The Shaykh's statement on the ruling regarding the celebration of the Prophet's birthday.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows:
This is the tenth lesson, this is the meeting after two hundred of the "Open Door" meetings that take place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the tenth day of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal of the year 1420. It is our custom to speak at the beginning of the meeting about the interpretation of something from the Noble Qur'an, but today we dedicate this meeting to speaking about the celebration of the birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So we say: It is known that it is obligatory for every Muslim to have Allah and His Messenger more beloved to him than anything else, and that no one has faith until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is more beloved to him than his child, his parents, and all of mankind. It is not possible to fully emulate him in body and heart except by loving him, because love is the motivator and the deterrent. For this reason, you find that when a man loves a person, he imitates him in his words and actions because he loves him. So faith is not complete except by prioritizing the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) over every human being. This is a settled matter in which no two people differ and in which no two camels butt heads. Is it part of his love that a celebration is held for his birth? The answer is no, it is not part of his love. Even if some people are driven by their love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to hold this celebration and say, "I did this out of love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)," this may happen with some people, but the reality of love is inconsistent with that, because the reality of love is to adhere to the Shari'ah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). As Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:31] So He made the measure for loving Allah (Mighty and Majestic) the following of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So the measure in loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is following him. Whoever says he loves him but does not follow him is not truthful in this claim.
So let us look now: When did this celebration occur? Is it consistent with reality? Is it consistent with the Shari'ah? So that its ruling becomes clear. It is obligatory for a person to act according to what the evidence requires. As for reality, it is not correct; historically, it is not correct, because it is not established that the birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was on the twelfth day of Rabi' al-Awwal. Rather, what is established according to astronomical calculation is that it was on the ninth day of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, not on the twelfth day. And thus, the celebration of this day is invalid from the historical perspective.
Then we say: If the day on which he was born is established, do we have any benefit from his birth before he became a Messenger guiding people to the truth? Answer? No. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:164] He did not say that a Messenger was born among them. He said: So the blessing is, in reality, by the sending of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), not by his birth, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) was unlettered, not reading or writing. Rather, Allah said to him: [Ash-Shuraa 42:52] So he was not a Prophet or a Messenger until what?
The student: Until his mission.
The Shaykh : Until his mission (peace and blessings be upon him). As for before that, he was not a Prophet or a Messenger. So if there were a celebration, the celebration would be for his mission, not his birth. And it is known that the first of the Qur'an to be revealed to him, in which month was it revealed? In which month?
The student: Ramadan.
The Shaykh : In the month of Ramadan, not in the month of Rabi'.
From the Shari'ah perspective, this celebration is not established; rather, it is from religious innovations, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. It is not established because the establishment of something being prescribed is by the Book, or the Sunnah, or the practice of the Companions. Is there in the Book a command or recommendation to celebrate his birth? The answer, my brother?
The student: There is none. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : There is none. Is that in the Sunnah?
The student: There is none.
The Shaykh : There is none. The most that is there is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was asked about fasting on Monday, and he said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:31 And this is a mention of the virtue of Monday, not the virtue of the birth. Meaning, this day was a blessed day on which these things occurred, so its fasting was prescribed.
Did it come from the practice of the Companions that they celebrated his birth? The answer is no. Was that in the era of those who followed them with excellence? The answer is no. Was it in the era of the followers of the followers? The answer is no. So the three centuries all passed without this religious innovation occurring. It occurred in the fourth Hijri century, whether out of good intention or not, but it is a religious innovation.
Something to which Allah did not call in His Book, and His Messenger did not do it, nor the Caliphs after him, nor the Companions, nor those who followed them with excellence, nor their followers. How does the end of the Ummah come and they do it?
Thirdly, if they say that this is a means of nearness to Allah, because we do not go beyond sending prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and mentioning his virtues and excellences, the answer is: We say, if it were good, they would have preceded us to it. Are the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), his Caliphs, his Companions, the followers, and their followers ignorant of this means of nearness, or are they knowledgeable? If it is said that they are ignorant, then they have been accused of ignorance, and this is a defect in them, and the one who says this claims for himself that he is more guided than the Messenger and his Companions, because they were guided to the truth and they were not. And if it is said that they are not ignorant, it is said, then they are concealing and arrogant, not explaining this to the Ummah, and not acting upon it. So for not explaining it to the Ummah, they are concealing the truth, and for not acting upon it, they are arrogant regarding the truth. What person dares to say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is concealing or arrogant? What person dares? No one dares. These people, by their religious innovation, necessitate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is either ignorant that it is from the truth, or concealing its explanation to people, or arrogant about acting upon it. All of this is false. It is not possible for a believer to describe the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with this, but it is a necessary consequence of the religious innovation.
Then we say: Did the religion become complete with the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or not? The answer is it became complete. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:3] "I have completed for you your religion." This religious innovation, which its innovators claim is from the religion, necessitates that the religion did not become complete with the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)... This religious innovation, this necessitates a great horror, which is the refutation of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ma'idah 5:3] Because according to the action of these people, the religion did not become complete, so the religion would be incomplete until these people came and innovated this religious innovation and completed it with it.
If it is said that the religion is complete, if they say no, we say that the religion is complete and we have not brought anything except the sending of prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and mentioning his virtues and reviving his memory. We say this is not correct, because what is known from these celebrations is that they contain the great exaggeration that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade, and that they sing the words of al-Busiri addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
"O most noble of creation, I have no one to take refuge in *** But you when the general calamity befalls".
So what do you say about this verse? If it is said, "I have no one to take refuge in when the general event occurs, such as the sinking of the earth, storms, lightning, diseases, and wars, I have no one to take refuge in but you," and this phrase, as you know, is a restriction: "I have no one but you" Where is Allah? Answer, my brothers? The implication of this verse is that there is no deity to call for aid! I have no one but you when the general calamity befalls.
"If you are not taking my hand on the Day of Resurrection *** With pardon, then say, O slip of the foot"
"For from your generosity is the world and its harm *** ..."
The world is what we live in, and its harm is the Hereafter. This is from the generosity of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)! And not all of his generosity is "from" So what remains for Allah? Answer, my brothers?
The student: Nothing.
The Shaykh : There is nothing, as long as the world and the Hereafter are from the generosity of the Messenger, so Allah has nothing... in it.
"And of your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen" Also, the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen is among His knowledge! Does the Messenger know what is in the Preserved Tablet? Absolutely not, and this is a denial of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:50] The matter is serious, very, very serious, and were it not that it has become customary among some people who use it, it would be a grave matter that every person would know. Then we say, if you claim that this is a revival of the remembrance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), do you not remember him except on this night? If that is the case, it means you have no righteous deed, no adhan, no tashahhud, no dhikr during wudu, nor anything else, because the remembrance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is in every time and place. The adhan contains a remembrance of the Messenger; what is it, my brother? "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The prayer contains a remembrance of the Messenger in the tashahhud: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger." Indeed, every act of worship contains a remembrance of the Messenger, every act of worship, because worship is not valid unless it contains sincerity and what? And following. Following requires that you feel that in this act of worship you are following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And if you feel this feeling, is there a remembrance or not? Answer?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, a remembrance. That is to say, according to their claim, there is no remembrance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) except in this religious innovation! Glory to Allah! You remember the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in all areas; every righteous deed contains a remembrance of the Messenger.
Among the harms of this religious innovation is that those who do it, especially the common people among them, believe that it is a Shari'ah and that it is lawful, and they blame those who do not do it. And in that case, what is right becomes wrong and what? And what is wrong becomes right, because those who hold these celebrations blame those who do not hold them, and they say that these people do not love the Messenger! Allahu Akbar! Which is more loving: the one who follows him and does not innovate in his religion what is not from it, and is well-mannered with Allah and His Messenger, so he does not precede Him and does not legislate what He has not legislated? Or the one who preserves the religion and does not perform any worship for Allah unless it is prescribed? The second, without doubt. Therefore, it is obligatory for students of knowledge to clarify to people that this is wrong and that attending it is not permissible, and that religious innovation does not increase one in anything from Allah except distance. And as some of the Salaf said, no people ever innovated a religious innovation except that they were deprived of a Sunnah like it, and this is true. Every religious innovation deprives a person of a Sunnah like it, because every religious innovation is opposed by a Sunnah. So if the religious innovation is an action, the Sunnah becomes leaving that action, and in that case, it demolishes from the Sunnah what is opposed by the religious innovation. So students of knowledge must clarify this to people and say that the reality of love is that its fruit is the reality of following. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide our Muslim brothers to following the Sunnah and abandoning religious innovation, and to open the hearts to the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and tranquility in Him, for He is over all things capable. And now, to the questions, we begin with the oath.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : By Allah, if it were done with the topic, it would be better, because the topic becomes stronger with discussion, and even if there were... something, even if not from the topic.
As for what follows:
This is the tenth lesson, this is the meeting after two hundred of the "Open Door" meetings that take place every Thursday, and this Thursday is the tenth day of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal of the year 1420. It is our custom to speak at the beginning of the meeting about the interpretation of something from the Noble Qur'an, but today we dedicate this meeting to speaking about the celebration of the birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So we say: It is known that it is obligatory for every Muslim to have Allah and His Messenger more beloved to him than anything else, and that no one has faith until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is more beloved to him than his child, his parents, and all of mankind. It is not possible to fully emulate him in body and heart except by loving him, because love is the motivator and the deterrent. For this reason, you find that when a man loves a person, he imitates him in his words and actions because he loves him. So faith is not complete except by prioritizing the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) over every human being. This is a settled matter in which no two people differ and in which no two camels butt heads. Is it part of his love that a celebration is held for his birth? The answer is no, it is not part of his love. Even if some people are driven by their love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to hold this celebration and say, "I did this out of love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)," this may happen with some people, but the reality of love is inconsistent with that, because the reality of love is to adhere to the Shari'ah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). As Allah the Exalted said:
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you
قل إن كنتم تحبّون الله فاتّبعوني يحببكم اللهSo let us look now: When did this celebration occur? Is it consistent with reality? Is it consistent with the Shari'ah? So that its ruling becomes clear. It is obligatory for a person to act according to what the evidence requires. As for reality, it is not correct; historically, it is not correct, because it is not established that the birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was on the twelfth day of Rabi' al-Awwal. Rather, what is established according to astronomical calculation is that it was on the ninth day of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, not on the twelfth day. And thus, the celebration of this day is invalid from the historical perspective.
Then we say: If the day on which he was born is established, do we have any benefit from his birth before he became a Messenger guiding people to the truth? Answer? No. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:
Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger
لقد منّ الله على المؤمنين إذ بعث فيهم رسولاwhen He sent
إذ بعثYou did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants
ما كنت تدري ما الكتاب ولا الإيمان ولكن جعلناه نورا نهدي به من نشاء من عبادناThe student: Until his mission.
The Shaykh : Until his mission (peace and blessings be upon him). As for before that, he was not a Prophet or a Messenger. So if there were a celebration, the celebration would be for his mission, not his birth. And it is known that the first of the Qur'an to be revealed to him, in which month was it revealed? In which month?
The student: Ramadan.
The Shaykh : In the month of Ramadan, not in the month of Rabi'.
From the Shari'ah perspective, this celebration is not established; rather, it is from religious innovations, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. It is not established because the establishment of something being prescribed is by the Book, or the Sunnah, or the practice of the Companions. Is there in the Book a command or recommendation to celebrate his birth? The answer, my brother?
The student: There is none. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : There is none. Is that in the Sunnah?
The student: There is none.
The Shaykh : There is none. The most that is there is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was asked about fasting on Monday, and he said:
This is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was sent (with the Message of Islam) and the day on which I received revelation.
ذاك يوم ولدت فيه، وبعثت فيه، وأنزل عليّ فيهDid it come from the practice of the Companions that they celebrated his birth? The answer is no. Was that in the era of those who followed them with excellence? The answer is no. Was it in the era of the followers of the followers? The answer is no. So the three centuries all passed without this religious innovation occurring. It occurred in the fourth Hijri century, whether out of good intention or not, but it is a religious innovation.
Something to which Allah did not call in His Book, and His Messenger did not do it, nor the Caliphs after him, nor the Companions, nor those who followed them with excellence, nor their followers. How does the end of the Ummah come and they do it?
Thirdly, if they say that this is a means of nearness to Allah, because we do not go beyond sending prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and mentioning his virtues and excellences, the answer is: We say, if it were good, they would have preceded us to it. Are the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), his Caliphs, his Companions, the followers, and their followers ignorant of this means of nearness, or are they knowledgeable? If it is said that they are ignorant, then they have been accused of ignorance, and this is a defect in them, and the one who says this claims for himself that he is more guided than the Messenger and his Companions, because they were guided to the truth and they were not. And if it is said that they are not ignorant, it is said, then they are concealing and arrogant, not explaining this to the Ummah, and not acting upon it. So for not explaining it to the Ummah, they are concealing the truth, and for not acting upon it, they are arrogant regarding the truth. What person dares to say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is concealing or arrogant? What person dares? No one dares. These people, by their religious innovation, necessitate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is either ignorant that it is from the truth, or concealing its explanation to people, or arrogant about acting upon it. All of this is false. It is not possible for a believer to describe the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with this, but it is a necessary consequence of the religious innovation.
Then we say: Did the religion become complete with the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or not? The answer is it became complete. Allah the Exalted said:
This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.
اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الإسلام ديناThis day I have perfected for you your religion
اليوم أكملت لكم دينكمIf it is said that the religion is complete, if they say no, we say that the religion is complete and we have not brought anything except the sending of prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and mentioning his virtues and reviving his memory. We say this is not correct, because what is known from these celebrations is that they contain the great exaggeration that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade, and that they sing the words of al-Busiri addressing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
"O most noble of creation, I have no one to take refuge in *** But you when the general calamity befalls".
So what do you say about this verse? If it is said, "I have no one to take refuge in when the general event occurs, such as the sinking of the earth, storms, lightning, diseases, and wars, I have no one to take refuge in but you," and this phrase, as you know, is a restriction: "I have no one but you" Where is Allah? Answer, my brothers? The implication of this verse is that there is no deity to call for aid! I have no one but you when the general calamity befalls.
"If you are not taking my hand on the Day of Resurrection *** With pardon, then say, O slip of the foot"
"For from your generosity is the world and its harm *** ..."
The world is what we live in, and its harm is the Hereafter. This is from the generosity of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)! And not all of his generosity is "from" So what remains for Allah? Answer, my brothers?
The student: Nothing.
The Shaykh : There is nothing, as long as the world and the Hereafter are from the generosity of the Messenger, so Allah has nothing... in it.
"And of your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen" Also, the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen is among His knowledge! Does the Messenger know what is in the Preserved Tablet? Absolutely not, and this is a denial of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
I do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel
قل لا أقول لكم عندي خزائن الله ولا أعلم الغيب ولا أقول لكم إنّي ملكThe student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, a remembrance. That is to say, according to their claim, there is no remembrance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) except in this religious innovation! Glory to Allah! You remember the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in all areas; every righteous deed contains a remembrance of the Messenger.
Among the harms of this religious innovation is that those who do it, especially the common people among them, believe that it is a Shari'ah and that it is lawful, and they blame those who do not do it. And in that case, what is right becomes wrong and what? And what is wrong becomes right, because those who hold these celebrations blame those who do not hold them, and they say that these people do not love the Messenger! Allahu Akbar! Which is more loving: the one who follows him and does not innovate in his religion what is not from it, and is well-mannered with Allah and His Messenger, so he does not precede Him and does not legislate what He has not legislated? Or the one who preserves the religion and does not perform any worship for Allah unless it is prescribed? The second, without doubt. Therefore, it is obligatory for students of knowledge to clarify to people that this is wrong and that attending it is not permissible, and that religious innovation does not increase one in anything from Allah except distance. And as some of the Salaf said, no people ever innovated a religious innovation except that they were deprived of a Sunnah like it, and this is true. Every religious innovation deprives a person of a Sunnah like it, because every religious innovation is opposed by a Sunnah. So if the religious innovation is an action, the Sunnah becomes leaving that action, and in that case, it demolishes from the Sunnah what is opposed by the religious innovation. So students of knowledge must clarify this to people and say that the reality of love is that its fruit is the reality of following. We ask Allah the Exalted to guide our Muslim brothers to following the Sunnah and abandoning religious innovation, and to open the hearts to the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and tranquility in Him, for He is over all things capable. And now, to the questions, we begin with the oath.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : By Allah, if it were done with the topic, it would be better, because the topic becomes stronger with discussion, and even if there were... something, even if not from the topic.