My Feelings on the Mawlid Anniversary

The correspondent of "The Woman's Voice" spoke with a distinguished company of our ladies and our literary young ladies about their feelings on the anniversary of the noble Prophet's Birthday, about woman's influence in the life of the noble Arab Messenger, and about the message they draw from this blessed anniversary; and they favored us with the following precious words:

1 — In the anniversary of every momentous world event there is a majesty, and there are moral powers that take command of the souls of the living and stir in them every kind of feeling. A man falls silent at its whisperings, with yearning in the heart and wonder in the eye at its strange light. How much more, then, with the greatest event of all: the birth of a great messenger and a noble prophet, who brought a religion — and religion is spirit, and therefore life — who turned his people toward the way of good, and changed their creed from idolatry to the oneness of God and to faith — and faith is power, and therefore greatness and immortality. My feeling at this glorious anniversary, ringed about with a halo of heavenly lights, is a feeling of reverence and peace, of elevation, of nobility, and of righteousness.

2 — As for woman's influence in the life of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), it was great, and it shows what effect she has in the shaping of humanity. It was the Lady Khadija who steadied him and gave him heart to bear the torments of his people in the cause of delivering his lofty message. And the Lady Aisha carried to her people, after him, much of his practice and his sayings. Of the Lady Aisha he said, addressing his people: "Take half of your religion from this little rosy one," and he said: "Paradise lies beneath the feet of mothers." And his law was a constitution that gave woman her rights, after she had stood, before his day, upon the lowest rungs of all.

3 — The message which the noble Mawlid addresses to us is a message of love — and love is peace and safety — and a message of truth, and in truth are brotherhood, justice, and righteousness. He (upon him be peace) said: "None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." It is fitting, then, that we take from this blessed day a beacon for ourselves, and from its lights guidance and mercy.