#457: Clarification on Celebrating the Birth of the Rasūl -Salallāhu Alayhi Wa Sallam – 03
Brothers and Sisters, though the Muslim world through Sufi Shaykhs came to settle on the 12th of Rabi’ Awwal for convenience purposes and for consensus sake, there is nothing of Hadith to back that up. And we know that the matters of Dīn must be exact and precise. So, how can we task ourselves with something which we are not even sure of the date?
Shaykhu Al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya – rahimahullāh – said: “As for the taking of certain days as people do for yearly celebrations other than those sanctioned by the Shari’a, such as taking the nights of Rabi’ Awwal which some take as the night of the Mawlud, or some nights in the month of Rajab or the 8th night of DhulHijjah or the 1st Jum’a of Rajab or the 8th of Shawwal which the Jāhils used to call the ‘Idu Al-Abrār – they are all of the bid’a which none of the Pious Predecessors declared to be mustahabb nor ever practiced.” (Al-Fatāwa Al-Kubra)
Brothers and Sister, away from mere quoting or listing scholars that support or condemn the Mawlud Celebrations, whomsoever wants to legalize or call for its celebration must bring a strong evidence. Either a verse of the Qur’an or a Hadith which is strong and clearly importing the permissibility of observing the Mawlid.
I am aware of the reference to the verse in Suratu Ibrahim:
((وذكرهم بأيام الله))
“And remind them of Allāh’s favours on them on historical days and events” Referring to this verse was made by some brothers and particularly Imām Al-Allusi – rahimahullāh.
But, I say categorically and unequivocally that there is nothing in that verse to legalize the celebrating of Mawlid on the Day of 12th Rabi’ Awwal as it is done today.
About the verse, As-Sa’di said:
ﺍﻟﺸﻴﺦ ﺍﻟﺴﻌﺪﻱ، ﻗﺎﻝ: “ﺫﻛﺮﻫﻢ ﺑﻨﻌﻤﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻬﻢ ﻭﺇﺣﺴﺎﻧﻪ ﺇﻟﻴﻬﻢ، ﻭﺑﺄﻳﺎﻣﻪ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻷﻣﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﻜﺬﺑﻴﻦ، ﻭﻭﻗﺎﺋﻌﻪ ﺑﺎﻟﻜﺎﻓﺮﻳﻦ، ﻟﻴﺸﻜﺮﻭﺍ ﻧﻌﻤﻪ، ﻭﻟﻴﺤﺬﺭﻭﺍ ﻋﻘﺎﺑﻪ((
“what the verse means is remind them of His favours on them and His bounties over them, and His glorious days in the nations that belied and the incidences with the Kāfirin so that they will remember His bounties and distance from His punishments” Taysir Al-Karim Ar-Rahman
It is true that the Scholars mentioned that one of the meanings of this verse encompasses teaching and reminding the people the favours of Allāh and the days when those favours happened as Al-Allusi referred to in his tafsir, but that still is no evidence for celebrating the Mawlid.
We do not dispute the permissibility or remembrance of the Day the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – and narrating the story of the Ghazawāt of the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – to children as a way of boosting them. But, specifically choosing that day (12th R/Awwal) for it, and then celebrating by cooking, singing praises of the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – and gathering is what we cannot condone or find evidence for.
The matter of Mawlid began to take a very big turn in the Muslim world in the 8th Century Hijri, and that was when most of the Ulamā began speaking about them.
Imām Muhammad bn Al-Haaj Al-Fāsi Al-Māliki – rahimahullāh – said: “Section on Al-Mawlid: And of what they innovated among the Bid’as, despite their belief that it is of the biggest forms of Ibādāt and the clearest of symbols (of Islam) is what they observe in the month of Rabi’ Al-Awwal of the Mawlid; and it encompasses so much of Bid’a and Haram things” Al-Mad’khal 2/2-10
But unfortunately, somebody here just falsely attributed supporting the Mawlid celebration to Imām Ibn Al-Hāj.
Please always check your quotations before referencing them.
Other great Imāms of the past that condemned unequivocally the Mawlud celebrations include:
1. Imām Taajuddin Umar bn Ali Al-Lakhmi (popularly known as Al-Fākihāni) died 731H (see Ar-Rasa’il Fi Hukmi Al-Ihtifāl Bi Al-Mawlid An-Nabawi 1/8)
2. Imām Abu Ishāq Ibrahim bn Musa Ash-Shātibi (died 790H) see: Fatāwa Ash-Shātibi p203; Al-I’tisam 1/115
3. Al-Imām Al-Allāmah Abu Abdillah Muhammad Al-Haffār Al-Gharnāti Al-Māliki (d. 811H) (Al-Mi’yār Al-Mu’rib Wa Al-Jāmi Al-Maghrib pg 99 – 101
4. Al-Hāfidh Ahmad bn AbdurRahim Abu Zur’a Al-Iraqi Ash-Shāfi’i (d. 826H) (Tashnifu Al-Aadhān pg 136)
5. Shaykh Muhammad bn Marzuq At-Talmisāni Al-Māliki (Al-Mi’yar Al-Mu’rib Wa Al-Jāmi Al-Maghrib an Fatāwi Ahl Ifriqiyya wa Al-Andalusi Wa Al-Maghrib 2/471-472) he spent his entire life fighting bid’a which included Mawlid Celebrations
6. Abu Al-Abbās Al-Wansharisi (ibid 2/489)
7. Al-Qabāb Al-Fāsi Al-Māliki (ibid 12/48-49)
8. Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Ulaysh Al-Māliki (Fathu Al-Āli Al-Maalik)
9. Ash-Shaykhu Al-Bannāni Al-Māliki (Hāshiyatu Ad-Dasuqi Ala Sharhi Al-Kabir 19/390)
10. Imaam Muhammad bn Ali Ash-Shawkāni (d.1250H) (Al-Fat’hu Ar-Rabbāni 2/1087)
11. Imām Rashid Ridā (d. 1354) (Al-Mannār 17/111)
And before most of these Imām Khatib Al-Baghdādi, Imām Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali, Imām Ibn Al-Jawzi, and many others.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.
By: Abū ‘Āsim
📚 IslamNode
