The Ruling on Celebrating Mawlid and the Conferences Held for It

Question:
Like the Mawlid, where they only hold sermons and conferences for the great ones, attended by some ministers and princes, containing eulogies and other things. It does not reach the level of shirk (associating partners with Allah), nor does it cause shirk; rather, they dedicate that day to those sermons and conferences. What is the ruling?

Answer:
May Allah protect everyone from harm. An innovation is an innovation, whether it is inherited in the Gulf, in Egypt, in the Levant, in America, in the sky, or on the earth. It is an innovation. An innovation is an innovation in its nature. If some people do it in the Gulf, or some people do it in Egypt, or in the Levant, or in Iraq, or elsewhere, it is an innovation. It does not change with a change of place, nor with a change of time. It is obligatory to abandon it absolutely, even if it contains no shirk. If it contains shirk, the matter becomes greater; it becomes both an innovation and shirk. Therefore, celebrations of the Mawlid are an innovation. But if they include supplicating to the dead, supplicating to the pure Mawlid, supplicating to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or supplicating to al-Badawi, or supplicating to other leaders, seeking their aid, making vows to them, and preserving their support, it becomes an innovation and shirk. We ask Allah for safety.