m
khalid
Should we celebrate Mawlid
(The Prophet's (s) birthday)?
Yes we should celebrate it every year
And every month and every week
And every hour and every moment.
Dr. `Isa al-Mani` al-Humayri, Department of Awqaaf, Dubai (U.A.E)
Office of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Dubai
Administration of Ifta' and Research
We find nowadays publications filled with lies and deception which
mislead many Muslims into thinking negatively about the honorable
Mawlid of the Prophet. These publications claim that to celebrate the
Mawlid is an act of innovation that goes against Islam. This is far
from the truth, and it is therefore necessary for those who can speak
clearly to help clarify and reverse the doubts surrounding this most
blessed day. It is with this humble intention that I present the
following proofs in support of celebrating our beloved Prophet's
birthday.
The Prophet said, "He who innovates something in this matter of ours
that is not of it will have it rejected." He also said, "Beware of
innovations, for every innovation ( kul bida` ) is misguidance."
Those opposed to Mawlid cite this saying and hold that the word every (
kul ) is a term of generalization, including all types of innovations,
with no exception, and that therefore, celebrating Mawlid is
misguidance. By daring to say that, they accuse the scholars of Islam
of innovation. At the top of the list of those they have accused, then,
is our Master `Umar (r). Those in opposition to Mawlid quickly reply to
this, "But we did not mean the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad."
It follows, then, that the meaning of every ( kul ) cannot be taken in
its general sense. Therefore, although the Prophet may not have said to
celebrate his blessed birthday, it is nonetheless not innovation to do
so. For, as the following examples show, there were many actions and
practices instituted by his close followers after his time that are not
deemed innovation.
Compiling the Qu'ran.
(From a Prophetic saying related by Zaid Ibn Thabit.(r)) "The Prophet
died and the Qu'ran had not been compiled anywhere. `Umar (r) suggested
to Abu Bakr (r) to compile the Qu'ran in one book. When a large number
of Companions were killed in the battle of Yamama, Abu Bakr wondered,
"How could we do something that the Prophet did not do?' `Umar said,
"By Allah, it is good.' `Umar persisted in asking Abu Bakr until Allah
expanded his chest for it (Allah made him agree and accept these
suggestions) and he sent for Zaid Ibn Thabit and assigned him to
compile the Qu'ran." Zaid said, "By Allah if they had asked me to move
a mountain, it would not have been more difficult than to compile the
Qur'an." He also said, "How could you do something that the Prophet did
not do?" Abu Bakr said, "It is good, and `Umar kept coming back to me
until Allah expanded my chest for the matter." The saying is narrated
in Sahih Al Bukhari.
The Maqam of Ibrahim (as) in relation to the Ka'ba.
(Al Bayhaqi narrated with a strong chain of narrators from Aisha.) "The
Maqam during the time of the Prophet and Abu Bakr was attached to the
House, then `Umar moved it back." Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Al Fath ,
"The Companions did not oppose `Umar, neither did those who came after
them, thus it became unanimous agreement." He was the first to build
the enclosure ( maqsura ) on it, which still exists today.
Adding the first call to prayer on Friday.
(From Sahih Al Bukhari, from Al Sa'ib bin Yazid.) "During the time of
the Prophet (s), Abu Bakr (r) and `Umar (r), the call to Friday prayer
used to occur when the Imam sat on the pulpit. When it was Othman's (r)
time, he added the third call (considered third in relation to the
first adhan and the iqama . But it is named first because it proceeds
the call to the Friday prayer.)"
Salutations on the Prophet composed and taught by our Master `Ali (r).
The salutations have been mentioned by Sa'id bin Mansoor and Ibn Jareer
in Tahzeeb al Aathar , and by Ibn Abi Assim and Ya'qoob bin Shaiba in
Akhbar `Ali and by Al Tabarani and others from Salamah Al Kindi .
The addition to the tashahhud by Ibn Mas'ud.
After " wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu ," and the Mercy of Allah and
Blessings, he used to say , "assalamu `alayna min Rabbina, " peace upon
us from our Lord. Narrated by Al Tabarani in Al Kabir , and the
narrators are those of the sound transmitters, as it has been mentioned
in Majma' Al Zawa'id.
The addition to the tashahhud by Abdullah Ibn `Umar.
He added the basmalah at the beginning of the tashahhud . He also added
to the talbia, "labbaika wa sa'daika wal khayru bi yadayka wal raghba'u
ilayika wal `amalu " This is mentioned in Bukhari, Muslim, et al.
These are some of the developments instituted by the Prophet's
Companions, the scholars, and the honorable members of his nation,
which did not exist during the time of the Prophet, and which they
deemed good. Are they, then, misguided and guilty of bad innovation?
As for the claim that there is no such thing in religion as good
innovation, here are some sayings of the brilliant scholars of Islam
belying this claim.
Imam Nawawi said in Sahih Muslim (6-21)
"The Prophet's saying every innovation is a general-particular and it
is a reference to most innovations. The linguists say, "Innovation is
any act done without a previous pattern, and it is of five different
kinds.'" Imam Nawawi also said in Tahzeeb al Asma' wal Sifaat,
"Innovation in religious law is to originate anything which did not
exist during the time of the Prophet, and it is divided into good and
bad." He also said, " Al-muhdathat (pl. for muhdatha ) is to originate
something that has no roots in religious law. In the tradition of
religious law it is called innovation, and if it has an origin within
the religious law, then it is not innovation. Innovation in religious
law is disagreeable, unlike in the language where everything that has
been originated without a previous pattern is called innovation
regardless of whether it is good or bad."
Shaykh Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani, the commentator on Al Bukhari, said,
"Anything that did not exist during the Prophet's time is called
innovation, but some are good while others are not."
Abu Na'eem , narrated from Ibrahim Al Junaid, said, "I heard
Ash-Shafi'i saying,
"Innovation is of two types; praiseworthy innovation and blameworthy
innovation, and anything that disagrees with the Sunnah is
blameworthy.'"
Imam Albayhaqi narrated in Manaqib Ash-Shafi'i that Ash-Shafi'i said,
"Innovations are of two types: that which contradicts the Qu'ran, the
Sunnah, or unanimous agreement of the Muslims is a innovation of
deception, while a good innovation does not contradict any of these
things."
Al `Izz bin Abdussalam said, at the end of his book, Al Qawa'id ,
"Innovation is divided into obligatory, forbidden, recommended,
disagreeable and permissible, and the way to know which is which is to
match it against the religious law."
Clearly we see from the opinions of these righteous scholars, that to
define innovations in worship as wholly negative without exception is
ignorant. For these pious knowers, among them Imam Nawawi and
Ash-Shafi'i, declared that innovations could be divided into good and
bad, based on their compliance or deviance with religious law.
Moreover, the following Prophetic saying is known even to common
Muslims, let alone scholars: "He who inaugurates a good practice (
sunnatun hasana ) in Islam earns the reward of it, and of all who
perform it after him, without diminishing their own rewards in the
least." Therefore it is permissible for a Muslim to originate a good
practice, even if the Prophet didn't do it, for the sake of doing good
and cultivating the reward. The meaning of inaugurate a good practice (
sanna sunnatun hasana ) is to establish a practice through personal
reasoning ( ijtihad ) and derivation ( istinbat ) from the rules of
religious law or its general texts. The actions of the Prophet's
Companions and the generation following them which we have stated above
is the strongest evidence.
The ones prejudiced against celebrating the Prophet's birthday have
paved the way for their falsehood by deceiving the less-learned among
the Muslims. The prejudiced ones claim that Ibn Kathir writes in his Al
Bidaya wal Nihaya (11-172) that the Fatimide-Obaidite state, which
descends from the Jew, Obaidillah Bin Maimoon Al Kaddah, ruler of Egypt
from 357-567 A.H., innovated the celebration of a number of days, among
them, the celebration of the Prophet's birthday. This treacherous lie
is a grave insult to the scholarship of Ibn Kathir and the scholarship
of all Islam. For in truth, Ibn Kathir writes about the Prophet's
birthday in Al bidaya wal nihaya [13-136] "The victorious king Abu
Sa'id Kawkaburi, was one of the generous, distinguished masters, and
the glorious kings; he left good impressions and used to observe the
honorable Mawlid by having a great celebration. Moreover, he was
chivalrous, brave, wise, a scholar, and just." Ibn Kathir continues,
"And he used to spend three hundred thousand Dinars on the Mawlid." In
support, Imam Al Dhahabi writes of Abu Sa'id Kawkaburi, in Siyar A'laam
al nubala' [22-336] "He was humble, righteous, and loved religious
learned men and scholars of Prophetic saying."
Following are some sayings of the rightly guided Imams regarding the
Mawlid.
Imam Al Suyuti , from Alhawi lil fatawi, wrote a special chapter
entitled "The Good Intention in Commemorating the Mawlid," at the
beginning of which he said,
"There is a question being asked about commemorating the Mawlid of the
Prophet in the month of Rabi' Al Awal: what is the religious legal
ruling in this regard, is it good or bad? Does the one who celebrates
get rewarded or not?" The answer according to me is as follows: To
commemorate the Mawlid, which is basically gathering people together,
reciting parts of the Qu'ran, narrating stories about the Prophet's
birth and the signs that accompanied it, then serving food, and
afterwards, departing, is one of the good innovations; and the one who
practices it gets rewarded, because it involves venerating the status
of the Prophet and expressing joy for his honorable birth.
Ibn Taymiyya said in his book Iqtida' Al Sirat Al Mustaqeem (pg. 266)
"Likewise, what some people have innovated, in competition with the
Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, or out of love and
veneration of the Prophet⦣128;榱uot; and he continues
"⦣128;洨at the predecessors didn't do, even though there is a
reason for it, and there is nothing against it." This is a saying of
someone who set fanaticism aside and sought to please Allah and his
Prophet. As far as we are concerned, we commemorate the Mawlid for no
other reason but what Ibn Taymiya said, "Out of love and veneration of
the Prophet." May Allah reward us according to this love and effort,
and may Allah bless the one who said, "Let alone what the Christians
claim about their Prophet, and you may praise Muhammad in any way you
want and attribute to his essence all honors and to his status all
greatness, for his merit has no limits that any expression by any
speaker might reach."
In the same source previously mentioned, Al Suyuti said,
"Someone asked Ibn Hajar about commemorating the Mawlid. Ibn Hajar
answered, "Basically, commemorating the Mawlid is an innovation that
has not been transmitted by the righteous Muslims of the first three
centuries. However, it involves good things and their opposites,
therefore, whoever looks for the good and avoids the opposites then it
is a good innovation.' It occurred to me (Al Suyuti) to trace it to its
established origin, which has been confirmed in the two authentic
books: Al Sahihain . When the Prophet arrived in Medina he found that
the Jews fast the day of Aashura; when he inquired about it they said,
"This is the day when Allah drowned the Pharaoh and saved Moses,
therefore we fast it to show our gratitude to Allah.' From this we can
conclude that thanks are being given to Allah on a specific day for
sending bounty or preventing indignity or harm." Al Suyuti then
commented, "What bounty is greater than the bounty of the coming of
this Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy, on that day?"
"This is regarding the basis of Mawlid. As for the activities, there
should be only the things that express thankfulness to Allah, such as
what has been previously mentioned: reciting Qu'ran, eating food,
giving charity, reciting poetry praising the Prophet or on piety which
moves hearts and drives them to do good and work for the Hereafter."
These are the derivations that those opposed to Mawlid call false
conclusions and invalid analogies.
Imam Mohammed bin Abu Bakr Abdullah Al Qaisi Al Dimashqi.
Jami' Al Athar fi Mawlid , Al Nabiy Al Mukhtar , Al lafz al ra'iq fi
Mawlid khayr al khala'iq , and Mawlid al sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi ,
Imam Al `Iraqi.
Al Mawlid al heni fi al Mawlid al sani .
Mulla `Ali Al Qari.
Al Mawlid Al rawi fil Mawlid al Nabawi .
Imam Ibn Dahiya.
Al Tanweer fi Mawlid Al basheer Al Nadheer .
Imam Shamsu Din bin Nasir Al Dimashqi.
Mawlid al Sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi . He is the one who said about the
Prophet's estranged uncle, Abu Lahab, "This unbeliever who has been
dispraised, "perish his hands" [111: 1], will stay in Hell forever.
Yet, every Monday his torment is being reduced because of his joy at
the birth of the Prophet." How much mercy can a servant expect who
spends all his life joyous about the Prophet and dies believing in the
Oneness of Allah?
Imam Shamsu Din Ibn Al Jazri.
Al Nashr fil Qira'at Al `Ashr , ` Urf Al Ta'reef bil Mawlid al shareef.
Imam Ibn Al Jawzi
Imam Ibn Al Jawzi said about the honorable Mawlid, "It is security
throughout the year, and glad tidings that all wishes and desires will
be fulfilled."
Imam Abu Shama
Imam Abu Shama (Imam Nawawi's shaykh) in his book Al ba'ith ala Inkar
Al bida` wal hawadith (pg.23) said, "One of the best innovations in our
time is what is being done every year on the Prophet's birthday, such
as giving charity, doing good deeds, displaying ornaments, and
expressing joy, for that expresses the feelings of love and veneration
for him in the hearts of those who are celebrating, and also, shows
thankfulness to Allah for His bounty by sending His Messenger, the one
who has been sent as a Mercy to the worlds."
Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani
Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani (Al Bukhari's commentator) in his book Al
mawahib Al Ladunniya (1-148) said, "May Allah have mercy on the one who
turns the nights of the month of the Prophet's birth into festivities
in order to decrease the suffering of those whose hearts are filled
with disease and sickness."
There are others who wrote and spoke about Mawlid, such as Imam Al
Sakhawi, Imam Wajihu Din bin `Ali bin al Dayba' al Shaybani al Zubaidi,
and many more, which we will not mention due to the limited space
available. From these many evidences, it should be clear by now that
celebrating the Mawlid is highly commendable and allowed. Surely we
cannot simply shrug off as heretics the scholars and dignitaries of
this nation who approved the commemoration of the Mawlid and wrote
countless books on the subject. Are all these scholars, to whom the
whole world is indebted for the beneficial books they have written on
Prophetic sayings, jurisprudence, commentaries, and other sorts of
knowledge, among the indecent who commit sins and evil? Are they, as
those opposed to Mawlid claim, imitating the Christians in celebrating
the birth of Jesus? Are they claiming that the Prophet did not convey
to the nation what they should do? We leave answers to these questions
up to you.
And yet we must continue to examine the errors which those opposed to
Mawlid utter. They say "If celebrating the Mawlid is from the religion,
then the Prophet would have made it clear to the nation, or would have
done it in his lifetime, or it would have been done by the Companions."
No one can say that the Prophet did not do it out of his humbleness,
for this is speaking evil of him, so they cannot use this argument.
Furthermore, that the Prophet and his Companions did not do a certain
thing does not mean they made that thing prohibited. The proof is in
the Prophet's saying, "Whoever establishes, in Islam, a good
practice..." cited earlier. This is the strongest evidence that gives
encouragement to innovate whatever practices have foundations in
religious law, even if the Prophet and his Companions did not do them.
Al Shafi'i said, "Anything that has a foundation in religious law is
not an innovation even if the Companions did not do it, because their
refraining from doing it might have been for a certain excuse they had
at the time, or they left it for something better, or perhaps not all
of them knew about it." Therefore, whoever prohibits anything based on
the concept that the Prophet did not do it, his claim has no proof and
must be rejected.
Thus we say to the rejecters of Mawlid: based on the rule you have
attempted to found, that is, that whoever does anything that the
Prophet or his Companions did not do is committing innovation, it would
follow that the Prophet did not complete the religion for his nation,
and that the Prophet did not convey to the nation what they should do.
No one says this or believes this except a heretic defecting from the
religion of Allah. To the doubters of Mawlid we declare, "Based on what
you say, we convict you." For you have innovated in the basics of
worship a large number of things that the Prophet did not
do⦣128;⦣128; nor did his Companions, the Generation after
the Companions, or the Generation after them. For instance:
· Congregating people behind one Imam to pray Salat al Tahajjud after
Salat Al Tarawih, in the two Holy Mosques and other mosques.
· Reciting the Prayer of Completion of the Qu'ran in Salat al Tarawih
and also in Salat al Tahajjud.
· Designating the 27th night of Ramadan to complete reading the
entire Qu'ran in the two Holy Mosques.
· A caller saying, after Salat al Tarawih, in the Qiyam prayer, "May
Allah reward you."
· Founding organizations which did not exist in the time of the
Prophet, such as Islamic universities, societies for committing the
Qu'ran to memory, and offices for missionary work, and committees for
enjoining good and forbidding evil. We are not objecting to these
things, since they are forms of good innovation. We merely list these
innovations to point out that those who oppose Mawlid clearly
contradict their own rule stating that anything that neither the
Prophet nor his Companions did is innovation. And since they claim that
all innovation is bad, they themselves are guilty.
Yet another claim they make is to say that those who commemorate the
Mawlid are mostly indecent and immoral. This is a vulgar statement and
it only reflects the character of the one saying it. Are all the
distinguished scholars that we have mentioned, from the point of view
of those opposed to Mawlid, indecent and immoral? We won't be surprised
if this is what they believe. This is a most serious slander. We say,
as the poet said, "When Allah wants to spread a virtue that has been
hidden, He would let a tongue of an envious person know about it."
Those opposed to Mawlid, may Allah guide them, have confused some
expressions, and claim that some religious scholars associate partners
with Allah. Take for example the plea of Imam Al Busiery to Prophet
Muhammad, "Oh, most generous of creation, I have no one to resort to,
save You, when the prevailing event takes place." They must examine
carefully the saying of Imam Al Busiery: inda hulul il amim, when the
prevailing event takes place . What is al Amim ? It means that which
prevails over the whole universe, and all of creation, in referring to
the Day of Judgment. Imam Al Busiery is asking intercession from the
Prophet on the Day of Judgment because on that Day we will have no one
to resort to, or appeal to. Imam Al Busiery seeks his intercession to
Allah through the Prophet, for when all other Messengers and Prophets
will be saying, "Myself, myself," the Prophet will be saying, "I am the
one for it, I am for it [the Intercession]" It becomes even more clear
now that the doubts of those opposed to Mawlid are unfounded, just as
their charges of associating partners with Allah are unfounded. This is
due to their blindness, both physical and spiritual.
Another similar example can be found in the well-known saying
transmitted by the distinguished Imam Al Kamal bin Al Hammam Al Hanafi,
author of Fath il Qadeer fi manasik al Farisi , and Sharh al Mukhtar
min al sada al ahnaf . When Imam Abu Hanifa visited Medina, he stood in
front of the honorable grave of the Prophet and said, "O, most
honorable of the Two Weighty Ones (humankind and jinn)! O, treasure of
mankind, shower your generosity upon me and please me with your
pleasure. I am aspiring for your generosity, and there is no one for
Abu Hanifa in the world but you." Again, we must not misinterpret this
entreaty, but realize its true meaning.
Yet another misconception those opposed to Mawlid hold can be seen in
their statements such as these: "What occurs during Mawlid is mixing
between men and women, singing and playing musical instruments, and
drinking alcohol." I myself know this to be a lie, for I have attended
many Mawlids and have not seen any mixing, and never heard any musical
instruments. And as for drunkenness, yes, I have seen it, but not that
of worldly people. We found people intoxicated with the love of the
Prophet, a state surpassing even the agony of death, which we know
overcame our master Bilal at the time of his death. In the midst of
this sweet stupor he was saying, "Tomorrow I shall meet the loved ones,
Muhammad and his Companions."
To continue, those opposed to Mawlid say, "The day of the Prophet's
birth is the same day of the week as his death. Therefore, joy on this
day is no more appropriate than sorrow, and if religion is according to
one's opinion, then this day should be a day of mourning and sorrow."
This kind of lame eloquence, is answered by the Imam Jalal al Din al
Suyuti, in Al hawi lil fatawi (pg.193), "The Prophet's birth is the
greatest bounty, and his death is the greatest calamity. Religious law
urges us to express thankfulness for bounties, and be patient and
remain calm during calamities. Religious law has commanded us to
sacrifice an animal on the birth of a child [and distribute the meat to
the needy], which is an expression of gratitude and happiness with the
newborn, while it did not command us to sacrifice at the time of death.
Also, it prohibited wailing and showing grief. Therefore, the rules of
Divine Law indicate that it is recommended to show joy during the month
of the Prophet's birth, and not to show sorrow for his death."
Furthermore, Ibn Rajab, in his book Al lata'if, dispraising the
rejecters of Mawlid based on the above argument, said, "Some designated
the day of Aashura as a funeral ceremony for the murder of Al Hussein.
But neither Allah nor His Prophet commanded that the days of the
prophets' great trials or deaths should be declared days of mourning,
let alone those with lesser rank."
We conclude this article with a saying of the Prophet, which has been
narrated by Abu Ya'la, from Hudhaifa and about which Ibn Kathir said,
"It's chain of transmission is good." Abu Ya'la said, "The Prophet has
said, "One of the things that concerns me about my nation is a man who
studied the Qu'ran, and when its grace started to show on him and he
had the appearance of a Muslim, he detached himself from it, and threw
it behind his back, and went after his neighbor with a sword and
accused him of associating partners with Allah.' I then asked, "Oh,
Prophet of Allah, which one is more guilty of associating partners with
Allah, the accused or the accuser?' The Prophet said, "It is the
accuser.'"
Completed, with all Praises to Allah and salutations and peace be upon
our master Holy Prophet Muhammed, his blessed and purified Family,
Progeny and Companions.
Copyright The Muslim Magazine, 1998: http://www.Mawlid.net