Hadith on celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s birthday: Following Allah and His Messenger’s rules and refraining from introducing innovations into the faith are unambiguous instructions found in both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah declares (meaning interpretation):
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins’”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:31]“Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Awliyaa’ (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allaah), besides Him (Allaah). Little do you remember!”
[al-A’raaf 7:3]“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path”
[al-A’naam 6:153]The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also 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.”Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said (Narrated by Muslim, no. 1718; al-Bukhaari, no. 2697). Muslim narrates a version that reads, “Whoever doe anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.”
The celebration of Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the month of Rabee’ al-Awwal is one of the repulsive innovations that Muslims have created. They observe this event in a number of ways:
Some of them merely use it as an excuse to get together and read the Mawlid’s story, after which they give speeches and qaseedahs (odes) in honor of the event.
Some of them prepare food, desserts, and other items and serve them to the gathering.
Some of them celebrate these occasions at mosques, while others host them in their homes.
Some individuals go beyond the aforementioned behaviors and include haram and repugnant behaviors in these gatherings, such as the unrestrained mixing of men and women, dancing, singing, or engaging in shirk behaviors like calling on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), asking for his assistance, asking for his protection from their enemies, and so forth, while celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
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There is no question that this is a haram invention that was introduced by the Shi’a Faatimids after the three best centuries in an effort to pervert Muslims’ faith, regardless of its form or the motivations of individuals who engage in it. According to historians like Ibn Khalkaan and others, the king of Irbil, al-Muzaffar Abu Sa’eed Kawkaboori, did this first after them at the conclusion of the sixth or the start of the seventh century AH. One of the well-known pious individuals, Shaykh ‘Umar ibn Muhammad al-Malaa, was the first person in Mosul to carry out the action, according to Abu Shaamah. Then the Irbil ruler and others adopted his way.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Katheer wrote in his biography of Abu Sa’eed Kazkaboori, al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (13/137), “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 Zuhr until Fajr, and he himself would dance with them.”
Ibn Khalkaan said in Wafiyaat al-A’yaan (3/274): “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 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.”
This is where the tradition of celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (PBUH) has its roots. More lately, an innovation for which Allah has not delegated any power has come to be associated with idle pleasure, excess, and waste of money and time.
Muslims should resuscitate the Sunnah and put a stop to innovation; they should hold off on taking any action unless they are certain of Allaah’s verdict on it.
Why celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday is forbidden
It is banned and rejected to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for a number of reasons:
1} Neither the khalifas who followed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) nor they adhered to it as part of their Sunnah. As a result, it is an innovation that is prohibited, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated: “I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khalifas 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.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no. 2676).
After the three best centuries, the Shi’a Faatimids invented the practice of celebrating the Mawlid in an effort to pervert Muslims’ faith. If someone takes a step toward Allah that neither the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) nor the Khaleefahs who followed him recommended or practiced, it is implied that they are accusing the Messenger of failing to explain the religion to the people and that they reject the meaning of Allaah’s words.
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you”
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not bring this; rather, he is introducing something new and asserting that it is a component of the religion.
2 – Since Christians commemorate the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him), celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is an imitation of them. It is exceedingly haram to imitate them. The hadeeth informs us that we are told to differ from the kuffaar and that it is forbidden to mimic them. The Prophet (may Allah have mercy and grant him peace) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them” (narrated by Ahmad, 2/50; Abu Dawood, 4/314). And he said, “Be different from the mushrikeen” (narrated by Muslim, 1/222, no. 259) – particularly in regard to objects that are associated with their religious symbols or ceremonies.
3 – Celebrating birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not only haraam because it is bid’ah but also because it is an imitation of Christians. It also encourages excessive adoration of him, even to the point of calling upon him (making du’aa to him) and asking for his assistance rather than calling upon Allaah, as is currently the case among many who observe the bid’ah of the Mawlid. Extreme praise for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was forbidden, as he stated: “Do not extol as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam. For I am just His slave, so say, the slave of Allaah and His Messenger” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4/142, no. 3445; al-Fath, 6/551), In other words, don’t praise me excessively like the Christians did when they praised the Messiah, who they eventually came to revere rather than Allah. They were prohibited from doing that by Allah when he said (interpretation of the meaning):
“O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, (“Be!” — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:171]Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us from exaggerating about him should the same thing happen to us as it did to them, thus he said: “Beware of exaggeration, for those who came before you were destroyed because of exaggeration” (narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 5/268; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, no. 2863).
4 – Celebrating the innovation of the Prophet’s birthday invites various forms of bid’ah and causes one to become sidetracked from the Sunnah by them. Since they despise it and see those who follow it as adversaries, innovators are exceedingly active when it comes to bid’ah and very lax when it comes to the Sunnah, to the point where their entire religion is based on innovated Mawlids and anniversaries. They have divided into several factions, and each one remembers the anniversary of the birth of its imaam, such as those of al-Badawi, Ibn ‘Arabi, al-Dasooqi, and al-Shaadhili. After celebrating one birthday to its conclusion, they immediately begin another. This causes them to exaggerate about these deceased individuals and other people, calling on them instead of Allaah, and believing in their ability to both benefit and harm, until they depart from the religion of Allaah and return to the Jahiliyyah, of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they worship besides Allaah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allaah’”
[Yoonus 10:18]“And those who take Awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): ‘We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah’”
[al-Zumar 39:3]This was all about why celebrating Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is haram (forbidden). Read more Islamic Blogs or Follow us on social media for daily Islamic reminders.
