Prophet ()
بسم
الله الرحمن الرحيم
The
commands mentioned in the Qur`aan and Sunnah to follow the laws of Allaah and
His Messenger and the prohibitions of introducing innovations into the religion
are quite clear. Allaah says that which translates as:
“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If you should love Allaah, then
follow me, [So] Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins.’ ”
(Aal
‘Imraan: 31)
“Follow, [O Mankind], what has been revealed to you from
your Lord and do not follow other than Him any allies. Little do you remember.”
(Al-A’raaf:
3)
“And [Moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so
follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His
way.”
(Al-An‘aam:
153)
The
Prophet () said:
“The
most truthful of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the
guidance of Muhammad, and the most evil of things are those which are
newly-invented.”
And
he () said:
“Whoever
innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islaam), that is not part of
it will have it rejected.” (Bukhaari &
Muslim)
According
to a version narrated by Muslim,
“Whoever
does anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e.,
Islaam), will have it rejected.”
Among
the reprehensible innovations that people have invented is the celebration of
the birthday of the Prophet ()
(Al-Mawlid) in the month of Rabee’ Al-Awwal. They celebrate this occasion in
various ways:
·
Some of them simply make it an occasion to gather and read the story of
Al-Mawlid, then they present speeches and Qaseedahs (odes) for this occasion.
·
Some of them make food and sweets etc., and offer them to the people present.
·
Some of them hold these celebrations in the mosques, and some of them hold them
in their houses.
·
Some people do not limit themselves to the actions mentioned above; they
include in these gatherings Haraam and reprehensible things, such as free
mixing between men and women, dancing and singing, or committing actions of
Shirk such as seeking the help of the Prophet (), calling upon him, seeking his support against their
enemies and so on.
Whatever
form it takes and whatever the intentions of those who do this are, there is no
doubt whatsoever that it is an invented, Haraam innovation which was introduced
by the Shee’ah Faatimids after the three best centuries of Islaam, in order to
corrupt the religion of the Muslims. The next person to do this after them and
re-introduce it was King Al-Mudhaffar Abu Sa‘eed Kawkaboori, the king of Irbil,
at the end of the sixth century or the beginning of the seventh century AH, as
was mentioned by the historians such as Ibn Khalkaan, may Allaah have mercy
upon him, and others.
Abu
Shaamah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:
“The
first person to do that in Mosul was Shaykh ‘Umar Ibn Muhammad Al-Malaa, one of
the well-known righteous people. Then the ruler of Irbil and others followed
his example.”
Ibn
Katheer, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said in his biography of Abu Sa’eed
Kazkaboori:
“He
used to observe the Mawlid in Rabee’ Al-Awwal and hold a huge celebration on
that occasion… some of those who were present at the feast of Al-Muzaffar on
some occasions of the Mawlid said that he used to offer in the feast five
thousand grilled heads of sheep, ten thousand chickens and one hundred thousand
large dishes, and thirty trays of sweets… he would let the Sufis sing from
Dhuhr until Fajr, and he himself would dance with them.”
Ibn
Khalkaan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:
“When
it is the first of Safar they decorate those domes with various kinds of fancy
adornments, and in every dome there sits a group of singers and a group of
puppeteers and players of musical instruments, and they do not leave any one of
those domes without setting up a group (of performers) there. The people give
up work during this period, and they do no work except for going around and
watching the entertainment. When there are two days to go until the Mawlid,
they bring out a large number of camels, cows and sheep, more than can be
described, and they accompany them with all the drums, songs and musical
instruments that they have, until they bring them to the square… On the night
of the Mawlid there are performances of nasheed after Maghrib in the citadel.”
So,
this is the origin of this celebration on the occasion of the Prophet’s
birthday. More recently idle entertainment, extravagance, and wasting of money
and time have become associated with an innovation for which Allaah has not
sent down any authority.
It
is incumbent upon all Muslims to revive the Sunnah and put an end to Bid‘ah
(innovation); they should not perform any action until they know the ruling of
Allaah concerning it.
Celebrating
the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet () is forbidden and is to be rejected for a number of
reasons:
1
– It is not part of the Sunnah of the Messenger () or of the khaleefahs who succeeded him. Since this is
the case, then it is a forbidden innovation, because the Prophet () said:
“I
urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs after
me; adhere to it and cling to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented things, for
every newly-invented thing is an innovation (Bid‘ah) and every innovation is a
going-astray.” (Ahmad & Tirmidhi)
Celebrating
the Mawlid is an innovation introduced by the Shee‘ah Faatimids after the three
best centuries of Islaam in order to corrupt the religion of the Muslims. If a
person does anything in order to draw closer to Allaah which was not done by
the Messenger () or enjoined by him, and was not
done by the khaleefahs who succeeded him, this action implies that he is
accusing the Messenger () of not fully explaining the
religion to the people, and that he disbelieves in the words of Allaah what
translates as:
“This day I have perfected for you your religion.”
(Al-Maa’idah:
3)
…because
he is adding something extra and claiming that it is a part of the religion,
which the Messenger () did not bring.
2
– Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet () is an imitation of the Christians, because they
celebrate the birth of the Messiah (). Imitating them is extremely Haraam. The Hadeeth tells
us that it is
forbidden
to imitate the Kuffaar, and we are commanded to differ from them. The Prophet () said:
“Whoever
imitates a people is one of them” (Ahmad
& Abu Daawood).
And
he said,
“Be
different from the mushrikeen (polytheists)” (Muslim)
…especially
with regard to things that are the symbols or rituals of their religion.
3
– Besides being Bid‘ah and an imitation of the Christians, both of which are
Haraam, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet () is also a means that leads to exaggeration and excess in
venerating him, which even goes as far as calling upon him (making Du‘aa to
him) and seeking his help, instead of calling upon Allaah, as happens now among
many of those who observe the Bid‘ah of the Mawlid, when they call upon the
Messenger () instead of Allaah, and ask him for
support, and sing Qaseedahs (odes) of shirk praising him, like Qaseedat
Al-Burdah etc. The Prophet ()
forbade going to extremes in praising him, as he said:
“Do
not extol me as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam. For I am just His
slave, so call me the slave of Allaah and His Messenger” (Bukhaari)
…
i.e., do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in
praising the Messiah and venerated him until they worshipped him instead of
Allaah. Allaah forbade them to do that when he said that which translates as:
“O people of the
Scripture (Christians)! Do not commit excess in your religion or say about
Allaah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a
Messenger of Allaah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created
at command] from Him.”
(An-Nisaa’:
171).
Our
Prophet () forbade us to exaggerate concerning
him lest the same thing happen to us as happened to them, so he said:
“Beware
of exaggeration, for those who came before you were destroyed because of
exaggeration.” (An-Nasaa`i)
4
– Observing the innovation of the Prophet’s birthday opens the door to other
kinds of Bid‘ah and being distracted by them from the Sunnah. Hence you find
that the innovators are very active when it comes to Bid‘ah and very lazy when
it comes to the Sunnah; they hate it and regard those who follow it as enemies,
until their entire religion is innovated anniversaries and Mawlids. They have
split into various groups, each of which commemorates the anniversary of its
Imaam’s birth, such as the births of Al-Badawi, Ibn ‘Arabi, Al-Dasooqi and
Al-Shaadhili. No sooner do they end the celebration of one birthday but they
start the celebration of another. This results in exaggeration concerning these
dead people and others, and in calling upon them instead of Allaah, believing
that they can bring benefit and cause harm, until they deviate from the
religion of Allaah and go back to the religion of the people of the Jaahiliyyah
about whom Allaah says that which translates as:
“And they worship other than Allaah that which neither
harms them nor benefits them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with
Allaah.’ ”
(Yoonus: 18).
“And those who protectors besides Him [say]: ‘We worship
them that they may bring us nearer to Allaah in position.’ ”
(Az-Zumar:
3).
Those
who think that this Bid‘ah should be continued produce specious arguments which
are flimsier than a spider’s web. These specious arguments may be dealt with as
follows:
1
– Their claim that this is veneration of the Prophet ():
The
response to that is that the way to venerate him is to obey him, do as he
commanded and avoid that which he forbade, and to love him; he is not to be
venerated through innovations, myths and sins. Celebrating his birthday is of
this blameworthy type because it is a sin. The people who venerated the Prophet
() the most were the Sahaabah, may
Allaah be pleased with them, as ‘Urwah Ibn Mas’ood, () , said to Quraysh:
“O
people, I swear by Allaah that I have visited kings. I went to Caesar, Chasroes
and the Negus, but I swear by Allaah that I never saw a king whose companions
venerated him as much as the companions of Muhammad venerated Muhammad. By
Allaah, whenever he spat it never fell to the ground, it fell into the hand of
one his companions, then they would wipe their faces and skins with it. If he
instructed them to do something, they would hasten to do as he commanded. When
he did wudoo´, they would almost fight over his water. When he spoke they would
lower their voices in his presence; and they did not stare at him out of
respect for him.” (Bukhaari)
Yet
despite this level of veneration, they never took the day of his birth as an ‘Eid
(festival). If that had been prescribed in Islaam they would not have neglected
to do that.
2
– Using as evidence the fact that many people in many countries do this.
The
response to that is that evidence can only consist of that which is proven from
the Prophet (), and what is proven from the
Prophet is that innovations are forbidden in general, and this is an
innovation. What people do, if it goes against the evidence (Daleel), does not
prove anything, even if many of them do it. Allaah says that which translates
as:
“And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will
mislead you from the way of Allaah.”
(Al-An‘aam:
116)
Nevertheless,
in every age, and all praise is due to Allaah, there have always been those who
denounce this Bid‘ah and state clearly that it is false. Those who persist in
following it after the truth has been explained to them have no proofs to fall
back on.
Among
those who denounced the celebration of this occasion was Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyyah, in Iqtidaa’ Al-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem; Imaam Al-Shaatibi in Al-I’tisaam;
Ibn Al-Haaj in Al-Madkhil; Shaykh Taaj Al-Deen ‘Ali Ibn ‘Umar Al-Lakhami who
wrote an entire book denouncing it; Shaykh Muhammad Basheer Al-Sahsawaani
Al-Hindi in his book Siyaanah Al-Insaan; Al-Sayyid Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa wrote
an essay on this topic; Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Ibraaheem Aali Ash-Shaykh wrote a
separate essay on it; Shaykh ‘Abd al-’Azeez Ibn Baaz; and others who are still
writing and denouncing this Bid‘ah every year in the pages of newspapers and
magazines, at a time when this Bid‘ah is widespread.
3
– They say that by celebrating the Mawlid they are keeping the memory of the
Prophet () alive.
The
answer to this is that the memory of the Prophet () is constantly kept alive by the Muslim, such as when his
name () is mentioned in the Adhaan and
Iqaamah and in Khutbahs, and every time the Muslim recites the Shahaadatayn
after doing Wudoo´ and in the prayers, and every time he sends blessings upon
the Prophet () in his prayers and when he is mentioned,
and every time the Muslim does a Waajib (obligatory) or Mustahabb (recommended)
action that was prescribed by the Messenger (). In all of these ways (the Muslim) remembers him and the
reward equivalent to the reward of the one who does that action goes back to
the Prophet (). Thus the Muslim constantly keeps
the memory of the Messenger alive and has a connection with him night and day
throughout his life through that which Allaah has prescribed, not only on the
day of the Mawlid and things which are Bid‘ah and go against the Sunnah, for
that puts one at a distance from the Messenger () and the Messenger will disown him because of that.
The
Messenger () has no need of this innovated
celebration, because Allaah has already bestowed veneration and respect upon
him, as He says that which translates as:
“And raised high for you your repute.”
(Ash-Sharh:
4)
This
is because the name of Allaah is not mentioned in the Adhaan, Iqaamah or
Khutbahs, except that the Messenger () is mentioned after Him; this is sufficient veneration,
love and renewal of his memory, and sufficient encouragement to follow him.
Allaah
did not refer to the birth of the Messenger () in the Qur`aan, rather He referred to his Mission, and
says what translates as:
“Indeed, Allaah conferred a great favour on the
believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves.”
(Aal
‘Imraan: 164)
“It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from
themselves.”
(Al-Jumu’ah:
2).
4
– They may say that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was introduced by
a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allaah.
Our
response to that is that Bid‘ah is not acceptable, no matter who does it. A
good intention does not justify a bad deed and even if a person died as a
knowledgeable and righteous person, this does not mean that he was infallible.
5
– They say that celebrating the Mawlid comes under the heading of Bid‘ah
Hasanah (good innovation) because it is based on giving thanks to Allaah for
the Prophet ()!
Our
response to that is that there is nothing good in innovation. The Prophet () said:
“Whoever
innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islaam), that is not part of
it will have it rejected.” (Bukhaari)
And
he () said:
“Every
innovation is a going astray.” (Ahmad &
Tirmidhi)
The
ruling on innovations is that they are all misguidance, but this specious
argument suggests that not every Bid‘ah is a going astray, rather there are
good innovations.
Ibn
Rajab, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:
“The
words of the Prophet (), ‘every
innovation is a going astray’ is a concise but
comprehensive comment which includes everything; it is one of the most
important principles of religion. It is like his words:
‘Whoever
innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islaam) that is not part of it
will have it rejected.’ (Bukhaari)
Whoever
innovates anything and attributes it to Islaam when it has no basis in the
religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islaam, whether that
has to do with matters of belief (‘Aqeedah) or outward and inward words and
deeds.”
These
people have no proof that there is any such thing as a “good innovation” apart
from the words of ‘Umar () concerning Taraaweeh prayers when
he said:
‘What
a good innovation this is.’ (Bukhaari)
They
also said that things were innovated which were not denounced by the Salaf,
such as compiling the Qur`aan into one volume and writing and compiling the
collections of Ahadeeth.
The
response to that is that these matters had a basis in Islam, so they were not
newly-invented.
‘Umar
() said: ‘What a good Bid‘ah,’ meaning
innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the Shar‘i sense. Whatever has a
basis in Islam, if it is described as an innovation, is an innovation in the
linguistic sense, not in the Shar‘i sense, because innovation in the Shar‘i
sense means that which has no basis in Islam.
Compiling
the Qur`aan into one book has a basis in Islam, because the Prophet () had commanded that the Qur`aan be written down,
but
it was scattered, so the Sahaabah compiled it in one volume so as so protect
and preserve it.
The
Prophet () led his companions in praying
Taraaweeh for a while, then he stopped doing that, lest it become obligatory on
them. The Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with them, continued to pray it
individually during the life of the Prophet () and after his death, until ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab () gathered them behind one Imaam as they used to pray
behind the Prophet (). Therefore, this was not an
innovation introduced into the religion.
Compiling
the collections of Ahadeeth also has a basis in Islaam. The Prophet () ordered that some Ahaadeeth be written down for some of
his companions when they asked him for that. Generally, doing this during his
lifetime was prohibited, for fear that the Qur`aan might be mixed with things
that were not part of it (from the sayings of the Prophet (). When the Prophet () died, this fear was no longer a factor, because the
Qur`aan had been completed and arranged in order before he died. The Muslims
compiled the Sunnah after that in order to preserve it and keep it from being
lost. May Allaah reward them with good on behalf of Islaam and the Muslims,
because they preserved the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet () from being lost or being tampered with.
We
may also say to them: why was this act of thanksgiving, as they call it, not
done by the best generations, the Sahaabah, Taabi‘een and followers of the
Taabi‘een, who loved the Prophet () the most and who were most keen to do good and give
thanks? Are those who introduced the innovation of the Mawlid more
rightly-guided than them? Do they give more thanks to Allaah? Definitely not!
6
– They may say that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet () is indicative of their love for him; this is one way of
showing that, and showing love of the Prophet () is prescribed in Islam!
The
answer to that is that undoubtedly loving the Prophet () is obligatory for every Muslim; he should love him more
than he loves himself, his child, his father and all of mankind – may my father
and mother be sacrificed for him – but that does not mean that we should
introduce innovations for doing so that have not been prescribed for us. Loving
him dictates that we should obey him and follow him, for that is one of the
greatest manifestations of love, as it is said: “If your love is sincere then
obey him; for the lover obeys the one whom he loves.”
Loving
the Prophet () implies keeping his Sunnah alive,
adhering firmly to it, and avoiding words and deeds that go against it.
Undoubtedly everything that goes against his Sunnah is a reprehensible
innovation (Bid‘ah) and a manifest act of disobedience. That includes
celebrating his birthday and other kinds of Bid‘ah. Having good intentions does
not mean that it is permissible to introduce innovations into the religion.
Islaam is based on two things, purity of intention and following the Prophet ().
Allaah
says that which translates as:
“Yes [on the contrary], whoever submits his face [i.e.,
self] in Islaam to Allaah while being a doer of good will have his reward with
his Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.”
(Al-Baqarah:
112)
Submitting
one’s face to Allaah means being sincere towards Allaah, and doing good means
following the Messenger () and implementing his Sunnah.
7
– Another of their specious arguments is when they say that by celebrating the
Mawlid and reading the biography of the Prophet () on this occasion, they are encouraging people to follow
his example!
We
say to them that reading the biography of the Prophet () and following his example are required of the Muslim all
the time, all year long and throughout his life. Singling out a specific day
for that with no evidence for doing so is an innovation, and
“…every
innovation is a going astray.” (Ahmad &
Tirmidhi)
Bid‘ah
does not bear any fruit but evil and it leads to a person distancing himself
from the Prophet ().
In
conclusion, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (), whatever form it takes, is a reprehensible innovation.
The Muslims should put a stop to this and other kinds of Bid‘ah, and occupy
themselves with reviving and adhering to the Sunnah. They should not be
deceived by those who promote and defend this Bid‘ah, for these types of people
are more interested in keeping innovations alive than in reviving the Sunnah;
they may not even care about the Sunnah at all. Whoever is like this, it is not
permissible to imitate him or follow his example, even if the majority of
people are like this. Rather we should follow the example of those who follow
the path of the Sunnah, among the righteous Salaf and their followers, even if
they are few. Truth is not measured by the men who speak it; rather men are
measured by the truth.
The
Prophet () said:
“Whoever
among you lives (for a long time) will see many differences. I urge you to
follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs who come after
me. Hold on to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every
innovation is a going astray.” (Ahmad &
Tirmidhi)
So
the Prophet () explained to us in this Hadeeth
what we should do when there are differences of opinion, just as he explained
that everything that goes against his Sunnah, be it words or deeds, is a Bid‘ah,
and every Bid‘ah is a going astray.
If
we see that there is no basis for celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (), whether in the Sunnah or in the way of the
rightly-guided khaleefahs, then it is one of the newly-invented matters, one of
the Bid‘ahs which lead people astray. This principle is what is implied by this
Hadeeth and is what is indicated by the Aayah which translates as:
“O you who have believed, Obey Allaah and obey the
Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything,
refer it to Allaah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allaah and the
Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.”
(An-Nisaa´:
59)
Referring to Allaah
means referring to His Book, and referring to the Messenger () means referring
to his Sunnah after he has passed away. The Qur`aan and Sunnah are the
reference point in cases of dispute. Where in the Qur`aan or Sunnah does it
indicate that it is prescribed in Islam to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday?
Whoever does that or thinks that it is good must repent to Allaah from this and
from other kinds of Bid‘ah. This is the attitude of the Muslim who is seeking
the truth. But whoever is too stubborn and arrogant after proof has been
established, then his reckoning will be with his Lord.
Credit:
Saalih
al-Fawzaan
صالح الفوزان
Dhikrullah Ibn Nasr
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