A story about the blessings that are witnessed from celebrating the Mawlid.
A man who lived in Basra, a city in Iraq, used to spend a lot of money to celebrate the Mawlid every year. That man had a Jewish neighbor and the neighbor’s wife commented and said, “What is with our neighbor? Every year he has this celebration and spends a lot of money, why?” Her Jewish husband answered her and said, “He claims that his Prophet was born during this month.” The lady said, “I went to sleep that night and I saw a dream.” She saw a man in the dream with apparent magnificence and majesty; he was illuminated and was walking amongst his companions as if he was the moon. So, she asked aloud, “Who is that very illuminated man?” She was told that is the chosen Prophet of God. She wondered aloud, “Would he speak to me if I spoke to him?” (Because the scene she is seeing is that this person is splendid and regal, someone with a high status. There are people around him and usually when one is seen like that there would be someone to prevent others from walking up and speaking to that person.) But she wanted to speak to him and was told, “He is just and not arrogant.” So, she stirred up the courage to say “Oh Muhammad”. He replied to her with kindness and gentleness. So, she became surprised, she said to him, “Do you speak to me in this way even though I am not a Muslim?” He said to her, “God has made me know that you will become a Muslim.” So, she replied, “Indeed you are an honorable Prophet and you have grand manners. I testify that no one is God except Allah and you are the Messenger of Allah.” She then had the intention to do a Mawlid.
When she woke up, she testified while awake, saying “I testify that no one deserves to be worshiped except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” She had the firm intention to have a great Mawlid, then she became surprised that her husband had already beat her to it. So she said to him, “I see you now with a good motivation,” and he said, “This is due to the reason that you and I have embraced Islam.”
Basra was founded in 637 CE by Utba bin Ghazwan on order from Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab.
Old-style houses with balconies leaning over into narrow streets or lagoons with beautiful wooden facades called Shanasheel ( شناشيل) are characteristic of the old city.
