What is the ruling on celebrating the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) birthday with dhikr, recitation, and beating the hand drum?

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. What is your opinion on celebrating the birthday of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with dhikr and recitation, where large numbers of people gather in large areas annually on the night of the twelfth of Rabi' al-Awwal every year, and they perform dhikr and beat the hand drum? What is your guidance? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Our guidance is that it is obligatory to abandon this practice; because it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from innovations. He said (peace and blessings be upon him) The Mawlid is undoubtedly an innovation, a bid'ah that was not part of the practice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor part of his command, nor part of his approval (peace and blessings be upon him), nor part of the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, nor part of the practice of the Companions, nor part of the practice of the blessed generations. It is a bid'ah. His statement (peace and blessings be upon him) in a narration: "Whoever does a deed for which there is no command from us, it is rejected." It is obligatory for us to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and obey him in what he commanded and abandon what he forbade. He forbade us from innovations and newly invented matters, including the Mawlid, for it is an innovation and a bid'ah. It is obligatory for Muslims to emulate the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); so what he did, they do, and what he left, they leave. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from innovations, including the Mawlid, for it is a bid'ah, as indicated by the many texts. It is a newly invented bid'ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade innovations in all their forms, whether Mawlid celebrations or others. It is obligatory for Muslims to abandon this bid'ah. Loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and emulating him is manifested by doing what he commanded (peace and blessings be upon him) and abandoning what he forbade (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the love and following of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Remembering the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not limited to specific days or a particular day. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is remembered in every righteous deed, whether in speech or action. He is remembered in the adhan, he is remembered in the iqamah, he is remembered in the tashahhud, he is remembered in every deed and every act of obedience. May prayers and peace be upon him. He is remembered with prayers and peace upon him constantly, whenever his name is mentioned (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever a person prays an obligatory or voluntary prayer, in the final tashahhud he prays and sends peace upon him. So his remembrance is repeated upon us constantly and forever, may prayers and peace be upon him. Yes.