Celebrating the Birthday
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Question: What is the ruling in the Shari'ah, in your view, regarding celebrating the birthday, and is it a good religious innovation or a bad one?
Answer: Celebrating birthdays, whether the birthdays of the prophets, the birthdays of scholars, or the birthdays of individuals, all of this is among the religious innovations for which Allah the Exalted has not sent down any authority. The greatest of all birthdays is that of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), yet it is not established that he, or his Rightly Guided Caliphs, or his Companions, or those who followed them in excellence, or the blessed generations, ever held a celebration on the occasion of his birth.
Rather, this is among the newly invented religious innovations that occurred after the blessed generations at the hands of some ignorant people, who imitated the Christians in their celebration of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).
The Christians are innovators in this, for Jesus (peace be upon him) did not prescribe for them the celebration of his birth; rather, they innovated it. So some Muslims imitated them after the passage of the blessed generations, and they celebrated the birth of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), just as the Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Both groups are innovators and misguided in this, because the prophets did not prescribe for their nations the celebration of their births; rather, they prescribed for them to follow their example, obey them, and adhere to what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed. This is the Shari'ah. As for these birthday celebrations, they are all a waste of time, a waste of money, a revival of religious innovations, and a diversion of people from the Sunnah. May Allah help us.
Answer: Celebrating birthdays, whether the birthdays of the prophets, the birthdays of scholars, or the birthdays of individuals, all of this is among the religious innovations for which Allah the Exalted has not sent down any authority. The greatest of all birthdays is that of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), yet it is not established that he, or his Rightly Guided Caliphs, or his Companions, or those who followed them in excellence, or the blessed generations, ever held a celebration on the occasion of his birth.
Rather, this is among the newly invented religious innovations that occurred after the blessed generations at the hands of some ignorant people, who imitated the Christians in their celebration of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him).
The Christians are innovators in this, for Jesus (peace be upon him) did not prescribe for them the celebration of his birth; rather, they innovated it. So some Muslims imitated them after the passage of the blessed generations, and they celebrated the birth of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), just as the Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Both groups are innovators and misguided in this, because the prophets did not prescribe for their nations the celebration of their births; rather, they prescribed for them to follow their example, obey them, and adhere to what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed. This is the Shari'ah. As for these birthday celebrations, they are all a waste of time, a waste of money, a revival of religious innovations, and a diversion of people from the Sunnah. May Allah help us.