Sheykul Islam: What are we abolishing when it is not established in the sunnah. What we know as festival in islam are the two eids (fitr and adha) as established in the authentic sunnah. STOP COMPARING US TO NON BELIEVERS

Rafidi :
[size=14pt]Is it an Innovation to Commemorate the Birth and Death Anniversaries of Awliya Allah?[/size]

The Wahhabis consider the honouring of birth and death anniversaries of awliya and divine personalities to be forbidden and an innovation. They are the staunch enemies of the awliya Allah and religious leadrs and consider the gatherings on their birth and death anniversaries to be (haram) prohibited.

Muhammad Hamid al-Faqi, the leader of group ‘Ansar al-Sunnat al-Muhammadiyya’ in his footnotes to his book al-Fath al-Majid writes:



“Remembering and celebrating on the days of birth and death of awliya amounts to one kind of worshipping them and respecting before them”.[1]

The root of all their mistakes is that because they have not determined any limit and margin for polytheism (shirk), tawhid and specially the meaning of 'ibada, they think that every kind of respect and honour is worship. As you must have noticed, he has brought the word of 'ibada and homage close to each other and imagines that both give the same meaning.

In the one of next chapters, we shall explain the meaning of 'ibada and clearly prove that every honour and respect to the virtuous servants of God with the intention that they are the ‘servants’ of Allah, does not result in their worship at all. Therefore, we shall examine this discussion from another angle (not polytheism in 'ibada).

Undoubtedly, Qur’an has repeatedly praised the Prophets and awliya with eloquent and rhetorical words.

About Zakaria, Yahya and others the Qur’an says:



“Surely they used to hasten, one with another, in deeds of goodness and to call upon Us, hoping and fearing, and they were humble before Us.” (al-'Anbiya: 90) .

Now, if in a gathering which is held under their name, someone portrays them in a similar manner which has come down in the contents of this verse and by this way honours them, has he done anything other than obeying the Holy Qur’an?

About the household of the Prophet, Allah (swt) says:



"And they give food out of love for Him to the poor and the orphan and the captive." (Dahr: 8 )

Now if the followers of Ali come together on the birthday of Amir al-mu'minin and say that Ali is one who used to give his own food to the poor, orphan and the captive, have they by this act worshipped him!?

If on the birthday of the Holy Prophet (s) we translate the verse which praises the Prophet into a non-Arabic language or write a poem on a tablet and recite it in a gathering, have we committed a forbidden action!?

They are having enmity with the matter of honouring the Holy Prophet (s) and awilya Allah that they wish to stop this under the pretext of fight against innovation.

At this stage a question is brought up to which the loud-speakers amongst the Wahhabis lay great emphasis and it is this: ‘Since these assemblies and gatherings are held under the name of religion and are labelled as Islamic, they should be approved specifically and generally by the Islamic rules. Otherwise it would be innovation (bid’at) and forbidden (haram).

The reply to this question is quite clear because the verses of Qur’an that draw our attention to the necessisty of honouring the Prophet is sufficient in this case and these kinds of gatherings are not held for any reason other than respecting the awliya Allah. That thing is considered to be ‘innovation’ which is not approved specifically or generally by Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet.

The purpose of these honourings which is common amongst all the nations of the world is nothing but paying respect and homage and this practise is common among all the Muslims of the world except for these handful of dry wahhabi ‘Najdis’. If it was innovation and something new and not confirming with the general Islamic principles, it was impossible that the Islamic scholars would celebrate the birthday of the Holy Prophet (s) and make splendid such gatherings by reading scholarly monographs and reciting sweet and elegant poems.

Here are some logical reasonings from Qur’an permitting such respect and honourings:

First Proof
The Holy Qur’an praises that group of people who honour the Holy Prophet (s):



“So (as for) those who believe in him and honour him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful.” (A'raf: 157)

The words which have appeared in this verse comprises of:



Is it possible for one to think that the words , and are confined to the period of the Holy Prophet? Certainly not! If such a probability cannot be given about these three words, the word of which gives the meaning of honour and respect [2] cannot be assigned to the period of the Holy Prophet (s) and thus this sublime leader should be respected and honoured at all times.

Is it not that arranging memorial gathering on the day of bi'that and birth of the Holy Prophet (s) and delivering speeches and poems on such occasions clear evidence to ?

Surprisingly, the Wahhabis pay homage and respect their own tribal leaders and rulers and honour even one ordinary person such that observing one hundredth of that with regard to the Holy Prophet (s), his pulpit and alter is considered to be innovation and anti-Islamic by them. As a result they introduce Islam to the world as one dry religion lacking any sentiments and affections and think that the shari'a which is in fact simple and easy, matching with the human nature and feeling and generous enough to attract the people is a dry "shari'a" which does not consider the respect of divine leaders to be of any significance and does not possess the ability to attract the people of the world.


Second Proof
What do the Wahhabis who oppose any kind of mourning ceremonies for the martyrs in the way of Allah have to say about the story of Ya'qub ('a)? If today, this great Prophet was living amongst these Najdis and the followers of Muhammad bin ’Abd al-Wahhab how would have they judged him?

Day and night he was weeping for his separation from Yusuf and all the time he was asking the people about the whereabouts of his beloved son. He was so much sorrowful by the separation of his son that he lost his eye-sight. [3]

Sickness and loss of eye-sight did not deter Ya’kub (‘a) from forgetting his son Yusuf (‘a). Instead, as the promise of re-union was drawing closer the flames of love towards his son increased manifold and he could smell Yusuf miles away. [4]

And instead of the star (Yusuf) pursuing the sun (Ya'qub ('a)) it was vice -versa.

Why expression of such affection during the life of the loved one (i.e. Yusuf) is correct and confirms to Tawhid but after his death when the heart becomes more prone to pain and suffering it amounts to polytheism and becomes forbidden?

Now if the Ya'qubs of our time gather together every year on the death anniversary of their Yusufs and speak about the value of his moral qualities due to which they start crying, will such an act amount to worshipping of their sons!? [5]


Third Proof
Undoubtedly, (love towards kinship) is one of the Islamic obligations which Qur’an explicitly commends us towards it. Now, after fourteen centuries if someone wishes to act upon the religious obligations then what should we do? Is it not that he should rejoice on their joyous days and become sorrowful on the days of their grief and sorrow?

Now, for expressing one's own pleasure, if someone holds a gathering wherein he reveals their historical life and sacrifices and describes their innocence and their deprivation from their rightful claims then, has he done anything other than expressing his affection and manifesting mawadda dhawi'l qurba? ()

If, for showing more affection, such a person visits their progeny and comes near their graves and holds such gatherings near their graves then, has he in the eyes of the wise and intelligent people, done anything other than manifesting his love and affection!?

Except that the Wahhabis may say: Such love and affection should be kept secret and confined to the heart and no one has the right to manifest and express them (openly).

During the time of the Holy Prophet (s) and the period after him which was the period of change of thoughts and beliefs, different tribes and nations with different cultures and customs were turning towards Islam and by reciting the shahadatayn (creed) their Islam was accepted. The position of Prophet and the leaders was never to investigate, censor (by establishing the ‘section for scrutinizing of beliefs’) than dissolve the entire rites and customs of the nations and tribes and bring them out in another form different from the previous ones.

Respect of leaders, establishing memorial ceremonies, attending the graves and expressing love for their signs and traces was and is the custom of all nations and tribes. At present too, the people of East and West stand for hours in que waiting to pay visit to the mummified bodies and graves of ancient leaders in order to express their love and shed tears in their grief. They consider this to be one way for expressing respect and honour.

It was never seen that the Holy Prophet (s) would accept the Islam of people only after investigating their beliefs and examining their practises and customs in practical life. Instead, expressing the ‘Shahadatain’ was enough for him. If these practices and customs were forbidden and or amounted to worshiping the ancestors, then it was necessary to accept the Islam of nations and tribes (only) after taking allegiance and promise from them about their exoneration (of such practices) while such was never the case.


Fourth Proof:
We see Isa (‘a) asks for table (with food) from the Almighty Allah and introduces the day of its descension as the day of celebration and says:



“O Allah, our lord! send down to us food from heaven which should be to us an ever-recurring happiness, to the first of us and the last of us, and a sign from Thee, and grant us means of subsistence, and Thou art the best of the Providers.” (Maida: 114)

Is the value of the Holy Prophet's existence lesser than one heavenly table which Isa (‘a) declares the day of its descension to be the day of ‘Eid’. If such a day is declared to be the day of ‘Eid’ because of the table being a divine sign, then is not the Holy Prophet (s) the greatest divine sign!?

Woe to those who are ready to celebrate the day of descension of one heavenly table that feeds the stomachs but ignore and label as innovation, the celebration of the day of descension of Qur’an and the day of appointment (bi’that) of Prophet who blessed the minds of human beings with perfection of thought over the period of history !


Fifth Proof:
The Qur’an says:



“And exalted for you your esteem”? (Inshiraah: 4)

Is it that arranging gatherings for celebrating the days of birth of the Holy Prophet (s) having any purpose other than elevating his name and fame! Why in this case we should not follow the Qur’an? Is not Qur’an an example and the best model for us?

Notes:
[1] al-Fath al-Majid, page 154. At this time when these pages and papers are being composed, and in the entire Islamic countries celebrations are being held on the occasion of the birth of the Holy Prophet, the Mufti of the House of Sa’ud, Bin Baz has declared as forbidden and innovation any kind of respect for the birthday of the Holy Prophet (s). But the same person addressed King Faisal al-Sa’ud during his reign as ‘Amir al-mu'minin’ and this action was biting and shocking to the extent that the king too understood and excused for accepting this title.

[2] Refer to al-Raghib, Mufradat al-Raghib, under " ' dh r".

[3] Sura Yusuf: 84.

[4] Sura Yusuf verse: 94.

[5] Moreover, reliable traditions have come down from the Infallibles about holding of mourning ceremonies and in this connection, Allama al-'Amini has collected in one chapter of his book titled: all the traditions from Sunni books

source: http://www.al-islam.org/wahhabism/9.htm

LagosShia: it is not bid'ah to mark the birthday of the Prophet (sa),the 12 Imams (as) and members of the Ahlul-Bayt (as) and even prophets of Allah whose dates are known.

for it to be bid'ah it must be haram.any act that is not haram based on the Quran and the sunnah of Rasulullah (as) and the 12 rightly guided caliphs (as) is not bid'ah. a bid'ah must be haram act.if it is not haram act,then it is not bid'ah.that is the way to know a bid'ah.otherwise,using computer to preach Islam is also bid'ah and copying the kuffar because they invented the internet.

as for those saying birthday is pagan in origin,then must know that we are neither emulating the pagans nor worshipping the person whose birthday we are celebratory nor believing as the pagans did.

it is however not an obligatory act to celebrate birthdays of the chosen ones of Allah (swt).not marking it does not render one sinful nor does it make him less of a muslim and lover of the Prophet (sa).

Al-Baqir:
MAWLUD NABIYY(Birth of the prophet)
celebration. And Death commemoration!

There's no doubt celebrating the birthday of the
holy prophet was an age-long practice introduced by great scholars of Islam, sunni-shia alike.

We read in the Sirah Halabiyah page 80:

"Muslims have been celebrating gatherings of
Mawlid Sharif in large cities for-long"

"On the Eve of Mawlid an-Nabi; whole Islamic world
is observed to be delight and celebrating it. And it is celebrated till now with enthusiasm and integrity.
[Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 21, Page 824]

This is the view of Sheik Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (in his
Fatawah al-Hadithiyah); Sheik Ibn Jawzi (in Bayan
al-Mawlid an-Nabiy); Sheik Yusuf Ibn Ismail an-
Nabhani (in Jawahir al-BiHar); Ibn Battuta (the
famous 8th century historian) et al.

INTENT!
Scholars mentioned above claimed muslims of
various madhhab (school of thought) used to
gathered as one, distribute food and gifts for
themselves and for the needy, recite eulogy and
salawat on the prophet, talked about his Sirah
(history) and noble virtues among many good
deeds.

As expected the salafi declared it haram since it was not primarily practice by the prophet or the
companions; then the practice is Haram.

How many practice have they themselves indulge in today that were never practiced primarily by the prophet (saws)! If there definition of 'Bidah' is any new thing introduced to Islam not practice by the prophet (saws), then they are the most guilt ones.

If you wanna challenge this ^ be my guest then we shall explore countless of innovations as practice today by the salafi.

QUR'AN TALKS!
1. Allah in many verses of the holy Qur'an talk and
urge the "REMEMBRANCE of the past holy ones". He
talks about what they lived and die for; thereby,
urged Muslim to emulate their standards.

Sura Mary'am vs 16, 41, 51, 54: mary, Ibrahim,
musa, Ismail respectively; et al repeatedly says:
"Wadhkur' fil kitabi....Remember in the book (story
of)...so and so..."

Who should we have remember the most if not
Muhammad ibn Abdullah(saws)! In fact a careful look at those ayah revealed that the responsibility of remembrance lies most with those that come after such personality.

2. Allah (swt) highlight the importance of 3 stages
in the life of Man in Sura Maryam: his day of BIRTH,
his day of DEATH and his day of RESSURECTION
citing Yahya (vs 15) and Jesus (vs 33)as a case
study.

For Yahya, Allah says:
"And Salamun (peace) be on him the day he
was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be
raised up to life (again)!"

Allah and His angels send Salam on Muhammad;
Muslim also, have been commanded to send
blessing upon Muhammad (saws) and no specific
day or moment is specified meaning: AT ALL TIMES,
but here, Allah Himself sends salam on Nabi Yahya
(and Jesus) on the DAY OF BIRTH, DEATH and
RESSURECTION!

So what other primary intent does Mawlid Nabi hold
other than seeking blessing on Muhammad,
remembrance of his life-history and exalted virtues,
distribution of gift (another sunnah being practice
there)?

Only those who take advantage of this occasion with acts of deceit in one way or the other are the ones to be condemn NOT the act itself.

3. We read in the holy Qur'an sura al-Maida vs
112-114 about the prayer of Nabi Isa (a.s) requested by the JEW:

"O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set
(with food) that there may be for us, for the first and the last of us, A SOLEMN FESTIVAL (E'id) and a sign from Thee; and provide for our sustenance for Thou art the best Sustainer.”

Allah granted the prayer and manna was sent down
from heaven right before their eyes. That day was
marked as an E'ID (Festive) day by Jesus (a.s); and
the children of Israel (Jew) who continue the
REMEMBRANCE (of that day) even till date.

If Allah refer to this great occasion and did not
condemned his prophet (Jesus) and the Jew for
making E'id out of that day, how can celebrating or
making E'id out of the DAY Allah sent His "Mercy
unto Mankind" be condemn and called BID'AH/
HARAM?

A day Allah sent His grand blessing unto mankind!
A day in which Allah sends His last prophet unto
mankind!
A day in which various miraculous event was
witnessed indicating the birth of a glorious child!

In the same vein, why won't the Day Allah removed
His "final mercy" from the earth be commemorated?
The day holy prophet died was a day of sadness and
sorrow because one of the surest link of Allah's rope
from heaven to earth was removed. No wonder

Fatima (a.s), daughter of the prophet continously
cried for almost six months after the death of her
father until she joined him. That was no doubt more
than just father-daughter affection.

These are thoughtful facts for the men of
understanding.

opeyemi@2013:

who invited you to bring your own shia view regarding maulid. We are talking about the views of scholars in Islam on maulid according to what is in the Quran and the sunnah of prophet not according to the shia misinterpretation of Quran. Muslims follow Quran as interpreted by salaf through sahih headiths like bukhari, muslim and the likes. shia dont believe in these books so nothing consign you when muslims are analysing islam according to these books.

Al-Baqir:


You see Hatred blind heart from truth and block sensible thinking. Can't you see many of great Sunni Ulama in support of Mawlud?
Imam Abdurahman Jalaludin suyuti, Sheik Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (in his Fatawah al-Hadithiyah); Sheik Ibn Jawzi (in Bayan al-Mawlid an-Nabiy); Sheik Yusuf Ibn Ismail an-Nabhani (in Jawahir al-BiHar); Ibn Battuta (the famous 8th century historian) et al.

1. Only Salafi condemn Mawlud sherif claiming 'salaf' did not practice it. Question who exactly were these salaf you are claiming to emulate?

Does the prophet ever ask you to follow salaf?

Does he (saws) ever ask you to take interpretation of Qur'an from salaf?

harmeenart:

The fact that they celebrate it doesnt make it right.

harmeenart:

Salaf means pious predecessors. So,the companions,the students of the companions and their students are salafs.

harmeenart:
We emulate that which there is evidence from the quran and sunnah.No dogmatism here.

harmeenart:
Yes he did. Why did he send his companions to tell people about the religion if he didnt want them to be followed? Mu'ad was sent to medina before the migration to preach islam to them, the list is endless.

harmeenart:
We take interpretations from the prophet ,the salaf just happen to be the transmitters with words and actions.

harmeenart: Moreover, there are ways of showing love for the prophet.
Have it in mind that love means obedience and sacrifice. Allah lays down the criteria for His love in the quran: following the way of the Messenger.
"Say( Muhammad): If indeed you love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins for Allah is Oft forgiving Most merciful." Q4 vr 31
True love in the prophet 's eyes was obedience in his sunnah and following his path. Where is this obedience in our lives today- in our lifestyles, our homes, our weddings or deaths? Do we really think the love the prophet wanted from us was to decorate mosques in rabil awwal, read poetry,hold birthdays for him once a year and thats it?
Remember Whoever brings a matter that is not from the religion of ours is rejected. Every innovation is misguidiance and evey misguidiance is hell.
Show love to the prophet by:
Following him and his way of life.
Supporting him.
Continuously remembering him.
Favouring and loving him over oneself and everybody else.
Missing him and longing to meet him.
And most importantly, knowing about him,reading books about him,knowing what sacrifices he did for us,moments of gud times and bad times,etc. Perharps, this would even increase your love for him and make you feel closer to him.
Remember, you would be with those you love on the day of judgement.

harmeenart: @ Al- baqir: Grave of the prophet to ask him for help:-O, this is serious.The fact that you dont scrutinize what your people tell you along side the quran and sunnuh doesnt mean everyone does the same.

harmeenart: If my words wernt clear enough, I cant help it.Seriously,I'm done with you here.

barackodam: Oda, its okay, u guys shud stop the arguement and forget the thread!!!