ALHAJI ali:

saud arabia and most gulf states do not carryout this celebration or give public holiday,but have other forms of similar celebrations like,birth and death of sayidina ali(ra) and that of hassan and hussain,grand children of rasul in iraq but still may allah give us the will to act correctly and also increase us in iman(islamic faith)amin

Alhaji,this is not true. . . . .I live in the gulf & we have public holiday !!!

Assalamualaikum.

please be sure of what u say before u say it, because it affect others.

here are more details about this.

ProfessionQuestion As-salamu `alaikum. What shall we do on the day of Muhamaad's birthday? Is it allowed to meet in the Mosque and to perform prayers? Is this also bid'ah or innovation? What is allowed to do and what is forbidden? AnswerIn the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

We are allowed to commemorate the event of the Prophet's birth by offering charities and performing optional good works that are always permitted in Islam. However, even better would be to seize the opportunity to educate ourselves and others about the great benefactor, the Messenger of Mercy and express love for him by following his footsteps. Saying salawaat and nasheeds in praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are indeed noble deeds. Sending salawaat on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is already enjoined in the Qur'an; praising the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) is also an established tradition we have inherited from the time of the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) himself; so no one can consider it a bid'ah or an innovation in religion.

Having said this, however, I must rush to add that we must never exceed the limits by equating the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with Allah. This will be the case if we were to attribute divine powers to him or take him as an intermediary in worship.

Our love of the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) must be expressed freely without any taint of shirk or disbelief. In fact celebrating the great life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will go a long way in uniting Muslims on the singular event that all of them will be proud of. So there is indeed a great maslahah or benefit in these times when Muslims are in need of a unifying event in their history. There is nothing more significant for us and humanity than the coming of the mercy of the worlds. May Allah fill our hearts with the love of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)-aameen.

You can also read:

Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday (http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503543944&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaEAskTheScholar)

Allah Almighty knows best.

Sorry for not posting the link.

Here it is:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/30610/43/

http://punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20090303358046

SALAM again,
Our religion of islam is a very simple religion,there is no any form doubts in the good teachings of Our Noble Rasul(SAW),We should not hide under any form of language to start practicing bidiah(innovations),He taught us everything,even how to do simply ablution before praying,What I said was very simple,Prophet never celebrate his birthday throughout his life time nor the sabahs and all the rightly guarded imams,so we should follow Rasul's warnings against innovations.
As for other Islamic states,maulud is never celebrated in Makkah and Madina,where our two Mosque are situated,but pls we are all learning,if anyone have any authority from Alquran or hadeeth pls tell us now,if you are however doing bidiah do not ask others to follow your ways,we are only to follow Alquran and hadeeth as prophet tell us
Allah knows best

Ruling on Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday

Celebrating the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is forbidden and is to be rejected for a number of reasons:

1 – It is not part of the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) or of the khalîfahs who succeeded him. Since this is the case, then it is a forbidden innovation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said: "I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khalîfahs 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; at-Tirmidhî no. 2676).

Celebrating the Mawlid is an innovation introduced after the three best centuries in order to corrupt the religion of the Muslims. If a person does anything in order to draw closer to Allâh which was not done by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) or enjoined by him, and was not done by the khalîfahs who succeeded him, this action implies that he is accusing the Messenger of not explaining the religion to the people, and that he disbelieves in the words of Allâh (interpretation of the meaning):

"This day, I have perfected your religion for you." [al-Mâ'idah 5:3]

Because he is adding something extra and claiming that it is a part of the religion, but the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) did not bring this.

2 – Celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is an imitation of the Christians, because they celebrate the birth of the Messiah (peace be upon him). Imitating them is harâm. The hadîth tells us that it is forbidden to imitate the kuffâr, and we are commanded to differ from them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." (narrated by Ahmad, 2/50; Abû Dâwûd, 4/314). And he said, "Be different from the mushrikîn." (narrated by Muslim, 1/222, no. 259) – especially with regard to things that are the symbols or rituals of their religion.

3 – Besides being bid'ah and an imitation of the Christians, both of which are harâm, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is also a means that leads to exaggeration and excess in venerating him, which even goes as far as calling upon him (making du'â' to him) and seeking his help, instead of calling upon Allâh, as happens now among many of those who observe the bid'ah of the Mawlid, when they call upon the Messenger instead of Allâh, and ask him for support, and sing qasîdahs (odes) of shirk praising him, like Qasîdat al-Burdah etc. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) forbade going to extremes in praising him, as he said: "Do not extol as the Christians extolled the son of Maryam. For I am just His slave, so say, the slave of Allâh and His Messenger." (narrated by al-Bukhârî, 4/142, no. 3445; al-Fath, 6/551), i.e., do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the Messiah and venerated him until they worshipped him instead of Allâh. Allâh forbade them to do that when he said (interpretation of the meaning):

"O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allâh aught but the truth. The Messiah 'Îsa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allâh and His Word, ("Be!" — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rûh) created by Him." [al-Nisâ' 4:171]

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) forbade us to exaggerate concerning him lest the same thing happen to us as happened to them, so he said: "Beware of exaggeration, for those who came before you were destroyed because of exaggeration." (narrated by an-Nasâ'î, 5/268; classed as sahîh by al-Albânî in Sahîh Sunan al-Nasâ'î, no. 2863).

4 – Observing the innovation of the Prophet's birthday opens the door to other kinds of bid'ah and being distracted by them from the Sunnah. Hence you find that the innovators are very active when it comes to bid'ah and very lazy when it comes to the Sunnah; they hate it and regard those who follow it as enemies, until their entire religion is innovated anniversaries and Mawlids. They have split into various groups, each of which commemorates the anniversary of its Imâm's birth, such as the births of al-Badawî, Ibn 'Arabî, al-Dasûqî and al-Shâdhilî. No sooner do they end the celebration of one birthday but they start the celebration of another. This results in exaggeration concerning these dead people and others, and in calling upon them instead of Allâh, believing that they can bring benefit and cause harm, until they deviate from the religion of Allâh and go back to the religion of the people of the Jâhiliyyah of whom Allâh says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And they worship besides Allâh things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: 'These are our intercessors with Allâh'." [Yûnus 10:18]

"And those who take Awliyâ' (protectors, helpers, lords, gods) besides Him (say): 'We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allâh'." [az-Zumar 39:3]

Discussing the specious arguments of those who celebrate the Mawlid

Those who think that this bid'ah should be continued produce specious arguments which are flimsier than a spider's web. These specious arguments may be dealt with as follows:

1 – Their claim that this is veneration of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him):

The response to that is that the way to venerate him is to obey him, do as he commanded and avoid that which he forbade, and to love him; he is not to be venerated through innovations, myths and sins. Celebrating his birthday is of this blameworthy type because it is a sin. The people who venerated the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) the most were the Sahâbah (may Allâh be pleased with them), as 'Urwah ibn Mas'ood said to Quraysh: "O people, by Allâh I have visited kings. I went to Caesar, Chosroes and the Negus, but by Allâh I never saw a king whose companions venerated him as much as the companions of Muhammad venerated Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him). By Allâh, whenever he spat it never fell on the ground, it fell into into the hand of one his companions, then they wiped their faces and skins with it. If he instructed them to do something, they would hasten to do as he commanded. When he did wudû', they would almost fight over his water. When he spoke they would lower their voices in his presence; and they did not stare at him out of respect for him." (al-Bukhârî, 3/178, no. 2731, 2732; al-Fath, 5/388). Yet despite this level of veneration, they never took the day of his birth as an 'Eid (festival). If that had been prescribed in Islâm they would not have neglected to do that.

2 – Using as evidence the fact that many people in many countries do this.

The response to that is that evidence consists of that which is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him), and what is proven from the Prophet is that innovations are forbidden in general, and this is an innovation. What people do, if it goes against the evidence (dalîl), does not prove anything, even if many of them do it.

"And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allâh's path." [al-An'âm 6:116 – interpretation of the meaning]

Nevertheless, in every age, praise be to Allâh, there have always been those who denounce this bid'ah and state clearly that it is false. Those who persist in following it after the truth had been explained to them have no proof.

Among those who denounced the celebration of this occasion was Shaykh al-Islâm Ibn Taymiyah, in Iqtidâ' as-Sirât al-Mustaqîm; Imâm al-Shâtibî in al-'I'tisâm; Ibn al-Hâj in al-Madkhil; Shaykh Tâj al-Deen 'Alî ibn 'Umar al-Lakhamî who wrote an entire book denouncing it; Shaykh Muhammad Bashîr al-Sahsawâni al-Hindî in his book Siyânah al-Insân; al-Sayyid Muhammad Rashîd Ridâ wrote a separate essay on this topic; Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrâhîm Âlush-Shaykh wrote a separate essay on it; Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azîz ibn Bâz; and others who are still writing and denouncing this bid'ah every year in the pages of newspapers and magazines, at the time when this bid'ah is being done.

3 – They say that by celebrating the Mawlid they are keeping the memory of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) alive.

The answer to that is that the memory of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is constantly kept alive by the Muslim, such as when his name (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is mentioned in the adhân and iqâmah and in khutbahs, and every time the Muslim recites the Shahâdatayn after doing wudû' and in the prayers, and every time he sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) in his prayers and when he is mentioned, and every time the Muslim does a wâjib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended) action that was prescribed by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him). In all of these ways (the Muslim) remembers him and the reward equivalent to the reward of the one who does that action goes back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him). Thus the Muslim constantly keeps the memory of the Messenger alive and has a connection with him night and day throughout his life through that which Allâh has prescribed, not only on the day of the Mawlid and things which are bid'ah and go against the Sunnah, for that puts one at a distance from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) and the Messenger will disown him because of that.

The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) has no need of this innovated celebration, because Allâh has already bestowed veneration and respect upon him, as He says:

", and raised high your fame , " [ash-Sharh 94:4]

For Allâh is not mentioned in the adhân, iqâmah or khutbah except that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is mentioned after Him; this is sufficient veneration, love and renewal of his memory, ad sufficient encouragement to follow him.

Allâh did not refer to the birth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) in the Qur'ân, rather He referred to his Mission, and says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Indeed, Allâh conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves" [Âl 'Imrân 3:124]

"He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves." [al-Jumu'ah 64:2]

4 – They may say that the celebration of the Prophet's birthday was introduced by a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allâh.

Our response to that is that bid'ah is not acceptable, no matter who does it. A good intention does not justify a bad deed and even if a person died as a knowledgeable and righteous person, this does not mean that he was infallible.

5 – They say that celebrating the mawlid comes under the heading of bid'ah hasanah ("good innovation" because it is based on giving thanks to Allâh for the Prophet!

Our response to that is that there is nothing good in innovation. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said: "Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islâm), that is not part of it will have it rejected." (Narrated by al-Bukhârî, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355). And he said, "Every innovation is a going astray." (narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; at-Tirmidhî, no. 2676). The ruling on innovations is that they are all misguidance, but this specious argument suggests that not every bid'ah is a going astray, rather there are good innovations.

Al-Hâfiz ibn Rajab said in Sharh al-Arba'în: "The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him), 'every innovation is a going astray' is a concise but comprehensive comment which includes everything; it is one of the most important principles of religion. It is like his words 'Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islâm), that is not part of it will have it rejected.' (Narrated by al-Bukhârî, 3/167, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355). Whoever innovates anything and attributes it to Islâm when it has no basis in the religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islâm, whether that has to do with matters of belief ('aqîdah) or outward and inward words and deeds." [Jâmi' al-'Ulûm wa'l-Hikam, p. 233]

These people have no proof that there is any such thing as a "good innovation" apart from the words of 'Umar (may Allâh be pleased with him) concerning Tarâwîh prayers, "What a good innovation this is." (Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/252, no. 2010 mu'allaqan; al-Fath 4/294).

They also said that things were innovated which were not denounced by the salaf, such as compiling the Qur'ân into one volume and writing and compiling the hadîth.

The response to that is that these matters had a basis in Islâm, so they were not newly-invented.

'Umar said: "What a good bid'ah" meaning innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar'i (technical) sense. Whatever has a basis in Islâm, if it is described as an innovation, is an innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the shar'i sense, because innovation in the shar'i sense means that which has no basis in Islâm.

Compiling the Qur'ân into one book has a basis in Islâm, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) had commanded that the Qur'ân be written down, but it was scattered, so the Sahâbah compiled it in one volume so as so protect and preserve it.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) led his companions in praying Tarâwîh for a while, then he stopped doing that, lest that become obligatory on them. The Sahâbah (may Allâh be pleased with them) continued to pray it separately during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) and after his death, until 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb (may Allâh be pleased with them) gathered them behind one imâm as they used to pray behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him). This was not an innovation introduced into the religion.

Writing down the hadîth also has a basis in Islâm. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) ordered that some ahâdîth should be written down for some of his companions when they asked him for that. In general terms writing it down during his lifetime was not allowed, for fear that the Qur'ân might be mixed with things that were not part of it. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) died, this fear was no longer a factor, because the Qur'ân had been completed and arranged in order before he died. The Muslims compiled the Sunnah after that in order to preserve it and keep it from being lost. May Allâh reward them with good on behalf of Islâm and the Muslims, because they preserved the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) from being lost or being tampered with.

We may also say to them: why was this act of thanksgiving (the Mawlid), as they call it, not done by the best generations, the Sahâbah, Tâbi'în and followers of the Tâbi'în, who loved the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) most and who were most keen to do good and give thanks? Are those who introduced the innovation of the Mawlid more rightly-guided than them? Do they give more thanks to Allâh? Definitely not!

6 – They may say that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is indicative of their love for him; this is one way of showing that, and showing love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is prescribed in Islâm!

The answer to that is that undoubtedly loving the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) is obligatory for every Muslim; he should love him more than he loves himself, his child, his father and all the people – may my father and mother be sacrificed for him – but that does not mean that we should introduce innovations for doing so that have not been prescribed for us. Loving him dictates that we should obey him and follow him, for that is one of the greatest manifestations of love, as it is said:

"If your love is sincere then obey him; for the lover obeys the one whom he loves."

Loving the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) implies keeping his Sunnah alive, adhering firmly to it, and avoiding words and deeds that go against it. Undoubtedly everything that goes against his Sunnah is a reprehensible innovation (bid'ah) and a manifest act of disobedience. That includes celebrating his birthday and other kinds of bid'ah. A good intention does not mean that it is permissible to introduce innovations into the religion. Islâm is based on two things, purity of intention and following [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him)]. Allâh says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allâh (i.e. follows Allâh's religion of Islâmic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (a doer of good) then his reward is with his Lord (Allâh), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." [al-Baqarah 2:112]

Submitting one's face to Allâh means being sincere towards Allâh, and doing good means following the Messenger and implementing the Sunnah.

7 – Another of their specious arguments is when they say that by celebrating the Mawlid and reading the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) on this occasion, they are encouraging people to follow his example!

We say to them that reading the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) and following his example are required of the Muslim all the time, all year long and throughout his life. Singling out a specific day for that with no evidence for doing so is an innovation, and every innovation is a going astray. (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/164; at-Tirmidhî, 2676). Bid'ah does not bear any fruit but evil and it leads to a person distancing himself from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him).

In conclusion, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him), whatever form it takes, is a reprehensible innovation. The Muslims should put a stop to this and other kinds of bid'ah, and occupy themselves with reviving and adhering to the Sunnah. They should not be deceived by those who promote and defend this bid'ah, for these types of people are more interested in keeping innovations alive than in reviving the Sunnah; they may not even care about the Sunnah at all. Whoever is like this, it is not permissible to imitate him or follow his example, even if the majority of people are like this. Rather we should follow the example of those who follow the path of the Sunnah, among the righteous salaf (early Muslim scholars) and their followers, even if they are few. Truth is not measured by the men who speak it, rather men are measured by the truth.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said: "Whoever among you lives (for a long time) will see many differences. I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khalîfahs who come after me. Hold on to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every innovation is a going astray." (Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; at-Tirmidhî no. 2676). So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) explained to us in this hadîth what we should do when there are differences of opinion, just as he explained that everything that goes against his Sunnah, be it words or deeds, is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a going astray.

If we see that there is no basis for celebrating the birthday of the Prophet, whether in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allâh (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) or in the way of the rightly-guided khalîfahs, then it is one of the newly-invented matters, one of the bid'ahs which lead people astray. This principle is what is implied by this hadîth and is what is indicated by the âyah (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! Obey Allâh 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 Allâh and His Messenger, if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [an-Nisâ' 4:59]

Referring to Allâh means referring to His Book (the Qur'ân), and referring to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) means referring to his Sunnah after he has passed away. The Qur'ân and Sunnah are the reference point in cases of dispute. Where in the Qur'ân or Sunnah does it indicate that it is prescribed in Islâm to celebrate the Prophet's birthday? Whoever does that or thinks that it is good must repent to Allâh from this and from other kinds of bid'ah. This is the attitude of the Muslim who is seeking the truth. But whoever is too stubborn and arrogant after proof has been established, then his reckoning will be with his Lord.

We ask Allâh to help us adhere to His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger until the Day when we will meet Him. May Allâh grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Shaykh Sâlih ibn Fawzân al-Fawzân

I like this forum,a brother citated ff link but not completly,pls read it full here



Question and Answer Details

Name of Questioner Sabri - Panama
Title Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday
Question As Salamu `alaykum. Does celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have any evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah? www.Sunnidawateislami.Com has answered that question in their question-answer column saying that it is allowed to celebrate the Prophet's birthday, the Qur`an has approved it and there is evidence from it in the Sunnah. When I discuss this matter with my family, I tell them it is bid`ah or an innovation. Am I right? I'd like you to please clarify this matter to me. I'd also like to know the correct date of birth of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the date he died.
Date 29/Mar/2007
Name of Mufti Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, `Atiyyah Saqr

[b][b]Topic Customs & Traditions, Creedal Innovations[/b][/b]

Answer

Wa`alykum As-salaamu wa Rahmatul Allahi wa Barakaatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah , and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, first of all, we'd like to voice our appreciation for the great confidence you repose in us. Our utmost wish is to have our efforts come up to your expectation. May Allah help us all keep firm on the straight path, Amen!

It is permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday as an expression of love to the Prophet provided that the celebration doesn’t involve any of the prohibited acts.

In this regard, we would like to cite for you the following fatwa issued by Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, in which he states the following:
According to historians, the Fatimides were the first to celebrate the Prophet's birthday. Qalqashandi, in his book Subh Al-A`sha, says that the Fatimides used to make a huge celebration in Egypt and distribute large amounts of sweets for the occasion. Actually, the Fatimides used to celebrate the birthdays of other members of the Prophet's family and they also celebrated Christ's birthday.

However, all of these celebrations were stopped in 488 upon an order from Caliph Al-Musta`li billah appointed as prime minister Al-Afdal Shahindah, son of Commander-in-chief Badr Al-Jamali, a powerful man who conformed to the Sunnah as stated by Ibn Al-Atheer in his book Al-Kamel, volume 8, page 302.

People stopped celebrating such occasions till Al-Ma'mun Al-Bata'ihi came to power and issued an official decree in 517 enjoining the distribution of alms in 12th Rabee` Al-Awwal. Sanaa' Al-Malik was in charge of distributing them.

When the Ayoubides came to power, they stopped all Fatimide practices, but families used to celebrate the Prophet's birthday in their houses. Then it returned to be officially celebrated at the beginning of the seventh century in the city of Irbil upon a decree from its prince, Muzafar Al-Deen Abi Sa`d Kawakbri Ibn Zein Ed-Deen `Ali- Ibn Tabakatikin, who was a Sunni.

Muzafar gave great care and attention to such celebrations and ordered marquis to be erected starting from the beginning of Safar. Such tents, which were wonderfully decorated and extended from Al-Qal`a gate till the Khandaq gate. Muzafar used to go everyday after `Asr prayer to watch the festivities in these tents.

The celebration was sometimes held on the 8th of Rabee` Al-Awwal (and sometimes on the 12th) which used to be an official holiday so that the people could enjoy the festival. Two days before the actual celebration, Muzafar used to order the sheep, cows and camels to be slaughtered in the main avenue amidst cheerful festivities, then the meat would be cooked and distributed among the people.

Ibn Al-Hajj Abu `Abdullah Al-`Abdari says that such festivals were widespread in Egypt during his rein and condemned the innovations that used to take place during such festivals. (Al-Madkhal, volume 2, p 11, 12)

Many books were written on the Prophet's birthday in the seventh century such as the stories of Ibn Dahya, who died in Egypt in 633 AH, Muhy Ed-Deen Ibn Al-`Arabi, who died in Damascus in 683 AH, Ibn Taghrabik, who died in Egypt in 670 AH; and Ahmad Al-`Azli and his son Muhammad, who died in Sabata in 670 AH.

Due to the spread of innovation during such celebrations, scholars have denounced them and stated that they were groundless. Among those scholars is the Maliki jurist Taaj Ad-Deen `Umar Ibn Al-Lakhmi Al-Sakandari known as Al-Fakahani, who died in 731 AH; he wrote his thesis Al-Mawrid fil Kalam `Ala-Mawlid on this issue and As-Suyuti quotes it in his book Husn Al-Maqsid.

Sheikh Muhammad Fadl `Ashur says that in the ninth century, scholars were divided over the issue. Some said it was permissible, others said it was not and it was recommended by As-Suyuti, Ibn Hajar Al-`Asqalani and Ibn Hajar Al-Haythmi, yet they condemned the innovations that took place during such festivities. Their opinion was derived from the verse: (And remind them of the days of Allah) (Ibrahim 14: 5).

Explaining the previous verse, An-Nasa`i and `Abdullah Ibn Ahmad report in Zaway’d Al-Musnad and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab Al-Iman reports on the authority of Ibn Ka`b that he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said: 'The days of Allah' are Allah's Blessings and Signs, and the Prophet's birth is a great bliss." (Al-Alusi's Ruh Al-Ma`ani)

Muslim reports on the authority of Qatadah Al-Ansari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was asked about fasting on Monday and he replied: "It is the day on which I was born and on which I received the Divine Revelation". It is also reported on the authority of Ibn `Abbas and Ibn Jabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in the "year of the elephant" on the 12th of Rabee` Al-Awwal. He also received the Divine Revelation, ascended to the Heavens, migrated to Madinah and died on the 12th of Rabee` Al-Awwal.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), says that the day he was born was a special day. Since it is well known from the Shari`ah that Muslims should seize the opportunity in blessed days and do good deeds, Muslims should celebrate the Prophet's birthday so as to thank Allah for guiding them to Islam through Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Therefore, celebrating the Prophet's birthday is permissible provided that it does not include committing any of the prohibited things. As for throwing banquets, this comes under the verse saying: (O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He whom ye worship.‏) (Al-Baqarah 2: 172)

My opinion is that celebrating such a religious occasion is recommended especially nowadays for youth have become forgetful of these religious occasions and their significance because they have indulged in other celebrations.

Celebrating such a great event should be done through reading more about the Prophet's Sunnah and life, building mosques, religious institutes and doing other forms of charity work that remind people of the Prophet's life and his struggle.

Therefore, it is permissible to celebrate the Prophet's birthday as an expression of our love to him and our endeavor to follow him as an example provided that these celebrations do not involve any of the prohibited things. Some prohibited things are improper intermingling between men and women, behaving improperly at mosques and partaking in innovations such as worshiping at tombs and other things that violate the teachings of Islam. If such previously mentioned violations surpass the religious benefit realized from these celebrations, then they should be stopped in order to prevent harm and wrongdoing as indicated in the Shari`ah.
Moreover, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, adds:
We all know that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not celebrate the Prophet's birthday, Hijrah or the Battle of Badr, because they witnessed such events during the lifetime of the Prophet who always remained in their hearts and minds.

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas said that they were keen on telling their children the stories of the Prophet's battles just as they were keen on teaching them the Qur'an. Therefore, they used to remind their children of what happened during the Prophet's lifetime so they did not need to hold such celebrations. However, the following generations began to forget such a glorious history and its significance. So such celebrations were held as a means of reviving great events and the values that we can learn from them.

Unfortunately, such celebrations include some innovations when they should actually be made to remind people of the Prophet's life and his call. Actually, celebrating the Prophet's birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam. Such an occasion is meant to remind people of how the Prophet lived.

Allah Almighty says: (Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the last Day, and remembereth Allah much.) (Al-Ahzab 33: 21)
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By celebrating the Prophet's Hijrah, we should teach people values such as sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Companions, the sacrifice of `Ali who slept in the Prophet's place on the night of the Hijrah, the sacrifice of Asma' as she ascended the Mountain of Thawr. We should teach them to plan the way the Prophet planned for his Hijrah, and how to trust in Allah as the Prophet did when Abu Bakr told him: We could be seen so easily, the Prophet replied saying: "O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two when Allah is their third?" (Have no fear, for Allah is with us.) (At-Tawbah 9: 40)

We need all these lessons and such celebrations are a revival of these lessons and values. I think that these celebrations, if done in the proper way, will serve a great purpose, getting Muslims closer to the teachings of Islam and to the Prophet's Sunnah and life.

As for celebrating `Ashura’, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), celebrated this day by fasting only. He asked the Jews why they fasted on that day and they told him that it was the day that Allah saved Moses and the people of Israel. The Prophet replied saying: "We have more of a right to Moses than you." So he fasted on that day and ordered the people to fast on that day. He also said near the end of his life: "By Allah, if I lived longer I would fast on the 9th of Muharram." That is, that he would fast on the 9th and the 10th in order to be different from the Jews who fast on the 10th only. However, some of the Sunnis celebrate `Ashura as if it were a feast. The Shi`ah consider it a day of sadness and mourning, but all such things are innovations and are completely un-Islamic.

As for the second part of the question, the exact date of the Prophet's birth is controversial, but it is most likely to be on Monday, 9th Rabee` Al-Awwal (20th or 22nd of April, 571 AC), the same year in which the invasion of the Elephants took place against the Ka`bah. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away on Monday 12, Rabee` Al-Awwal in the eleventh year of Hijrah (8 June 632 AC.

@topic,
I may be wrong, I think ed il maulud is bidha! And from what I know, the name is recent.

When I was young, we heard of moulud Nabiy in different light. But nowaday, it is strange to me. The last time I attended maulud nabiyy gathering was very, very long time ago.

Rather than working ourselves to frenzy, I suggests we use the day to re-awake the ummah. It is strange today, seeing everyone turn the day to merry day. While others turned it to business ventures!

May God forgive us all!

Please,let us not turn it to Dec. 25. Any act of Bidiah should be frowned at

Even the prophet did not observe it. He celebrated his birthday, everyweek by fasting every monday! He said it himself when asked why he fast every monday.

He also cursed those who turn him into demigod, . .

Good responses, brothers and sisters. May Allah bless, ameen.

I think we have to strike a balance here. The term eid ul malud can be said is wrong because we have the valid eids in islam which is tied to the 5 pillars with the exception of the the shahadah which is a proclamation.

Eid of salah - is Jumah
Eid of Ramadhan - Eid ul fitr
Eid of Zakah - The day u pay it which is once a year
Eid of hajj - Eid al adha

However commemorating the birthday of the prophet cannot be said its bidah because the issue of bidha is not as black and white as some people might think.(This is an extensive topic which i cannot dwelve into here) . The prophet acknowledging his birthday by fasting on it is is a form of comemoration and any permitted way of comemmoration is allowed within the confines of the shariah.

What should be condemned or frowned at is the manner of celeberation but not the mawlud nabiy itself.

One could have gatherings to remind us about the life of the prophet birth and death as well cos both happened in the same month and probably the same day. Gatherings to remind of his sunnah and salawat on him, charity to help the poor and other good deeds.

The extreme notion of condemning mawlud and terming it bidah in my humble opinion is not strictly correct.

The first people that celebrated mawlud were in the times tabi tabi'in, these people(enemies of islam) celeberated the death of the prophet which is the greatest calamity to have befallen the ummah of Islam. The tabi tabi'in responded by comemorating his birth by perfoming virtuous deds, reminders and promoting the love of the prophet. The tradition had followed on since till this day. The main principle lies in the prophet comemorating his birthday by perfoming the good deed of fasting.

A public day on this day is good and helps muslim remember the prophet and increase their love for him.

And allah knows best.

Then it should be returned to MOULUD NABIYY instead of ED IL MAULUD.

olanajim:

Then it should be returned to MOULUD NABIYY instead of ED IL MAULUD.

Thats right. It is this terminology that sometimes causes confusion.