Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday
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Question: Regarding the Prophet's birthday, when the twelfth day of Rabi' al-Awwal arrives, the entire village celebrates this birthday. Is there any celebration of this birthday in the Shari'ah, or is there not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with all good.
Answer: Acts of worship are based on specific evidence, meaning that a Muslim does not undertake any of them except with evidence from the Lawgiver, otherwise it would be an innovation.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Mishkat al-Masabih 165Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza'i) .
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So, if we look for evidence for celebrating the Prophet's birthday in the Book of Allah, or the Sunnah of His Messenger, or the guidance of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Rightly Guided Caliphs, or even in the practice of the blessed centuries, the three or four centuries after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), indicating the establishment of the birthday celebration, we will not find any. Since that is the case, and there is no evidence for it from the Book, nor from the Sunnah, nor from the practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, nor from the practice of the Companions, nor from the practice of the blessed centuries, there is no doubt that it is an invented innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.
Also, establishing the birthday, or celebrating the Prophet's birthday (peace and blessings be upon him), is prohibited from another aspect, because it is imitating the Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And celebrating the birthday is an invitation to excessive praise and exaggeration regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as is the case. Indeed, these birthday celebrations generally include
shirk and exaggeration regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the recitation of shirky poems in which they seek aid from the Messenger and call upon the Messenger, such as the Burdah poem and others, which contain a great deal of major shirk, and I seek refuge in Allah.Such as their saying:
O most noble of creation, I have no one to take refuge in... except You when the general calamity befalls
And such as their saying:
For from Your generosity is the world and its sister... and from Your knowledge is the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen
So they made the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the refuge and the one to take refuge in during hardships, and made the world and the Hereafter from His generosity (peace and blessings be upon him), and made the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen, by which Allah wrote the destinies, part of the knowledge of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). How severe is this exaggeration and excess, and I seek refuge in Allah. The world and the Hereafter belong to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and I seek refuge in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). One does not seek refuge in a created being, but only in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), especially during hardships and calamities.
Celebrating the Prophet's birthday is one of the invented, blameworthy innovations that appeared after the end of the blessed centuries, and it involves imitating the People of the Book.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 4031Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani) The Christians are the ones who celebrate the birth of Jesus, and this has been the case for a long time. So why did the Companions not establish a celebration for the birth of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
while the Christians in their time were celebrating the birth of Jesus?
Why did the Muslims not establish a celebration for the birth of the Messenger, as the Christians establish a celebration for the birth of Jesus, except to prevent imitating them? This is evidence that this birthday celebration is a blameworthy, invented innovation, along with what it includes, as we mentioned, of major shirk or minor shirk, and spending money in disobedience to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and wasting time, and other things.
So it is obligatory for Muslims to be aware of this and to be content with what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, for in it is good and blessing, and in it is happiness in this world and the Hereafter. And success is from Allah.
Answer: Acts of worship are based on specific evidence, meaning that a Muslim does not undertake any of them except with evidence from the Lawgiver, otherwise it would be an innovation.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
for those of you .who live after me will see great disagreement. You must therefore follow my sunna and that of the rightly guided Caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it.
من يعش منكم فسيرى اختلافًا كثيرًا، فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين، تمسكوا بها، وعضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور، فإن كل بدعة ضلالة وكل ضلالة في النارAnd he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations, and every innovation is misguidance.
إن خير الحديث كتاب الله، وخير الهدي هدي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وشر الأمور محدثاتها، وكل بدعة ضلالةAlso, establishing the birthday, or celebrating the Prophet's birthday (peace and blessings be upon him), is prohibited from another aspect, because it is imitating the Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Do not praise me as the Christians praised the son of Mary. I am only a servant, so say: The servant of Allah and His Messenger.
لا تطروني كما أطرت النصارى ابن مريم، إنما أنا عبد، فقولوا: عبد الله ورسولهshirk and exaggeration regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the recitation of shirky poems in which they seek aid from the Messenger and call upon the Messenger, such as the Burdah poem and others, which contain a great deal of major shirk, and I seek refuge in Allah.Such as their saying:
O most noble of creation, I have no one to take refuge in... except You when the general calamity befalls
And such as their saying:
For from Your generosity is the world and its sister... and from Your knowledge is the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen
So they made the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the refuge and the one to take refuge in during hardships, and made the world and the Hereafter from His generosity (peace and blessings be upon him), and made the knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and the Pen, by which Allah wrote the destinies, part of the knowledge of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). How severe is this exaggeration and excess, and I seek refuge in Allah. The world and the Hereafter belong to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and I seek refuge in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). One does not seek refuge in a created being, but only in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), especially during hardships and calamities.
Celebrating the Prophet's birthday is one of the invented, blameworthy innovations that appeared after the end of the blessed centuries, and it involves imitating the People of the Book.And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who copies any people is one of them.
من تشبه بقوم فهو منهمwhile the Christians in their time were celebrating the birth of Jesus?
Why did the Muslims not establish a celebration for the birth of the Messenger, as the Christians establish a celebration for the birth of Jesus, except to prevent imitating them? This is evidence that this birthday celebration is a blameworthy, invented innovation, along with what it includes, as we mentioned, of major shirk or minor shirk, and spending money in disobedience to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and wasting time, and other things.
So it is obligatory for Muslims to be aware of this and to be content with what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, for in it is good and blessing, and in it is happiness in this world and the Hereafter. And success is from Allah.