Meelaad-un-Nabi

[Mohammad Shafi Aga]

 

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful,

 

The subject topic was discussed in a yahoogroup forum. The point raised was whether the celebration of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by Muslims is in any way against Qur'aanic teachings. Since it is a subject of interest to the entire Muslim world, I give below a gist of the views expressed in that group, for the benefit of those who are outside it.

 

At the end of the Prophet's  23-year-old mission, the Qur'aan records that the Allah-chosen Religion of Islam was perfected then [Q: 5.3]. And since there is no specific sanction for it in the entire Qur'aan, the celebration of the birthday of any Prophet cannot be part of the perfected Religion. The birthday celebration, perhaps copied from our Christian brothers, is an innovation. And man-made innovations may lead mankind away from the Allah-perfected Religion of Islam.

 

Adam & Eve, the first parents of the human race, were asked not to go near a certain tree in Paradise [Q: 2.35], before they were sent down to this earth. The believers  are asked not to come near to committing illegal sexual intercourse [Q: 17.32], nor to come near to other prohibited areas set in Verse 2.187.

 

The Verses quoted above make it abundantly clear that the all-knowing and compassionate Allah desires that His human creatures do not do anything that may lead them to doing a forbidden thing. HE does not want them, for example, to be in a situation conducive to committing adultery. 

 

Now, among the things forbidden, the gravest in the eyes of Allah is Shirk. HE may forgive all other sins, but not this one [Q: 4.48].  Man should therefore be careful not to go even near this gravest of all sins.

 

We know, from the examples of our Christian brothers, how celebrating Christ's birthday as their greatest festival has landed them into Shirk. They pay only lip service to God, while hymning all their praises for Christ and Mother Mary! Meelad- un-Nabi is of course not the greatest festival of the Muslims, but by giving it the third rank in importance, they are seriously competing with their Christian brothers.

 

One may think that there is nothing wrong, apparently, in celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him). But what do people do when a well-known dead leader's birthday is celebrated? They organise meetings, wherein speeches are made eulogizing the services rendered by the leader, then they go to his grave to place wreaths of flowers thereon. The next day is like any other day. People go about their businesses as usual unmindful of what the leader had done or said. The leader is forgotten, to be resurrected for ritual rememberance again, only on his next birthday!

 

Graves of some past religious leaders, on the other hand, are virtually converted into places of worship, where the dead person himself is worshipped. The Prophet's grave at Medina would be at perpetual risk of being worshipped, had it not been for Allah's mercy. HE has mercifully placed the place under the control of rulers who constantly guard the grave against such abuse.

 

As noted herein above, there is no sanction anywhere in the Qur'aan for celebration of such birthdays, once in a year. The Qur'aan, on the other hand, would like the believers to remember Allah and His Messenger (through whom the divine Message was delivered to mankind) everyday, by conducting their lives in accordance with its teachings.

 

Mohammad Shafi