Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago

Question:

As Salaamu Alaikum,

What are the views regarding the celebration of the birthday of our prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) . Is it that people celebrate it because of culture? Because as far as I’ve been told, the prophet (s.a.w.) never celebrated his own birthday. Is it an innovation of mankind? Because I see mosques collecting money to host big celebrations for this.

Answer:

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

The customary celebration of the birthday of the Prophet (S.A) is an innovation which has been invented long after the demise of the Prophet (S.A).  The Prophet (S.A) did not celebrate his birthday. His beloved companions also did not do it, and the Tab’ut Tabieen also did not do it. These were the 3 pious generations which the Prophet (S.A) himself spoke about, and were the 3 best generations of the Muslim Ummah. About this, he said, ‘The best of all times is my time, then those who came after, and then those who came after’. (Sahih Al Bukhari Hadith No. 2652, Muslim Hadith No. 2533).

These three pious, and best generations of the Muslim Ummah were Sahabhs (those companions who lived at the time of the Prophet (S.A)), then the Tabi’oon (those followers who came after the time of the Sahabahs and met the generation of the Sahabas), and then the Tab’ut Tabi’een (Followers of the followers (Tabi’oon), who came after the Tabi’oon period but met the Tabi’oon).

In these three blessed generations, not a single Muslim from among the Sahabah’s, Tabioon or Tab’ut Tabi’een celebrated the birth of the Prophet (S.A) or held any such gatherings which were known as the ‘Miladun Nabi’ or ‘Mawlid un Nabi’.

Regarding the origin of these gatherings and functions, the great scholar and Shaikh of Hadith, Allamah Abdul Haqq has written in his famous work ‘Fatawa Haqaniya, ‘(It should be noted that) this custom and innovation (of Miladun Nabi) was not present during the first 600 years of Islamic History. This (custom) was not an invention of a companion (Sahabi), Tabi’ee, Muhadith, Jurist or a Saint. In fact, this type of gathering was the invention of an irreligious King in the year 604 A.H in the city of Mosul. While writing about this, Imam Ahmad bin Muhammad Misri Maliki (A.R) states, ‘The King of Irbal, Muzaffar Abu Saeed Kawkari was a spend drift (Musrif). He ordered the scholars of his time to act according to their opinions and judgements and leave off the Mazhab of others. A group of the scholars became inclined to him. He (the King) had gatherings of the Milad during the month of Rabiul Awwal, and he was the first of the kings to innovate this practice’. (Al Qaulul Mu’tamad Fi Amalil Mawlid).

‘One of the main supporters/scholars who supported the irreligious king in this innovation was Umar bin Dahiya Abul Khattab who died in the year 633 A.H. The evil character of this irreligious learnt man is a fact upon which there exists unanimity among the great and pious scholars of Islam. The great scholar, Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani (A.R) says about this scholar who was responsible to a great extent for the innovation of the Miladun Nabi, ‘He was a person who insulted the Jurists of Islam and the pious predecessors of the former times. He had a filthy tongue. He was a foolish man, ignorant, excessively proud, possessed little insight in the affairs of Islam and was negligent’. (Lisaanul Mizaan). Hafiz Ibn Hajar further writes, ‘Allama Ibn Najaar (A.R) said, ‘I have witnessed unanimity of opinion among the people as to him (the scholar Umar bin Dahiya) being a liar and an unreliable person’- (Lisaanul Mizaan)’

‘It is these two people who came together and invented the practice of Miladun Nabi. Many scholars coming after this period rejected and refuted this celebration and considered it as an evil Bidah. From among these scholars are:
– Imam Naseerudeen Shafi in his ‘Irshaad Al Ikhtiyaar’
– Mujahid Alf Thani in his ‘Maktoobaat’
– Allama Ibn Ameer Al Hajj Maliki in his ‘Al Madkhal’.

‘In ‘Al Madkhal’, Allama Ibn Ameer Al Hajj Maliki writes, ‘And from among these invented practices of Bidah, which they hold as being from the great acts of Ibadah and a symbol of Islam is what they do in the month of Rabiul Awwal from the Milad. This is in itself an innovation (Bidah), because this is an excess in Deen and was not from the acts of the pious predecessors of the past’. (Al Madkhal)

‘Allama Abdur Rahman has written in his Fatawa, ‘Certainly the practice of Milad is a Bidah (innovation). The Prophet (S.A) did not speak about it, he did not do it and the four Khalifas as well as the Imams have not done it’.

Allama Ahmad bin Muhammad Misri Maliki writes, ‘The scholars of the four Mazhabs have full unanimity that this act (of the Milad) is blameworthy’. (Fatawa Haqaniya vol.2 pg.93-95. Published by Jamia Darul Uloom Haqaniya Akora Khatak Nawshera Pakistan 2002).

And Allah knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

17/11/2018.