Students Celebrate Birthday of Muhammad

Sweet incense, elegant rugs, and more than 100 students and community members filled Earl Hall to celebrate the birth of the prophet Muhammad at an event hosted by the Muslim Students Association last night.

Lokman Hoca, representative of Sheykh Abdul Kerim al-Kibrisi, was invited to mark the occasion by teaching about Sufism, a mystic Muslim tradition.

Sufism, according to Hoca, is a form of Islam centered around living the lifestyle of the prophet Muhammad. It is practiced under the guidance of a teacher following a long line of masters reaching back 1,400 years.

"It is both external and internal: external in terms of how we sit [and] how we eat, to something internal-a struggle against our egos," Hoca explained. "We must open the veils of the heart, and then we will start to experience the faith and be beloved to Allah. We live a simple lifestyle, but we are busy with the spirit."

Following an introduction by Hoca on the history and teachings of the tradition, many attendees lined up in evening prayer while others observed from chairs encircling the room.

The celebration of the prophet's birthday is a controversial practice among Muslims. While Sufism supports the celebration, many forms of Islam oppose it. Three rows of men and one row of women formed circles in the center of the room for zikr, a period of chanting and singing in remembrance.

"We chanted the names of God-ninety-nine of the most beautiful names given in the Quran," Athar Abdul-quader, CC '08, said. "Each name has a specific meaning."

Hoca gave historical context to Sufism, explaining its prominence within the Ottoman Empire before the rise of a "literalist, violent form of Islam that denies spirituality and denies mysticism."

Sharmin Ahmed, BC '10 and a member of the MSA, explained the event's philosophy of being open and welcoming regardless of attendees' faiths. "It [the gathering] is a time for purification and a way to forget your life on Earth," she said. "Whatever ritual they [attendees] follow, they are still trying to get to the same thing."

Prayer and praise were followed by music and baklava. The Muslim Students Association opens most of its events to the student body including Jumma prayers every Friday in Earl Hall.