In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Gracious
Can you imagine being alone in a deep jungle ( away from your family, students.....) guarded by 50 soldiers who passionately hate you and laugh at you as you prostrate to your Lord? This is just a snapshot of the tribulation endured by a slave who wanted to worship his Lord (Allah, Most High and Exalted) and serve his beloved Prophet (Peace be upon Him) through his scholarly writing and his attempts to preserve traditional Islam in West Africa..
First Mawlid during the exile in Gabon:
Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba (1) composed the famous poem (muqaddimaatul amdah) in praise of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) during the first night of 12th Rabi' al-awwal (ربيع الأوّل) in Gabon, which the majority of Muslims believe to be the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).
The Shaykh said that on that day, he wanted to celebrate this beautiful and blessed night, but in his exile, there was no Muslim around. Moreover, he didn’t have any financial resources with Him since He never touched money with His hands. He then decided to sell his Senegalese crafted knife to the soldiers in exchange for paper and ink ( which Allah -Most High and Exalted- made to happen).
During that night of Mawlid, he secluded himself and authored a poem about His love and friend (Prophet Muhammad - Peace be upon Him). He named it "Muqaddimatul Amdah or the lead of Praises” and was inspired by the blessed verse from Surah Qalam ( The Pen) "وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ / Wa innaka la 'alaa khuluqin 'aziim.. “And indeed, you are of a tremendous moral character”. That verse is one of the founding arguments for the majority of scholars that Allah ( Most High and Exalted) is praising the Beloved Prophet ( Peace Be upon Him) along with other verses such as Surah 33: 45-47.
The above mentioned poem is one of the most noteworthy among the Shaykh’s expansive bibliography. One of the most wonderful characteristics of the Shaykh's writing is that he used verses from the Qu'ran, or a famous hadith, or a simple name as a basis to write his poems. His technique was to use each arabic character of the chosen name (chapter, ayah....) to compose a rhyme ( or many rhymes) related to it ( or them). Hence, for every letter of the verse utilized, the Shaykh would write a chapter consisting of 12 verses, all in praise of the Prophet (Peace be upon Him). As such, this poem (Muqaddimatul Amdah) comprises of 16 chapters with 12 verses each. Every verse began with a rhyme and ended in a rhyme, and the letter openning the verse closed the verse. Let’s illustrate this with an example:
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ We will choose the letter ZA (حَرْفُ الظَّاءِ)
ظِلاَلِىَ صَفَّاهَا مُجِيرٌ مٌشَظِّظُ
لِغَيْرِى عِدًى مِنْ غَيْرِ لُقْيَى تَشَظُّظُوا
ظَجَجْتُ لَدَى الْأَعْدَاءِ قَبْلُ مُجَاهِدًا
أُخَاطِبُ مَنْ عَنِّى الْعِدَى كَانَ يَدْلَظُ
ظُهُورُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ لِى قَادَ لِى الْمُنَى
وَ قَدْ كَانَ عَنِّى كُلَّ سُوءٍ يُشَظِّظُ
This poem is one of the books from the Shaykh which contains many arabic words that will not be found in the modern arabic dictionnaries.
Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba and the month of Mawlid:
The Shaykh started celebrating the Mawlid in mass by inviting all the villages and cities around his madrasa ( islamic school) in 1883 ( which is one year after his father and teacher passed away).The exact date was mentionned in one of his poems:
(2)أَحْيَيْتُ مَوْلِدَ النَّبِي مِنْ أَسَشٍ
وَقَادَلِي خِدْمَتَهُ مِنْ جَيْسَشٍ
or "Ahyaytu mawlidan nabii minn assachin .:. Wa khada lii khidmatahu min diayssachin" or I have celebrated the Night of the Birth in the year of 1301 (or 1883) and that led me to service Him (Muhammad - Peace be upon Him) in 1313 (or 1895).
He further added in one of his qasida named "yawma mawlidii haazaa" that it is the Prophet Muhammad (May Allah be pleased with Him) who has guided him into reviving this month of Mawlid which is the source of all GOOD:
دَعَانِي إِلَى إِحْيَاءِ ذَاالشَّهْرِكَوْنُهُ
لِخَيْرِالْوَرَى ظَرْفًا حَوَى كُلَّ سُؤْدَدِ
The amount of people He was able to amass was one of the reasons the french colonial power started to notice Him and to follow his movements ( and/or activities). During the times he was not in exile [before 1895, between 1902 - 1904, between 1907- 1927], when the blessed month entered, it was reported that the Shaykh was extremely elated. He was never in seclusion during that month and was so approachable to the extent that most of his students waited for that month to ask for blessings, prayers, ijaazas, as well as countless and unimaginable requests. He used to be very generous also by giving away food, drinks, sweets, clothes, and money to the point that people from far-fetched villages ( including his Mauritanian students) used to visit him on that particularly month. It was reported that it was, he Himself, who served the food, drinks (tea, coffee), sweets. Everyday the Shaykh, Himself, used to also lead the recital of the most important and universally accepted panegyrics of the Prophet named “Mawlid -al- Barzannji” along with what he called his “three pure blooded horses” jazbul qulub ( the attraction of the Heart to the Knower of the Unseen, mawaahibun naafih ( the Gift of God the Benevolent ) and muqadimatul amdah (the lead of Praises).
Despite the restrictions under house arrest in Diourbel (from 1912 to 1927), despite the ban on forming a crowd of people or meeting the Shaykh made by the colonial administration, the Murids have always answered the call of their guide.
When the anniversary of the Night came, people flocked from all around the residence of the Shaykh. The esplanade of the fun of "Keur Gou Mag" (name of the neighborhood is the home of the Shaykh) was swarming with people. And the colonial administration which strictly watched all religious manifestations kept detailed records of such celebrations.
Events which occurred during the night of Mawlid:
1. It is related on the authority of Imam Ja`far As-Sadiq (May Allah be more pleased with Him) that Iblees was at first allowed to go up even to the seventh heaven and listen to the reports of those blessed abodes, but when Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) was born, Iblees was inhibited to the three heavens, and on the birth of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny) the demons were debarred from them all, and driven by arrows of meteoric fire from the gates of those celestial regions.
2. At the birth of the prophet (Peace be upon him) every idol fell on its face; and the palaces of Kesry, emperor of Persia, trembled, and fourteen of the towers fell; Lake Sivah that was worshipped disappeared; its site is the salt plain near Kasham. The Valley of Samavah, where for a number of years no water had been seen, now flowed with that element; The sacred fire of Fars, which had not been extinguished for a thousand years, were quenched that night, on which likewise, the wisest of the Magian clerics dreamed that a number of strong camels led the horses of Arabia across the Tigris into their territory. On that night a light appeared in Hijaz (A district of Arabia, including Makkah) filling the whole world and moving eastward; on the morning following, the thrones of all the kings were found reversed; the skill of the soothsayers (fortune-teller) departed, the magic of the sorcerers ended.
3. At holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny)’s birth, Iblees shrieked among his infernal children who drew to inquire what new curse had befallen him. Woe to you! he cried, throughout this night I have observed momentous changes in the heavens and the earth. Some great event must have transpired on earth unparallel since the ascension of Isa to heaven; fly to discover what it is. The subordinate fiends (beasts) flew in all directions, on their infernal errand (task), but returned without making any discovery to satisfy the doubts of Iblees, who then undertook the matter himself, glided down to the earth, and sought far and wide around, till at last, coming to Makkah, he found the sacred place encircled by a host of angels, who repelled him with a shout. He then assumed the form of a sparrow and entered the city, but angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) detected him in this disguise, and sternly said, Begone, accursed! He replied allow me only to ask what has occurred on earth the past night. Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) answered: Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny), the best of the prophets, is born. Have I any portion in him? inquired the accursed. No, said Angel Gabriel (peace be upon him). But have I no portion in his sect? added the evil spirit. Yes, replied the archangel, upon which Iblees professed himself satisfied, and departed.
4. It is related from Ali (May Allah be pleased with Him), the commander of the faithful, that the idols which were in the Kaaba fell on their faces when the prophet was born, and a voice proclaimed from heaven: Truth is revealed and error is annihilated. The whole world was illuminating on that night, and every stone and clod and tree laughed for joy, and all things in heaven and earth uttered praise to Allah ( Most High and Exalted). Iblees fled, crying: The best and the dearest of creatures is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny).
5. Iblees, after learning what had transpired, assembled his offspring and cast dust on his head, crying: Since my creation no calamity like this has befallen me; a son is born whom they call Muhammad bin Abdullah (peace be upon him and his pure progeny); He will destroy idolatry, and require men to worship Allah in unity of His being. Hereupon the whole evil crew cast the dust of degradation on their heads, and fled to the fourth sea, where they wept forty days.
Few Benefits of Celebrating the Mawlid from Jazbul Qulub:
a. The celebration of the Night of Birth, accordingly to the Sunna, leads us unto Heaven and the benefits increase on behalf of the sincere one who glorifies.
b. The food which is served during the celebration of the birth of the Prophet ( Peace be upon Him) is a spiritual cure to the heart.
Concluding Note:
This note is the result of some of my beloved friend's request to know about the dealings of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba during the month of Mawlid. Hopefully it is informative.
As salaamalu Alaykum,
(1) ( May Allah be pleased with Him)
(2) Based on ilm huroof ( science which assigns a numerical value to every alphabetic letter). For instance ا or alif = 1, ب or bāʾ= 2, ج or jeem = 3, ص or ṣād = 90, ش or šīn = 300, ش or shin = 1000 . Therefore, the Shaykh by wanting to refer to the islamic year of 1301 he is saying اَسَش or 1+300+1000 = 1301.
(2) Same goes for جَيْسَشٍ or 3+10+300+1000 = 1313
As Salaamu Alaykum,
By S. Abdoul Ahad Thiam
Blog: http://www.facebook.com/jazboubichri
