The Mawlid Kandil, the day our Prophet (SAW) honored our world, coincides with the evening of Monday, February 14, 2011.

The Blessed Birth and Mawlid Kandil

The purpose of life, the meaning of creation had been erased, had vanished. Everything was shrouded in meaningless chaos and veils of sorrow.

Spirits were waiting for something, inwardly feeling that a light would tear the curtain of darkness.

In that age of savagery, a sun rose from the horizon of the universe. This sun was the Prophet of the End Times, Hz. Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him). This unique event, which changed the course of history and the flow of life, was the greatest of the earth-shaking transformations.

Thus, the arrival of a person who would untie the knots of the questions "Who are you? Where do you come from? Where are you going?" knotted in the minds and hearts of humanity, and declare and prove them to the Owner of the universe, would find its reflection not only in the souls and hearts of people but also in other beings, even inanimate objects.

What happened on that night when from east to west the entire world was enveloped in lights, and the Divine transformation manifested?

Jewish leaders and scholars saw that the signs and glad tidings they had previously encountered in their books had become apparent. Without anyone else knowing, they were the first to give this glad tiding.

That night, Jewish scholars looked at the sky and said, "On the night this star rose, Ahmad was born." (1)

A Jewish leader, on the night our Prophet was born in Mecca, at a gathering where Quraysh leaders such as Hisham, Walid bin Mughira, and Utba bin Rabi'a were present, asked, "Was a child born to any of you tonight?" They replied, "We do not know."

The Jew said, "By God, I am disgusted by your negligence! Listen, O community of Quraysh, to what I tell you, listen well. Tonight, the final prophet of this nation, Ahmad, was born. If I am wrong, let me deny the sanctity of Palestine. Yes, between his two shoulder blades, there is a reddish mole with hairs on it."

Those at the gathering were astonished by the Jew's words and dispersed. When each returned home, they told their households about this. They received the news: "Tonight, a son was born to Abdullah, the son of Abdulmuttalib. They named him Muhammad."

The next day, they went to the Jew: "Did you hear that the child you spoke of was born among us?" they said. The Jew said, "Was his birth before or after I gave you the news?" They said, "It was before, and his name is Ahmad." The Jew said, "Take me to him."

They got up together with the Jew and went to the house of Hz. Amina, and entered. They brought our Prophet before the Jew. When the Jew saw the mole on our Prophet's back, he fainted and became ill. When he regained consciousness, they said, "What happened to you, woe to you?"

The Jew said, "Now prophethood has departed from the Children of Israel. The book has also left their hands. Now the value and prestige of Jewish scholars are also gone. The Arabs will attain salvation through their prophet. O community of Quraysh, are you pleased? By God, you will be given a power, strength, and supremacy that will reach from east to west." (2)

The things seen by the fortunate mother who brought the Master of the Universe into the world, even before he was born, were very meaningful.

While pregnant with the Prophet (PBUH), she saw in a dream: "You are pregnant with the best of mankind and the master of this nation. When you bring him into the world, say 'I seek refuge with the One and Only from the evil of every envier,' then name him Ahmad or Muhammad."

She also told Abdulmuttalib that in the light of a radiance emanating from her, she saw all the east and west, the palaces and marketplaces of Damascus and Busra, even the stretching necks of the camels in Busra. (3)

The things seen by the mother of Uthman ibn As, who was with Hz. Amina that same night, were as follows: "That night the house filled with light, we saw the stars hanging as if they were about to pour down upon us."

Yes, Süleyman Çelebi, the author of the Mawlid which expresses this sublime moment, poeticized all these truths with this couplet: "And the coming of Muhammad became certain / Many signs appeared before his coming."

The night of Monday, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, according to calculations, corresponds to the night of April 20th in the Gregorian calendar.

They covered the Master of Both Worlds, who honored the world, with a bowl as was the custom of that day.

According to the Arabs of that time, it was customary to place a bowl over a child born at night and not look at it until daytime. But then they looked and saw that the bowl placed over our Prophet had split in two, the Master was gazing at the sky, sucking his thumb. (5)

Yes, this sign was a Prophet sent to shatter and destroy all kinds of disbelief, oppression, polytheism, and all kinds of false beliefs and customs, and to illuminate the universe with faith, light, and guidance.

The same night, it was seen that most of the inanimate idols being worshipped in the Kaaba had toppled over headfirst.

The same night, it was learned that the palace of Kisra swayed like a cradle and fourteen of its balconies shattered and fell to the ground.

The water of the lake considered sacred in Sava was seen to have receded and disappeared.

It was observed that the Magian fire, which had been burning for a thousand years and never extinguished, suddenly went out.

All these are signs and indications that the person newly born into the world would abolish fire-worship and idol-worship, shatter the Persian empire, and remove the sanctity of things considered sacred without God's permission. (6)

Thus, we call this night the Night of the Prophet's Birth (Veladet-i Nebi) and we commemorate and celebrate it anew each year with all our heart and soul. We welcome this night along with the entire universe and rise for his honored arrival to the world.

What a lofty honor and great happiness it is to cling tightly once again to the eternal light he brought, the path of happiness he opened, and his noble Sunnah, and to renew our pledge and loyalty to him by making the Mawlid Kandil an occasion.

May our Exalted Lord make us worthy of the intercession of His beloved Messenger.