It
is unanimously agreed upon, by historians, legal specialists and theologians of
all groups, that the Prophet (Ṣallāhu ‘alayhi wa salam) himself never commanded
his followers to celebrate his birthday, nor was this practice known for the
first few centuries of Islām. Therefore, the question arises as to how this
practice was instituted and who were the first group to think of the idea of
celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (Ṣallāhu ‘alayhi wa salam).
The
Origin of the Mawlid
The
first mention ever made of the mawlid celebrations in any historical
work comes in the writings of Jamāl al-Dīn Ibn al-Ma’mūn, who died 587 AH/1192
CE. His father was the Grand Vizier for the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir (ruled
494-524 /1101-1130). Although the work of Ibn al-Ma’mūn is now lost, many parts
of it were quoted by later scholars, in particular the most famous medieval
historian of Egypt, al-Maqrīzi (d. 845/1442) in his monumental Mawā’īẓ
al-i’tibār fī khiṭaṭ Miṣr wa-l-amṣār (shortened to the Khiṭaṭ).
Al-Maqrīzi’s book is the standard source of information for Fatimid and
early Mamlūk Egypt. What makes this work stand out above many others is not
only its comprehensiveness, but also the fact that al-Maqrīzī quotes from many
earlier references that are now lost, and also takes great care to cite his
source, a practice very rare for the time.
Al-Maqrīzī
relies upon the work of Ibn al-Ma’mūn for information regarding the social,
political and religious policies of the Fatimids during the early part of the
sixth century, which was the period that Ibn al-Ma’mūn’s father worked for the
Fatimid Caliph. Due to the high position that his father enjoyed, Ibn al-Ma’mūn
provided many details that outside historians could not possibly have been
privy to.
Before
proceeding, it is important to point out some facts regarding the Fatimid
dynasty. This dynasty had established itself as a rival dynasty to the Abbasids
in Baghdad. They had conquered Egypt in 358/969, and established the modern
city of Cairo. They claimed descent from the Family of the Prophet (a claim that
all others deemed to be fabricated), and followed the Sevener Branch of Shi’ite
Islām, also known as ‘Ismailism’. Their beliefs and customs were so different
from other branches of Islām that all Sunnis and even many other non-Ismaili
Shi’ite groups deemed them outside the fold of the religion. The Ismailis had
reinterpreted the five pillars of Islām to such a level that they would not
conform to the regular rituals that other Muslims are accustomed to (such as
the five daily prayers). The intellectual (and at times even biological)
descendants of the Fatimid caliphs in our times are many. In particular, the
Ismaili Aga Khan Imams and the Bohri Imams both trace their direct lineage to
the Fatimid caliphs, and the group known as the Druze also are an offshoot of
the Fatimid dynasty. It was this dynasty that first initiated the celebration
of the mawlid.
To
return to our topic, Al-Maqrizi, in his Khiṭaṭ, quotes Ibn al-Ma’mūn as
follows, writing about the events of the year 517:
Next,
the month of Rabī’ al-Awwal arrived, and we shall begin [the events of this
month] by mentioning the thing for which it has become famous, namely, the
birthday of the Master of the first and last, Muḥammad, on the thirteen [sic.]
day. And by way of charity, the Caliph presented 6000 dirhams from the fund of najāwa
[an Ismailite tithe], and from the dar al-fitra he presented 40
dishes of pastry, and from the chambers of the trustees and caretakers of the
mausoleums that lie between the Hill and Qarafa, where the Al al-Bayt lie, he
gave sugar, almonds, honey, and sesame oil [as a gift] to each mausoleum. And
[his Vizier] took charge of distributing 400 pounds (ratl) of sweets,
and 1000 pounds of bread.
The
wording of the paragraph clearly suggests that the mawlid was a clearly
established practiced by this time.
Another
early source that mentions the mawlid is the work of Ibn al-Ṭuwayr (d.
617/1220), in his work Nuzhat al-Muqlatayn fī Akhbārt al-Dawlatayn. Ibn
al-Ṭuwayr worked as a secretary for the Fatimid dynasty, and witnessed the
change of power from the Fatimids to the Ayyubids, at the hand of Salaḥ al-Dīn
al-Ayyūbi, which occurred 567/1071. His skills were so appreciated that he
ended up working for the government of Ṣalāh al-Dīn as well. Ibn al-Ṭuwayr also
describes the pageantry and pomp associated with the mawlid. He
describes in detail [1] the large amounts of foods that were distributed
on this day, especially around the famous mausoleums of Cairo (some of which
would have been considered by the Fatimids as being those of their Imams). The
focus of the pageantry, of course, was the palace of the Caliph, and only the
elite would get to attend. The celebrations of the day worked their way up to
the appearance of the Caliph (who was the living imām for the Ismailites) from
a palace window, his face covered in a turban. He himself would not deign to
speak – rather, his private attendants would signal to the audience that the
Caliph had returned their greetings and seen their love for him. From the
courtyard pavilion various reciters and preachers would address the audience,
finally culminating in the address of the khatib of the Azhar masjid
(which of course, at that time, was the epitome of Ismaili academics).
The
mawlid was not the only celebration that was sponsored by the Fatimids.
Al-Maqrīzi, in his Khiṭaṭ, [2] has an entire section dedicated to
Fatimid holidays. He writes, under a chapter heading entitled, “The
mentioning of the days that the Fatimid Caliphs took as celebrations and
festivals throughout the year, upon which the situation of the people would be
improved and their benefits increased,”
The
Fatimid Caliphs had, throughout the year, a number of festivals and
celebrations. These were: 1. New Year’s Eve, 2. Beginning of the year
celebrations, 3. The Day of ‘Āshūrā’, 4. The birthday of the Prophet (Ṣallāhu
‘alayhi wa salam), 5. The birthday of ‘Alī, 6. The birthday of al-Ḥasan, 7. The
birthday of al-Husayn, 8. The birthday of Fāṭima al-Zahrā’, 9. The birthday of
the current Caliph, 10. The first day of Rajab, 11. The fifteenth day of Rajab,
12. The first day of Sha’bān, 13. The fifteenth day of Sha’bān, 14. The
festival of Ramaḍān, 15. the first day of Ramaḍān, 16. The middle of Ramaḍān,
17. The end of Ramaḍān, 18. The Night of the Khatm, 19. The Day of ‘Īd
al-Fitr, 20. The Day of ‘Īd of Sacrifice, 21. The Day of ‘Īd al-Ghadīr, 22. The
‘Cloth of Winter’, 23. The ‘Cloth of Summer’, 24. The Day of the ‘Conquest of
the Peninsula’, 25. The Day of Nawrūz [Persian festival], 26. The Day of
Veneration [Christian], 27. Christmas [Christian], 28 Lent [Christian]
As
can be seen, the Fatimids loved their celebrations! The reason why they had so
many celebrations is obvious, and is hinted at by al-Maqrīzi in his title. As the
main rival to the ‘Abbāsid dynasty, the Fatimids were desperate to try to
legitimize their rule in the eyes of the masses, and one of the ways to do so
was to shower them with gifts on these days, and to provide an outlet for them
to be merry and enjoy. Al-Maqrīzi mentions in detail the types of gifts that
would be showered on the people on each of these days, sometimes exotic dishes
of meat and bread, most of the time pastries and sweets, and even (on the
‘Cloth’ days) special types of clothes. Anyone who has been to Cairo can attest
to the pomp of Fatimid structures, but it wasn’t only through architecture that
the Fatimids wished to prove their superiority over the Abbasids.
Another
thing to note is that there are many pagan festivals listed as well, for the
Zoroastrian and Christian citizens. All of this was done to appease these
minorities and prevent them from rebelling against the state.
A
number of factors need to be discussed here.
1)
From the above, it appears that the Faṭimids instituted a number of key yearly
celebrations, all of which involved much pomp and pageantry. The primary
celebrations were the mawlids of the Prophet and Imams, and also the
celebration of the day of Ghadīr Khumm (the day that Shi’ites of all stripes
believe the Prophet designated ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib to be the heir apparent). As
mentioned earlier, the primary purpose of so much pageantry was to ingratiate
themselves with the masses. Such public celebrations would have been
anticipated as public holidays, and as days to revel and enjoy good food and
sweets, compliments of the government.
2)
We can also venture a rough guess regarding the era that the mawlid was
introduced. Without any other sources, it is impossible to reconstruct a
precise date on which the Faṭimids initiated the mawlid.[3]
However, recall that al-Maqrizī’s history (the Khiṭat) is merely a
compilation of numerous histories that are now missing. Many of these
histories, such as those of Ibn al-Ma’mūn and Ibn Ṭuwayr, were written by
eyewitnesses. Modern scholars have analyzed the sources of al-Maqrīzi’s
history, and shown that for each era, al-Maqrizī relied on specific authors.
For events of the third, fourth and fifth centuries, al-Maqrizī took from
authors of other works; it was only for events of the sixth century that he
quoted Ibn al-Ma’mūn.[4] Therefore, since the first suggestion of the mawlid
occurs in the chronicles of Ibn al-Ma’mūn, we can safely venture the hypothesis
that the mawlid was first celebrated around the turn of the sixth hijrī
century.
3)
All of the mawlids introduced by the Fatimids centered around the Family
of the Prophet, except for the mawlid of the Prophet (Ṣallāhu ‘alayhi wa
salam) himself. The Shi’ite nature of the Fatimid Dynasty, along with the other
celebrations that were practiced, makes it quite clear that the entire concept
of celebrating birthdays was a Shi’īte one aimed at exalting the status of the
Imams. In fact, these source books mention that on the days of these other mawlids,
most of the ceremonies took place around the mausoleums and graves of the
Fatimids, and it was at these places where much of the food was distributed.
Hence, the Fatimids clearly wished to promote the cult of the Imams and ‘Ahl
al-Bayt’, and aggrandize their religious figures. When the Fatimid dynasty
collapsed, the other mawlids were simply forgotten, as they held no
significance for Sunnis, but the mawlid of the Prophet (Ṣallāhu ‘alayhi
wa salam) continued. In other words, the mawlid was originally an
Isma’ili Shi’ite festival, even though eventually it lost the tarnish of its
Shi’ite origins.
4)
The earliest reference (that of Ibn al-Ma’mūn) specifically states that the mawlid
was celebrated on the 13th of Rabi’ al-Awwal. Scholars have said
that this is either an error (and what proves this is that the later Ibn
al-Ṭuwayr correctly writes that it was celebrated on the 12th of
Rabī’ al-Awwal), or that it was initially instituted on the 13th,
but within a generation was changed to the 12th. In either case, by
the middle of the sixth century, the mawlid was an official holiday in
Fatimid Egypt.
The
question then arises: how did the mawlid spread to Sunni lands, and who
was the first to introduce it to lands East and West of Fatimid Egypt? That
shall be the topic of the third and final part to this article, insha Allāh.
[1] See: Nuzhat, p.
217-219
[2] vol. 1, p. 490
[3] The modern Egyptian author
Hasan al-Sandubi, in the only monograph in Arabic on the subject, suggests that
the Fatimid Caliph al-Mu’izz was the first to initiate this celebration, but
there is absolutely no evidence that he brings to back this claim. Al-Mu’izz
ruled from 341 to 365 A.H.
[4] See the editor’s
introduction to Nuzhat al-Muqlatayn, p. 3, where he lists al-Maqrizī’s
sources for every era.
No comments:
Post a Comment