Muslims commemorate birth of Prophet Muhammad
Muslims throughout Turkey celebrated Mawlid al-Nabi (Mevlid Kandili in Turkish) on Wednesday, marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Most of the country's Muslims went to mosques to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, who was born in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, in A.D. 571. This year marks the 1,441th anniversary of his birth. Muslims consider him God's mercy to the world as he is the last in a series of monotheistic religions' prophets and the person who presented Islam to the world. His personality and manners are seen as a sacred model to be emulated by all Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad died in 632.
Mevlid Kandili was first observed around the 13th century and was preceded by a month of celebration. The day is usually celebrated by a sermon, remembrance of the Prophet's life and mission, gift giving and a feast.
İstanbul's Eyüp Sultan Mosque attracted large numbers of people. Programs were held in the mosque, and they ended with prayers and ilahis -- songs that praise God or extols the characteristics of the Prophet. The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) broadcast live program from the Mimar Sinan Mosque in İstanbul in the evening.
Twitter users posted large numbers of tweets under the hashtag #hayırlı kandiller (blessed Mavlid an-Nabi) to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on internet.
Mehmet Görmez, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate, issued a message on the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's birth. “Just as he enlightened humanity 14 centuries ago, may he bring blessings upon us today,” said Görmez.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli issued a message on the special occasion via Twitter. Bahçeli quoted a poem about Prophet Muhammad by Arif Nihat Asya and shared a personal message. The quote from the poem said: “Come, Muhammad, it's spring. We have ‘amen' hidden between our lips. Come as if you're back from hajj, come as if you are descending from Mi'raj [his journey to heaven, where Prophet Muhammad spoke to God and other prophets].”
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), also shared a message on the special occasion. His message read: “The best form of ethics and the ideal manifestation of such concepts as love, respect, honesty, fairness and tolerance are visible in our dear Prophet Muhammad. But unfortunately, in a parallel manner, as a social problem, hatred, anger, violence, discrimination and corruption is on the rise, especially during these difficult times the country is going through. Each day, the consequences of people striving to attain personal benefits and interests at the expense of moral values can be seen more clearly. Our Prophet Muhammad should be taken as a role model to achieve peace, brotherhood and friendship detached from pretension.”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited his parents' graves in İstanbul's Karacaahmet Cemetery on the day of Mawlid al-Nabi with his son Bilal Erdoğan.
Prominent scholar Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the faith-based Hizmet movement, in a speech published on herkul.org, a website that usually broadcasts his speeches, issued messages to mark the special day and delivered suggestions to Muslims as to how to spend it. “Such a day should not be wasted. We should commemorate his birth by saying salavat [peace be upon him] throughout the day as it can be considered a good way of saying prayers,” Gülen said.
He further added: “Prophet Muhammad, with God's permission, will be present wherever he is remembered.”
Halide Aslan, an academic at Ankara University's faculty of divinity, says there is no indication that Arabs commemorated the birth of Prophet Muhammad following his death and added that the tradition of commemorating the special date with praise, prayer and feasting was adopted in the Seljuk period. Aslan said: “Since then, the entire Islamic world began celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad and it could be said that the Mawlid al-Nabi was the most enthusiastically celebrated sacred day in the Ottoman period.”
Explaining how the special day was celebrated during those times, Aslan said: “The sultan would organize big feasts on the day of Prophet Muhammad's birth which every segment of society could attend and enjoy. The sultan, who attended these feasts, also saw them as a means to receive requests from the public and listen to their demands.”
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