The Ruling on Celebrating the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) Birthday

Question:
He says: May Allah reward you. Is celebrating the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) birthday an expression of love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? And what is your response to those who say that this entire celebration is love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?

Answer:
Love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) lies in acting in accordance with his Sunnah, not in committing religious innovations (bid'ah). This is a bid'ah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Whoever performs an act that is not established in the religion, even if he thinks it is good, is rejected. So a bid'ah is a bid'ah, whether one invents it or acts upon it. The Mawlid is an innovation; it was not known in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, nor in the time of the preferred centuries. Was this not known? Do we love the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) more than the Companions? More than the Rightly Guided Caliphs? More than the scholars of the preferred centuries? Yet they did not do this, which indicates that this is not part of loving him. Loving him necessitates following him and does not permit innovation in his Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). So this is an invented bid'ah, and every bid'ah is misguidance. It is not love for the Messenger. The one who loves the Messenger revives his Sunnah. The one who loves the Messenger revives his Sunnah and acts upon it. As for the one who invents bid'ah and claims that he loves the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) through it, no, this is contrary to the Shari'ah, contrary to the truth. The one who loves the Messenger follows him in what he commanded and avoids what he forbade and purified. Yes.