It was said that the first to innovate the Mawlid were the Ubaydeen (called Fatimads), and others say that the first was king al Muzaffar Kukabri (549 – 630 A.H.) of Irbil.
Ibn Kallikan, who was a witness of the Mawlid of al Mudhaffar/Muzaffar, reported how the mawlid was, in his book “Wifayat al A’yan“; he said:
”The pomp with which he celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (Mawlid) surpassed all description ; but I will mention a part of it:
The people of the neighbouring provinces have heard of his good belief in regards to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi was allam, so every year, a big number of fuqaha, Sufis, preachers, Quran recitors, and poets would come from near lands – such as baghdad, Mawsel, al Jazira …etc. – and they would continue coming from Muharram until the begining of Rabi’ al Awwal. Before that, al Mudhaffar would have already erected wooden pavilions, each pavilion is 4 or 5 stories, and he would make more than 20 wooden pavilions, one for him, and the rest for the amirs, and high ranking personal in his state.
Then when it was the first of the month of Safar (month before Rabi’ al Awwal), these pavilions were decorated in a most splendid manner, and in every pavilion sat a group of singers, a group of composers/actors, and musicians; not a story was left without the company of these people.
During the whole period all business was suspended, and the only occupation of the people was to watch (the bands play) and walk from one band to another. These pavilions were erected from the gate of the citadel/castle to the door of the khanqah (A place for Sufi retreat for worship) that is near the field/hippodrome. Everyday, after Asr prayer, Mudhaffar Ad-Deen would go and stop at each pavilion, one by one, listening to their singing, and watch their acting and other things done in the pavilions.
He then would pass the night in the khanqah, listening to the sufi religious singing; and after fajr prayer, he would ride out to hunt, and return to the citadel before dhuhr; this is what he did everyday until the day of the Mawlid.
He used to do the Mawlid one year on the eighth of the month, and the next on the twelfth, because of the difference of opinion regarding it (the date of his birth). Two days before the Mawlid, he would send a huge number of camels, cattle, and sheep to the field, accompanied with drums, singers, and musicians. Then they begin the slaughtering of the animals, and set up a number of caldrons, and cook in various manners.
Then when it was the eve of the Mawlid, after praying Maghrib, he would listen to the singing in the citadel; then he would go forth, preceeded by a great number of people bearing candles; two or four of these candles – not sure of the exact number – were such as employed in grand ceremonies, each of them being fastened on the back of a mule, with a man seated behind it to support it. He advanced in this manner until reaching the khanqah.
The morning of the next day, a quantity of pelisses were brought out to the khanqah by the sufis, in the hands of each of them is a bundle, and advanced one after the other. A great number of it is brought down, I can’t count how many. Then he would go to the khanqah; there gathered high distinct persons, chiefs, and a great number of other eminent individuals, and he would set up chairs for preaching. And there, set up for Mudhaffar Ad-Deen, would be a wooden tower with windows overlooking the place where the people and chairs of the preachers were, and other windows open on the field, which was extremely wide. In it the soldiers were gathered for display, and he would sometimes look at the soldiers, and other times towards the people and preachers; he would continue like this until the soldiers were done.
Right then, a repast was brought into the field for the poor, and it would be a public meal, consisting of an immense quantity of food and bread, that couldn’t be described. Then a second repast would be prepared in the khanqah for the people gathered at the chairs. And during the time of soldiers display and the preachers’ exhorting, he would send for each one of the eminant men, chiefs, and the comers for this festival, of whom we mentioned previously, from the fuqaha, preachers, Quran recitors, and poets; and he would cloth each in a pelisse, after which he would return to his place.
When all of that was done, the repast was brought in, and a portion of it was sent to the house of the ones whom were designated. This would continue until Asr time or after, then he would stay that night there, listening to sufi religious singing until day-break. This is what he does every year. And I have summarized the situation, because a full description of it would take a lot. When they were done with this festival, each person would get ready to go back to his country so he would give each his spending/outlay.”
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