Mawlid al-Barzanjī

Calligraphy of the title adorning the cover of a recently released Arabic-English edition of Mawlid al-Barzanji in the UK.

Mawlid al-Barzanjī (Arabic: مَولِد الْبَرزَنجِي) is the popular name of a popular written verse in praise of the Islamic prophet Muhammad by Jaʿfar b. Ḥasan al-Barzanjī. Its complete title is Iqd al-Jawhar fī Mawlid al-Nabiy al-Azhar (عقد الْجَوهر في مَولِد الْنَبِي الْأزهَر; The Jewelled Necklace of the Resplendent Prophet's Birth) and it was written in the Arabic vernacular.

Mawlid[edit]

The work is widely recited by Sunni Muslims around the world. In Southeast Asia and East and Southern Africa, the term Barzanji is synonymous with the word Mawlid, which is a celebration of Muhammad. This is done through a poetic description of his conception and birth, the miraculous exploits and significant events in his life, and his disposition.^{[citation needed]}

The work has a central place during the annual commemoration of the birth of Muhammad which was on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabī al-Awwal. In the Muslim households of Asia and Africa, it is recited to solicit divine blessings on special occasions such as the birth of a child, moving into a new house, and the opening of a new business. It is also recited at death, under the belief that one should rejoice in God's blessing (i.e. the birth of Muhammad) rather than lament a loss (of a loved one). It also serves to remind the believer that no loss is greater than the loss of Muhammad.

Scholarly commentaries[edit]

Scholars, such as the author's descendant, Ja’far ibn Ismā’īl al-Barzanjī (d. 1317 AH / 1899 CE) have composed commentaries on the work. Other prominent commentators include Muhammad ‘Ulaysh (d. 1299 AH/1881 CE), the Highest Juridical Authority (Muftī) of the Malikites in Egypt, and the Sundanese scholar, Muḥammad Nawawī al-Bantānī (d. 1316 AH/1898 CE), a Shāfi’ī jurist and sūfi who settled in Mecca. The titles of some of the commentaries are as follows:

al-Barzanji, al-Kawkab al-anwār ‘alā ‘iqd al-jawhar fī mawlid al-nabī al-azhar;
‘Ulaysh, al-Qawl al-munjī ‘alā mawlid al-Barzanjī;
al-Bantānī, Madārij al-ṣu‘ūd ilā iktisā’ al-burūd.

Popular refrain[edit]

The work is the source of the popular refrain chanted in Mawlid gatherings around the globe:

عَطِّرِ ٱللّٰهُمَّ قَبْرَہُ ٱلْكَرِيمْ ، بِعَرْفٍ شَذِيٍّ مِنْ صَلاَةٍ وَتَسْلِيْم
ٱللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ

‘Aṭṭir Allāhumma qabrahu l-karīm / bi-‘arfin shadhiyyin min ṣalātin wa-taslīm
Allāhumma ṣalli wa-sallim wa-bārik alaihi wa-‘alā ālihi

O Allāh, perfume his noble grave / with the fragrant scent of blessings and peace
O Allāh, honor, bestow peace, and shower blessings upon him and his family

Contents of Mawlid al-Barzanjī[edit]

The contents of the Mawlid al-Barzanjī in English are as follows:

The Prophet's Lineage;
Before His Birth;
Preternatural Occurrences;
His Childhood;
ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and Abū Ṭālib;
Adulthood;
His Marriage;
Resolving a Dispute;
The Beginning of Prophethood:
The First Believers;
The Year of Sadness;
The Night Journey;
The Prophet Presenting Himself to the Tribes;
The Emigration;
The Cave;
Surāqa;
The Story of Umm Maʿbad;
Medina;
His Inward and Outward Perfection and Beauty;
The Seal of Prophethood;
His Love for the Poor;
Closing Supplication.

References[edit]

Katz, Marion Holmes (2007). The Birth of the Prophet Muḥammad: Devotional Piety in Sunni Islam. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-96214-5.