The Mawlid (Celebrating the Prophet's(saw) Birthday

The Mawlid (Celebrating the Prophet's(saw) Birthday

Shafi'ite Scholar Taj Al-Din Al-Fakihani (d. 734H): The Mawlid Is a Bidah Not Practised by the salaf

Fatwa of Taj al-Din al-Fakihani on the Mawlid

al-Fakihani: I do not know for this mawlid (birthday celebration) any basis in the Book, nor the Sunnah and nor has its practice been narrated from any one of the Scholars of the Ummah who are the followed leaders in the religion...

Taj al-Din al-Fakihani is Umar bin Ali bin Salim bin Sadaqah al-Lakhmi, and he was a Shafi' jurist and was spoken of by Ibn Kathir as "The Shaykh, the Imam, possessor of many sciences". He died in Alexandria in 734H. He has a short treatise (المورد في عمل المولد), a fatwa given in response to a question on the mawlid, and within it he stated:

I do not know for this mawlid (birthday celebration) any basis in the Book, nor the Sunnah and nor has its practice been narrated from any one of the Scholars of the Ummah who are the followed leaders in the religion holding fast to the ways of the predecessors. Rather, it is an innovation.

As the fatwa is extremely pertinent, relevant and beneficial a translation is provided here: After testifying to Allaah's oneness and Muhammad's messengership and sending prayers and salutations upon him, his family, wives and companions, he mentions that a question has come to repeatedly to him about the gathering made by some of the people in Rabi' al-Awwal and which they call "al-Mawlid", whether it has a foundation in the religion or not? He says that these people want a clear answer which specifically clarifies it. He then says:

I say and with Allaah is success: I do not know for this mawlid (birthday celebration) any basis in the Book, nor the Sunnah and nor has its practice been narrated from any one of the Scholars of the Ummah who are the followed leaders in the religion holding fast to the ways of the predecessors. Rather, it is an innovation, which was invented by the idlers (lazy ones) and out of the soul's desire through which the devourers (of wealth) enriched themselves - (this) with the evidence that if we consider it in light of the five rulings, we say:
Either it is wajib (obligatory), or mandub (recommended) or permissible (mubah), or makruh (disliked) or muharram (unlawful). It is not wajib by consensus and nor is it mandub (recommended), because the reality of the mandub is "that (whose performance) the Shariah has requested but without any censure for the one who leaves it." But we see that the Shariah has not granted permission for this, and the Companions never did it and nor the Tabi'un and nor the religious (devoted) scholars - as far as I know - and this is my answer in front of Allaah, the Exalted if I am asked about it. And it is not permissible that it should be mubah (permitted), because innovating in the religion is not permissible by consensus of the Muslims.

Hence, there is not left except for it to be either makruh (disliked) or haram (unlawful). In that case, speech regarding it will be in two parts, and distinguishing between two situations:

The first of them: That a man practice this with his own wealth for his family, associates and dependents and they do not go beyond, in that regard, gathering to eat food, and they do not commit any of the sins. This is what we have described as a detested innovation and as being repulsive, since none of the people of obedience from the predecessors performed it, those who are the jurists of Islam, the scholars of the creation, the lamps of the ages and adornment of the places.

The second: That crime (i.e. sin, disobedience, prohibited matters) entered into it, and concerted effort is made (to collect wealth for it) such that one of them gives something and his soul reproaches him and his heart hurts him due to what he finds of the hurt of oppression (in being made to give his wealth), and the Scholars have said, may Allaah have mercy upon them, "Taking wealth through (display of) modesty, humility is like taking it with the sword." This is especially the case when [the concerted effort in collection of wealth for this mawlid] is augmented with singing and futile instruments such as drums and flutes and the gathering of men with youths and women singers - either mixing with them (the women) or they (the women) playing an organizational role (without mixing with the men), and dancing with effeminateness and affectation, and being engrossed in distraction and forgetting the Day of Fear. Likewise the women, when they gather together in isolation and raise their voices, and who chant out loudly out of gratification and who when making dhikr and reciting (the Qur'an) depart from what is legislated and what is the acceptable norm, being heedless (all the while) of His, the Exalted's saying, "Indeed your Lord is ever watchful over them" (89:14). No two people will differ about the unlawfulness of this, and nor would any possessor of manhood deem it to be good. It is only with the souls of those with dead hearts and those not devoid of [plentiful] sin and disobedience by which this becomes treated as lawful. And I increase you [in knowledge] that they consider this to be from the acts of worship, not from the rejected unlawful matters. To Allaah we belong and to Him shall we return, indeed Islam began as something strange and will return as something strange, as it began...

... All of this alongside the fact that the month in which he (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) was born is the very month in which he passed away, so rejoicing is not more worthy of grief therein. This is what is obligatory upon us to say, and from Allaah, the Exalted do we ask for good acceptance.

This is a real eye-opening fatwa and what is mentioned within it - alongside the clarification of the ruling on al-Mawlid - shows great parallels (from 700 years ago) with what we find in our societies today of this very shallow, superficial attachment to the Shariah amongst the common-people who abandon much of the legislated affairs, and who seek easier paths that require less struggle, effort and sacrifice. Hence, the delusion that manifesting love of the Prophet (alayhis salaam) in this innovated manner compensates for the otherwise disobedient lifestyle which most people live.

As for the dependence of today's Innovators upon the erroneous and easily-refutable arguments in support of the mawlid coming from the likes of Abu Shaamah, al-Suyuti and others, then this is a clear indication of the spuriousness of the claim of these Innovators to the Companions and the Salaf. It is apparent that they are following desires by following the erroneous views of the very late Scholars who equal little in comparison to Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, the Muhajirun and Ansar, the generality of the Companions (radiallaahu anhum), let alone the great Scholars such as Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad - and all of whom, if there was any goodness indicated or justified by the texts, or demanded by necessity of circumstances, would have been the first to realize it and practice it and speak with, by Allaah. And the Messenger (alayhis salaam) indeed said, "Whoever amongst you lives for long will see great controversy so you must stick to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of my rightly-guided caliphs and bite onto it with your molars... and beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and all innovation is misguidance..." So woe be to the one who abandoned the Sunnah and the way of the Companions and the four caliphs and followed instead the erroneous views of 7th and 8th century jurists!

Regarding the Birthday Celebrations and the First to Introduce Them
... It is said that the first to introduce them in Cairo where the Fatimid rulers in the fourth century and they innovated six birthday celebrations: The Prophet's birthday, the birthday of Imaam Ali bin Abi Talib (radiallaahu anhu), the birthday of Sayyidah Faatimah al-Zahraa (radiallaahu anhaa), the birthday of al-Hasan and al-Husayn (radiallaahu anhumaa) and the birthday of the presently serving ruler. These birthday (celebrations) remained as customs until they were invalidated by al-Afdal, son of the chief of armies. Then they were brought back in the rulership of al-Aamir bi Ahkaamillaah in 524H after the people had forgotten them. The first to introduce the mawlid nabawiyy in the city of Irbil was the king, Mudhaffar Abu Sa'eed in the seventh century, and the practice of the mawlid has continued to this day of ours. The people have taken liberties regarding it and have innovated everything their souls have desired and which the devils from men and jinn have inspired to them.

All scholars are agreed that the Mawlid is a bidah in the deen of Islaam, there is no dispute about that, not even between those who speak in its favour. There is also no dispute that the first to innovate this into Islam were the disbelieving, heretical Baatinee Ismaa'eelee Ubaydees who established their state in Egypt. They innovated these matters into the religion in order to pull the Muslims away from the actual symbols and rituals of Islam and make them preoccupied with other affairs and to give them an appealing alternative from the sharaa'i (legislated acts of worship and obedience in the Shariah), so they innovated birthday celebrations for the Ahl al-Bayt, and this was simply a means to call to their way, which is Ismaa'eelee Shi'ism (which is simply a cover for the disbelief they concealed). As we shall see in the next article inshaa'Allaah, the origins of these Baatinee Ismaa'eelees lie in a Persian Jew of Magian influence.

And as for the Mawlid itself and the arguments adduced for it, there is no one, not Ibn Hajar, not al-Suyuti (may Allaah have mercy upon them) nor anyone else from the latecomers who are more pious, knowledgeable and jealous for the deen of Allaah, and more loving of the Messenger (alayhis salaam) than Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan, Alee, the Muhajireen, the Ansaar and the generality of the Sahabah, and the Tab'ieen and the four Imaams and the generality of the Salaf, such that their statements supporting the mawlid should be given a higher footing than the practical example and action of Abu Bakr, Umar's, Uthman, Ali, the Muhajireen (etc. etc. etc.) in abandoning the celebration of the Prophet's birthday despite the absence of anything preventing them from doing it and the presence of factors inviting them to do it. So whoever argued by way of the mistaken speech of al-Suyuti and Ibn Hajar and others is claiming that these later scholars are better guided, more erudite, and more loving of the Messenger than than Abu Bakr and Umar (etc. etc. etc.) and that they identified such goodness that Abu Bakr and Umar (etc. etc. etc.) were unable to identify as being good for the Muslims in their religion. Alongside our knowledge that the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said in his farewell sermon, "Whoever amongst you lives for long will see many controversies, so you must stick to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of my rightly guided caliphs, bite onto it with your molars... and beware of the newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and all innovation is misguidance...", so we wonder with these people, is the Sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs more worthy of being adhered to or the bid'ah initiated by the disbelieving Baatinee Ismaa'eelees (whose roots lie in a Persian Jew) through the argument that some later scholars in the 8th and 9th centuries deemed it to be something good simply because it was being practiced in their time?!!

Egyptian Copts were the likely influence upon the Ismaa'eelee Baatinee heretics in this particular matter because as we shall see from al-Maqrizi in his historical account, the Egyptian Copts used to celebrate the (alleged) birthday of Eesaa (alayhis salaam) on the 29th of the fourth month of their calendar which corresponds to between 10th December and 8th January in the Georgian calendar.

Al-Maqrizi on the Egyptian Copts Celebrating Birthday of Eesaa (alayhis salaam) .Al-Maqrizi (d. 845H) writes in al-Khitat (Maktabah Madbuli, Cairo, 1st edition, 1997CE, 2/359):

"The Meelaad:This is the day on which the slave of Allaah and His messenger, Eesaa bin Maryam (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) was born, and the Christians take the night of the birthday as a day of celebration (eed). The Copts also practice it in Egypt on 29th of Kayhik [4th month of their calendar] and the people of Egypt have never ceased to be occupied with it, and it was from the ceremonies of Fatimid state..."

Besides being bid’ah and having no basis in sharee’ah, these birthday celebrations also involve imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning us against following their ways and traditions: “You would follow the ways of those who came before you step by step, to such an extent that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it too.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else?” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.