Mawlid al-Barzanjī

Mawlid al-Barzanjī (Arabic: مَولِد الْبَرزَنجِي) is the widely known name of a verse written in praise of the Islamic prophet Muhammad by Kurdish Islamic jurist Jaʿfar b. Ḥasan al-Barzanjī. Its complete title is Iqd al-Jawhar fī Mawlid al-Nabiy al-Azhar (عقد الْجَوهر في مَولِد الْنَبِي الْأزهَر; The Jeweled Necklace of the Resplendent Prophet's Birth), and it was written in the Arabic vernacular.

The work has a central place during Mawlid, the annual commemoration of the birth of the Muhammad, which occurs on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabī al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar, a date recognized by most Sunni Muslims, however, some Twelver Shia Muslims observe it on the 17th of Rabi’ al-Awwal. In Muslim households of Asia and Africa, it is recited to solicit divine blessings on special occasions such as the birth of a child, moving into a new house, and the opening of a new business. It is also recited at death, under the belief that one should rejoice in God's blessing (i.e. the birth of Muhammad) rather than lament a loss (of a loved one). It also serves to remind the believer that no loss is greater than the loss of Muhammad.