What is the ruling on celebrating the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) birthday?

Question:
There are people who hold celebrations for the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) birthday. Is that permissible?

Answer:
Celebrating birthdays is a religious innovation (bid'ah), whether it is the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or of 'Ali, or al-Husayn, or al-Hasan, or Fatimah, or anyone else. It is not permissible to celebrate birthdays; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it (peace and blessings be upon him), neither in his lifetime, nor did his Companions do it, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not command it. If it had been good, they would have preceded us to it. If it had been a good thing, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would have done it, and guided his Companions to it, and they would have done it in his lifetime or after his death. They did not do it with al-Siddiq, nor with 'Umar, nor with 'Uthman, nor with 'Ali, nor with anyone else, nor in the blessed centuries: the first, second, and third. It only occurred in the fourth century through the Shi'a Fatimids, then it happened among some kings after that, then it spread among the people, and some of them imitated others, and it is a religious innovation (bid'ah).
The great blessing is not the birthday. The great blessing is the sending forth (mab'ath), when Allah sent him as a Prophet and Messenger, until Allah benefited the servants and the lands through him. As for the birthday, it is the first glad tidings, the first good, but the great blessing is his (peace and blessings be upon him) sending forth in Ramadan, and the revelation of the Qur'an upon him, until Allah guided through him whom He guided, and he became a Prophet and Messenger.
But there is no harm in studying the birthday, and the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and his battles. It is studied in schools, in mosques, without it being a celebration on a specific day of the year. It is studied just as the rulings of prayer are studied, and the rulings of battles, and the rulings of migration, in schools, in institutes, in universities, and in the circles of knowledge in mosques. All of this is good, but to designate a day as a birthday, which was not established except for a special celebration; this is what is wrong (munkar).
The scholars have stated this explicitly, and Imam al-Shatibi elaborated on it in his book "Al-I'tisam," and likewise Abu al-'Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah in his book "Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim," and others among the scholars.
And those who were lenient in this matter among the scholars do not have insight into this thing, and following a scholar without knowing his evidence (taqlid) of others prevailed over them. So this is not permissible, and it is not befitting, and they have no proof in his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying when they asked him about Monday: , and he said about Thursday and Monday: , and he did not say: celebrate it.
Only its fasting was prescribed for us. There is no harm in you fasting on Monday. It is an excellent day, the day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was born, and the revelation was sent down upon him in it, and deeds are presented to Allah in it. No, this is good, but who told you: celebrate it, hold a gathering and a feast, and eating and drinking and poems? Who said this? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only said in it: fast on Monday. So fast, may Allah reward you with good. Fast on Monday for three reasons: because it is the day he was born, and because the revelation was sent down upon him in it, and because it is the day deeds are presented to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, like Thursday.
As for His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He: [Ibrahim:5], as some argue with this: reminding of the days of Allah is not adopting religious innovations. Reminding of His days is through advice, and reminding of what happened to Noah and his people, and what happened to Hud, and what happened to Thamud, and what happened to others, and what happened to Pharaoh and his drowning, and what happened to others. You remind of the days of Allah; you warn of the punishments of Allah, in the mosque, in the Friday sermon, in the lessons, on other days; there is no harm. Gathered in a cafe, at dinner, you remind them, at the wedding, you remind them.