By Hadhrat Mufti Umar Farooq sahib db
From: Muftisays
According to majority of the Islamic historians the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam was born in the ‘Year of the elephant’ - the year when Abraha came with his army to demolish the Holy Ka’baa. (Albidayah wan nihayah - 321/2 }
There are six opinions regarding the month of the Prophet’s Sallallahu alayhi wasallam birth:
- Muharram 2. Safar 3. Rabiul awwal 4. Rabiul Akhar 5. Rajab 6. Ramadhann {Sharhul Mawahib 130-131/1)
The majority of the scholars are unanimous that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam was born in Rabiul awwal. {Albidayah li ibn e Kathir 319/2) According to the famous research scholar Allama Muhammed Zahid Kawthari Rahemahullah, any other month apart from Rabiul awwal is unacceptable to the proficient scholars. (Maqaalat ul Kawthari - 405)
The day of the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam birth was Monday. According to the famous muhaddith and historian - Hafiz Ibn e Kathir Rahemahullah, this is a unanimously accepted fact. (Albidayah - 319/2). In a hadeeth of Muslim, narrated by Abu Qatadah Radeallahhotallahanh, the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam was asked regarding the fast of Monday. He replied: it is the day I was born and also the day when the first revelation was sent upon me. (Muslim, with Sharh e Ubbi - 123/4)
As to which date of Rabiul awwal was the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam born some people say that it hasn’t been determined. But the majority of scholars say that the date has been determined. Allama Qastalaani Rahemahullah has reported seven opinions regarding the date :
l)2nd Rabiul awwal 2) 8th Rabiul awwal 3} 10th Rabiul awwal 4) 12th Rabiul awwal 5)17* Rabiul awwal 6) 18th Rabiul awwal 7) 22nd Rabiul awwal (Almawahib Zarqani: 131-132/1)
According to Allama Kawthari Rahemahullah, apart from the date after 8th i.e. the 9th, 10th and 12th Rabiul awwal the other opinions are not worth paying attention to due to the lack of satisfactory evidence. Now from the remaining three which date should be given preference, After contemplating this it emerges that the opinion of the 10th cannot be excepted because of three people in its chain of narration. As to 12th , it has been narrated by Muhammad ibn e Ishaq but the chain has not been stated.
Therefore it is unsupported. Hence preference will be given to the 9th. Logically also this date can be determined as can be understood from Taqweem ul arab qablal islaam - by the famous mathematician and space studies expert Allama Mahmood Pasha Falaki
Misri.
During the era of the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam, there was a solar eclipse on the last day of Shawwal 10AH. On this very day Ibrahim Radeallahhotallahanh, the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam son had also passed away. Counting backwards from this and bearing in mind that the day of birth was Monday unanimously, the date of birth proves to be 9th, which during the ‘year of the elephant’ was dedefinitely on a Monday.
To sum up, the birth date of the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam can be proven to be 9th both by narration and logic. (Maqalaat ul Kawthari 405 - 407) According to Allama Qastalani Rahemahullah, most of the muhadditheen and historians have preferred this opinion. (Almawahib with Zarqani 131/1)
As to the opinion of the 8th mentioned by some historians, according to Allama Kawthari Rahemahullah it means the end of 8th i.e. the 9th. According to Moulana Hifz ur Rahman Rahemahullah the contradiction between the two dates is not a contradiction as such but it depends on whether the month was 29 days or 30 days. And when the 9th has been determined by calculations then regarding the 8th can be used to support it. (Qasas ul Qur’an 190/4)
Mufti Umar Faruq Desai Luharvi
(Shaykh-ul-hadith Dar-ul Uloom London)