After bleak years, Sufi "prophetic Virtues" color Ramadan evenings in Mosul
Shafaq News / Mosul’s Muslims celebrated Ramadan, the month of fasting, with mesmerizing Sufi poems and mystical Daf music, after it was banned during ISIS’s occupation of the city.
The Daf is a Kurdish frame drum used in popular music as well as religious ceremonies.
Prophetic Virtues are religious ceremonies, linked to the poetry of Islamic praise of the Prophet Muhammad. It was prevalent at the beginning of the Islamic conquests and was later on associated with Sufism and well-known Sufi poets.
Sheikh Rami Al-Abadi, a resident of Mosul, told Shafaq News agency, "ISIS banned Prophetic Virtues during the years of its control over the city, but after the liberation, the demand for it returned more than before because people longed to hear praise and remembrance of the Prophet Muhammad”.
“It has been four years since the end of the war against ISIS, yet the people’s demand for the Prophetic Virtues increased, particularly during the days of Ramadan. They include the poetry of Al-Andalus, used to celebrate the Prophet”, he added.
According to Sheikh Sha’lan Al-Dulaimi, Mosul is known for its moderate Prophetic Virtues, which are dominated by the poetry of praise and love for the Prophet, his family, and companions.
Al-Dulaimi is a well-known Prophetic Virtues poet in Mosul. He told Shafaq News agency that they started performing their sessions outside Mosul and in other Iraqi cities.
According to the opinions of Mosul’s residents, Prophetic Virtues are beautiful religious ceremonies that render the listener spiritually comfortable hearing the wonderful qualities of the Prophet Muhammad.
Abu Mustafa, a resident of Mosul, was deeply desperate due to the banning of those virtues in his city because of terrorism, “Prophetic Virtues’ poets were subjected to great harassment at the time. Now the situation is different and terrorism has been expelled forever. It is now possible to hold Prophetic Virtues sessions even on the city’s streets”.
Prophetic Virtues are known locally in Mosul as “Mawlidiya” which means "birth", i.e. the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.
Mushtaq Talib, a 20 years old chanter, told Shafaq News agency that his attachment to chant praising the Prophet is the best course of religious commitment and that he is proud to perform in Prophetic Virtues and religious forums.
Regarding the instruments used, Talib explained, "Dafs are used only in praise, but in religious hymns, musical instruments are also used".
Prophetic Virtues are generally linked to Sufism, and the majority of chanters and Islamic hymn poets are Sufis.
