Maulid Nabi (the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday)… Let’s celebrate it…… no?

Allee: Why was Thursday the 24^th a public holiday?

Bomby: You mean the 25^th?

Allee: No… Our long weekend started on the 24^th. I know the 25^th is Christmas…

Bomby: Well… maybe the government wanted to give extra holiday a day before Christmas…

Cat: Duh! Read your calendar would you… In the Islamic calendar, the 24^th December 2015 is the 12 Rabiul Awwal, a.k.a the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. Here we call it Maulid Nabi or Muludan.

Well… Hello again… this is me, Gray… and that conversation above happened between the little voices inside my head. If I did not check the note in the calendar, I would still think that it was a bonus holiday for people who celebrate Christmas (wew… I really need to start memorizing the Islamic calendar). Anyway, it also occurred to me the reason why I was so oblivious about it was because in the very early morning of the 24^th, I was already on the road back to my hometown… and when I arrived at around 14.30 (after a looong 10 hours drive) I was exhausted. Of course usually one can see a parade or hear people reciting praises and prayers from the mosque… but that afternoon/night… nada… So the next day, after I realized it was the Maulid Nabi the day before, I asked my mom how come I didn’t hear the people of the village celebrate; I think it’s very unusual for them to not be festive. So my mom told me that they moved the celebration a day earlier to respect those who are having Christmas Eve.

It’s weird isn’t it? If the government gave a holiday for the Muslim to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, how come I, as a Muslim, didn’t even realize? Well, the answer is because this celebration is not like the Eid al-Fitri or the Eid al-Adha which were specifically done and demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad himself. There is never any account about the prophet celebrating his own birthday. The Maulid Nabi came into existence way after the Prophet’s time. So to speak, there are split opinions among Muslims regarding this matter; allowed or not allowed. I happen to be brought up by a family who doesn’t ‘celebrate¹’ this event. However, I’m not saying that I don’t care or that I want to keep being unaware about it. In fact, I think it’s good to know that on this day, a man destined as a mercy to the world was born². It’s a good time to reflect on my understanding of him as a Prophet. What was it that he brought? What does it mean by ‘a mercy to the world’? Has it been fulfilled? What should I, as his follower, do in order to realize his ideals? If you’re a Muslim and you’re not sure what to feel about Maulid Nabi, then maybe by knowing a version of the story about how Maulid Nabi came to be could shed some light and inspiration.

So, after Prophet Muhammad died, under different caliphates at different times, Islam continued to thrive… its glory continued to spread… and it was during the period of the Abbasid caliphate (750-1517) that Maulid Nabi was first commemorated. Islam was big at that time. The Caliphate ruled over many lands and people, but with big territory came communication problem; between the ruled lands and the Capital and between Muslims in different areas. In other words, there was no strong bonds between Muslims… there was no sense of unity, and the Caliphate was no more than a symbol of spirituality. In that sense, the Muslim Empire was weak. On the other hand, enemies were restless; Crusaders attacked and attacked until finally they claimed Jerusalem in 1099 and converted the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a church. It was around this time that Salahudin Al Ayubi (also known as Saladin), a governor of Cairo, realized how important it was to awaken the morale and unity of Muslims all around the globe.

Saladin thought that the best way to achieve that was by strengthening Muslim’s love and reverence for Prophet Muhammad, and wouldn’t his birthday be the perfect timing to contemplate about his life and why he was sent to us in the first place? He asked the permission of the ruling Caliph at that time to socialize about making the birth of the prophet a celebration for all Muslims. The Caliph gave his yes and during the pilgrimage month in the year 1183, he instructed all the pilgrims to tell the Muslim back in their country that starting next year, the prophet’s birthday was to be celebrated. Many scholars thought his idea was outrageous. ‘Where does this come from? The Prophet never even once told his followers to celebrate his birthday!’ they said. However, Saladin insisted and assured them that this was not supposed to be a ritual thing like Eid al Fitri and Eid al Adha. This was simply just a way to use the moment to bring Muslims back together and make them stronger.

Thus, the next year, the first ‘worldwide’ Maulid Nabi was held. Saladin organized a contest of writing the most beautiful history of Prophet Muhammad’s life. Syeikh Jafar al Barjanji with his work called Iqd Al-Jawahir (a string of gems) won the competition. In his book, also popularly known as the book of Barjanji, he wrote about the genealogy of Muhammad, his childhood, teenage, adulthood until he was appointed as the last Prophet of Allah. The book was also filled with great examples of the Prophet’s characters and various events with morals and wisdoms to take from. The effect of this event was tremendous! The Muslims’ spirit of jihad, their sense of belonging and togetherness were lifted! Three years after the initiation of Maulid Nabi, Jerussalem was reclaimed by the Muslims and the Al Aqsa has since stood proudly back as a Mosque.

Now, let’s shift the focus a bit to the southeastern part of the world. During the early spread of Islam in Indonesia, the Walisongo³ used Maulid Nabi to attract people to learn and embrace Islam. There is a tradition, known today as sekaten, which is actually syahadatain/syahada⁴ in the tongue of Javanese. During the Maulid Nabi in the Walisongo time, people who wanted to convert to Islam would pronounce the syahada and then they would enter a gate called gapura (the Javanese word for ghafur or forgiveness) accompanied with the beat of gamelan⁵. This was meant to symbolize them receiving the mercy and forgiveness from Allah. So, even at that time, the celebration of Maulid Nabi was no more than a vehicle to convey the message of God to people.

Now I wonder what Maulid Nabi means for Muslims? For those who do not celebrate it, was it just because their parents don’t celebrate it… like mine? Is it better to not celebrate it? What about for those who celebrate it? Was it just about walking around the village in parade, playing the rebana⁶ and singing praises to Allah and shalawat to the Prophet? And how many are there among the people who chant the book of Barjanji in the mosque during the 12^th Rabiul Awwal really know what it is saying?

Looking back at the tale of Saladin and Maulid Nabi, doesn’t it seems such a waste of energy to celebrate it with all the rituals and traditions if you don’t really know what it is… or what it’s for… or what the basis is in doing all that? Remember, Saladin emphasized on not making this a ritual of some kind… It’s just a tool to unify Muslims and wake them from their slumber. On the other hand, wouldn’t it also be such a waste to not use this great moment to bring us one step closer to the ideal life as exemplified by the prophet? I think the Maulid Nabi gives us a great momentum to start doing something for the better future of Islam and its people… and ultimately the world. Let’s start together by reflecting on ourselves… Have we understood Islam correctly? Have we grasped the very essence of Islam?

So, before I finish things up… I wanna ask a question: Where are we now? What does the world see when they see us? And by us, I mean Muslim…

Extremist… terrorist… poor… underdeveloped?

What a pitiful image for something that should have been peaceful, prosperous, great and glorious. We are not there yet… but we will be… Only and only if we do something!

Let’s be rich so we can give the poor…

Be strong so we can help the weak…

Be bright so we can illuminate the dark…

Be healthy so we can tend the sick…

And have knowledge so we can lead people to the path to eternal bliss

So, how did you commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad? I wrote this article… what about you? ;)

Gray

Disclaimer: This article is my understanding of the talk given by Prof. Dr-Ing. Ir Rudi Rubiandini during the last Maulid Nabi

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¹By not ‘celebrating’ I meant not joining any parade or other traditional rituals that is influenced by socio-cultural condition of the area I’m living (of which some are reeking of mysticism)

²Q.S 21:107 “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds”

³Walisongo is a name for a group of people (nine to be exact, songo=nine) who played a big role in the early spread of Islam in Indonesia

⁴Syahada = the two sentences one declares when embracing Islam (there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”).

⁵Gamelan = a traditional instrumental ensemble of Indonesia, typically including many bronze percussion instruments

⁶Rebana = a musical instrument similar to a tambourine