Maulud ad-Diba'i Poems

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!!!

A sample of the poem kitab that I've got from google

Just listened to Mawlud ad-Diba'i and it brought me to old memories where my late maternal grandpa used to recite these kind of poems. His voice is very nice and he loves Arabic songs and poems. He would wake up late at night for his radio to listen to Ramadhan program aired from Egypt or Syria. He also kept old zanjiy kitabs in his closet but I don't know where those valuable kitabs had gone after grandparents' house was demolished. Our elders recite the old form of this poem during majlis (ceremonies) and called it as barzanjiy. I have got the new form of zanjiy kitab which I've got from majlis that I had visited.

I didn't like these old stuffs when I was a kid. I thought that it should be stored in the museum but now I love it and I think teenagers should practice it for silaturrahim (connection of mercy among believers). I don't know maybe we are changing and time is also responsible for this perhaps. Some Muslim students in my previous hostel in USM also had conducted barzanjiy majlis during Mawlidur-Rasul (the birth of prophet) when I was in second year and lived with my Kelantanese roomate, Zaidi. He also joined the majlis but he didn't bring me to join the majlis. Perhaps I looked like a salafi kid. Hanbalis are salafis but I don't despise majlis and I respect sages.

I didn't join them because I wasn't sure about these majlis and perhaps influenced by 'wahhabis' can we say... Nonsense, wahhabism is not capable to be a madzhab at all. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab is a Hanbali and so do his family, may Allah bless their souls. I read Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab kitabs and I found that his teachings are good too. Whoever talks evil about others and is not memorizing al-Quran nor Hadiths, I would just ignore them.

I was just afraid of deviating since I am haunted by my past experience and this practice is quite common amongst the Sunnis of Syafi'ie school while my madzhab has already changed to Hanbali after my return from Holy Mecca. However my ancestors and even my family members are the Sunnis of Syafi'ie school since Yemen was prominent with Syafi'ie madzhab angle of sunnah so I would give respect to ancestors and paying homage to the sages. I actually can't believe that I am now listening to the zanjiy too. I can't accept the fact that I'm growing old, or maybe I should just say it has cultural significance for Hadrami descents which I think must be appreciated. 

Now I begin to feel like I'm going to die when I look at other young men because I am comparing them to my pauper self. Am I turning to be an old-fashioned guyyyyy?????! I've got no money to spend like other youngsters. Even when I looked at tablighi jama'at kids, I was actually confused. Who is the tabligh??? Is that me or them? I am not even close to be converted because last time I was left by few tabligh kids without being notified about anything.

So, what is Mawlud ad-Diba'i? Mawlud ad-Diba'i is a poem and first recited by a person whose name is 'Abdurrahman bin 'Ali bin Muhammad bin 'Umar bin 'Ali bin Yusuf bin Ahmad bin 'Umar ad-Diba'i Asy-Syaibaniy whose nickname is Ibnu Diba'. Diba' is the nickname of the fourth great grandpa of this person who recites this poem, which is Ali bin Yusuf Diba'. In Sudanese it means white. In his kitab, Bughyatul Mustafid, he wrote at his final part of the kitab briefly about his life. It says that he was born in Zabid, which is a city in Northern Yemen (Hadramawt) on Thursday morning, in Muharram 4th in the year of 866 Hegira.  

Zabid is among the oldest city in Hadramawt or Northern Yemen. Now, the city is included into Hudaidah province. The city location is about 40 km from Red Sea. It was previously known as Hussaib. This city is famous where scholars from all over the world came to study there or getting the root source for hadith and sunnah knowledge. Some of them even refused to return home and choosing to dwell in the city till the end of their life. 

This city had already been well known since the lifetime of our holy prophet Muhammad s.a.w around the 8th year of Hegira. The inhabitant of the Hadramawt or Northern Yemen were actually Arab Jews who converted to Judaic tradition under two Levite tribe religious teachers' supervision of Banu Quraizah from Yathrib since before the birth of prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Around 8th year of H, a tribe called Asy'ariyyah (among them was Abu Musa al-Asy'ari) who came from Zabid to Medina al-Munawwarah to revert to Islam and getting the sources of the teaching of the God. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was so pleased with these people visit to Medina al-Munawwarah and he prayed to the God so that He will bless the city of Zabid. He repeats his supplication to the God three times (narrated by al-Baihaqi). From the blessings of the prophet Muhammad s.a.w supplications, this city still retain its knowledge and wisdom nuance. Wisdom and knowledge treasures of this city is greatly being preserved by the sages of the city. There is also a mosque called the asy-Sya'ir mosque established since the 8th of H. It was established by Abu Musa al-Asy'ari and counted as the third mosque build by the companion of prophet s.a.w in the kingdom of Saba' (Yemen). 

The reciter of Mawlud ad-Diba'i was born when his father was out for travel. He never get the chance to see his father. He was raised by his maternal grandpa, who's known as Syeikh Sharafuddin bin Muhammad Mubariz and he is a famous sage in the city of Zabid at that time. Ibnu Diba'i still has the chance to study branches of sciences in Zabid since the city was inhabited by the sages.

Ibnu Diba'i learned to read the Quran under the supervision of Syeikh Nuruddin Ali bin Abu Bakr and later shifted to the Syeikh Jamaluddin Muhammad at-Thaiyyib the grand mufti of Zabid who is also his uncle. He memorized the whole Quran when reaches 10 years old, maasyaa-Allahhhh!!!!!! I'm still not close to any of these sages. Now I feel like I'm crying bloody tears :'( 

Not long after finishing his Quranic studies, Ibnu ad-Diba'i heard a bad news where his father died in an Indian sub-continent province. He has got his inheritance which was about 8 dinar. His father death never banish his spirit to study but it motivates him. After that, he learned recitation science which is tajweed through the Nidzham Syatibiyyah, learned idiom science (grammar), mathematics, faraaid, and fiqh science of jurisprudence under the grand mufti supervision. He was also ordered to study the kitab Zubad which is the kitab for Syafi'ie school of jurisprudence with Syeikh Umar bin Muhammad al-Fata al-Asya'ri.

After finishing his studies of the Zubad kitab, he used his inheritance money to travel to holy Mecca in order to perform hajj pilgrimage. His maternal grandfather was dead just before he returned from Mecca. He has to live with his uncle and learned some more under his supervision. In 855 H, he went to Mecca again for his second pilgrimage. When he returned to Zabid, he learned the hadiths sciences through the reading of Saheeh Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidzi, and al-Muwatta' under the supervision of Syeikh Zainuddin Ahmad bin Ahmad asy-Syarjiy. While busy studying, he wrote a kitab which is called as Ghayatul Mathlub which discusses about the way for the faithfuls to ask forgiveness from the God. he also learned Fiqh and Hadith sciences from the kitab of Minhaj at-Thaalibeen and Haawi Saaghir with Syeikh Jamaluddin bin Ahmad bin Jaghman.       

In 896 H, he went again for Mecca for the third time pilgrimage. He visited the tomb of prophet Muhammad s.a.w in Medina al-Munawwarah and later went back to Mecca to study hadiths with the sage of the holy land whose name is Syeikh Syamsuddin Muhammad bin 'Abdul Rahman as-Syakhawi. After his return from Mecca, he wrote Kasyful-Kirbah and Bughyat al-Mustafeed. His writings were highly appreciated by Sultan Dzafir 'Amir bin Abdul Wahhab. He was invited by the Sultan to the palace for suggestions on his kitabs. Before he returns home, the Sultan has granted him a house and a date orchard for him. The Sultan ordered him to teach hadith sciences in the Jami' Mosque of Zabid.

Although many had come to ask the sanad (source) of the hadiths from him, he is just a humble man. He always recites the al-Fatihah and whoever sees him must also recite the al-Fatihah. Everyone around him and his disciples were also asked to recite al-Fatihah. He heard one of his teacher talked about a dream where the teacher heard a voice in the chaotic time in his dream saying that, "O Yemenites, enter the paradise of the God!" Then people around ask the voice: "Why the Yemenites entering the paradise????" The voice answered: "Due to that they always recite al-Fatihah!"

Insyaa'Allah, we may also recite al-Fatihah and spread far the mercy from Allah to others. Ask everyone around us to recite al-Fatihah too. I'm always doing this too, and I would chant salawat for others. Tomorrow is Friday which is the first holiday and today is the gate for tomorrow. If brothers and sisters that I love the most are fasting, then don't stop chanting salawat and recite al-Fatihah. If not aloud then, mentally recite them. Make it a habit, because now when I try to think about something evil, only salawat that comes out from my mind. Just a sharing, because we share every good things with brothers and sisters. Evil things we must dump them into the garbage and never let them harm brothers and sisters.   

Ibnu ad-Diba'i was a productive writer. He wrote many things regarding hadith and seerah (history) sciences. Mawlud ad-Diba'i is one of his prominent seerah kind of writing but in the form of poem. Many had also relating this Mawlud poem with Ibnu Jawzi but this assumption is weak and irrelevant. Two other poems written by Ibnu ad-Diba'i are Qurratul 'Uyoun which talks about Yemen and Mi'raj kitab. He also wrote Taiseerul Usul and few other poems. He became a teacher and a writer of kitabs until his last breath. He passed away in Zabid on Friday morning, 26th of Rahab 944 H. May Allah bless his soul and be merciful to him for his contribution toward the civilization and humanity, amin!

Dear Allah our Lord, please be in connection with our holy prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family and his companion. Allah please bless prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family and his companion and the whole nations of the faithful. May everyone receive salvation from Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love for brethren in faith, amin!!!!