Saalaam here is the history of this Bedaat!!!
i hope you take you time reading all of this please!!!
The Inventor and Innovator of Milad un-Nabi
Ibn Katheer and Ibn Hajr
As regards the celebration of the birthday of the Messenger (sallallahu
'alaihi wa sallam), the scholars have clearly stated that the person who
first introduced this innovation (bid’a) was Muzaffar ad-Din ibn Zain
al-Din, the ruler of Irbil. “He was a prodigal monarch. He commanded the
scholars of his time to follow the conduct based on their own derivation
and independent thinking (ijtihad), and that they should not follow any
school of law of any master except their own. A group of scholars and a
body of the servants inclined towards him. He used to celebrate the
birthday of the first monarch to introduce this practice among the
Muslims”[1] He used to spend one hundred thousand (dirhams) on the
celebration of the birthday of the Messenger (sallallahu 'alaihi wa
sallam) every year.[2] His assistant and helper in this innovation was
Abdul Khattab Umar b. Dihya. “He was employed in the Maghrib, then
travelled to Syria, then to Iraq, and then went to Irbil in 604 A.H. and
found its monarch Muzaffar al-Din b. Zain al-Din who took keen interest
in celebrating the birthday of the Messenger (sallallahu 'alaihi wa
sallam). He composed a book for him al-Tanwir fi Maulid al-Siraj
al-Munir and recited it to him. He rewarded him with one thousand
dinars.”[3]
Ibn Kathir has reported on the authority of al-Sabt about Ibn Dihya:
“Ibn Unain used to defame the Muslims and disparage them. He would make
additions in his report and exaggerate. So the people gave up narrating
traditions from him and falsified him. Kamil was favouring him. When his
conduct was disclosed to him, he withdrew Dar-al-Hadith from him and
disgraced him.”[4]
We give below the resume of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalanl’s comments on him: "He
was a liar, lied frequently, and a fabricator. He often slandered the
scholars and the jurists of the past, used evil toungue, self-conceited,
lacked insight in religious matters, and looked down upon religion. This
has been reported from al-Hafiz Diya. He further says: Ali b. al-Hussain
Abul Ali al- Isbahan narrated to me - it is enough to mention his name
as an authority - when Ibn Dihya came to us in Isbahan, he stayed with
my father in the hospice. He honoured and respected him very much. One
day he came to my father with a carpet. He kissed it and placed it
before him saying, “I offered such and such thousand rak’ahs of prayer
on this carpet, and recited the whole Qur’an in the Ka’ba.” He said: My
father took it, kissed it, placed it on his head, and accepted it from
him with a great pleasure. At the end of the day an inhabitant of
Isbahan came and began to talk to us. During his conversation he said by
chance: The faqih of Maghrib who is staying with you has purchased a
beautiful carpet today for such and such a price. Therupon my father
ordered to bring the carpet. Seeing it the man said, “Yes by Allah, this
is the same.” My father kept silent, and the eyes of Ibn Dihya fell
down.[5]
-
Ahmad b. Muhammad el-Misry, el-Qawl el-Mu’tamad fi 'amal al-Mawlid
-
Al-Dhahabi, Duwal al-Islam, VoL11 p.102
-
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Vol.I3 pp.144-146
-
Ibid
-
Ibn Hajar el-Asqalani, Lisan al-Mizan, VoL 4 p.295
Ruling in English:
Praise be to Allaah, alone, and peace and blessings be upon the
Messenger of Allaah, his family, his companions, and whoever follows his
guidance.
Many people have asked about the ruling concerning celebrating the
birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
standing up for him, sending salaam (greetings) upon him and reading
soorahs from the Qur’aan during such celebrations, holding gatherings of
dhikr, doing various things to show their joy, reciting qaseedahs and
poems, and other things that are done to commemorate “Mawlid” which many
people celebrate on the 12th day of Rabee’ al-Awwal each Hijri year.
The answer is that it is not permitted to celebrate the birthday of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or the birthday of
any other person, because this is a matter that has been innovated in
the religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not do this, neither did his successors, the Rightly-Guided
Khaleefahs (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon), or others among his Companions
(may Allaah be pleased with them), or those who followed them exactly
(in faith) during the best centuries – these are the people who had the
best knowledge of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), who loved him the most and followed the sharee’ah
most perfectly, better than any who came after them. It is proven that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it
rejected” i.e., it will be thrown back at him. In another hadeeth, he
said: “I advise you to adhere to my sunnah and the way of the
rightly-guided successors (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon) who will come
after me, and to cling stubbornly to it. Beware of newly-invented things
(in religion), for every newly-invented thing is an innovation and every
innovation is a going astray.” These two ahaadeeth contain a very stern
warning against coming up with innovations (bid’ah) and acting on them.
Allaah says in His clear Book (interpretation of the meaning) :
“… And whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatsoever he
forbids you, abstain from it…” [al-Hashr 59:7]
“… And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest
some fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, etc.) befall them, or a
painful torment be inflicted on them.” [al-Noor 24:63]
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah you have a good example to follow for
him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day and
remembers Allaah much.” [al-Ahzaab 33:21]
“And the first to embrace Islam of the muhaajiroon (those who migrated
to Madeenah from Makkah) and the Ansaar (the citizens of Madeenah who
helped and gave aid to the muhaajiroon), and also those who followed
them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is well-pleased with them as they are
well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which
rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme
success.” [al-Tawbah 9:100]
“… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…” [al-Maa’idah
5:3]
There are many other aayaat which convey the same meaning. Innovating
things like “Mawlid” could be interpreted as meaning that Allaah did not
complete the religion for this ummah, that the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) failed to convey to this ummah all that
they should do, until those people came along later and innovated in the
religion things that Allaah had not permitted, claiming that these were
things that would bring them closer to Allaah. Without a doubt, this is
a very serious matter, which indicates opposition and resistance towards
Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Allaah has perfected the religion for His slaves and completed His
favour upon them. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) has conveyed the Message clearly, and there is no way of reaching
Paradise and avoiding Hell that he has not explained to his ummah, as is
clear from the saheeh hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may
Allaah be pleased with them both), in which the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has not sent
any prophet but it was his duty to point out to his ummah the best of
what he knew, and to warn them against the worst of what he knows.”
(Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh). It is well known that our Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best and the Seal of
the Prophets, the most eloquent and the most sincere in advice. If
celebrating his birthday had been a part of the religion which Allaah
liked, His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would
have told his ummah about it, and he would have done it during his
lifetime, or his Companions would have done it. Since nothing of the
sort happened, we know that this is not part of Islam at all, rather it
is one of the innovations about which the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned his ummah, as stated in the two
ahaadeeth quoted above. Other ahaadeeth also convey the same meaning,
such as the words spoken by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) in his Friday sermons: “… The best of speech is the Book of
Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those
which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going
astray.” (Reported by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh).
There are many aayaat and ahaadeeth which say the same thing. A group of
scholars have condemned the practice of celebrating the Prophet’s
birthday and warned against it, in accordance with the evidence quoted
above and other texts. Some of the later scholars went against this and
allowed these celebrations as long as they did not involve anything
forbidden such as exaggerating about the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), mixing between men and women, musical
instruments, etc. They thought that this was a kind of “bid’ah hasanah
(good innovation)”. But the rule is to refer disputed matters to the
Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger, and those of you
(Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst
yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in
Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final
determination.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]
So, let us refer this matter, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), to the Book of Allaah. We
find that the Qur’aan commands us to follow the Messenger in that which
he has brought to us, and warns us to shun that which he has forbidden,
and it tells us that the religion (Islam) has been completed and
perfected for this ummah. This celebration is not a part of that which
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought, so
it is not a part of this religion which Allaah has perfected for us and
in which He has commanded us to follow his Messenger. Let us also refer
this matter to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him): we will find that he did not do this, or command others to
do it, and his Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not do
it either. So it is not part of the religion; it is a newly-invented
innovation, and an imitation of the Jews and Christians in their
festivals. So it should be clear to anyone who has the slightest common
sense, sincere desire for the truth and open-mindedness, that
celebrating the birthday of the Prophet is not a part of Islam; it is an
innovation, which Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) warned us against and told us to shun. A wise person
should not be swayed by the fact that so many people all over the world
do this. Truth is not known by how many people follow it; it is known
through the evidence of sharee’ah, as Allaah says of the Jews and
Christians (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they say: ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a
Christian.’ These are their own desires. Say: ‘Produce your proof, if
you are truthful.’” [al-Baqarah 2:111]
“And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away
from Allaah’s path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do
nothing but lie.” [al-An’aam 6:116]
Most of these mawlid celebrations, besides being bid’ah, are also not
free from other sinful practices, such as the mixing of men and women,
use of songs and musical instruments, consumption of alcohol and other
intoxicants, and other evils. They could even involve something worse,
which is al-shirk al-akbar, in the form of exaggeration about the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or other awliyaa’
(so-called “saints”). They may even pray to him, calling out for his
help and support, claiming that he knows the Unseen, and other forms of
kufr which many people indulge in when they celebrate the birthday of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or others whom
they call awliyaa’.
In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Beware of going to extremes in religion, for those who came
before you were destroyed by their going to extremes in religion.” He
also said: “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated
about the son of Maryam. I am only a slave, so say “the slave and
Messenger of Allaah.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh from the
hadeeth of ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him). It is most strange
indeed that many people make huge efforts to attend these innovated
gatherings and to defend them, when they do not do this in the case of
the duties that have been enjoined on them like attending Jumu’ah
(Friday) prayers and prayers in congregation; they do not care about
these duties and do not think that they are doing anything wrong. There
is no doubt that this is due to weakness of faith, lack of understanding
and the effects of sins piling up on one’s heart. We ask Allaah to keep
us and all the Muslims safe from that.
Some of them think that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) actually attends the mawlid celebration, so they stand up to
greet and welcome him. This is a serious falsehood and a form of gross
ignorance. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) will not come out of his grave, or contact anybody, or attend
any gatherings. He will remain in his grave until the Day of
Resurrection, and his soul is in the highest ‘Illiyoon (in Paradise),
with his Lord in the abode of honour, as Allaah says in Soorat
al-Mu’minoon (interpretation of the meaning): “After that, surely, you
will die. Then (again), surely, you will be resurrected on the Day of
Resurrection” [al-Mu’minoon 23:15].
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I will
be the first whose grave will be opened on the Day of Resurrection, and
I will be the first to intercede and the first to be asked to
intercede.” May Allaah bless him and grant him peace. This aayah and
hadeeth, and others that say the same thing, all indicate that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and everyone else
who has died will only emerge from their graves on the Day of
Resurrection. This is something on which all the Muslim scholars agree;
there is no controversy here. Every Muslim should pay attention to these
matters and be careful to avoid the innovations and illusions introduced
with no authority from Allaah by those who are ignorant. Allaah is the
One whom we ask for help, and in Him we put our trust. There is no power
and no strength except with Him.
Sending prayers and blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is one of the righteous deeds that bring a person
closer to Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah sends His Salaat (blessings, etc.) on the Prophet and His angels
also (ask Allaah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your
salaat on him (ask Allaah to bless him) and greet him with the Islamic
way of greeting (i.e., al-salaamu ‘alaykum).” [al-Ahzaab 33:56]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
sends one blessing on me, Allaah will send ten on him.” This sending of
blessings is recommended on all occasions, and is prescribed at the end
of every prayer – indeed, according to all scholars, it is obligatory in
the final tashahhud of every salaah (prayer), and it is sunnah
mu’akkadah (confirmed sunnah) on a number of other occasions, such as
after the adhaan, when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) is mentioned, and during the day and night of Jumu’ah (i.e.
from maghrib on Thursday until maghrib on Friday), as is indicated in a
number of ahaadeeth.
We ask Allaah to help us and all the Muslims to understand His religion
and adhere to it, to bless us all by making us follow the Sunnah, and to
protect us from bid’ah, for He is the Most Kind and Generous. May Allaah
bless our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and companions.
Related Questions in English:
Question 1
Is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) created from
light? What is wrong with celebrating his birthday?
In our locality there are people who hold celebrations of the birthday
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) every year.
They think that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
is not like the rest of mankind, but that he is light from the Light of
Allaah Himself, that he is present and watching in every place, and that
he himself attends every gathering held to celebrate his birthday, he
hears what the people say about him, and he is there with them. For that
reason they stand up and say in unison: “Yaa Nabi-Allaah, yaa
Rasool-Allaah, yaa Habeeb-Allaah, salaam ‘alayka (O Prophet of Allaah, O
Messenger of Allaah, O Beloved of Allaah, peace be upon you).” They call
out to him as if he were present and ask for his help and support. What
is the Islamic ruling on this? Is it correct or not? Is it sunnah,
bid’ah, or what?
Praise be to Allaah alone, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger
and his family and companions.
1.Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is an innovation (bid’ah) which goes against the
guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
of the Rightly Guided Khaleefahs (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon) and the
Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with them. It is proven that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does
anything that is not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will
have it rejected.” (For more details, please see Question 2 below). 2.
Believing that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
is not like the rest of humanity, and that he is light from the Light of
Allaah Himself is not a correct belief, because it contradicts the
Qur’aan. Allaah has stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) is human, and has explained what makes the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) different from the rest of
mankind. He said (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘I am only a man like you. It has been inspired to me
that your God is One God (Allaah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with
his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in
the worship of his Lord.” [al-Kahf 18:110]
Mankind, human beings, are created, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single
person (Adam), and from him He created his wife (Hawwa/Eve), and from
them both He created many men and women…” [al-Nisaa’ 4:1]
“O mankind, if you are in doubt about the Resurrection, then verily! We
have created you from dust, then from a nutfah (mixed drops of male and
female sexual discharge)…” [al-Hajj 22:5]
“O Prophet! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad
tidings, and a warner, - and as one who invites to Allaah by His leave,
and as a lamp spreading light.” [al-Ahzaab 33:45-46]
In contrast, Allaah is the First, and He has no beginning, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after
Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him), and the Most Near (nothing
is nearer than Him). And He is the All-Knower of every thing.”
[al-Hadeed 57:3]
Allaah called His Prophet “light” and a “lamp spreading light” because
of the guidance and light with which Allaah sent him, with which Allaah
guides all those who answer his call (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… Indeed, there has come to you a light (Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)) and a plain Book (this Qur’aan).”
[al-Maa’idah 5:15]
3.Saying that he is present and watching in every place, that he is
himself present at every gathering to celebrate his birthday, and that
he hears what the people present are saying, is all false. There is no
basis for this in either the Qur’aan or the Sunnah. 4.Calling on him and
seeking his help and support is a form of major shirk which is not
permitted, whether one is calling on the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) or on any other created being, because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… so invoke not anyone along with Allaah.” [al-Junn 72:18]
“And whoever invokes (or worships) besides Allaah, any other god of whom
he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely!
Al-kaafiroon (the disbelievers) will not be successful.” [al-Mu’minoon
23:117]
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/4)
The Muslim should follow, not innovate. He should believe in Allaah
alone, call on Him alone and seek His help alone. He should not call on
or seek the help of anyone else. The consequences of shirk are
devastating, as it will wipe out all a person’s good deeds and lead to
his doom in Hell. Bid’ah is a serious matter, which will cause a
person’s deeds to be thrown back at him, not accepted. The Muslim should
love, respect, honour and obey the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and give his words precedence over the words of any
other human being, but it is not permitted to exaggerate about him, or
to raise his status above that which has been bestowed upon him by
Allaah, or to call on him instead of Allaah, because this is a violation
of the rights of Allaah, and involves directing acts of worship to
someone other than Allaah, when they should only be directed towards
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. We ask Allaah to help us to do
that which will please Him and to avoid that which will earn His wrath,
and to help us to love Him and His Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. And Allaah
knows best.
Question 2
Mawlid al-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday)
Why some people accept and some unaccept the celebration of the prophet
(s.a.w.)? What is your opinion?
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing in the Qur’aan to say that we should celebrate the
Mawlid or birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). The Prophet himself (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did not do this or command anyone to do it, either during his
lifetime or after his death. Indeed, he told them not to exaggerate
about him as the Christians had exaggerated about Jesus (upon whom be
peace). He said: “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians
exaggerated about the son of Maryam. I am only a slave, so say, ‘The
slave of Allaah and His Messenger.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari). What has
been reported is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) made the day of his birth a day of worship, which is different
to celebration. He was asked about fasting on Mondays, and he said:
“That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was
entrusted with the Mission or when I was first given Revelation.”
(Reported by Muslim, al-Nisaa’i and Abu Dawood).
Moreover, we know that the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
were the people who loved the Prophet most. Was it reported that Abu
Bakr, who was the closest of people to him and the one who loved him the
most, celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)? Was it reported that ‘Umar, who ruled for twelve
years, or ‘Uthmaan, did this? Was it reported that ‘Ali, his relative
and foster son, did this? Was it reported that any of the Sahaabah did
this? No, by Allaah! Is it because they were not aware of its
importance, or did they not truly love the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)? No one would say such a thing except one who has
gone astray and is leading others astray.
Did any of the imaams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafi’i, Ahmad,
al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Seereen – do this or command others to do it or
say that it was good? By Allaah, no! It was not even mentioned during
the first and best three centuries. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “The best of mankind are
my generation (or my century), then those who come after them, then
those who come after them. Then there will come a people who will not
care if their testimony comes before their oath or vice versa (i.e.,
they will not take such matter seriously).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
Muslim and al-Tirmidhi). The celebration of the Prophet’s birthday
appeared many centuries later, when many of the features of true
religion had vanished and bid’ah had become widespread.
Thus this celebration became a sign of one’s love for the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? But can it be possible
that the Sahaabah, the imaams and the people of the best three centuries
were unaware of it, and it was only those who came later who were aware
of its importance?! What the Qur’aan tells us is that love of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is demonstrated by
following the guidance he brought. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me, Allah
will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.
Say: ‘Obey Allaah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allaah
does not like the disbelievers.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31-32]
The first aayah explains that love is just a claim, but the proof of
sincerity is following what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) brought. The second aayah reaffirms the importance and
necessity of obeying Allaah and His Messenger. Hence Allaah ended the
aayah with a very stern warning in which those who refuse to obey are
described as kaafirs, and Allah does not love the disbelievers. We ask
Allaah to keep us safe from that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) told us of the danger of not obeying him, and the
danger of adding to what he brought. The celebration of Mawlid or his
birthday is indeed an addition to what he brought – as all the scholars
agree. He said: “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah, and the best
of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are
those which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a
going astray.” (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa’i).
We ask Allaah to protect us from bid’ah and to bless us by helping us to
follow. Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Please also check this site also!!! http://www.qss.org/articles/milad.html
