Before it had been without water to wet the mouth of the thirsty He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was born in Makkah at the place known as al-‘Arāş The sacrosanct area in which the trees and plants were not to be cut Some scholars have been documented as being in disagreement about the exact year, month, and day of his birth But most accept that his birth was before the dawn of Monday the twelfth of Rabi‘ al-Awwal in the year that Allah protected the Ka‘bah by stopping the elephant (in the army of the enemies of the Ka‘bah) from entering the Haram
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah His mother suckled him for a few days then Thuwaybah al-Isalamiyah Who, when she gave her master Abu Lahab the good news (bushra) of the Prophet’s birth, was immediately set free (as a reward) She suckled him with her son, Masrūĥ, and Abu Salamah, receiving him with great pleasure Before him she had suckled Hamzah, who is praised for his support of the dīn From Madinah he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would send her well-deserved gifts and clothing Until her body was put in the grave and covered Some said that she kept the dīn of her people in jahaliyah until her death Others said that she submitted, and this has been proven and narrated by Ibn al-Mundah Then he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was suckled by a young woman, Ĥalīmah al-Sa‘diyah The people had rejected her as a wet nurse because of her indigence By nightfall (the day she took him) her barren life became fertile, she gave her right breast to him and it immediately overflowed with milk like pearls and her left one also gave milk to his suckling brother After weakness and poverty she became wealthy Her female camel and her sheep became fat And then all difficulties and misfortunes were removed from her shoulders Good fortune embroidered her cloak in good living, beautified
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah By divine care, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) grew in one day what a child would grow in one month So he stood upon his feet in three months, walked in five months, and was able to talk articulately in nine months While in her care, two angels (visited him and) opened his chest and took out from his noble heart a clot of blood After removing the portion of the shayţān, they washed it with ice and filled it with wisdom and meanings based upon faith Then they closed it, sealing it with the seal of prophethood Lastly, they weighed him and found him to be heavier than one thousand of his good nation He grew up with the most perfect qualities of a young child Then she returned him to his mother though she wanted to keep him She feared harm might befall him Ĥalīmah visited him during the time he was living with Khadījah, al-sayyidah al-marđiyyah And he gave generously to her with shyness and modesty On the day of Ĥunayn, she came to him and he stood up selflessly to meet her He unfolded for her his noble shawl of generosity and honor The correct (belief) is that she, her husband and her children became Muslims A group of trustworthy narrators consider her and her husband to be among the companions
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reached four years of age his mother took him to Madinah al-Munawwarah While returning she died either at al-Abwā’ or at Shi‘b al-Ĥajūn (somewhere between Makkah and Madinah, but closer to Madinah) He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was then carried by his nurse maid, Umm Ayman, the Ethiopian, whom he later married to his freed slave Zayd ibn Ĥārithah She took him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to his grandfather ‘Abd al-Muţţalib who hugged him and showed him great tenderness and raised his status He said: “This son of mine has a great affair. So bravo! to he who shows him respect and support” In his childhood his noble soul never complained from hunger or thirst Often his food was only the nourishment to be taken from the water of zamzam, which satisfied him and quenched his thirst
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah Then, when the camels of death were made to kneel down at the courtyard of his grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muţţalib, his uncle, Abu Ţālib, the brother of ‘Abd Allah from both parents, adopted him He carried his adoption with strong determination and zeal In bringing him up, he preferred him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) even to himself and his own children
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was twelve years old, his uncle took him on one of his trips to Sham There, the monk Buĥayrā, in possession of the description of prophethood, recognized him He said: “I see him as the Master of the Worlds, the Messenger of Allah and His Prophet, for the trees and stones prostrated to him and they never prostrate except to a prophet, who sighs in repentance and asks for forgiveness” “Surely, we find his description in the ancient divine books” “And between his shoulder blades is the seal of prophethood, completely illuminated by light” His uncle ordered that he be returned to Makkah, fearing that harm might befall him from the Jews So he returned with him from Buşrā (a city in Sham now called Houran) in blessed Sham
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reached twenty-five years of age he traveled to Buşrā (again, this time) in trade for the young woman, Khadījah With him was her servant, Maysarah, who served him and looked after his needs Near the hermitage of Nasţūr, the Christian monk, he rested under a tree The monk recognized him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) when the tree inclined its thick shade towards him He said: “No one ever rested under this tree except a prophet possessing pure qualities” “And a messenger for whom Allah has chosen to give moral excellence” Then he asked Maysarah: “Is there any redness in his eyes?” trying to uncover a hidden sign And he answered: “Yes.” So he confirmed to himself what he had been thinking Then he said to Maysarah: “Don’t leave his side. Be with him with sincerity, determination and honesty” “For he is one of those whom Allah has honored and selected for prophethood” When Khadījah was at ‘Uliyyah with a group of women, she saw him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) approaching, returning to Makkah With two angels over his noble head shading him from the heat of the sun Maysarah told her that he had seen this before during the trip and he told her of the advice the monk had entrusted him with Allah doubled the trade’s profits and made it grow So from what she saw and heard it became clear to her that he was the Messenger of Allah, the Exalted, to mankind, whom Allah had specially selected to be near Him
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah She asked him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to take her pure self in marriage so that by his perfumed scent she might obtain the scent of īmān (belief) He then told his uncles what this pure and pious woman had asked him for And they agreed, for they were pleased by her virtue, her religion, her beauty, her wealth, and her lineage—all cherished qualities Abu Ţālib made a speech, praising Allah and him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) He said: “By Allah, his future deeds will be praised” She was married to him by her father; it is also said by her uncle; and it is also said by her brother—her happiness having been preordained To him, she gave birth to all his children except the one he called al- Khalīl (Ibrahīm)
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When he reached the age of thirty-five, the Quraysh were rebuilding the Ka‘bah because its walls had cracked from the floodwaters of Abţaĥ (one of the valleys in Makkah) They disputed over who would lift the black stone to its place in the Ka‘bah, for every one wanted this honor The argument grew heated and they were about to come to blows—every clan standing against the others Then they summoned each other to agree upon leaving the resolution of the matter to someone who would apply wisdom and deliberation They decided to accept the decision of the first one who entered from the gate of al-sanadah al-shaybiyyah (the Shaybi Custodian: named after the custodians of the Ka‘bah who were from Shaybah ibn ‘Uthman al-Shaybi) The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the first to enter, so they said: “This is the Honest One (al-Amīn). We all accept him and are pleased with him” Then they told him that they wanted him to make a ruling on the matter and carry it out So he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) put the stone on a cloak and then ordered the tribes to lift it together to its designated place They all lifted it to its place in the corner of that building (the Ka‘bah) Then, with his noble hands, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) put it in its present place and fixed it there
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah According to the most trusted narrators of the (Islamic) world, when he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) completed forty years of age Allah sent him as a bringer of good news and a warner to the worlds, covering them with his mercy For six complete months he saw clear true dreams Each one coming like the dawning of the morning’s brilliant light He was started out with these dreams as a training to strengthen his human capacity So that the Angel wouldn’t surprise him with the manifestness of prophethood and then his powers would not be able to encompass it Isolation became pleasing to him so he would worship in the mountain of Ĥirā’ numerous nights (i.e., whole days) Until the pure truth (the angel Jibrīl with the revelation) came to him That was on a Monday, the seventeenth of the month of the Laylat al-Qadr (i.e., Ramađān) There are other traditions saying that it was the twenty-seventh or the twenty-fourth of that month, or eight days before the month of his birth He (Jibrīl) said to him: “Read.” He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “I cannot read.” Then he covered him in a strong embrace He (Jibrīl) said: “Read.” He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “I cannot read.” Then Jibrīl covered him in an embrace a second time until he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) became exhausted and overwhelmed from the exertion Then Jibrīl said: “Read.” And he said: “I cannot read.” A third time the Angel embraced him and pressed him hard so that he would turn himself with full attention to what would be given to him Receiving it with seriousness and effort Then the revelation stopped for three years or thirty months, making him look forward eagerly to those beautifully fragranced scents (i.e., the Revelation) Then yā ayyuh al-muddathir (O you who have wrapped up in your garments!) was sent to him by Jibrīl So his prophethood began with iqra bisma rabbika (Read! In the name of your Lord)— evidence that it has priority in importance Foremost in his message, giving the good news and the warning to whomever he called to Islam
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah The first to believe in him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) among men was Abu Bakr, the companion in the cave (Thawr, on the way to Madinah), the Şaddīq (meaning: who believes immediately without doubt) Among children, ‘Alī; and among women, Khadījah, through whom Allah strengthened and preserved his heart and protected him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) Among freed slaves, Zayd ibn Ĥārithah; and among slaves, Bilāl (the Ethiopian, the caller to prayer chosen by the Prophet) tortured by his master, Umayah, for his belief in Allah Later bought and freed from slavery by his new master, Abu Bakr, who provided for him Then submitted ‘Uthmān, Sa‘ad, Sa‘īd, Ţalĥah (cousin of Abu Bakr), Ibn al-‘Awf (‘Abdu ‘Amr: changed by the Prophet to ‘Abd al-Raĥmān), and Zubayr, the son of the Prophet’s aunt, Şaffiyah And others whom the Şaddīq gave to drink the nectar of belief Still he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his companions worshipped in secret Until Allah revealed faşda‘ bimā tu’mir (١٥:٩٤; Therefore, declare openly what you are bidden); thereupon, he openly called the people to Allah His people didn’t denounce him until he denounced their gods and ordered the rejection of all but the oneness Now they dared show him open enmity and the threat of harm Hardships increased for the Muslims, so in the fifth year they made hijrah (the Prophet ordered some of his followers to flee the persecution in Makkah) to the domain of the king of Habasha (al-Najāshī) Because his uncle, Abu Ţālib, was solicitous of him (Allah bless him and grant him peace), all the people were afraid to harm him, and so for a time he was protected First, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was required to stand some hours of the night Then the obligation was abrogated by Allah’s words faqra’u mā tayassara minhu wa’aqīmu al-şalāt (٧٣:٢٠; Read from it what is easy, and establish the prayer) And he was required to make two raka‘ in the morning and two in the evening Then, finally, in the night of the isrā’ (the night journey) his obligation was abrogated by the five required prayers Abu Talib died in mid-Shawwal in the tenth year of the message and with his death the hardships greatly intensified Following his death by three months came Khadīja’s and increased hardships and vulnerability The Quraysh let fall upon him every injury He went to Ţa’if, calling Thaqīf (the tribe of Ta’if) to Islam, where he wasn’t received well They encouraged the mockers and the slaves to insult him rudely They pelted him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) with stones until his shoes were dyed red from his blood In sadness he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned to Makkah; then the angel of the mountains (surrounding Ţā’if) asked him if he should destroy its people for their stubborn ignorance But instead he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “I ask Allah to take care of (i.e., cause to flourish in Islam) those whom He brings out from their loins”
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah When, while awake, he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was taken on a night journey, with his spirit (rūĥ) and body, from the Mosque of the Ĥarām (in Makkah) to the Mosque of al-Aqsā (in Jerusalem) and its sacred precinct He was taken up to the heavens, where in the first heaven he saw Ādam, dignity enveloping and exalting him In the second heaven, he saw ‘Isa ibn al-Batūl (Jesus son of the Virgin Mary, who isolated herself in devotion to Allah), the Good the Pure And his cousin, Yaĥya, who was given wisdom in application of the Torah (and prophethood) in his youth In the third heaven, he saw Yūsuf, the Şiddīq, with his beautiful form In the fourth heaven, Idrīs (named for his extensive study of Allah’s book), whom Allah raised to his high place In the fifth heaven, Hārūn, the beloved of the Israelite nation In the sixth heaven, Mūsā, to whom Allah talked intimately And in the seventh heaven, Ibrāhīm, who came to his Lord with a heart at peace and an inwardness of goodness Whom Allah protected from the fire of Nimrod Then he raised him to the sidrat al-muntahā until he heard the sound of the pens writing the decreed matters To the station (maqam) of the encounter without veil in which Allah allowed him to approach and draw near There Allah raised for him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) the veils of the glorious lights And let him see with his own eyes in the presence of Lordship what He let him see So He spread for him the carpet of care and affection in the divine presence He made obligatory upon him and his nation ٥٠ prayers Then the clouds of virtue and mercy poured forth and they were reduced to the performance of five prayers Having the reward of the ٥٠ that He had decreed and willed in pre-endless time Then he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned in the same night and the Şiddīq believed him (when he had told others) about his night journey As do all who possess intellect and the capacity to reflect While the Quraysh didn’t believe him and some apostated whom the Shayţān led astray and lured
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah During the hajj days (note: even before Islam, at a specific time of the year, people gathered to visit the Ka‘bah) he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) presented himself to the tribes as the Messenger of Allah Allah showed His pleasure with six of the anşār (six from Madinah) whom He distinguished by their belief in him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) Then twelve men from them (i.e., Madinah) performed the hajj (the next year) with the tribes and took a true bay‘ah (oath of allegiance) from him They returned and Islam appeared in Madīnah, eventually becoming his stronghold and residence The third time they came as ٧٥, or ٧٣ and two women, from the tribes of Aws and Khazraj They took bay‘ah from him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and then he chose twelve of them who were nobles and masters to be their amīrs And then the Islamic millah (people practicing the way of Islam) of Makkah emigrated to them They separated themselves from their homelands desiring what had been prepared for the one who denounces kufr and flees The Quraysh, fearing that he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) would soon join his Companions Plotted to kill him, so Allah the Exalted protected and saved him from their deceit
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah While the unbelievers were watching him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in order to carry out their plan to kill him, Allah gave him permission to emigrate He came out to them and threw upon their heads dust Then he headed straight for the cave of Thawr (ghār: small opening in a mountain, as opposed to kahf which is a large cave) wherein the Şiddīq won the opportunity of being in the company (of Allah and His Messenger; see Surat Tawbah, ayah ٤٠: “Grieve not, surely Allah is with us”) There they remained for three days in the protection of the pigeons and spiders They left it the night of Monday (meaning, between Sunday after maghrib and Monday morning before fajr) upon a good female camel (On the way) when Surāqah came upon him (on horseback with the intention of capturing him), he (Allah bless him and grant him peace) earnestly asked Allah’s protection from him Then the legs of Surāqah’s horse began to sink into the firm ground, whereupon he asked for the Prophet’s protection, and he was granted it He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed the tent of Umm Ma‘bad al-Khuzā‘iyah (kunya for ‘Ātikah bint Khālid) He wanted to buy milk or meat from her, but there was neither milk nor meat in her wool tent However, the Prophet saw a female sheep in the house that didn’t go with the other sheep because it was too exhausted He asked her permission to milk it She gave him permission and said if there were any milk in her they would have milked her But at his touch, it filled up with milk and he milked her and everyone present drank to their satisfaction Then he milked the sheep again, filling the container, and left it with her as a clear sign When Abu Ma‘bad came and saw the milk, he was struck by wonder He asked: “From whence came this milk? There is no milking sheep that can give even a single drop” She told him that a blessed man passed by, giving his physical description and his other qualities He declared: “That is the man from Quraysh,” and swore by all that is divine That if he saw him he would believe in him, follow him and be close to him He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) arrived in Madīnah on Monday the twelfth of Rabī‘ al-Awwal Its pure sites were illumined by him The anşār met and welcomed him and he dismounted at Kuba (about two miles from Madīnah) where he built a mosque upon his piety (taqwa)
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the most perfect of people in physical and moral nature, possessing the highest being and qualities Of middle height; white in color mixed with red; his eyes were big with natural kohl, having long lashes, long eyebrows almost touching Between his two front teeth was a space; his mouth was full but handsome; his face was wide with a forehead like the new moon His cheekbones were not high; his nose was slightly curved, its bridge was good and a little high His shoulders were broad; his palms wide and generous; his bones big at the joints; his heels with little flesh; his beard thick; his head large; his hair reaching the earlobes Between his shoulders was the seal of prophethood, luminous His perspiration was like pearls, its scent sweeter than musk When walking, he would lean forward moving quickly as if he were coming down from a high place When he greeted someone he would shake hands with him and that person would spend the day smelling of jasmine and narcissus When he put his noble hand on a child’s head that child could easily be known from the rest by the scent left on his head from the Prophet’s touch His noble face shone like the light of the night of a full moon The one who describes him says: “I have never seen before or after him a human being like him” He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was very shy and very modest—mending his own shoes, patching his own robe, milking his own sheep, and serving his family in a noble way He loved the poor—sitting among them, visiting their sick, and walking in their funerals; he never condescended to anyone, even to the most poor and wretched He accepted apologies; he never met someone mentioning what that person disliked; he walked with widows and slaves He didn’t fear kings; he got angry only for Allah’s sake; and was pleased with what pleased Allah He walked behind his companions saying: “Leave my back for the spiritual angels” He rode the camel, the horse, the mule, and the donkey given to him by a king Though he tied a stone on his stomach from hunger, all the keys of the earth’s treasuries were at his disposal Even mountains tried to persuade him to permit them to turn themselves into gold for him, but he refused He didn’t speak idly; whenever he met someone he was the first to offer greetings; he elongated the prayer and made short the jumu‘a khutbah He used persuasion on the nobles and honored the generous, sometimes joking but always speaking the truth pleasing to Allah Here, the description of his noble person comes to an end And the one who is dictating this has reached a stopping point like the traveler who has reached a clearing and a place of rest
O Allah, scent his noble grave with an aromatic fragrance of blessings and peace
O Allah, bless him, grant him peace and barakah O Allah, O Open-handed in giving O He Who when the palms of the servant are raised satisfies the suppliant O He Who declares the unity in His being and in His attributes To be only for Him without equal or similarity O He Who alone remains forever and Who existed in the most ancient time and Who existed in preendless time O He in Whom no one places his hopes except Him and upon Whom no one depends but Him O He in Whose everlasting power the people are confident Who guides with His overflowing generosity he who seeks His guidance We ask You by Your sacred lights Which removed the night from the darknesses of doubts We humbly beseech You through the exalted rank of the Muhammadan Being (aldhat al-muhammadiya) (i.e., tawassul: seeking Allah’s help through Sayyiduna Muhammad) Who was the last of the prophets in his physical appearance but the first of them in his meaning By his family, mankind’s secure planets Their ship of safety and refuge By his companions, the people of guidance and preference Who freely gave themselves to Allah only desiring Allah’s overflowing generosity And by the carriers of His Shari‘ah, the people of great deeds and virtues Who rejoice in each grace and favor (ni‘mah and fađl) from Allah That you grant us success in words and deeds in achieving sincerity of intention That You give to all who are present his request and wish That You save us from the shackles of lower desires and the sicknesses of the heart That You realize our hopes which we have placed in You (three times) That you save us from every great harm and calamity That You don’t place us among those whose self tends toward low desires That You cover the flaw, the inability, the limitation, and the powerlessness of each one of us That You make easy for us the good deeds which are difficult to accomplish That You bring close to us the goodness of certainty so that it may be easily picked like the fruit of jannah That You erase from us all our sins (three times) That You include this gathering of ours in Your exalted giving from Your treasuries By a mercy and a forgiveness and a perpetual freedom from needing anyone other than You O Allah, surely You have given to every petitioner a station and a merit And to every hopeful one whatever he hoped for We have asked You hoping for gifts from Your presence So realize for us what we hope to gain from You (three times) O Allah, secure us from fears, and correct the rulers and their citizens Increase the reward of whoever performs this goodness today O Allah, make this country and all Muslim countries secure and comfortable And provide our land with rain that will cover its low lands and its hills And forgive the copier of these decorated pages of the Mawlid Ja‘far, from the family al-Barzanji, and his lineage to whom he belongs Realize for him the triumph of Your closeness Make his rest and place of residence among the foremost brought near to You (muqarrabīn) Cover the flaw, the inability, the limitation, and the powerlessness of him And the writer of this Mawlid, its reader, and whoever listens carefully to it Bless, O Allah, the first divine manifested light from the absolute Reality His family, companions, and those who helped him and stood by him The ears that are pleased by the glittering description of him are thereby bedecked with jeweled earrings The foremost of the noble gatherings (i.e., those reciting the mawlid) are made beautiful with chests adorned with necklaces in which he is mentioned Allah bless our master Muhammad, bless him and grant him peace Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Might and Honor, above what they describe; and peace be on the messengers; and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds The Jannah and its tranquility, a joy, for whoever sends him blessings and peace and wishes him barakah Make a du‘ā
Arranged and transmitted by
Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili (6th Rabi-ul-Awal 1433 AH/ 30th January, 2012)
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