On the Ruling of Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday and Other Such Celebrations

Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions, and whoever follows his guidance.
As for what follows: The question has been repeated by many regarding the ruling on celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), standing for him during it, greeting him, and other things done in the mawlid celebrations.

And the answer is to say: It is not permissible to celebrate the birthday of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or anyone else; because that is among the religious innovations introduced into the religion; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did his Rightly Guided Caliphs, nor anyone else from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), nor the Tabi'un who followed them in excellence in the blessed centuries, and they were the most knowledgeable people regarding the Sunnah, and the most complete in love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and following his Shari'ah than those who came after them. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: meaning: it is rejected, and he said in another hadith: .
In these two hadiths there is a severe warning against introducing innovations and acting upon them. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in His clear Book: [Al-Hashr: 7]. And He, Mighty and Majestic, said: [An-Nur: 63]. And He, Blessed and Exalted, said: [Al-Ahzab: 21]. And He, the Exalted, said: [At-Tawbah: 100]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Ma'idah: 3].
And the verses in this meaning are many. Introducing such mawlid celebrations implies that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, did not complete the religion for this Ummah, and that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not convey what the Ummah should act upon, until these later people came and introduced into the Shari'ah of Allah what He did not authorize, claiming that it brings them closer to Allah. This is, without doubt, a great danger and a rebuke against Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and against His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has completed the religion for His servants and perfected the favor upon them.
And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has conveyed the clear message, and he did not leave a path that leads to Paradise and distances from the Fire except that he clarified it for the Ummah. As is established in the authentic hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And it is known that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the best of the prophets and their seal, and the most complete in conveying the message and giving sincere advice. So if celebrating the mawlid was part of the religion that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, approves of, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it for the Ummah, or done it in his lifetime, or his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would have done it. Since none of that occurred, it is known that it is not part of Islam in any way, but rather it is among the innovations that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) warned his Ummah against, as mentioned earlier in the two previous hadiths. Other hadiths have come in their meaning, such as his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Friday sermon: Narrated by Imam Muslim in his Sahih.
And the verses and hadiths in this matter are many. A group of scholars have explicitly expressed disapproval of the mawlid celebrations and warned against them, acting upon the aforementioned evidence and others. Some of the later scholars differed and permitted them if they do not include any of the disapproved matters, such as exaggeration regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), or the mixing of women and men, or the use of musical instruments, and other things that the pure Shari'ah disapproves of. They thought that they were among the good innovations.
The legal principle is: to refer what people dispute to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [Al-Nisa: 59] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Shura: 10]
And we have returned this issue, which is the celebration of the mawlid, to the Book of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and we found that it commands us to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in what he brought, and warns us against what he prohibited, and informs us that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has completed the religion for this Ummah. This celebration is not something the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, so it is not part of the religion that Allah completed for us and commanded us to follow the Messenger in.
And we have also returned it to the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and we did not find that he did it, nor commanded it, nor did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) do it. So we know by that that it is not part of the religion, but rather it is among the introduced innovations, and among imitating the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christians, in their festivals. By that, it becomes clear to anyone with the slightest insight and desire for the truth, and fairness in seeking it, that celebrating the mawlid is not part of the religion of Islam, but rather it is among the introduced innovations, which Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded to be left and to be wary of.
And it is not befitting for a person of intellect to be deceived by the large number of people who do it in various regions, for the truth is not known by the number of doers, but rather by the legal evidence. As Allah, the Exalted, said regarding the Jews and the Christians: [Al-Baqarah: 111]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Al-An'am: 116].
Moreover, most of these mawlid celebrations, in addition to being an innovation, are not free from including other disapproved matters, such as the mixing of women and men, the use of singing and musical instruments, drinking intoxicants and narcotics, and other evils. And what is even greater than that may occur in them, which is major shirk, and that is by exaggerating regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or other awliya (close friends of Allah), calling upon them and seeking aid from them, asking for their support, and believing that they know the unseen, and similar matters of disbelief that many people engage in when celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and others whom they call awliya (close friends of Allah). It is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Narrated by al-Bukhari in his Sahih, from the hadith of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
And among the wonders and strange things is that many people are eager and strive to attend these innovated celebrations, and defend them, while they neglect what Allah has made obligatory upon them, which is attending the congregations and the jama'ah (congregation), and they do not raise their heads because of it, nor do they see that they have committed a great evil. Without doubt, that is from the weakness of faith and the lack of insight, and the much that has settled upon the hearts of various sins and disobedience. We ask Allah for well-being for us and for all Muslims.
And among that is that some of them think that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) attends the mawlid, and for this reason they stand for him, greeting and welcoming him. This is among the greatest falsehoods and the ugliest ignorance, for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not come out of his grave before the Day of Resurrection, nor does he connect with any of the people, nor does he attend their gatherings. Rather, he is residing in his grave until the Day of Resurrection, and his soul is in the highest of the highest with his Lord in the abode of honor. As Allah, the Exalted, said in the Surah of Al-Mu'minun: [Al-Mu'minun: 15-16]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: May the best of prayers and peace be upon him from his Lord.
So this noble verse, the noble hadith, and what has come in their meaning of verses and hadiths, all indicate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and other deceased people only come out of their graves on the Day of Resurrection. This is a matter agreed upon by the scholars of Muslims, with no dispute among them. Every Muslim should be alert to these matters and be wary of the innovations and superstitions introduced by the ignorant and their like, for which Allah has not sent down any authority. And Allah is the One to be sought for help, and upon Him is reliance, and there is no power and no strength except by Him.
As for sending prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it is among the best of the nearness to Allah and among the righteous deeds. As Allah, the Exalted, said: [Al-Ahzab: 56]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is prescribed in all times, and it is emphasized at the end of every prayer. In fact, it is obligatory according to a group of scholars in the final tashahhud of every prayer, and it is a confirmed sunnah (recommended practice) in many places, including after the adhan (the call to prayer), and when he, peace and blessings be upon him, is mentioned, and on Friday and its night, as indicated by many hadiths.
And Allah is the One we ask to guide us and all Muslims to understand His religion and to remain firm upon it, and to bestow upon everyone adherence to the Sunnah and caution against bid'ah (religious innovation). Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions.