Arguments of Those who Celebrate the Mawlid !!!

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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 (saws): 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 (saws) the most were the Sahabah, as 'Urwah ibn Mas'ud said to Quraysh, "O people, by Allah I have visited kings. I went to Caesar, Chosroes and the Negus, but by Allah I never saw a king whose companions venerated him as much as the companions of Muhammad venerated Muhammad (saws). By Allah, 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 wudu', 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-Bukhari, 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 Islam 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 (saws), and what is proven from the Prophet (saws) is that innovations are forbidden in general, and this is an innovation. What people do, if it goes against the evidence, 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 Allah's path." [6:116] Nevertheless, in every age, praise be to Allah, 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 Shaykhul-Islam ibn Taymiyah, in Iqtida' as-Sirat al-Mustaqim; Imam ash-Shatibi in al-'I'tisam; Ibn al-Haj in al-Madkhil; Shaykh Taj al-Din 'Ali ibn 'Umar al-Lakhami who wrote an entire book denouncing it; Shaykh Muhammad Bashir al-Sahsawani al-Hindi in his book Siyanah al-Insan; al-Sayyid Muhammad Rashid Rida wrote a separate essay on this topic; Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim alush-Shaykh wrote a separate essay on it; Shaykh 'Abdul-'Aziz ibn Baz; and others who are still writing and denouncing this bid'ah every year, 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 (saws) alive: The answer to that is that the memory of the Prophet (saws) is constantly kept alive by the Muslim, such as when his name is mentioned in the Adhan and Iqamah and in Khutbahs, and every time the Muslim recites the Shahadatayn after doing Wudu' and in the prayers, and every time he sends blessings upon the Prophet (saws), in his prayers and when he is mentioned, and every time the Muslim does a wajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (recommended) action that was prescribed by the Messenger (saws). 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 (saws). Thus the Muslim constantly keeps the memory of the Messenger (saws)alive and has a connection with him night and day throughout his life through that which Allah 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 (saws), and the Messenger (saws) will disown him because of that.
The Messenger (saws) has no need of this innovated celebration, because Allah has already bestowed veneration and respect upon him, as He says, " ... and raised high your fame ... " [94:4] For Allah is not mentioned in the Adhan, Iqamah or Khutbah except that the Messenger (saws) is mentioned after Him; this is sufficient veneration, love and renewal of his memory, and sufficient encouragement to follow him.
Allah did not refer to the birth of the Messenger (saws) in the Qur'an, rather He referred to his Mission, and says, "Indeed, Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves," [3:124] and "He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves." [64:2]

4 - They may say that the celebration of the Prophet's (saws) birthday was introduced by a knowledgeable and just king who intended thereby to draw closer to Allah. 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 Allah for the Prophet (saws)! Our response to that is that there is nothing good in innovation. The Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected." [Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355]. And he said, "Every innovation is a going astray." [Narrated by Ahmad, 4/126; at-Tirmidhi, 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-Hafidh ibn Rajab said in Sharh al-Arba'in, "The words of the Prophet (saws) '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., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.' Whoever innovates anything and attributes it to Islam when it has no basis in the religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islam, whether that has to do with matters of belief or outward and inward words and deeds." [Jami' al-'Ulum 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 concerning tarawih prayers, "What a good innovation this is." [Sahih al-Bukhari, 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'an into one volume and writing and compiling the Hadith. The response to that is that these matters had a basis in Islam, so they were not newly-invented. 'Umar said, "What a good bid'ah" meaning innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the Shari'i sense. Whatever has a basis in Islam, if it is described as an innovation, is an innovation in the linguistic sense, not in the Shari'i sense, because innovation in the Shari'i sense means that which has no basis in Islam.
Compiling the Qur'an into one book has a basis in Islam, because the Prophet (saws) had commanded that the Qur'an be written down, but it was scattered, so the Sahabah compiled it in one volume so as so protect and preserve it. The Prophet (saws), led his companions in praying Tarawih for a while, then he stopped doing that, lest that become obligatory on them. The Sahabah continued to pray it separately during the life of the Prophet (saws) and after his death, until 'Umar ibn al-Khattab gathered them behind one Imam as they used to pray behind the Prophet (saws). This was not an innovation introduced into the religion.
Writing down the Hadith also has a basis in Islam. The Prophet (saws) ordered that some Ahadith 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'an might be mixed with things that were not part of it. When the Prophet (saws) died, this fear was no longer a factor, because the Qur'an 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.
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 Sahabah, Tabi'in and followers of the Tabi'in, who loved the Prophet (saws) 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 Allah? Definitely not!

6 - They may say that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (saws) is indicative of their love for him; this is one way of showing that, and showing love of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is prescribed in Islam!
The answer to that is that undoubtedly loving the Prophet (saws) 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 (saws) 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 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. Islam is based on two things, purity of intention and following (the Prophet). Allah says, "Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e. follows Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin (a doer of good) then his reward is with his Lord (Allah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." [2:112] Submitting one's face to Allah means being sincere towards Allah, and doing good means following the Messenger (saws) 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 (saws) on this occasion, they are encouraging people to follow his example! We say to them that reading the biography of the Prophet (saws) 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. Bid'ah does not bear any fruit but evil and it leads to a person distancing himself from the Prophet (saws).

In conclusion, celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (saws) 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 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 (saws)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 Caliphs 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-Tirmidhi no. 2676] So the Prophet (saws) explained to us in this Hadith 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 (saws), whether in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) or in the way of the rightly-guided Caliphs, then it is one of the newly-invented matters, one of the bid'ah which lead people astray. This principle is what is implied by this Hadith and is what is indicated by the ayah:
"O you who believe! Obey Allah 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 Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [4:59]
Referring to Allah means referring to His Book (the Qur'an), and referring to the Messenger (saws) means referring to his Sunnah after he has passed away. The Qur'an and Sunnah are the reference point in cases of dispute. Where in the Qur'an or Sunnah does it indicate that it is prescribed in Islam to celebrate the Prophet's (saws) birthday? Whoever does that or thinks that it is good must repent to Allah 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.

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