Introduction
The blessed month of Rabi’ al-Awwal is often accompanied with many debates and discussions on the status of celebrating the birth of the Best of Creation ﷺ. This phenomenon is observed every year and hence to eliminate the redundancy, this article has been dedicated to answering all of the major objections that are made against the celebration of Milād in a single place. All of the material is collected from different sources of the ‘Ulema of Ahl al-Sunnah, may Allah ﷺ preserve them all. It is also requested that the reader also prays for all those who participated in this project, our noble scholars, as well as all the Muslims around the world, especially for our brothers who are being oppressed whether they be in Palestine, Sudan, Kashmir, or East Turkestan. Finally, please send abundance of Salawat and Durud upon the RasulAllah ﷺ no matter what your view is upon this matter.
What is Mawlid?
Before discussing the objections, it is pertinent to define what constitutes as Mawlid to begin with. Mawlid comes from ‘Wilada’ (Birth), which refers to the birth of the prophet (ﷺ). It is agreed upon by scholars that the prophet was born in the month of Rabi’i al-Awwal, in ‘am-al-Fil (year of the Elephant). Allah ordered us to know our prophet, and he condemned those who didn’t (23:69). He says:
“Or ˹because˺ they failed to recognize their Messenger, and so they denied him?”
The early generations saw the prophet ﷺ and their descendants live the essence of the Sunnah unlike us. Unfortunately, the generations of our times are losing the connection and love with the prophet ﷺ which our ancestors had. So, the people of knowledge saw that it is incumbent to teach the people regarding the prophet ﷺ as Allah commanded, and they saw that it is befitting to do so in many of the mawlid gatherings that occur. The gist of mawlid is the gathering of people to express gratitude to Allah and show joy and happiness for the birth of the prophet ﷺ.
This celebration has many forms which usually contain or combine:
- Reading the Quran, especially verses about the prophet ﷺ,
- Having congregational Duaa,
- Reading Nasheed and Poetry in love of the prophet,
- Shuyookh can preach religious guidance,
- Having congregational Dhikr,
- Talking about the Sirah,
- Reading about the Prophet ﷺ’s noble qualities,
- Sharing food or sweets with people, especially the poor,
- Giving Charity,
- Encouraging people to do good and strive for the afterlife.
After which the people leave for their homes. Having done these things we have done many virtues in helping people venerate the prophet ﷺ. It should be noted that any gathering which contains forbidden elements like intermixing and dancing is strictly forbidden and this is not what is intended by what the scholars described as a praiseworthy gathering or celebration.
Objection 1: Those who first celebrated the Mawlid were the Shi’i Fatimids. So how can you emulate them?
This is an incorrect objection for two reasons. Firstly, the RasulAllah ﷺ fasted on ‘Ashura which was also done by the Jews. When He ﷺ came to Medina, He ﷺ inquired them about the asl of this practice.1
“What is the (significance) of this day that you observe fast on it?” “We have more right, and we have a closer connection with Moses than you have; so Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) observed fast (on the day of ‘Ashura), and gave orders that it should be observed.”
Granting that it was first celebrated by the Fatimids for the sake of argument.2 We have more right to celebrate the Mawlid than Shi’i Fatimids. One of the most important people who used this Hadith to permit the celebration of Mawlid was al-Hafidth al-Suyuti in al-Hawi l-il-Fatawi (1/196) in quotation of Sh. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani. This hadith also shows that not every imitation of disbelievers is Haram, like Imam al-Subki and other scholars have written. This also shows that RasulAllah ﷺ inquired about the asl of the practice and affirmed about the concept over which they celebrated that day, which was to thank Allah for the blessing of freedom. And the messenger of Allah ﷺ is the biggest blessing of Allah.
Secondly, this matter is contested historically. Given the fact that there are no contemporary historians that mention the Fātimids holding a Mawlid, but rather we find the opposite; Abu Shāmah al-Maqdisī, a contemporary historian of the Ayyūbid state mentions how the first to do it was Muhammad al-Mallā’ (d. 570), a famously righteous man, and he was emulated by the ruler of Erbīl.3 This is also seconded by scholars like al-Imām al-Suyūtī, Nūr al-Dīn al-Halabī, al-Sālihī al-Shāmī, al-Hāfidh al-Zurqānī, al-Tāhir Ibn ‘Ashūr who say that the ruler of Ebril was the one to initiate this practice.4 The ruler of Erbīl was the Ayyūbid ruler al-Malik al-Mudhaffar Abu Sa‘īd Gōkubrī (d. 630), and he is the one who started the Mawlid as a large practice. The RasulAllah ﷺ said,
“Whoever institutes a good practice in Islam will have its reward and the reward of whoever acts upon it without diminishing their rewards at all.”5
Objection 2: The Prophet (ﷺ)’s birth date is differed upon, and they have agreed upon that his passing is on the 12th of Rabi’i al ‘Awal. So how do you celebrate his death?
It is the opinion of the Jumhūr that the RasulAllah ﷺ was born on the 12th of Rabi’i al-Awwal.6 Hence why there are people who celebrate on that day, but there are others which do not confine themselves to that single day and they celebrate the entire blessed month. The point of celebration is to praise the RasulAllah ﷺ, glorify him, and to call for his love and the importance of following his Sunnah. All of the aforementioned is not tied to a single day.
As for the objection that there is an agreement that the RasulAllah ﷺ passed on the 12th of Rabi’i al-Awwal then this is incorrect, the scholars have differed regarding the date of his passing. al-Suhyali (One of the great ‘Awliyah and scholars of Morroco) and al-Hafidth Ibn Hajar (Amir al-Mu’mineen fi al-Hadith) held the opinion that his passing was the second day of Rabi’i al-Awal.7
Moreover, even if the RasulAllah passed on the twelfth, there is no correlation between us celebrating his death. The RasulAllah ﷺ mentioned in a Hadith
“Among the most excellent of your days is Friday; on it Adam was created, on it he died”8
How can it be one of our best days if Adam (‘alayhi salam) died on it? Would the objectors have any problem if we celebrate daily until we certainly pinpoint the date of his birth?
Objection 3: There is nothing in the Quran or Hadith to say that we should celebrate the Mawlid and for that reason it is haram.
There is no strict commandment of celebrating the Mawlid (nor is there one prohibiting it) but that does not eliminate that we see a glorification of his ﷺ birth in both.
“Tell them (O Prophet!): ‘Let them rejoice in Allah’s grace and mercy through which this (Book) has come to you. It is better than all the riches that they accumulate.”9
It is also reported in a Hadith,
“He was then asked about fasting on Monday, whereupon he said: It was the day on which I was born”10
The RasulAllah ﷺ and the companions honored his birth by fasting on Monday. So why would celebrating the date of his birth, in permitted and sound ways, be wrong?
“‘We have come together to pray to Allah and praise him for guiding us to his religion and blessing us with you (i.e the prophet ﷺ ……..’ ‘The prophet ﷺ said: Jibril came to me and told me that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, is boasting of you to the angels.”11
This is exactly what many Muslims do not only on the 12th of Rabi’i but the entire month and many days of the year. We gather to celebrate that the RasulAllah ﷺ has given us the greatest blessing, Muhammed ﷺ. Our intercessor on the day of judgment (Sahih Muslim 194a), may we be of his ﷺ Ummah that he will intercede for.
Moreover, this seems to imply that the abstinence of the RasulAllah ﷺ from doing an action is proof that it is forbidden. The abstinence of the RasulAllah ﷺ is a non-action, and as long as it is not done deliberately then negatives are not of any use in Usul al-Fiqh. The use of a negative (i.e non presence something) to signify the prohibition of an act is an invalid source of Shari’i inference in Usul.12 As the RasulAllah ﷺ can perform a permissible action or leave it and neither would signify a prohibition. (Rule: al-Tarku Laysa bi-Hujja).
Objection 4: The prophet ﷺ said “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated about the son of Maryam” and Mawlids are exaggerations in our praise and respect of him.
This hadith was explained by scholars, and the prohibited exaggeration in respect to the hadith is to glorify the RasulAllah ﷺ in a way Christians did to Isa (‘alayhi salam) which was raising him to the state of God-hood and worshiping him and calling him Son of God. This is not done by any of the people who celebrate His ﷺ birth.
It is not befitting for a Muslim to say that we should not be excessive in our respect for the Best of Creation ﷺ as He ﷺ himself mentioned that none of our faiths are complete until we love and revere him more than our wealth, family and ourselves (Bukhari 15).
Objection 5: If it was a good thing, the companions who loved the prophet ﷺ more than us would have celebrated the Mawlid.
The Sahaba rejoiced in the birth of the RasulAllah ﷺ though not necessarily in Rabi’i (Sunan an-Nasa’i 5426), as the prophet ﷺ is a mercy to the worlds (21:107).
This objection is similar to the one addressed previously (See: Objection 3). The Sahaba did not need to celebrate the Mawlid of the prophet ﷺ, and just because they didn’t do it does not imply it is not permissible. It just means they did not do it. One of the reasons why is because the prophet ﷺ was remembered all the time in their gatherings, they were not in need of being reminded of the prophet ﷺ. However we now live in a time where it is quite easy to forget about the prophet ﷺ so we need to remind the people about him. And what day is better to talk about him than the day he ﷺ was born?
As for the objection that ‘If it was good then the sahaba would have preceded you in this action’. It is disastrous to the Islamic tradition. Let us put the principle into perspective. Was the Caliphs’ writing of the Mushaf a good thing? The prophet ﷺ would have preceded them in it.
Was Uthman’s burning of the Masahif a good thing? Abu Bakr would have preceded him in it.
Was Umar’s gathering of people in Tarawih a good thing (Al-Muwatta 249)? The prophet ﷺ would have preceded him in it.
Certainly, the Sahaba are not innovators too, are they ?
“(Abu Bakr) said to ‘Umar. How can I do anything that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not do? He said: By Allah, it is a good thing.””13
Considering the aforementioned, the objection is not valid and neither is it applied consistently by the objectors.
Objection 6: The leading Muslim scholars did not celebrate al-Mawlid.
This is incorrect and the objector is advised to refer to Shaykh Zayni Dahlan’s book al-Sira al-Nabawiyyah wa al-Athar al-Muhamadiyyah. He was the Mufti of Makkah in his time. Here is a list of some major scholars he mentioned which either celebrate, approve of, or permit Mawlid (with its correct way of celebration):
- Shaykhul-Islam al-Subki,
- al-Shawkani in al-Badr al-Tali’,
- al-Sakhawi,
- al-Hafidth Ibn Hajar al-Haythami,
- Shaykhul-Islam Ibn al-Jawzi.
Some additional names:
- Al-Hafidth Ibn Kathir, (The Great Mufassir and Muhadith)
- Ibn al-Jazariyy, (One of the Masters in Quranic Sciences)
- al-Hafidth al-Iraqi, (Leading master of Hadith)
- Ibn Hajar al-Asqalni, (Leading master of Hadith)
- Ibn Nasiruddin al-Dimashqi, (Master of Hadith)
- al-Imam al-Suyuti, (A Giant of Fiqh and an expert of Hadith)
- al-Hafidth al-Qastallani, (Huge theologian and master of Hadith)
- Mulla Ali al-Qari,
- Shah Dihlawi,
- Ibn Shamsuddin al-Dimishqi.
And the list goes on and on. More references can be found in the Appendix of Sublime Aspiration, pub: Ridawi Press and ahlus-sunna.com’s article on ‘Milad un Nabi’.14
Likewise, this is a list of the positions of the recognized organizations and Duwar al-Iftaa about celebrating al-Mawlid on the 12th.
- Darul Iftaa al Misriyyah [Egypt]
- Wazarat al Shu’oon al Diniyyah al Jaza’ir [Algeria]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al Maghribiyyah [Maghreb]
- Mufti al Diyar al Iraqiyyah [Iraq]
- al-Mufti al-Am for al-Quds and Palestine [Palestine]
- Hay’at al-Iftaa in al-Chichan [Chechen]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al Kuwaytiyyah. [Kuwait]
- Darul-Iftaa al Urdoniyyah [Jordan]
- Al Hay’ah al Ammah lil Shu’oon bil-Imarat [UAE]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al Sooriyyah [Syria]
- Darul-Fatwa al-Lubnaniyyah [Lebanon]
- Mufti al-Bosniyyah wal-Harsak [Bosnia]
- Wazarat al Awqaf bi-Oman [Oman]
- Wazarat al Awqaf Mamlakat al-Bahrain [Bahrain]
- Shu’oon al Diniyyah al-Turkiyyah [Turkey]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al-Malyiziya [Malaysia]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al-Indonesia [Indonesia]
- al-Majlis al-Alaa bi-Jumhooriyat Chad [Chad]
- al-Majlis al-Alaa bi-Jumhooriyat al-Sinighal [Senegal]
- Haya’at al Iftaa fi-Tunis [Tunis]
- Darul-Iftaa fi Muritanya [Mauritania]
- Wazarat al Shu’oon al Diniyah fi Pakistan [Pakistan]
- Wazarat al-Irshad wal Awqaf al-Afghaniyyah [Afghanistan]
- Wazarat al Awqaf al Sudaniyyah [Sudan]
- Hay’at al-Awqaf fi Libyah [Libyah]
If celebrating Mawlid is blameworthy, we ask the objector if he accuses these scholars and countries of:
- Being ignorant of Hadith or its meaning
- Being ignorant of principles of Fiqh – and Bidah itself
- Being heedless of Sunnah
- Being unconcerned about the state of the Ummah
Objection 7: The celebration of the Prophet’s Mawlid only happened when Bid’ah had become widespread.
And for this very reason we use this day as an opportunity to remind people of his ﷺ life and awaken their love for him ﷺ in their hearts. Just as preachers remind people of the Battle of Badr, and the Conquests that great Sahaba had done, we remind people of the arrival of Allah’s mercy to the world.
Objection 8: Mawlid is an innovation and all innovations are blameworthy and rejected.
If the objector does not hold onto the Bid’ah Hasanah concept of Ahl al-Sunnah, the permissibility of it is still possible under the concept of Maslahah Mursalah (See Shaykh Hatim al-Awni’s article for more).15 However, it is not accepted by the Ahl al-Sunnah that Mawlid is a blameworthy innovation, nor that all innovations are blameworthy, and for the sake of brevity it is impossible to write a short counter-argument to this objection. It will suffice to mention that many scholars explicitly categorized Bid’ah into several categories (al-Imam al-Shafi’I, Hujjatul-Islam al-Ghazali, Shaykhul-Islam al-Nawawi, tens more..) and have classified Mawlid under a permissible innovation, or even a recommended one (al-Imam al-Suyuti, Amir al-Mu’mineen fi-al-Hadith Ibn-Hajar al-Asqalani, Ibn Athir and many more…) and the blameworthy Bid’ah was defined as an act that has no asl in the Din (Kitab al-Tarifat of al-Jurjani) or the actions or beliefs that go against the Qur’an, Sunnah or consensus (Majmuh al-Fatawah of Ibn Taymiyyah). Since the mawlid as described earlier with its particulars has an asl in the religion and doesn’t go against the Qur’an, Sunnah nor Ijmah, therefore it cannot be classed as a reprehensible innovation.
Objection 9: Mawlid is an imitation of disbelievers / Christians
This is also similar to an earlier objection that was addressed (see Objection 1). However, there are some additional points to be made. An abridged excerpt from Mulla Ali al-Qari’s al-Mawrid al-rawi fi Mawlid al-Nabi is quoted as follows and will suffice.
[[ Al-Malik al-Muzaffar, used to go to great lengths in his celebration and preparations for it. The erudite Abu Shama, one of al-Nawawi’s teachers known for his rectitude, praised al-Muzaffar for this in his book and said: “Actions like this are good and recommended and the one who performs them should be praised and lauded. Ibn al-Jazari added, ‘Even if it only enrages Satan and brings delight to the people of faith.’
Al-Jazari also said, ‘If the people of the cross [i.e., the Christians] took the birth night of their Prophet ﷺ as a major celebration, the Muslims have even more right to honor the Prophetﷺ. ‘. One can, however, retort that we are commanded to be different from the People of the Book.
That is a rhetorical argument for Shaykhul Islam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani stated that there occurred to him a legal text upon which the gallant scholars can rely. It mentions that the Prophet ﷺ came to Medina and found the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashura’. When he asked them concerning this, they replied, “It is the day on which Allah drowned Fir’awn and saved Musa, so we fast this day out of gratitude to Allah Most High.”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “I have more right to Musa than you all,” and he fasted on that day and ordered others to fast on it… His first fast coincided with theirs for the sake of drawing them near to Islam and then later he did it on a different day to show the differences between them.
He [Ibn Hajar] said, “Giving thanks to Allah Most High can be shown by many acts of worship, such as prostration, fasting, charity, or reciting [the Quran]. And what bounty is greater than the blessing of the birth of this Prophet ﷺ —the Prophet of mercy—on this day?” ]]16
Objection 10: Mawlid is a form of worship, and the Fiqhi laws dictate that all forms of worship are prohibited except the ones mentioned explicitly in the Quran or Sunnah
When scholars state this principle, they intend to mean worship which is strictly ritualistic (taʿabbudī). What this means is that they must be obeyed without any legal benefit which is known to Muslims. For example, Duhr is 4 Rak’aat instead of 3 or why Isha can be shortened to 2 Rakaa during travel while Maghreb cannot, or why wiping on al-Khuff during Wudu’ is permitted. These are the forms of worship in which it is prohibited to utilize them in any other way than what Allah permitted. and for those who studied Fiqh they know Qiyas can not be done in these forms. These matters are unlike the matters from which we can deduce some form of wisdom. For example, alcohol intoxicates, so the Qiyas of intoxication can be done to other substances like drugs which also cause intoxication and henceforth they are also forbidden. So dwell on that.
Objection 11: Shari’ah has legislated only two Eids so why do you celebrate a third one
The ‘Eid used for this celebration is linguistic and not Shari’i. ‘Eid linguistically means a celebration. RasulAllah ﷺ mentioned how Friday (Jumm’ah) is ‘Eid for believers (Sunan Ibn Mājah 1098). This means that we can use the word ‘Eid for celebrations in a linguistic sense, and celebration for the birth of RasulAllah ﷺ is an Eid in this manner and it is not the “Third Eid in Shari’ah”.
Objection 12: There are no permissible forms of Mawlid which occur
There are, and if there are not, then make them – there is no issue.
Conclusion
By this article, we hope to resolve some of the misunderstandings people may have regarding this blessed month and pray that Allah gives us and them tawfiq to be worthy of the intercession of the Beloved ﷺ. Please pray for all who participated in this and keep all the Muslims of the Ummah in your du’as, especially our righteous scholars who are the inheritors of the Beloved ﷺ.
Further Reading:
More contentions and details are addressed in these sources than in the article.
Is Mawlid Bid’ah? Is it permissible? by Shaykh Sulayman Van Ael
The Quenching Source On the Birth of the Prophet ﷺ by Mulla Ali al-Qari
Celebrating The Mawlid of The Prophet ﷺ in The Hanbali Madhab by Sh. Yusuf bin Sadiq
Maslaha Mursala and Mawlid by Sh. Hatim al Awni
Sublime Aspiration of Celebrating the Mawlid by al-Imam al-Suyuti
A Message to Those Who Claim That Celebrating the Mawlid is A Bid’ah by Habib Umar Hafiz
On the Permissibility of Celebrating the Mawlid by al-Didu al-Salafi
Ever Been Told Not To “Over-Praise” the Prophet ﷺ Because It’s Bidah? by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Milad un Nabi by ahlus-sunna.com
References
- Sahih Muslim 1130c
- This is contested historically, see: Sublime Aspirations by al-Suyuti, p. 2
- al-Bā‘ith, 21
- See: Husn al-Maqsid fī ‘Amal al-Mawlid, al-Sīrah al-Halabiyyah, 1/100, Subul al-Hudā wa-l Rashād, 1/439, Sharh al-Mawāhib, 1/262, Rasā’il Ibn ‘Ashūr, 1/533.
- Sahih Muslim 1017e
- al-Mawahib al Ladoniyyah 1/85
- See Fathul-Bari 8/130, Dar al-Ma’rifa
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1047
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1047
- Sahih Muslim 1162b
- Sunan al-Nasa’i 5426
- See al-Manthur by al-Zarkashi 1/284, al-Taqrir wal-Tahbir by Ibn Ameer 2/82, al Mustasfa by al-Ghazali 1/274, Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar by al-Tahawi 1/389, al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah 1/104, Ihkam al-Ahkam by Ibn Daqiq 1/225, Fathul-Bari by Ibn Hajar in quotation of several scholars 10/155, 9/13.
- Bukhari 4986
- You can access it here.
- See Shaykh Hatim al-Awni’s article here.
- See p.10 of the book.
1 Comment
Alhamdulillah was Salatu was Salām ‘ala Rasul’Allah Sallalahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
Beautiful read. So many references and points to prove the permissibility of Mawlid, May Allah keep us steadfast towards the truth and guide those who object towards the truth. Āmīn