The Ruling on Celebrating the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) Birthday and Praying Behind One Who Celebrates It
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The listener Fawwaz (A.H.) sent a message saying: I ask Allah, then you—may Allah preserve you—to inform me of the ruling on the Prophet’s birthday celebration? And the ruling on one who performs it, especially if he is an imam and a preacher of a mosque? Is it permissible to pray behind him? Because when I tell one of them that this matter is a blameworthy religious innovation, he becomes very upset and argues with a hadith in Muslim regarding the virtue of fasting on Thursdays and Mondays. The point of the hadith is the hadith. So what do we do toward these people, especially since they are among the mosque people? To Allah we belong and to Him we return, and may Allah reward us and the Muslims with good.
Answer:
Celebrating birthdays is among the religious innovations that occurred among people, including the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So celebrating it is among the religious innovations that occurred for the Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did his Companions, neither the Rightly Guided Caliphs nor anyone else. Likewise, the Muslims did not do it in the three blessed centuries. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith:Sahih Muslim 1718b meaning: so it is rejected. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1718a meaning: so it is rejected.
So it is obligatory for the Muslims to leave that, and to focus on his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him) and following his biography, and to be upright upon his guidance (peace and blessings be upon him). As for celebrating the birthday, it has no basis; rather, it is a religious innovation among the religious innovations that must be left. What is required of the Muslim is to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), to revere his Shari'ah, to revere his Sunnah, and to proceed upon his methodology, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [Al Imran: 31]. And He (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Al Hashr: 7].
So it is obligatory to love him, follow him, take what he brought, and beware of what he forbade. This is the obligation of the Muslim. As for religious innovations, neither the birthday nor anything else, religious innovations are not permissible in the religion; rather, they must be left. So celebrating birthdays, building on graves, making mosques on graves, and praying at graves, all of these are among the religious innovations that people introduced.
And likewise the religious innovation of the Isra and Mi'raj on the twenty-seventh of Rajab. Celebrating it is also a religious innovation; it has no basis in the Shari'ah.
And it should be advised to the imam who prays with the people to leave this. The prayer behind him is valid if all he has is the religious innovation of the birthday. So the prayer behind him is valid; because it is a religious innovation, and not disbelief.
But if in the birthday they call upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and seek aid from him, this is major shirk. If they call upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and seek aid from him, and make vows to him; this is from major shirk. As for merely celebrating the birthday, eating, gathering food, assembling for food, and reciting poems that do not contain shirk, this is a religious innovation. As for poems that contain shirk, like the Burdah, if they approve of the shirk in them, like his saying:
O most noble of creation, to whom shall I take refuge
You are, when the general calamity occurs
If you are not among my enemies, taking my hand
A favor, or else say: O slip of the foot
For from Your generosity is the world and its counterpart
And from Your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen
Whoever believes this is a disbeliever. We ask Allah for safety.
So the point is: it is obligatory for the Muslims to beware of shirk and all religious innovations, and to advise one another to leave them, to understand the religion, to learn, and to ask the people of knowledge, the people of the Sunnah, asking them about these religious innovations. We ask Allah for guidance, success, and insight for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. Is arguing with that hadith, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: As for the hadith of Abu Qatadah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was asked about fasting on Monday, and he said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:31 This is not an argument; because it indicates the legitimacy of fasting on Monday. And Monday is fasted; because it is the day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in, and it was revealed to him in. And because deeds are presented to Allah in it along with Thursday. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast Monday and Thursday, and say: Sunan an-Nasa'i 2358Hasan (Darussalam) So fasting on Monday is not a problem. Now, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fasted it, he did not say: so celebrate it, and make it a festival. Only its fasting was legislated. So whoever fasts it; he has done well. And whoever introduces the birthday by celebrating, gathering people for food, and reciting poems, this is the religious innovation. Distinguish between this and that. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
The listener Fawwaz (A.H.) sent a message saying: I ask Allah, then you—may Allah preserve you—to inform me of the ruling on the Prophet’s birthday celebration? And the ruling on one who performs it, especially if he is an imam and a preacher of a mosque? Is it permissible to pray behind him? Because when I tell one of them that this matter is a blameworthy religious innovation, he becomes very upset and argues with a hadith in Muslim regarding the virtue of fasting on Thursdays and Mondays. The point of the hadith is
And it is the day I was born in
وهو يوم ولدت فيهAnswer:
Celebrating birthdays is among the religious innovations that occurred among people, including the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So celebrating it is among the religious innovations that occurred for the Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did his Companions, neither the Rightly Guided Caliphs nor anyone else. Likewise, the Muslims did not do it in the three blessed centuries. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith:
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملًا ليس عليه أمرنا؛ فهو رد'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه؛ فهو ردSo it is obligatory for the Muslims to leave that, and to focus on his Sunnah (peace and blessings be upon him) and following his biography, and to be upright upon his guidance (peace and blessings be upon him). As for celebrating the birthday, it has no basis; rather, it is a religious innovation among the religious innovations that must be left. What is required of the Muslim is to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), to revere his Shari'ah, to revere his Sunnah, and to proceed upon his methodology, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: :
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْAnd whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
ومَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُواSo it is obligatory to love him, follow him, take what he brought, and beware of what he forbade. This is the obligation of the Muslim. As for religious innovations, neither the birthday nor anything else, religious innovations are not permissible in the religion; rather, they must be left. So celebrating birthdays, building on graves, making mosques on graves, and praying at graves, all of these are among the religious innovations that people introduced.
And likewise the religious innovation of the Isra and Mi'raj on the twenty-seventh of Rajab. Celebrating it is also a religious innovation; it has no basis in the Shari'ah.
And it should be advised to the imam who prays with the people to leave this. The prayer behind him is valid if all he has is the religious innovation of the birthday. So the prayer behind him is valid; because it is a religious innovation, and not disbelief.
But if in the birthday they call upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and seek aid from him, this is major shirk. If they call upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and seek aid from him, and make vows to him; this is from major shirk. As for merely celebrating the birthday, eating, gathering food, assembling for food, and reciting poems that do not contain shirk, this is a religious innovation. As for poems that contain shirk, like the Burdah, if they approve of the shirk in them, like his saying:
O most noble of creation, to whom shall I take refuge
You are, when the general calamity occurs
If you are not among my enemies, taking my hand
A favor, or else say: O slip of the foot
For from Your generosity is the world and its counterpart
And from Your knowledge is the knowledge of the Tablet and the Pen
Whoever believes this is a disbeliever. We ask Allah for safety.
So the point is: it is obligatory for the Muslims to beware of shirk and all religious innovations, and to advise one another to leave them, to understand the religion, to learn, and to ask the people of knowledge, the people of the Sunnah, asking them about these religious innovations. We ask Allah for guidance, success, and insight for everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. Is arguing with that hadith, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: As for the hadith of Abu Qatadah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he 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
ذلك يوم ولدت فيه، وبعثت فيهThose are two days in which deeds are shown to the Lord of the worlds, and I like my deeds to be shown (to Him) when I am fasting.
إنهما يومان تعرض فيهما الأعمال على الله؛ فأحب أن يعرض عملي وأنا صائمThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.