The Ruling on Celebrating Mawlid and the Conferences Held for It

Question:
The important point is that they hold sermons and lectures for the sake of celebration, where some ministers and princes attend, and there is praise and other things, and it does not reach shirk (associating partners with Allah), nor does it cause shirk; rather, they dedicate that day to those sermons and lectures. What is the ruling?

Answer:
We ask Allah not to harm everyone. An innovation is an innovation, whether it is 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 itself. If some people do it in the Gulf, or some people do it in Egypt, in the Levant, in Iraq, or elsewhere, it is an innovation. It does not change with a change of place or a change of time. It is obligatory to abandon it absolutely, even if it does not contain shirk. If it contains shirk, the matter becomes greater; it becomes both an innovation and shirk. So celebrations of birthdays are an innovation, but if they contain calling upon the dead, calling upon the birthday person, calling upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or calling upon al-Badawi, or calling upon others among the birthday figures to seek aid from them, making vows to them, or seeking blessing from them, it becomes an innovation and shirk. We ask Allah