A Debate Over Celebrating Prophet's Birthday
by Haroon Saadiq
Speaker 1:Assalam o Alaikum . Wish you a very Happy Eid Milad-un-Nabi
Speaker 2:Wa Alaikum Assalam. Islam has only got two Eids. i.e. Eid ul Azha and Eid ul Fitr. Celebrating the Prophets Birthday and naming it Eid is an innovation. The companions of the Prophet are not found celebrating this day and neither did the Prophet order anyone to celebrate it. Please see the article Celebrating The Prophet's Birthday for some more details. I hope you are not offended, this is just for information purpose.
Speaker 1:Evidence of general consensus of Muslim ummah and scholars (Ulma) regarding Eid Milad-ul-Nabi.
1) Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Suyuti in his famous book "Al-Hawii Lil-Fatawii" allocated a special chapter on that topic and named it "The Excellence of Objective in Celebrating the Mawlid" where he said: The question under consideration is what the verdict of the Shari'ah on celebrating the Holy Birthday of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) during the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal. From the point of view of Shari'ah is this a praiseworthy action or a blameworthy one? And do those who arrange such celebration Receive blessings or not? He said:
" The reply to this question is that in my view the Meelad Shareef (Celebration of the Birthday of the Noble Prophet Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is in fact such an occasion of happiness on which people assemble and recite the Holy Qu'ran to the extent that is easy. Then they relate the prophecies concerning the appearance of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) that have been transmitted in Ahadith and Author, and the miraculous events and signs that took place on his birth. Then food is set before them and according to their desire they partake thereof to satisfaction. This festival of celebrating the birthday of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is a Bid'ah Hasanah (good Innovation) and those arranging it will get blessing, since in such a celebration is found the expression of joy and happiness at the greatness and eminence of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and his birth ".
Even Ibn Tay'miah said in his book "Necessity of the Right Path", p. 266, 5th line from the bottom of that page, published by Dar Al-Hadith, the following:
"As far as what people do during the Meelad, either as a rival celebration to that which the Christian do during the time of Christ's birthday or as an expression of their love and admiration and a sign of praise for the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), Allah Almighty will surely reward them for such Ij'tiha". He then said: "Although Meelad was not practiced by (Salaf), they should have done so since there was no objection against it from the Shari'ah point of view"
And we certainly only celebrate Meelad out of love and admiration to the Prophet of all Mankind.
2) Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Qastalani, who gave commentary on Sahih Bukhari, said:
"May Allah Almighty shower his Mercy upon a person who takes the days of the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal, in which the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) was born, as days of feast and celebration for doing so is the best cure for the heart of an ailing person."
3) Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar was asked, same reference of Imam Suyuti, about Meelad Shareef. His reply was:
" Meelad Shareef is, in fact, and innovation, which was not transmitted from any pious predecessor in the first three centuries. Nevertheless, both acts of virtue as well as acts of abomination are found in it (i.e. Sometimes acts of virtue are found therein and sometimes acts of abomination). If in the Meelad Shareef only acts of virtue are done and acts of abomination are abstained from, then the Meelad Shareef is a Bid'ah Hasanah (good innovation), otherwise not."
He then added:
" To do any virtuous act and to observe it annually as means of recollection for any special day on which Allah Almighty has bestowed any favor or removed any calamity is a form of showing gratitude to Allah Almighty. Gratitude to Allah Almighty is expressed through different kinds of Ibaadah (worship) -prostration and standing in prayer, charity and recitation of the Holy Qu'ran. And what is a greater favor from Allah Almighty can there be than the appearance of the Prophet of Mercy (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) on this day (i.e. 12th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal)?"
Some people do not limit it and celebrate the Meelad Shareef on any day of Rabbi-ul-Awwal. Nay, some people have extended it even more and increased the period to the whole year. According to the latter, the Meelad Shareef can be celebrated on any day of the year. The objective here is the same, i.e. to rejoice at and celebrate the Holy Birth of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him).
4) Imam Abu-Bakr Abdullah Al-Demashqi compiled a number of books on the subject and called them "Collection of Traditions on the Birth of the Chosen Prophet", "The Pure Expression on the Birthday of the Best of Creations" and "The Spring for the Thirsty One on the Birth of the Rightly Guided".
5) Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Iraqi wrote a book and called it "The Pure Spring on the Sublime Birth".
6) Imam Ibn Dahyah wrote a book and called it "Enlightenment on the Birthday of the Bearer of Good News, The Warner".
7) Imam Mulla Ali Qari wrote a book and called it "The Quenching Spring on the Birthday of the Prophet".(Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him)
8) Imam Shams Ul-Din bin Naser Al-Dumashqi, said in his book: "The Spring for the Thirsty One on the Birth of the Rightly Guided" about the story of Abu Lahab that he will receive a light punishment every Monday for expressing joy at the birth of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon him) on that day. The Imam said the following verse of poetry, the translation is: If such Kafir was denounced in the (Qur'an) and perished are his hands, and in the Flames is his eternal abode It is narrated that every Monday. His torment is made easy for his Joy at the Birth of Ahmad What is the expectation then of a servant who spent all his life Happy with the Arrival of Ahmad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him)and died on the Oneness of Allah.
9) Imam Shams ul-Din Ibn aL-Jazri, the Imam of reciters, wrote a book and named it "The Scent of Notification on the Blessed Birthday".
10) Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Al-Jawzi, said in the description of Meelad:
"Peace and Tranquillity takes over during that year and a good glad tiding to obtain your wish and inspiration".
11) Imam Abu-Shamah, The Sheik of Al Hafiz Al Nawawi, said:
" The best of the innovations of our times is what is carried out on the day of corresponding to the birthday of our Beloved Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), where people give out donations, practice what is right, express their joy and happiness, in doing so is surely a sign of love and admiration for the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon him)".
Speaker 2:Thanks for the loads of information about sayings of scholars, but unfortunately there is no saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the greatest Imam of this Ummah, nor of his respected Companions who are the greatest scholars of Islam, about celebrating this day. To explain the Islamic aqeedah (faith) Allah says:
" O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger and make not your deeds vain! " [Al-Quran 47:33]
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says:
" Whoever does a deed which is not in accord with our tradition, then that deed will not be accepted " [Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Sales (Bargains), Chapter: An-Najsh and also in Sahih Muslim in Kitab Al-Aqdiyya]
" Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that does not belong to it shall have that action rejected " [Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Peacemaking, Chapter: If some people are reconciled on illegal basis, their reconciliation is rejected and also in Sahih Muslim in Kitab Al-Aqdiyya]
Sayings of scholars has no value if they are not based on Quran and Sahih Ahadeeth, we cannot make them our Lords, like those Jews and Christians who did before us.
" They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their
monks to be their lords besides Allah " [Al-Quran 9:31]
Beside those who are in favor of Meelad, there are many scholars who are not in favor of these celebrations. The answer is not the comparison of Scholars and their sayings but to find out what Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) ordered us to do (which is pure Islam). The Companions of the Prophet are much superior to the later age scholars. If the scholars themselves admit that they (Companions of Prophet) never celebrated meelad, then are we not forced to believe that they (the Companions) had less love for the Prophet as compared to the later age muslims? May Allah protect us from this sinful thinking. The Companions of the Prophet are the most knowledgeable of the people concerning his (Prophet's) Sunnah and they are the most beloved to the Prophet. They were also the most keen upon following whatever the Prophet brought. Therefore, if one is supposed to celebrate the Prophet's birthday, this would have been made evident at their time.
Regarding Bid'ah al-Hasanah, think for a moment about the Maghrib Prayer, if instead of two rakaat of Sunnah, someone prays three, then would it be a Bid'ah Hasanah or an alteration in relegion? This division of Bid'ah into Hasanah (Good) and Sayyi'ah (Bad) is man made innovation. According to Allah's Apostle Every Bid'ah is error, as he said: " Kullo Bid'ah Dhala la " [Sahih Muslim]. For more information on Bid'ah, you may read the article Bid'ah - Innovation in Religion.
May Allah guide and unite us all on the staright path and the correct faith.
Speaker 1:
" And We sent not before you any but men, whom We sent revelation. So ask (you, O pagans of Makkah) of those who know the Scripture (Learned men of Taurat and Injeel) if you know not " [Al Qur'an, 16:43]
These are great scholars of deen accepted by all. They have their reasons for saying this. They studied Islam all their lives and made these decisions. I don't know if you're at their level to be making this type of decision. They were mostly hafiz-e-hadith and top class fuqaha. Please reflect upon this.
Speaker 2:
Do they not then think deeply in The Quran
or are their hearts locked up? [Al-Quran 47:24]
Is this thinking only for Scholars or Everyone? The clash is not between me and the scholars but is between the The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and the Sayings of Scholars either by their mistakes (which every human being is prone to) or by what has been ascribed towards them, which they are unaware of. If they have any reason from Quran and Hadeeth then it should come forward otherwise their sayings would not be acted upon as per Islamic Faith, which I have already explained to you. Please read these articles for knowing more about "Taqleed" (Blind Following). Misconceptions About Taqleed and Articles in The Ideology Section.
Below are the sayings of some famous scholars:
Imam Malik: " Being a human being my sayings can be right or wrong so take those to follow which are in accordance with the Quran and the Hadith, and leave those which are against it " [Ref: Jaame by Ibne Abdul Bar]
Imam Sha'fi: " If anyone finds something against the Sunnah, it should be left and Hadith / Sunnah should be followed " [Ref: said by Ibne Asakar and Ibne Qaym]
Imam Ahmad: " Don't be my muqallid (person who follows someone without reasoning) or of Imam Maalik, Shaafi, Auzai or Imam Nawawi. Take the orders (regarding religious issues) from where these Imams have taken (i.e Quran and Hadith)." [Ref: said by Fulani]
Ibn Jauzi writes in his book Talbees Iblis: " To blindly follow is to make knowledge ineffective. The real function of the intellect is to think, ponder, meditate and dig up hidden points and the significance of ideas. The intellect is a light for the guidance of life, Allah has bestowed this light upon every human being. But very few use this, most put off this light and walk in darkness "
Read the artice Research Regarding Blind Following to see what Ibn-e-Taymiya, Shah Waliullah and many other Scholars believed in.
Any way Insha Allah I will try to go through the References you provided. Please provide me with the following information, so that it saves me time:
A) Regarding the reference books you mentioned, please provide me their names in Arabic so that it is easy to find out.
B) Please give the full name of "Ibn Hajar" (you mentioned in point 3) since there are other scholars with same name who are not the famous Ibn Hajar i.e. Al-Asqalani. Also give the reference.
C) Regarding the references in your point 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, apart from the name of books in Arabic, please let me know what evidence they provide about celebrations of Meelad, you have only mentioned the name of books.
Speaker 1:
Dear brother I have the fatwa of Imam Suyuti with me. It is five pages long and approves entirely with the celebration of mawlid. Also, I have the commentry of Imam Shafi on bida't in which he accepts praiseworthy innovations.
As for Ibn Hajar, I was talking of Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Qastalani. He wrote of the approval of Milad Shareef in his commentry of bukhari. I think the books title is Fath al-Bari.
Speaker 2:
The information is still pending. Please let me know:
A) Regarding the reference books you mentioned in your first mail, please provide the names in Arabic so that it is easy to find out.
B) Regarding the references in point 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, apart from the name of books in Arabic, please let me know what evidence they provide about celebrations of Meelad, you have only mentioned the name of books. Please quote.
C) You are confusing Qastalani with Asqalani. Fath al-Bari contains the commentary of Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani and not Qastalani. Let me know if either of them or both of them are in favor of meelad celebrations. Quote where in their books is mentioned about meelad celebrations.
In your first mail you mentioned in point no.3
> > 3. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar was asked, same reference of Imam Suyuti, about Meelad Shareef. His reply was.... < <i.e. same refrence as of Imam Suyuti. But in this mail you have mentioned that it is in his commentary on Bukhari. Please clarify.
D) You have mentioned about the commentary of Imam Shafi on Bid'ah, saying that he accepts praise worthy innovations. Please quote so that it can be checked out.
Speaker 1:
Asqalani's Fatawa by As-Suyuti. Al-Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti said in his Hawi li al-fatawa: "The Sheikh of Islam and hadith master of his age, Ahmad ibn Hajar (`Asqalani) was asked about the practice of commemorating the birth of the Prophet, and gave the following written reply: As for the origin of the practice of commemorating the Prophet's birth, it is an innovation that has not been conveyed to us from any of the pious early muslims of the first three centuries, despite which it has included both features that are praiseworthy and features that are not. If one takes care to include in such a commemoration only things that are praiseworthy and avoids those that are otherwise, it is a praise worthy innovation, while if ones does not, it is not. An authentic primary textual basis from which its legal validity is inferable has occured to me, namely the rigorously authenticated (saheeh) hadeeth in the collections of Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet came to Medina and found the Jews fasting on the tenth of Muharram.
Imam Abu Shama, the sheikh of Imam Nawawi, said in his book on innovations entitled: al-Ba`ith `ala inkar al-bida` wa al-hawadith:
The best innovation in our day is the remembrance of the Prophet's birthday. On that day, people give much donations, make much worship, show much love to the Prophet, and give much thanks to Allah Almighty for sending them His messenger to keep them on the Sunna and Shari`a of Islam.
Al-Imam Asalafi Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597) wrote a booklet of poems and sira to be read at Mawled celebrations. It is entitled Mawlid al-`arus and begins with the words: al-hamdu lillah al-ladhi abraza min ghurrati `arusi al-hadrati subhan mustanira: "Praise be to Allah Who has manifested from the radiance of the bridegroom of His presence a light-giving daybreak..."
Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya's Opinion on the Celebration of the Mawlid.
This is Imam Ibn Taymiyya's opinion about Mawlid from: "the Collected Fatwas," ("Majma' Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya,") Vol. 23, p. 163: "fa-t'adheem al-Mawlid wat-tikhaadhuhu mawsiman qad yaf'alahu ba'ad an-naasi wa yakunu lahu feehi ajra `adheem lihusni qasdihi t'adheemihi li-Rasulillahi, salla-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam"
"To celebrate and to honor the birth of the Prophet (s) and to take it as an honored season, as some of the people are doing, is good and in it there is a great reward, because of their good intentions in honoring the Prophet (s)."
Ibn Qayyim's Opinion on Recitation of the Prophet's (s) Birthday. Allama Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah, the best and most reknowned student of Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, writes, on page 498 of "Madarij as-Salikin,"
"Listening to a good voice celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (s) or celebrating any of the holy days in our history gives peace to the heart, and gives the listener light from the Prophet (s) to his heart, and he will drink more from the Muhammadan spring (`ayn al-Muhammadiyya)."
Ibn Kathir Praises the Night of Mawlid. One of the most reknowned scholars is Ibn Kathir. Ibn Kathir was a muhaddith from the followers of Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, rahmatullah `alayh. Ibn Kathir, in the last days of his life wrote a book entitled "Mawlid Rasul Allah (s)" which was spread far and wide. That book mentioned the permissibility and recommendability of celebrating the Mawlid.
Ibn Kathir says in the aforementioned book, p. 19: "The Night of the Prophet's (s) birth is a magnificent, noble, blessed and holy night, a night of bliss for the believers, pure, radiant with lights and of immeasurable price."
Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya Said: "Laylat al-'Israa' wal-Mi'raj is Greater than Laylat al-Qadr". Imam Ibn Taymiyya said that Laylat al-'Israa' wal-Mi'raj was better than Laylat al-Qadr. He is quoted by Ibn Qayyim in the latter's book, "al-Badaa'i," Vol. 3, page 162: "wa suila shaikh ul-Islam `an Laylat ul-Qadri wa Laylat ul- 'Israai' ayyuhuma afdal? Fa-ajaaba bi-anna Laylat ul-'Israai' afdal fee haqq in-Nabee"
"Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyya was asked, `Which is better, Laylat al-Qadr or Laylat al-'Israa'?' and he answered, `With respect to the Prophet (s), Laylat al-'Israa' is better than Laylat al-Qadr.'"
Now we ask: If Ibn Taymiyya accepted that Laylat al-'Israa' may be considered better than Laylat ul-Qadr, why not consider that Laylat al-Mawlid is better than Laylat al-'Israa', since the Night of the Prophet's (s) Birth is the night in which was born the one who went to `Isra' and Mi'raaj? Therefore we say, as Ibn Marzuq, the reknowned student of Imam Nawawi said: "Laylat al-Mawlid is better than Laylat al-Qadr."
HUSN AL MAQSID FI `AMAL AL-MAWLID THE GOODNESS OF INTENTION IN CELEBRATING THE PROPHET'S BIRTHDAY Translated from Suyuti's 'Al-Hawi lil-Fatawi' 2 vols. (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-`Arabi, n.d.) 1:251-252.
"Praise be to God and peace be upon those of His servants He has elected. The question has been asked about the celebration of Mawlid al-Nabawi in the month of Rabi` al-awwal: what is the ruling concerning it according to shari`a, and is it praiseworthy or blameworthy, and does the one who practices it obtain reward for it or no?
"I answer that the origin of the celebration of Mawlid, which consists in the gathering of people, the recitation of Qur'an, the narrating of accounts related to the beginnings of the Prophet (s) and the miracles that have been told as taking place upon his birth, and then in the giving of food to the people who eat and leave without adding anything to this, -- *this is one of the praiseworthy innovations* [huwa min al-bida` al-hasana] for the doing of which one obtains reward, because of the respect shown to the greatness of the Prophet (s) and the demonstration of joy and happiness at the news of his noble birth.
"The first to have innovated that practice is the ruler of Irbil, King al-Muzaffar Abu Sa`eed... one of the noblest and most generous kings (to have ruled). He left man good bequests. He is the one who built the Muzaffari masjid on the side of Jabal Qasyun [in Syria; it is said that Judgment Day will take place on that mountain].
"Ibn Kathir said in his 'Tarikh' [History]: 'He [Muzaffar] used to celebrate the noble Mawlid in Rabi` al-Awwal and organize huge festivities for it. He was a wise king, brave, a fierce fighter, intelligent, learned, and just. May he have mercy on him and ennoble his grave. Shaykh Abu al-Khattab ibn Dihya compiled for him a book on the Mawlid of the Prophet (s) an named it 'al-Tanwir fi Mawlid al-Bashir al-Nadhir' [The Illumination Concerning the Birthday of the Bringer of Glad Tidings and Warner] and the king rewarded him with 1,000 dinars for it. His rule lasted until he died in the year 630 [Hijri] as he was besieging the French in the city of Acca [Acre, Palestine] after a glorious and blameless life.'"
It is enough for now to show the position of Suyuti on celebrating the Mawlid. His entire fatwa is that it is good to celebrate it. He calls it "a praiseworthy innovation" according to Imam Shafi`i's classification of innovations between "good" and "bad."
Shaykh Qardawi Approves of Celebrating Mawlid an-Nabi (sallallahu 'alahi wasallam)
"Actually, celebrating the Prophet's birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam..."
Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, in replying to the question on whether Mawlid should be celebrated replied:
We all know that the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not celebrate the Prophet's birthday, Hijrah or the Battle of Badr, because they witnessed such events during the lifetime of the Prophet who always remained in their hearts and minds.
Sa`d Ibn Abi Waqqaas said that they were keen on telling their children the stories of the Prophet's battles just as they were keen on teaching them the Qur'an. Therefore, they used to remind their children of what happened during the Prophet's lifetime so they did not need to hold such celebrations. However, the following generations began to forget such a glorious history and its significance. So such celebrations were held as a means of reviving great events and the values that we can learn from them.
Unfortunately, such celebrations include some innovations when they should actually be made to remind people of the Prophet's life and his call. Actually, celebrating the Prophet's birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam. Such an occasion is meant to remind people of how the Prophet lived. Allah Almighty says:
" Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the last Day, and remembereth Allah much " [Al-Ahzab: 21]
By celebrating the Prophet's Hijrah, we should teach them values such as sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Companions, the sacrifice of `Ali who slept in the Prophet's place on the night of the Hijrah, the sacrifice of Asmaa' as she ascended the Mountain of Thawr. We should teach them to plan the way the Prophet planned for his Hijrah, and how to trust in Allah as the Prophet did when Abu Bakr told him: "We could be seen so easily, the Prophet replied saying: "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two when Allah is their third?" "Have no fear, for Allah is with us." (At-Tawbah: 40)
We need all these lessons and such celebrations are a revival of these lessons and values. I think that these celebrations, if done in the proper way, will serve a great purpose, getting Muslims closer to the teachings of Islam and to the Prophet's Sunnah and life.
As for celebrating `Ashooraa', the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, celebrated this day by fasting only. He asked the Jews why they fasted on that day and they told him that it was the day that Allah saved Moses and the people of Israel. The Prophet replied saying: "We have more of a right to Moses than you." So he fasted on that day and ordered the people to fast on that day. He also said near the end of his life: "By Allah, if I lived longer I would fast on the 9th of Muharram." That is, that he would fast on the 9th and the 10th in order to be different from the Jews who fast on the 10th only. However, some of the Sunnis celebrate `Ashura as if it were a feast. The Shi`ah consider it a day of sadness and mourning, but all such things are innovations and are completely un-Islamic.
As for the second part of the question [what is exact birth date of the Prophet (s)], the exact date of the Prophet's birth is disputed , but it is most likely to be on Monday, 9th Rabee`Al-Awwal (20th or 22nd of April, 571 AC), the same year in which the invasion of the Elephants took place against the Ka`bah. And he, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away on Monday 12, Rabee` Al-Awwal in the eleventh year of Hijrah (8 June 632 AC.)
Allah Almighty knows best. [Source: Mufti Islam Online Fatwa Committee Date: Date 19/Apr/2001 ] May Allah bless Shaykh Al-Qardawi for asserting the truth!
Below is a list of books supporting Mawlid, Please read them.
Imam Mohammed bin Abu Bakr Abdullah al Qaisi al Dimashqi: He wrote Jami' al athar fi mawlid, Al nabiy al mukhtar, Al lafz al ra'iq fi mawlid khayr al khala'iq, and Mawlid al sa'ada fi mawlid al hadi. Imam Al 'Iraqi: He wrote Al Mawlid al heni fi al mawlid al sani. Mulla 'Ali Al Qari: He wrote Al mawlid al rawi fil mawlid al nabawi. Imam Ibn Dahiya: He wrote Al Tanweer fi mawlid al basheer al nadheer.
Imam Shamsu Din bin Nasir al Dimashqi: He wrote Mawlid al sa'ada fi mawlid al hadi. He is the one who said about the Prophet's e estranged uncle, Abu Lahab, "This unbeliever who has been disparaged, 'perish his hands', 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: He wrote Al nashr fil qira'at al 'ashr, 'urf al ta'reef bil mawlid al shareef.
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 Propliet'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 Qastallani (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 e birth into festivities in order to increase 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.
I hope that clears up the confusion. I also have a refutation of Bin Baaz's fatawa against Mawlid, if you would like to see it. Ibn Rajab Article on Mawlid.
Please note it was ash-shaykh Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haythami (and not Asqalani) that Imam Suyuti wrote about in his fatawa mentionned in Al hawi lil fatawi.
Speaker 2:
Following is the analysis of the references you provided:
- Ibn Taymiyyah:
The translation and quotation you cited seems to be tampered since it gives the wrong meaning. As for what you have quoted, Ibn Tay'miah said in his book "Necessity of the Right Path"
"As far as what people do during the Meelad, either as a rival celebration to that which the Christian do during the time of Christ's birthday or as an expression of their love and admiration and a sign of praise for the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), Allah Almighty will surely reward them for such Ij'tiha". He then said: "Although Meelad was not practiced by (Salaf), they should have done so since there was no objection against it from the Shari'ah point of view".
The correct version from Ibn Taymiyyah's book "Iqtidha al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem" (Necessity of the Right Path) is as under:
" Allah Almighty MAY reward them on this love and the will to endeavor, Not on this Bid'ah that they have made the birthday of The Prophet as an Eid "
Note: You translated, "Allah Almighty will SURELY reward". The arabic word here is "Qad" and it means here "MAY" since it is with "Fail Mudaa'ray" (Present or Future Tense) . If it was with "Madee" (Past Tense) then it would have meant "Surely". Moreover the probability of reward according to Ibn Taymiyyah is because of love and Ijtihad, and not because of this Bid'ah. He clearly mentions:
Not on this Bid'ah that they have made the birthday of The Prophet as an Eid But in your quotation you have omitted this half of the sentence, which specifically shows that Ibn Taymiyyah did not approve the celebrations of Eid Milad un Nabi and he called it as Bid'ah.
He further says:
" Moreover people disagree on the date of birth of the Prophet. This is surely an act that Salaf never did. Although the reason requiring this (love and admiration) existed and there was nothing that could stop them, had it been really good. If it was really good or a preferable thing, the Salaf had a better right to do it than us, because they had more love and admiration for the Prophet than us. They were more desirous of doing any good thing than us."
Now this clearly shows that Ibn Taymiyyah is against the Mawlid celebrations. But you have quoted Ibn Taymiyyah as saying:
"Although Meelad was not practiced by (Salaf), they should have done so since there was no objection against it from the Shari'ah point of view"
This is a clear lie ascribed towards Ibn Taymiyyah.
Continuing further he says:
" The highest degree of love and admiration is in following his (Prophet's) footsteps and obeying and following his orders and revival of his Sunnah, secretly and openly and spreading of the Deen he brought. And jihad with heart, hand and tongue for this purpose. And this is the way of al-Sa'biqeen al-Awaleen (Salaf), Muhajireen, Ansaar and those who followed them in good manner.
He says:
Most people whom you find keen for such type of Bid'ah, although they have good intentions and endeavor for which one hopes that they may get reward, you find that they do not come up to the mark in fulfilling the orders of the Prophet, as they have been instructed to be really active in this. Their example is like one who decorates the Mushaf (Quran) but does not read it or reads but does not follow it. Or he is like one who decorates Masjid and does not pray in it or prays very little. Or like one who adopts beads of Tasbih and decorated prayer mats and other superficial decoration which are not in Shariah and with them comes "Riya", "Kibar" and negligence of those acts which are mandatory in Shariah. This is what spoils the condition of the one who commits it, as has been indicated in the tradition:
Then he quotes this hadith:
' It never happens that the actions of an Ummah spoil, but they start decorating their Masajid ' [Ibn Majah, Kitab ul Masajid wal Jama'at]
(Note: This hadeeth is not authentic because of the narrator Jubara bin al-Mughallis, who is weak)
In Majmua' Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya, Vol. 25, p.298, he says:
" To hold celebrations other than celebrations of Shariah as is a night of Rabee al-Awal about which is called that it is the night of the Holy Prophet's birthday (Lailatul Mawlid), or a particular night in Rajab or 18th of Zil Hajj, or first Jumua of Rajab, or 8th of Shawal which is considered by some ignorant people as Eid ul Abrar, All these are Bid'ah. Never liked by Salaf and Never acted upon. And Allah Subhanahu Wata A'la knows best "
Thus it is very clear that Ibn Taymiyyah is not in favor of these Mawlid celebrations and he calls it Bid'ah.
And as for what you have quoted, Ibn Taymiyya's opinion about Mawlid from "The Collected Fatwas," ("Majma' Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya,") Vol. 23, p. 163:
"Fa-t'adheem al-Mawlid wat-tikhaadhuhu mawsiman qad yaf'alahu ba'ad an-naasi wa yakunu lahu feehi ajra `adheem lihusni qasdihi t'adheemihi li-Rasulillahi, salla-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam"
"To celebrate and to honor the birth of the Prophet (s) and to take it as an honored season, as some of the people are doing, is good and in it there is a great reward, because of their good intentions in honoring the Prophet (s)."
I was unable to find it in his Majmua, I think the page numbers are different. Any way, from what you have mentioned in Arabic, this statement seems to be incomplete. It is somewhat like a question, which lacks an answer. The translation seems to be tampered. The words "Is Good" in translation are not present in the Arabic portion. Moreover the translation contradicts Ibn Taymiyyah's views about Mawlid celebrations. I have already mentioned his views about Mawlid celebrations i.e. He is not in favor of them.
Ibn Taymiyya's opinion that Laylat al-'Israa' may be considered better than Laylat ul-Qadr with respect to Prophet. Or your conclusion that Laylat al-Mawlid is better than Laylat al-'Israa' or Laylat al-Qadr is irrelevant to the topic under discussion. This is no daleel and it does not approve of the celebrations just by comparing nights with each other.
- Abu Shama:
It just shows his view about Mawlid, which is based on his Qiyas. There is no evidence from Quran and Sunnah about it. Moreover in the same book i.e. "Ba'ith ala Inkar al bida wal hawadith" (p12), [in your book it must be page no 22 since your reference was found on page 13 of my book] he mentions Harmala bin Yahya saying, that he heard from Imam Shafi saying, Innovations are of two types:
1) Appreciable Innovations
2) Condemnable Innovations
Any innovation that is according to Sunnah is appreciable and that which is against it is condemnable. He derived it from what Umar (r.a) said about Qayam of Ramadan, "This is a good innovation"
Abu Shama expressed his own opinion saying that Prophet encouraged people for Qayam of Ramadan and he himself did it in the masjid and some companions followed him (in congregation/Jamat) night after night then he left it, because he feared that it may be made compulsory for them. After the Prophet passed away, the companions agreed upon doing Qayam in congregation because this was a way to restart this act which the Shara' (Prophet who gives Shariah) issued command and acted upon it and encouraged others to do.
Thus according to the definition of Bid'ah by Shafi, Mawlid celebrations are condemnable innovations since the Prophet never celebrated his birthday. As for the explanation given by Abu Shama, his approval of mawlid celebrations is contradicting his own explanation of Bid'ah.
This also clears the position of Imam Shafi, about what he means when he talks about Bid'ah al-Hasanah.
- Shaikh Qardawi:
If the Companions of the Prophet did not celebrate Mawlid and taught their children about Prophet and Islamic events by telling stories. Then why can not we do the same? Why should a day be specified and fixed for understanding the teachings of Islam and the Prophet.
It is known that Prophet's companions did not celebrate Prophet's birthday. You have mentioned saying that the Prophet's birthday is actually the birth of Islam. Then is it not enough to believe that if Mawlid needed to be celebrated, the Companions of the Prophet would have celebrated it. They left their homes, wealth and families for the love of Islam, they offered their lives for the love of Islam. Had it been necessary to celebrate the birth of Islam, they would have done it. They loved Islam more than us. And who could love Islam more than the Prophet. Had it been necessary to celebrate his birthday, he would have definitely informed us about it.
And you say that in Messenger of Allah is best example. Well then why not follow him if that is the case. Did he himself celebrate his birthday or asked anyone else to do it?
As far as the Fast of Ashura is concerned, No one made it a daleel for celebrations of Mawlid. Neither the Sahaba nor Ta' baeen or Taba Ta' baeen. We will do only what the Prophet did or allowed us to do. He is the Messenger of Allah who brought Shariah with him and has the authority. No one else has the authority to celebrate any day in the name of Islam according to his own wishes without having it sanctioned from Allah and His Prophet.
If Allah saved Moses from people of Israel, then He Allah also saved Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions from their enemies in Makkah. Would then this be a daleel to celebrate Hijrah or Fatah Makkah?
" Or have they partners with Allah who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not ordained? " [Al-Quran 42:21]
If Prophet's fasting of Ashura is considered as a daleel of celebration then why is it wrong if some Sunnis celebrate Ashura like a feast, as you have mentioned that it is innovation and un-islamic. If it cannot be named as celebrations then how can it be a daleel to celebrate Mawlid?
Moreover everyone (at least in Pakistan) celebrates on the 12th of Rabee al-Awal which is confirmed to be the day when the Prophet died. You have already mentioned that his birthday is more likely to be on the 9th of Rabee al-Awal, although disputed.
- Ibn Dihya:
Regarding him Ahmad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Asqalani in "Lisan al-Meezan (p 296 vol.4)" says: He used to negatively criticize the scholars and Salaf, had dirty language, was a foolish, proud and short sighted in religious affairs.
On page 292 of Lisan al-Meezan, vol.4, it is mentioned that the Ulama of Maghrib used to consider him Daeef (weak)
Suyuti recorded in his "Tadreeb al-Ravi" on p187, that he used to fabricate Ahadeeth.
- King Muzaffar Abu Saeed:
As you have quoted, he is the one who innovated this practice. See Ibn al-Jawzi's views about him in Mira'at uz Zaman. He used to dance along with the Sufis. Did he love the Prophet more than the Companions of the Prophet?
- Al-Hawi lil Fatawi:
It just shows Suyuti's view, which is based on his Qiyas. There is no order from Allah and His Prophet to celebrate the Mawlid of the Prophet, and neither did the Companions of the Prophet celebrate it. There is no proof of celebrations even from Ta' baeen or Taba Ta' baeen.
- Abul Fadal Ahmad bin Hajar:
The person who was questioned about Mawlid, as mentioned in Suyuti's "al-Hawi lil Fatawi" was Abul Fadal Ahmad bin Hajar. It was not Ahmad bin Ali bin Hajar al-Asqalani. Moreover his opinion is also based on his Qiyas, and we are bound to follow the Quran and Sunnah only and not anyone's Qiyas.
- Ibn Qayyim:
As for what you have quoted about Ibn Qayyim, there is no evidence based on Quran and Sunnah in it that suggests celebrating the Mawlid.
- Ibn Kathir:
As for what you have quoted, He is just praising the night of Mawlid. Is this a proof for celebrating the Mawlid? What if he praised "Fatah Makkah", would you start celebrating it? If his book mentions about the permissibility of celebrations then the evidence based on Quran and Sunnah should be brought forward and not irrelevant statements.
- Shamsudin bin Nasir:
As for what you have quoted, I don't find Shamsudin asking anyone to celebrate Mawlid. He just mentioned about a person who is happy with the arrival of the Prophet. Is'nt it shocking that people leave the way of Allah's Prophet and his Companions and take Daleel from Abu Lahab.
- Qastallani:
As for what you have quoted, he prays in favor of those who turn the nights of the month of Prophets birth into festivities. Well, this is his deed! Where is the evidence from Quran and Sunnah?
- Ibn Al-Jawzi:
He has written a booklet of poems and Seera. So! How does it justify Mawlid celebrations? If people read his poems at Mawlid celebrations then how does it prove that he has ordered them to do it. And even if he approves of these celebrations, it is his personal view to which there is no support from from Quran and Sunnah.
- Ibn Rajab's Article on Mawlid
It is totally irrelevant with respect to our discussion. It has got no proof of celebrating the Mawlid.
- Refutation of Baaz's Fatawa:
It is not a daleel. There are others who refute the Fatawa of those who are in favor of Mawlid celebrations. This will probably go on and on. If you are interested you can read in detail from the source, "Rasail fi Hukm al-Ihtifal bil Mawlid an-Nabawi" -- al-Majmua min al-Ulama --, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is in two volumes.
To summarize, we find that the references are either contradictory or are based upon personal Qiyas of scholars. And Allah says:
" Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any Awliya besides Him. Little do you remember! " [Al-Quran 7:3]
This is what I know and surely Allah knows the best
Speaker 1:
Aslam-u-Alaykum Wa Maghfirathu, I'm not sure you know what you're dealing with. We are dealing with qiyas, which I do not doubt, but simultaneously we are taking in the words of the ulema! These ulema are great classical scholars of Islam. There knowledge compared with ours is something not even worth quoting and here you are talking of their own opinions. Well please be sure what you know what you are talking about. These scholars mastered Qur'an and became huffaz-e-hadith. They know exactly where they have derived their knowledge from. They have based their fataws on their understanding.
Please note, that Ibn Taymiya is FULL of contradictions and cannot be used as daleel for ANYTHING! I simply quoted him to convince you. Also note, that he has supported Mawlid in the book, neccessity of the right path. The modern day Salafis have censored this from their publications. Please read the version published by dar al-Hadith which is the most reliable one around. As for ash-Shafi, you really need to read about his view on bida't hasana. If you look in history, ALL the great scholars including an-Nawawi supported the concept of Bida't hasana.
I do not want to discuss Ibn Taymiya further. It is clear his student Ibn Qayyim supported Mawlid and please also take into account Ibn Kathir, wrote his book on Mawlid after being given the ijaza from his Shaykh Ibn Taymiya.
Mawlid an-nabi has foundations in the Sunnah as well as Qur'an. The scholars have based their rulings on the sunnah. I prefer to follow the men of learning such as as-Suytui rather than those who look to degrade such virtuous celebrations and means of much reward.
Ask the knowing if you don't know (Al Qur'an)
Adapt yourselves to the ulul umr (men of learning) (Al Qur'an)
Are those who know equal to who know not (Al Qur'an)
Please do not contact me futher concerning this matter. It is clear that I have the backing of great scholars whereas you are using your own opinions without further delving into the complicated sciences of Qur'an and Hadith. Also note that Ibn Taymiya is an unreliable source of daleel as his works are full of contradictions for which he is notoriously famous for. I pray that you shall reconsider your view. Wassalam.
Before writing the arguments of Eid Milad-un-Nabi (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), I want to clear the meaning of Milad according to literature and shariah.
The word Milad has been derived from "viladut" which means birth. Therefore, according to Arabic language, milad is word which signifies the place and time of birth. In the light of shariah, we mean, Milad is to remember the events which took place at the birth time of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and we get the opportunity of narrating the seerat of the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) on this occasion, we also presents the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) gifts of durood -o- salam. We mention before the people attributes and praises of the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him).
We do not believe that Milad is specified with same night but, we believe that the remembrance of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is incumbent in each minute and second of time and every Muslim should act on sunnahs in the whole life time. Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is a great source of preaching. It is incumbent for scholars to teach Muslims nations on this Holy occasion, moral behavior of the Holy Prophet, (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) his antiquates, His affairs, His serat, His dealings and His worships.
Now I write the proofs of Milad from the Holy Quran, the hadith of the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and consensus of Ulmas.
Evidence of the Holy Quran:
The Quranic verses prove that to celebrate Milad is not only a proper deed but it is also a praiseworthy.
Allah Almighty says in Quran:
" The peace is on him the day when he was born and the day when he will die and the day when he will be raised alive " (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al-Maryam, Verse 15)
In the above verse Allah Almighty has mentioned the complete Milad of Hazrat Yahya (Alhis Salam). And before this Allah Almighty has mentioned the events which took place before the birth. It is the same way of celebrating birth day as ahle sunnat adopts for the Milad of the last Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) of Allah Almighty. In other words the Prophet of Allah Almighty Hazrat Isa (Alahis Salam) celebrate his own milad.
As Allah Almighty says:
"And the same peace on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I would raised alive." (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Maryum , Verse 33)
Before this verse Allah Almighty has stated the whole story of Maryum (Allah may pleased with him) that who she got pregnant and gave birth her great son, the Prophet of Allah Isa (Alihis Salam). Allah Almighty also mentioned the words of Isa (Alaihis Salam) by which Isa (Alaihis Salam) praised himself. This style of narrating story is nothing but celebration of Milad of Isa Alaihis Salam. Ahle Sunnat also narrate the story of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) in the same style. We too narrate the events which took place before the birth and after it as Allah Almighty narrated about Yahya and Isa (Alaihimus Salam). Therefore, a person who has eyes of justice, will obviously accept that to celebrate Milad is an important deed which Allah Almighty has done. So it proves that the bases of Milad is found in the Holy Quran.
Allah Almighty says:
" And remind them of the days of the Allah "
(Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim, Verse5)In this verse Allah Almighty orders his prophet Musa Alahis Salam to remind his nation the days of Allah Almighty. "The days of Allah" are those days in which great events took place or Allah Almighty bestowed his great rewards to his creature. As the Holy Quran testifies this explanation of the days of Allah Almighty. In the Holy Quran Musa Alaihis Salam says:
" And when Musa said to his people remember Allah's favor upon you, when he delivered you from Firawn's people who used to afflict you worsly, and slaughter your sons and let your daughters live and in it there was shown great mercy of your lord " (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim , Verse 6 )
According to the Quranic verse emancipation of the nation of Musa Alaihis Salam from Firawn is a day of Allah, so the birth day of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is, with any doubt, also a day of Allah, because the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) emancipated whole world from the darkness of ignorance and brought them to the light of guidance. Therefore, the birthday (Milad) of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) deserves to be celebrated then the celebration of any other event. In case we would not be grateful to Allah Almighty for his favor, that is Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him). He will punish us severely . As Allah Almighty says :
" And remember when your lord proclaimed, if you will be grateful then I shall give you more and if your thankless then my treatment is severe "(Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim , Verse 7)
Allah Almighty says :
" Then remember the bounties of Allah and wander not in the earth spreading mischief " (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Araf , Verse 74 )
In the above verse Allah Almighty orders us to remember his bounties and rewards. The last Prophet of Allah Almighty Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is, undoubtedly, great blessing of Allah Almighty for whole mankind. Allah Almighty himself considers the Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) his great favor for mankind as He says
" Undoubtedly, Allah did a great favor to the Muslims that in them from among themselves sent a messenger who recites unto them His signs and purifies them and teaches them the book and wisdom and necessarily before that they were certainly in apparent error." (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ale Imran , Verse 164)
Therefore, according to the Quranic commandments we must remember the beloved Prophet of Allah Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and Milad-un-Nabi is a best way of remembrance of the greatest Prophet (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him). In another words Allah Almighty says:
" And publicize well the favor of your lord "
(Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Duha , Verse 11)The companion of the Holy Prophet (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him) Hazrat Abdullah Ibne Abbas (Allah is well pleased with Him ) explained the word favors. He says here, In this verse favor signifies the prophet hood and Islam.(Tafseer Ibne Abbas, Sure Al Duha, Page 651).
So in the light of the given explanation by the cousin of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him), we can say that Allah Almighty orders us to remember Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) in our gatherings between the people, in our masjid between the worshiper and in our houses between our families and Milad un Nabi (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him), as I have written is a best way for this quranic purpose.
Allah Almighty orders us:
" Say you oly Allah's grace and his mercy, on it therefore
let them rejoice. That is better then all their wealth "In this verse Allah Almighty orders us to enjoy on his grace and mercy. If we see around us we find that each favor of Allah Almighty is great mercy for us. Even our existence is also a mercy of Allah Almighty. But the greatest of Allah's mercy is the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). As Allah Almighty says:
" And we sent not you but mercy for all world"
(Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Ambia , Verse 107)So according the Quranic teachings it is necessary for us that we must be happy and pleased on the birthday of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). The one who pleases with the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) is really a true follower of the Quran. And it is obvious that, in whole world Muslims celebrates Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). Specially for enjoying the mercy of Allah Almighty that is the beloved prophet of Allah Almighty (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)Therefore the Holy Quran itself confirms the Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
The gathering of Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) incite Muslims on saying durood and Salam ( to pray for prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) of blessing and peace) Allah Almighty says:
" Oh you who I believe send upon Him blessing and salute Him fully well in abundance " (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Ahzab , Verse 56)
According to the law of shariah, a thing which is desired by shariah, is exactly like an aim of shariah. And the benifit of durood -o- salam are so much in numbers that can not be counted. Durood -o- salam causes for the help of Allah Almighty in this world and here after. So milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is a source of fulfilling the commandments of Allah Almighty
Allah Almighty says:
" And all that we narrate to you of the tidings of the messengers is for the purpose of strengthening your heart therewith " (Kanzul Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Hood, Verse 121)
This Quranic verse reveals that the wisdom of mentioning the stories and events of Prophets (Alaihis salam) was to stand fast the heart of the last prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). And it is obvious that we are, also today, in need of being stand fast. We must know that how, the prophet of Allah (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) faced the problems of his time so that we may face the problems of our times according to the Sunnah. Therefore Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) provides us an opportunity to know about the affair of the Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him).
Evidence of Hadith: (Narrations of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
There are many narrations, which proves the Milad sharif but I write a few.
The Prophet of Allah (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him) himself stated his own birth from very beginning He says: "I had been transferred, continuously, from purified offspring to purified wombs. I had been given birth by a lawful marriage not by adultery. When Allah Almighty sent Adam Alaihis Salam on earth so He put me in his spine and then transferred in Nuh Alaihs salam in his boat, and then in Ibrahim Alaihis salam Allah Almighty transfered me continuesly from nobel offsprings to the purified wombs up to that He brought me in my parents who never committed adultery." (Tafseer Ruhul biyan, Vol. 3, Page 54)
As I have written in the beginning that Milad means the time of birth or place of birth. So the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) himself celebrated his own Milad. In the same way ahle sunnat following the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) narrate the events of the birth of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). This hadith is the clear proof of Milad un Nabi (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him) and as well as tell us that to celebrate Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) is not innovation (bidat) but it is a sunnah (tradition) of Prophet (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him). There are many other narrations which narrate that the Prophet of Allah (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) celebrate his own Milad several times, some of those narrations have been written in mishkat sharif.
"The one who rejoices on the birth day of the Holy Prophet would not be severely punished and it is hopped that a Muslim who celebrate the Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him), will not be punished in hell. Imam Bukhari Rahmatullah Alaih narrates that Abu Lahab would be punished lightly in the hell on Monday. Because he rejoiced and freed his handmaid indicating by his finger, when the Prophet of Allah Almighty (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) took birth. So as a reward of happiness on milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) he would be given water by his finger. (Saheehul Bukhari Vol. 2, Page 764) Imam shams ud din Naseer Al Damaishqi narrates this hadith in poetry. Here is its translation. If such kafir was denounced (in the Quran) And perished are his hands, and in the flame is his eternal abode. It is narrated every Monday. His torment is made easy for his joy at the birth of Ahmad. (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) What is the expectation then of a servant who spent all his life. Happy with the arrival of Ahmad (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) and died on the one ness of Allah Almighty. (Haul-ul-Ahtifal Bil Maullid Al-Nabvi Al Sharif, Page 11)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) celebrated his own Milad by having fast. Imam Wali ud din write this narration with reference to the Sahee Muslim. When the Prophet of Allah (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) was asked about the fast of Monday. He (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) said: "I took birth and the quran was revealed upon me in this day." (Mishkat Sharif, Page 179) This narration proves that to celebrate Milad un Nabi is a tradition of the Holy Prophet (Allahs Grace and Peace be upon him) on every Monday. Secondly it is lawful to fix a particular day for Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). Thirdly it is an act of sunnah to worship in the pleasure of the Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
Speaker 2:
Abdullah bin Umar (r.a) was once asked about Hajj At-Tamattu. He held it lawful. He was informed that his father Umar bin Khattab (r.a) stopped from it (i.e. Hajj At-Tamattu). Abdullah bin Umar (r.a) asked: Do we follow, the command of the Prophet or my father? The person replied, "Command of the Prophet". Then he said that the Prophet performed it. This is mentioned in Tirmizi in Kitab al-Hajj un Rasool Allah with a correct chain.
Considering the honored and respected Khalifa of Islam, Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), whose advice was honored by Allah and Allah even revealed it in His Book, even if his decision is found clashing with the way of the Prophet, then it is to be rejected. What to say of others who belonged to a much lower rank. This is the pure Islamic Aqeedah and not the blind faith, which you back yourself upon.
If Ibn Taymiyyah is full of contradictions then you should not have quoted him, it was not me who asked you but it was you who started convincing by sayings of scholars. You said you quoted to convince me and you also said that Ibn Taymiyyah is an unreliable source of daleel. Well what can I say about some one, who tries to teach Islam with sources that he knows are unreliable. The truth is that Ibn Taymiyyah is not full of contradictions but it is you people who are biased towards him. This is evident by the deception and falsehood, which you have created in his sayings which I have already mentioned in my previous mail.
And I don't think that Salafis need to censor anything from their publications, since they do not hesitate to disregard any saying or belief, which is in contradiction with The Quran or Sahih Hadith. So there is no need for them to censor. But it is the Blind Followers who need to do this hanky panky in order to direct the sayings of scholars towards what they think is right. Forget about the Salafis and Blind Followers and talk about what you quoted by typing with your own hands. Let me recall it:
"Fa-t'adheem al-Mawlid wat-tikhaadhuhu mawsiman qad yaf'alahu ba'ad an-naasi wa yakunu lahu feehi ajra `adheem lihusni qasdihi t'adheemihi li-Rasulillahi, salla-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam"
"To celebrate and to honor the birth of the Prophet (s) and to take it as an honored season, as some of the people are doing, is good and in it there is a great reward, because of their good intentions in honoring the Prophet (s)."
Tell me where in the arabic portion is mentioned "Is Good", which you have translated it in English. It gives it all a different meaning and you say that Salafis censor their publications.
Regarding Shafi I already quoted you his understanding about Bid'ah from the book of Abu Shama which you yourself mentioned, what else do you need?
You said that Ibn Qayyim student of Ibn Taymiyyah supported Mawlid. Well in that case it simply means that it is perfectly normal to differ with ones teacher if you do not agree with his opinion. So if you really adore Ibn Qayyim that much then why do you not establish the same faith as his, and stop following the scholars blindly. Even Imam Abu Hanifa's students differed with him. And Insha Allah I can assure you that the day you find Suyuti's saying against your wish, you will even leave him just as you left Ibn Taymiyyah.
Regarding your references from the Quran:
[Ask the knowing if you don't know (Al Qur'an)]
Asking does not mean to follow them blindly. I've already explained this matter of blind following.
[Adapt yourselves to the ulul umr (men of learning)]
Let me mention the correct and the complete translation:
" O you who believe Obey Allah and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you, If you differ in anything among yourselves refer it to Allah and His apostle, if you do believe in Allah and the last day, that is best and most suitable for final determination " [Quran 4:59]
Is it not obvious from the verse that when discrepancy develops, Allah instructs us to refer to Allah and His apostle and not the men of authority, who are to be obeyed otherwise?
[Are those who know equal to who know not]
Definitely those who know are not equal to those who do not. But the question is who knows more? The companions of the Prophets or King Muzaffar Abu Saeed or a sect amongst the modern age Muslims. You have already admitted that the companions of the Prophet did not celebrate Eid Milad on 12th Rabee Al-Awal, as it is evident by the references you quoted.
If you are still satisfied with the backing up of scholars behind you, then I must be more than satisfied with the backing up of the Prophet, his Companions, Taba'een and Taba Taba'een all in my support, since no one amongst them celebrated Eid Milad on 12th Rabee Al-Awal. And of course the backing up of Allah, since he says:
" He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah..." [4:80]
You mentioned that the Science of Quran and Hadith is complicated. Where Allah says in the Quran:
" And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember, then is there anyone who will remember (or receive admonition)? " [54:17]
If Quran is easy then how can it be that "the Hadeeth", which is the Tafseer of Quran be difficult? But you know what the problem is? Allah says:
"... But none remember (will receive admonition) except
men of understanding " [2:269]
So those who have blocked their intellect by blind following, find the Quran and Hadeeth somewhat complicated, where as it is very easy. I pray that you reconsider your Aqeedah.
Now your Next Mail in which you started with the meaning of Milad. As far as the Arabic language is concerned everyone knows that Mawlid means the place or time of birth. But what is the basis in the light of Shariah to celebrate it in the name of Eid Milad Al-Nabi on the 12th of Rabee Al-Awal, when the Prophet and his companions are not found doing this? If you believe that it is incumbent to teach Prophet's affairs all the year round, then what is the basis of fixing a day for celebrations when it has no basis in Shariah? If you teach and preach all the year round then there is no need to fix a day, which was not fixed by the Prophet or his companions who loved the Prophet more than us.
If it was not the Prophet and neither his companions then who was it who told that 12th Rabee Al-Awal should be selected for celebrating Eid Milad. Even when it is confirmed that 12th Rabee Al-Awal is the day when the Prophet died and there is uncertainty about his Milad (birth) on this day. (More authentic date regarding his birth is 9th Rabee Al-Awal). If Allah had surely wanted His people to celebrate Eid Milad on a particular day, there would not have been discrepancy regarding the dates just like there is none when it comes to Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitar. To say that this day is a great source of preaching is not worth an evidence, because there are other days also which can be great sources of preaching too, like Fatah Makkah, Hijrah, Yaum-ul-Furqan etc... But no one celebrates those.
Now about those references from the Quran, which you sent in your last email. You have presented the birth of Yahya and Isa (peace be upon them) as an evidence to celebrate Milad of the last Prophet and say that Allah has also mentioned the events that took place before their births and thus this style is nothing but celebration of Milad.
Well here are some points to ponder regarding this conclusion:
Why did'nt the Prophet upon whom these verses were revealed, elucidate the meaning to his companions which you have presented. He should have told his companions to celebrate Eid Milad on 12th Rabee Al-Awal if he also had the same interpretation in his mind. It could not have been possible that the Prophet knew it but never mentioned it to his companions because Allah says:
" O Messenger (Muhammad - peace be upon him) Proclaim ! (the message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not then you have not conveyed His Message..." [5:67]
The other option is that the companions of the Prophet knew it but did not love the Prophet as much as King Muzaffar and his followers. Thus never celebrated Eid Milad on 12th Rabee Al-Awal. Or it may be that they were unable to understand the meaning of these verses like we have understood.
If this is the right interpretation then why not celebrate the Milad of Yahya and Isa (peace be upon them) since their Milad is directly mentioned here and Milad of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is only a deduction.
These verses also mention the days regarding their death, how about organizing a condolence day where Prophet's affairs should be taught to people.
Leaving everything aside, let us consider that these verses mean that one should mention the affairs of Prophet to people. Where does it specify that it should specially be done on 12th Rabee Al-Awal?
You say that a person who has eyes of justice will obviously accept that to celebrate Milad is an important deed which Allah Almighty has done. In your previous references you mentioned that the companions of Prophet and Salaf did not celebrate the Milad. Well then what would you say about them? Did they have eyes of justice? Did Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam Shafi, Imam Ahmad, Imam Bukhari, Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah had eyes of justice?
Then you have mentioned about the days of Allah and you say that Prophet's birthday deserves to be celebrated. According to you celebrations include teaching his Sunnah to people. So the question is still there! Why especially on 12th Rabee Al-Awal when it is not done by the Prophet and his companions. Didn't they know what days of Allah were?
Then you quoted the verse "Publicize well the favor of your Lord". Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the first one to act on this verse and definitely publicized the favor of Allah. Did he specify 12th Rabee Al-Awal. Did his cousin and companion Abdullah bin Abbas (r.a.) who you say explained the word "Favor", specify 12th Rabee Al-Awal for publicizing the favor of Allah. If they could publicize Allah's favor without accentuating a particular day then why cannot we?
Then you mention that Allah wants us to remember the Holy Prophet. Well, then how? If Allah wants us to remember him on 12th Rabee Al-Awal then where is it specified? If Allah has not fixed a day then remember the Prophet through out the year, the way his companions did. And you say that according to Quranic teachings, one should be happy and pleased on the birthday of the Prophet. You must know that every Muslim is happy and pleased with the birth of the Prophet. But it does not mean that we start doing things which Allah and His Prophet did not specify. Celebrations by the whole world is no daleel, even if hundred thousand worlds celebrate in a way different to the Prophet, it is of no significance. Reward is only in what the Prophet did and asked us to do.
Then you have mentioned that gathering of Milad incite the Muslims to say Durood and Salam. Well if Muslims say Durood and Salam everyday (as they are advised and they should) then there is no need to fix a day to gather for Durood and Salam. No one doubts the benefits of Durood and Salam but the question is still there i.e. celebrating on 12th Rabee Al-Awal, when we are already saying Durood and Salam and teaching Prophet's Sunnah through out the year. Why fix a day on our own when the Prophet did not ask us to? Every single act in Islam needs justification; we cannot organize religious matters on our own. Allah says:
" It is not fitting for a believer, man or woman when a matter has been decided by Allah and His apostle to have any option in their decision. If anyone disobeys Allah and His apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong path " [33:36]
And you say that Milad is the opportunity to know about the affairs of the Prophet. According to your previous references, the companions of the Prophet did not celebrate the Milad. So did they really miss the opportunity to know about the affairs of the Prophet or they knew more than we did?
Now about those references from the Hadith, which you sent in your last email
Regarding the first hadeeth you have concluded that Prophet himself celebrated his own Milad. Now first of all I would advise you to write in a way that is compatible with English language, otherwise misconceptions can occur. Regarding the tradition you have mentioned, your conclusion should have been in the words, "Mentioned about his birth". Like you correctly wrote while starting the tradition that "The Prophet himself stated his birth". Moreover you should have also mentioned the Book of Hadeeth that contains this tradition, with the "Kitab" and "Baab" name, so that its "Sanad" could be checked for authenticity.
Anyway! If Prophet happens to mention about his birth then how does it prove that a day i.e. 12th Rabee Al-Awal be specified for celebrations when Prophet did not specify and his companions never acted like that.
You say that Ahle Sunnat follows the same way, whereas it is not the case. The Prophet did not mention about the eating stuff, and you quoted Suyuti saying, "Then food is set before them and according to their desire they partake thereof to satisfaction". And you also mentioned that you prefer to follow men of learning such as Suyuti. Moreover the Prophet just mentioned and not specified a particular day, but you specify 12th Rabee Al-Awal for which you have no basis in the light of Shariah.
And then the most interesting part is that you say it is not an innovation but a Sunnah. For the past one-week or so you have been saying that it is a good innovation and now you say it is not an innovation. Just go back and see the references you quoted, about the classical scholars what they say about it.
Abu Shama, Ibn Hajar and Suyuti say it is an innovation, although they say it is good but that is not the issue under discussion here.
And you also quoted:
" The first to have innovated that practice is the
ruler of Irbil, King al-Muzaffar Abu Sa`eed "You also said:
" These ulema are great classical scholars of Islam. Their knowledge compared with ours is something not even worth quoting and here you are talking of there own opinions. Well please be sure what you know what you are talking about. These scholars mastered Qur'an and became huffaz-e-hadith. They know exactly where they have derived their knowledge from. They have based their fatawas on their understanding "
And you also mentioned that you prefer to follow men of learning such as Suyuti. Then why are you defying him and others by saying that it is not an innovation? See! I mentioned in the beginning that you would even leave Suyuti when he says something against your wish.
In your second hadith you've mentioned about Abu Lahab's rejoicing on the birth of Prophet and getting a reward from Allah. Abu Lahab became the enemy of the Prophet when he (the Prophet) declared his Prophethood i.e. 40 years after his birth. So if the celebration of Abu Lahab once in 40 years (and not every year) is a daleel then what about the Prophet and his Companions, Taba'een and Taba Taba'een who did not celebrate all their lives. Is that no daleel? The Prophet says:
" Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that does not belong to it shall have that action rejected " [Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Peacemaking, Chapter: If some people are reconciled on illegal basis, their reconciliation is rejected and also in Sahih Muslim in Kitab Al-Aqdiyya]
" Whoever does a deed which is not in accord with our tradition, then that deed will not be accepted " [Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Sales (Bargains), Chapter: An-Najsh and also in Sahih Muslim in Kitab Al-Aqdiyya]
So if Prophet never did it then its immaterial whether Abu Lahab is rewarded or not. We are concerned with following of the Prophet only and nothing else. If it was so essential then the Prophet would have definitely told us and his companions about it.
Allah may do anything He likes, whether it is punishing or rewarding because He is:
" Doer of whatsoever He intends " [Al-Quran 85:16] But we may not do anything, which we think is acceptable and would please Allah. We are to obey the orders of Allah and His Prophet, if we want to please Allah and to get reward.
" Say (O Muhammad - peace be upon him), if you Love Allah
then follow me (i.e. follow Muhammad (peace be upon him)..." [Al-Quran 3:31]The third hadeeth mentions about the Prophet's act of fasting on "Yaum-ul-Isnain" i.e. Second day of the week (Monday), the day when he was born and Quran was revealed upon him.
If this is the basis for celebrating his birthday then the method is clearly mentioned by the Prophet i.e. Fasting on the second day of every week. That's it! Neither can we add nor lessen anything from this Sunnah. Allah says:
" O you who believe! Do not be ahead of Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is All-hearing, All-knowing " [Al-Quran 49:1]
Alhamd-o-lillah, Muslims are acting on this Sunnah and no one denies it. But there is no reason that we select a day on our own i.e. 12th Rabee Al-Awal and name it Eid Milad-un-Nabi. This was not done by the Prophet and neither does it gives anyone any authority to do it. The Prophet is the one who is sent by Allah with His Message and thus brings Shariah of Allah with him. He does not speak on his own, Allah says:
" Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
It is only a Revelation revealed " [Al-Quran 53:3,4]No follower can claim that he can also fix a day for any worship just because Muhammad (peace be upon him) did it. It is wrong to think like that because only Muhammad (peace be upon him) has the authority and he was the one who was sent with a Shariah. His "Ummah" needs to follow him and not walk ahead of him and invent their own ideas. Allah says,
" We sent not an Apostle, but to be obeyed,
in accordance with the will of Allah ..." [Al-Quran 4:64]" And who ever contradicts (and opposes) the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than the way of the believers. We shall leave him in the path he has chosen, and land him in hell - what an evil refuge! " [Al-Quran 4:115]
So think about Eid Milad celebrations on 12th Rabee Al-Awal. Does it not contradict and oppose the Messenger? Since he never celebrated it on that day. Is it not following a path other than that of the believers, who never celebrated 12th Rabee Al-Awal as Eid Milad? And the believers I am talking about are not ordinary believers, but are believers who really deserve to be called as believers. They are the Companions of the Prophet, Khulafa Al-Rashideen, Taba'een, Taba Taba'een, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Tirmizi, Nasai, and many others. None of them selected 12th Rabee Al-Awal to celebrate Eid Milad. Did not they all know about the fact that the Prophet of Allah used to fast on the second day of the week because he was born on that day and Quran was revealed upon him?
So fasting of the Prophet on second day of the week does not justify celebrations on 12th Rabee Al-Awal in the name of Eid Milad. As for the day on which the Prophet used to fast, it cannot be called as an Eid day because there is no fast on a day of Eid. The Prophet prohibited to fast on days of Eid. In fact he used to fast for the purpose of opposing Eid. Ume Salamah reported that the Apostle of Allah used to fast on Yaum As-Sabt (Saturday) and Yaum Al-Ahad (Sunday) more than what he fasted on other days. He used to say:
" They are the days of EID for the polytheists,
and I like to act contrary to them " [Musnad Ahmad]So how can the Prophet celebrate Eid Milad by fasting whereas he used to oppose Eid by keeping fasts?
If fasting by the Prophet is a proof, then those who celebrate Milad should also fast. But it is just the opposite i.e. they celebrate by eating. You yourself quoted Suyuti saying:
" Then food is set before them and according to their desire they partake thereof to satisfaction. This festival of celebrating the birthday of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is a Bid'ah Hasanah "
And Qastalani saying:
" May Allah Almighty shower his Mercy upon a person who takes the days of the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal, in which the Noble Prophet was born, as days of feast and celebration… "
This is what I know and surely Allah knows the best
Speaker 1:
Wa Alaykum as-Salam Wa Rahmatullah. Again I have received a reply from you which I personally cannot be bothered to read. I will state to you once and once only, I shall follow the scholars and I shall NOT follow them blindly. I have found the sayings of Suyuti, Asqalani, Shafi, etc, much more benefitting than yours. I am happy to say that Milad is Bida't hasana. You do not have to participate in Milad gatherings but if you do, in it is much reward. I hope you shall be guided to the true love of Rasulullah SAW and I pray that you are saved from the fitna of those who demoralise muslims and misguide them from deen-ul-Islam, by innovating. Also, I warn you to watch your tongue before you decide to deem something a bida't or shirk .
May Allah Ta'ala guide us all.
End of Discussion
Being right or wrong is one aspect of a discussion, but see how blind following can affect an individual's ability to research. It blocks the mind and intellect and becomes a hinderance in reading and investigating as is evident from the statement mentioned above:
" I personally cannot be bothered to read "
After making an effort to prove it from the Quran and Hadith by using irrelevant references, he calls Eid Milad a Sunnah. After mentioning the first hadith he said:
In the end he has again started calling it Bid'ah Hasanah. He says:" This hadith is the clear proof of Milad un Nabi and as well as tell us that to celebrate Milad un Nabi is not innovation (bidat) but it is a sunnah (tradition) of Prophet "
" I am happy to say that Milad is Bida't hasana "
