Is it permissible to attend a Mawlid, especially if the person attending intends to alert people to errors, clarify the Sunnah, and warn against religious innovations?

Eid Abbasi: Please clarify the ruling on attending Mawlid gatherings, especially if the person invited to the Mawlid intends to respond to the invitation in order to alert the attendees to the correct understanding of Islam?

The Shaykh: ... in the end?

Eid Abbasi: Especially if the person who responds to the invitation attends the Mawlid intending to alert people to the correct understanding of Islam.

The Shaykh: Yes, we believe this specific condition changes the ruling. I said in the previous lesson, or as the questioner stated: It is not permissible to join people in their desires and their errors, if one is aware of those errors. However, if a new element is introduced, as the questioner says, that he attends to clarify the truth and clarify the Sunnah, and in my opinion, this is not an easy matter or something every person can do. Because the one who wants to attend these places must possess many qualities. First is knowledge, second is eloquence and clarity of expression, and third is boldness and literary courage. If he attends for this purpose, then he has done well. Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as you all know, used to attend the gatherings of the polytheists, and in that, without a doubt, occurred what the Lord of the Worlds does not approve of, such as supplicating to other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and worshipping idols and the like. But he used to forbid them from that and deter them from it. Therefore, they opposed him, disputed with him, and fought him. So, if a knowledgeable Muslim attends a place where there is evil to forbid that evil, this is a very important matter.
Therefore, the scholars say that responding to the invitation of a Muslim is obligatory, but they stipulate that there be no evil in the invitation. Then they make an exception and say: Unless he attends to forbid the evil. If he forbids the evil, then he has fulfilled the obligation. But here, some detail is necessary. These are the gatherings we discussed in detail in the previous lesson, and we clarified that they have no basis in Islam. They do not end in a few minutes or ten minutes, but they may last an hour or more. So, the one who attends for this duration—for example—he must attend the gathering from beginning to end to perhaps speak one word or on one issue, to say, for example, that what you are listening to has no basis in the Shari'ah. This does not justify him attending the gathering from beginning to end, for this gathering will undoubtedly gather many violations, if not religious evils. If he wants to fulfill the right of the attendees, or in other words, the right of the permissibility of attending this place, he should give several lectures in which he forbids several evils. And this is not an easy matter or one that one can manage. Therefore, the one who wants to attend must attend... he attends, for example, only to clarify that this is something the Salaf al-Salih did not do, so it is a religious innovation. He can attend at the end of the gathering, for example.
In summary: This attendance for the purpose of forbidding evil is permissible, but the attendance must be for a very limited time so that he is not counted among those participating in this matter which we believe is a religious innovation. And as we mentioned in the previous lesson, his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), and in other places: