To
Celebrate or Not to Celebrate ...
...
That is the Question
.... by Asma bint Shameem
Some of us
celebrate it with
great devotion and diligence, while some of us are against it with an
equally great vengeance. Some say it is our religious duty while others
say it is nothing but bid'ah.
People argue about it. Families split up, friends forsake each other.
And sometimes people literally fight over it and hurt one another.
So what is it that I am talking about?
I am talking about celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam), the Mawlid or Milad, as some of us say.
Yes, the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal came and went. But, ever wondered.....
what is the reality regarding the celebration of the birth of our
beloved Prophet anyway?
Let's examine the facts.
First of all, whenever a Muslim is faced with a problem or confusing
situation, what are we supposed to do? Allaah tells us:
O
you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and
those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in
anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if
you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more
suitable for final determination. [Nisaa’:59]
Referring it to Allaah and His Messenger means to turn to Allaah's Book
and the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).
1. What
does the Qur'aan say about the Mawlid?
Nothing. Yes, that's right ..... NOTHING.
There is absolutely nothing in the Quraan that tells us to celebrate
the birthday of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). Not one
single ayah.
You see, all acts of worship are tawqeefi which means that they are not
subject to personal opinion and it is not permissible to do any acts of
worship except those which are approved by Shareeah.
So, for example, I cannot pick a special day or time, say the 22nd of
every month, and start celebrating that day as a form of worship.
Why?
Because there is nothing in the Shareeah that permits me to do that.
Also, I cannot start praying three rakaah for Fajr from tomorrow, even
if I want to worship Allaah more, because Fajr Salah is only two rakaat
as commanded upon us by the Shareeah.
And similarly, if there is no order for us to celebrate the birthday of
the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), then we dont.
In fact, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Whoever
innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not
part of it will have it rejected.” (Bukhaari).
Now someone might argue that we dont celebrate the Mawlid/Milad as an
act of worship.
So let's see what other evidences we have.
2. What
does the Sunnah say about it?
Again, there is nothing in the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam) that shows us that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi
wa Sallam) EVER celebrated his birthday or that of his wives, children,
or Sahaabah.
There
is not a
single hadeeth that tells us that he (Sal Allaahu
Alaiyhi wa Sallam) thought this day was significant enough to celebrate
it. |
Just think.....if there was any good in doing so, wouldnt he would have
done so himself and wouldnt he have ordered the Sahaabah to do so?
And obviously, it is not possible that he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa
Sallam) forgot to tell us about it, Aoodhu billaah!
Did the
Sahaabah celebrate the Mawlid/Milad?
The Sahaabah were witnesses to the revelation of the Quraan.
They had the Prophet right in front of their eyes.
They ate, drank, sat, slept, talked, walked, lived with the Prophet
(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).
If they misunderstood anything or were mistaken, the Prophet (Sal
Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) immediately corrected them. And thus, their
understanding and practice of Islaam was the best.
Yet, when we look at the lives and practice of the Sahaabah, we find
that none of them EVER celebrated the birth of their beloved Prophet,
whether during his life or even after he passed away.
Not Abubakr, not Umar, not Uthman, not Ali, nor Aaishah, Ibn Umar, Ibn
Masud, Talha, Az-Zubair, not a single Sahaabi.
Doesn't that prove anything?
The Sahaabah
absolutely loved the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). They gave
up their homes, families, lives, everything they had... for his sake,
in the blink of an eye. Yet this love did NOT promote them to celebrate
his birth.
This love translated into the practical application of his teachingsand
NOT picking the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal as a day of celebration.
What about the Four Imaams and other Ulama?
Did any of the Imaams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafi’i, Ahmad,
al-Hasan al-Basri, do this or command others to do it or say that it
was good? No. In fact, it was not even mentioned during the first and
best three centuries.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: The
best of mankind are my generation, then those who come after them, then
those who come after them. (Bukhaari, Muslim and
al-Tirmidhi).
And if the 'best of mankind' didnt celebrate his birth, then we
shouldnt either.
Actually, the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday appeared many
centuries later. By this time, many of the features of true religion
had disappeared and bid’ah had become widespread.
Think
about it!
Can it be possible that the Sahaabah, the Imaams and the people of the
best three centuries were unaware of the importance of celebrating the
birthday of the Prophet or that they were lacking in their love for him?
And it was only those who came later who were aware of it or loved him
more?!!! How can that be?!!
Actually, dear brother/sister in Islaam, TRUE love of the Prophet (Sal
Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) is shown and proven by following the
guidance that he brought. So follow his Sunnah to the best of your
ability and don't fall into innovated forms of worship. It is nothing
but a trap of the Shaytaan.
“Say
(O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me, Allah will
love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. (Aal ‘Imraan 3:31)
And remember the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam)
when he said:
“The best of speech is the Book of Allaah, and the best of guidance is
the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are those which are
newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation (bid'ah) is a going
astray.” (Muslim and
al-Nisaai)
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