Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #208 alBarzanji Background and Introduction
AI: Summary ©
The importance of not losing faith in the messenger of Islam, protecting beauty and love, and protecting one's beauty and love is emphasized in various settings of the culture of the Kurds in Afghanistan. The culture is from a Kurdish background and is a responsibility of the culture. The importance of language and its accessibility is also discussed, along with the use of the word "by" in Arabic language to connect with people across the world. The speaker concludes by discussing various examples of the importance of the prophet's language in the Islamic language, including his book and his recitation of the scratching of the corner of a grocery store owner's name.
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We're in the blessed month of the the
birth of the beloved messenger
and we are
in
a time
of
renewal.
Right? It is not
an accident that this month
is called,
the first spring.
Right? And
one of the wisdoms
in this month being the month of the
birth of our beloved messenger
is as a an indicator of
renewing
our faith.
The prophet
himself
instructs
us,
Renew your faith.
And he in various hadiths he gave us
ways of renewing
our
faith
and our connection to Allah
and to and to our beloved messenger
So this is a great opportunity
for us and we should make the most
of this month and and rejoice. A lot
of people
are very burdened
by
dunya. Are very burdened by dunya.
Say, how are things? They'll tell you, well,
you know, my back is aching and the
weather is cold and
I'm in
debt,
and
and you
know, 101 things.
Whereas
the believer
looks with the prophetic
perspective.
The prophet was holding his own granddaughter in
his against his chest, and she just died.
And
he exclaimed that
and he though he cried,
he said these are not tears.
This is just mercy.
He said,
the believer is an all good in every
state. The believer may be facing death,
yet they are content and plea and praising
Allah
And this
imperative to rejoice
is a central component
for not just for sustaining faith,
but to sustain meaning in this life.
Right? To sustain meaning in this life is
to learn how to rejoice. And the greatest
of things to rejoice in,
right, is
the gift
of mercy that is the messenger
And
these gifts of mercy
that we
connect with when we
recite the great
mauleds.
These
are opportunities for us. These are opportunities for
us to renew our faith
and to
learn how to rejoice.
Right? Because,
you know, the the the Arabs say
everyone sings for their beloved.
Right?
Everyone
is concerned about
the things that they care about
and what makes you happy.
Right? For the believer,
our happiness
is unshakable
because
our rejoicing is in Allah.
Our rejoicing is in the messenger of Allah.
Our rejoicing
is in things firstly that matter
but secondly that last.
We
connect with beauty that is lasting.
We connect with beauty
that is lasting. The Turks have this beautiful
line of poetry. I don't know the Turkish
that, oh, gardener, give up.
For you will never grow a rose like
Mohammed.
Right? Sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam.
Right?
Right?
No no rose,
no beauty can compare
to that gift of beauty.
And there are many expressions
of
this
of celebrating
the praise of the Prophet SAW
and particularly of celebrating his birth. Because the
celebration of the birth of the Prophet
is a celebration of the coming
of
mercy,
the coming of
love,
the coming
of closeness
to Allah.
Right?
And which is why the prophet salallahu alaihi
wasallam himself talked extensively
about his birth.
And the scholars have written throughout the ages
great works
in extolling the birth of the prophet
and his life. One of these great works
is
and many say it's the most recited
mauled, the most recited
celebration of the
birth of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
And one of the amazing things about
these celebrations of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
is that they are from all over the
world.
Right? Imam Al Barzinji,
right,
was
originally
from
the the Kurdish
lands.
Right? From what is,
you know,
it's they've always been contested lands.
The the Kurds would call
Kurdistan, but from the Kurdish lands,
from a town called Shazur.
And he was born himself
on
Friday 12th of Rabi'al Awal. He himself was
born on that day in the year 10/40
after the Hijra.
Right? And he grew up
there
and learned Islamic knowledge, etcetera.
But then
he settled in Medina,
right,
in 1103,
right, when he was
in
in his
when he was 63.
Right? He was born 10/40.
In 11/03
he settled in Madinah and many of the
righteous ulama would do this. They spend a
lifetime
of learning
and and then teaching and calling to Allah
etc.
Later in life
they would dedicate themselves
to
devotion to Allah and
they would
often write, you know, they would write and
this would be now they would be
these would be the fruits of an a
of a lifetime of engagement and knowledge.
But he was the Mufti of the Shefais
in Madinah.
This also tells you something about there's a
beauty in our tradition that we should never
forget.
So this is he's not ethnically in that
sense.
He's from of a Kurdish background,
a Kurdish background.
He comes as a foreigner to Medina.
Comes as a foreigner to Medina. But because
of his knowledge
and his learning, his piety, his virtue, he
becomes the chief justice.
Right?
And this is something very important that the
idea of merit
and virtue,
right, and the estimation of knowledge,
right, these are the sources of
true honor.
And he he died
in Medina.
He was buried in Al Baqir.
Right? And there are other great Birzingis who
were
also
buried
with him in in Al Baqir.
And many
of the Birzenji family
through the generations held the post of chief
Mufti of the Shefais.
And one of the reasons for that is
that families took
the prophetic trust very seriously.
They took the prophetic trust very serious in
Amana.
And part of gratitude for a blessing is
to preserve it.
So that's why great families of scholars emerge.
They took it. This is a trust. It's
not just
a a status. Right, that I am chief
justice, so I want I'm chief Mufti. I
want my son to be chief Mufti. This
is an Amana. It's a responsibility.
Part of my fulfilling my responsibility
is for any good for it to continue.
Right? Any good for it to continue.
And
the
this
is unique.
Right. It's unique because,
the descendant of the imam al Barzinji who
moved to Madinah,
Sayyid Jafar ibn Hasan,
ibn Abdul Karim al Barzinji.
He composed this mauled in praise of the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Right?
And
the main focus of this mauled is the
birth of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
is the birth
of the Prophet
and it's coming.
The praises of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
were composed in different ways. Some praises were
composed
in poetry
And poetry lends itself
to praise
because it's from the traditions of the Arabs.
Last week, Sheikh Badib shared some beautiful insights
on
the poetry of the Arabs. Right? And poetry
being a vehicle for beauty and for love
and these meanings that move the soul.
But there are also other poems
that were authored
in
prose.
They're authored in prose and that's
the nature of the the mauled of Imam
al Birzenji.
They are it but one of much can
be said about Mawlid al Barzinji but one
of the unique characteristics of it is despite
its containing beautiful meanings
highlighting
the
characteristics of the prophet
the significance of his birth etcetera.
It is in beautiful language that is eloquent,
yet it is a very clear language. Many
of the great
works in praise of the prophet
their eloquence
was a very high eloquence
that was not so accessible to the common
person.
But,
you know, I
recall when I got to
Damascus,
there's the corner grocery store owner.
I always remember him because because he'd act
he'd
he'd lost
half a thumb.
He's a very cool guy. First question he
asked me, he says,
I just arrived. That was my first day
in Damascus. I said,
like in Ureed. I said, I want to.
So he said and he began singing the,
you know, chanting, reciting the opening of the.
Why? Because this is recited across, but the
grocery store owner could recite it. And
despite its high and beautiful language, it is
accessible.
It is recited
from east to west.
Right? For many reasons. I mean, there is
the state and knowledge
and virtue and blessedness of the author,
the beauty
of the meanings that they celebrate, but also
its accessibility
its accessibility. We are blessed
to,
have
an excellent translation of the
by one of the foremost,
but perhaps one of the most humble
translators
in the English language,
doctor Muhammad Isa Weili.
Doctor Muhammad Isa Weili
has translated it and it's published, and it's
beautifully published.
And
he
I asked him because he's we're talking about
his publishing the book.
So you're talking about the foreword to the
book. I asked, why don't you ask sheikh
so and so or sheikh so and so
to
write the foreword. I'm not worthy of asking
such people.
Even though though those
those scholars would have their English edited by
doctor Muhammad Ali,
and they would consult him about
Persian terms
in classical Islamic works. And that's a a
beautiful
way of connecting, and we're blessed now to
have these. This,
this Mawlid al Birzenji, though authored in Arabic,
has been translated
in many
of the Islamic languages.
It's particularly recited
in Eastern Africa. It's been translated into Swahili,
for example. I'm not try you know, from
the, Comoro Islands, for example,
and it's apparently famous in its translation as
well.
Though and it's also been translated
in the Javanese dialect,
in in in in Indonesia.
Right?
And
it been translated into many
of
the other languages
across the Muslim world, including into Urdu and
pretty much every language in the subcontinent and
elsewhere.
Though
everywhere, by and large people
preferred to recite the original. Why?
Because there is a sanctity
in our deen to the Arabic language.
Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad was one of the
most eloquent
of the
western scholars
in in his English
when he translated the Buddha of,
I asked him, Sayidi,
why didn't you translate it into verse
into into a rhyming verse
so it could be sung?
He said because I want it to be
he said firstly, because
I'm not a poet.
I wanted to tell him if he was
my age, I would tell that that would
count as a lie because he is a
poet. But he said because
said I want it to be sung in
in the Arabic.
I want people to be able to connect
to it in their language, but I want
people to benefit from it in the Arabic.
And that's an important
reason why people across the world would be,
by and large, would I mean, they would
have their own poems in their local languages,
but that tradition of reciting in Arabic to
keep that sanctity of the language of revelation
would always be
important.
And
so we're honored today to have
someone who'll be reciting for us the the
and,
and we can we can share along in
the in the chorus, etcetera.
And the
I'll just
try to translate the first
the the opening of it, which is one
of the really famous openings. Many people recite
the opening
even if they're not reciting the mauled al
Birzenji in full.
The author said,
I begin my composition
in the name
of the exalted entity of God.
Seeking
to draw forth
the effulgences
of the blessings
for all that He has granted
and given.
And secondly,
I begin with praise
whose sources
are
full
and fulfilling.
Seeking
from beautiful gratitude
its
its pathways.
Right?
And I send blessings and peace
upon that light
that has been characterized
by preeminence
and precedence.
Right? Because he is described in the Quran
as being the light.
Right? And he has been described as being
the foremost of creation
and being the first
in rank,
the first
to be resurrected,
the first to stand,
to intercede on the day of resurrection, and
so many meanings of firstness.
Right? And then he
then describes
many of the characteristics of the prophet
in his opening.
So this is and
practically
these are ways one of the reasons we're
briefly introducing these various
praises of the prophet
is to give
each give ourselves
ways of connecting
with
rejoicing in the Messenger Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Right?
The Sahaba themselves in the great battles,
right? There's one of the female companions she
lost
every male member of her family,
spouse,
and children,
and siblings.
Every time there would be new so and
so has been martyred,
her concern would be how is Rasulullah
How is Rasulullah
right? Because that is the source
of our happiness.
And if
you have
faith in your heart,
if you have
the light of the Messenger
to show you the way, then there is
no darkness. There is no darkness. What sorrow
can there be for 1
who has the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam?
What sorrow? Yes, this world has its happiness
and its sadness and its pain, but the
deep
contentment
and joy of the believer. Right? These are
the meanings that are brought out by these
great celebrations of the praises of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. And this is why
it's from the inherited
experience of the ummah and the practice
of the scholars
from generation to generation. As sheikh Badi pointed
out
last week in his
amazing introduction
to this,
to these praises
that
the prophet
promised us that my
community will not concur
on error.
Right? And this is from the matters that
the community of the prophet has accepted
as
a blessed
and transformative
way
of
renewing our faith
and rejoicing in this gift. So when we
recite collectively the salawat
in this,
in this celebration of the birth of the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, join in both
with your tongue and with your heart and
let's stir these meanings of love and rejoicing
as we begin this blessed,
praise of the birth of the prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam.
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