Ruling on Celebrating the Birthday of the Person Whose Grave Is Visited

Finally, our brother Badri al-Masri, who works in Riyadh, says: In our village, there is a shaykh who has a grave, and the people hold a mawlid for him every year and collect some money from the citizens. I am one of those from whom the money is taken, and I am not convinced. When I objected, they told me: This is not haram, and we use this money to buy sacrificial animals for the people who attend the mawlid from the town and elsewhere. What is the ruling on this? May Allah reward you.
Answer: This is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and a denunciation (munkar). It is not permissible to observe birthdays, whether for a scholar, a tribal chief, a neighborhood elder, or anyone else. Birthdays are a religious innovation (bid'ah). Likewise, celebrating the Prophet's birthday (peace and blessings be upon him) has no basis. Similarly, celebrating the birthdays of the prophets, the righteous, or the scholars has no basis. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was among his Companions in Madinah for ten years, and he did not celebrate his birthday (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did he order it, nor did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) do it.(may Allah be pleased with them). Likewise, his Rightly Guided Caliphs—Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali—did not celebrate it. Likewise, the rest of the Companions did not celebrate it. Likewise, those who came after them in the blessed centuries—the first, second, and third centuries—did not celebrate it.
Therefore, Muslims should abandon this. What is important is that they maintain obedience to him (peace and blessings be upon him), follow his Shari'ah, and magnify his commands and prohibitions, hastening to what he ordered and leaving what he prohibited, peace and blessings be upon him.
As for shaykhs and scholars, it is even more imperative that it is not permissible to hold mawlid celebrations for them. This grave that you have should not be celebrated for its owner, neither with a mawlid nor otherwise. However, if he was good, supplicate for him for forgiveness. If he was a Muslim, supplicate for him for forgiveness and mercy, and visit him with the prescribed visit: pass by his grave and supplicate for him... "Peace be upon you, so-and-so! May Allah forgive you and have mercy on us and you." That is sufficient. As for calling upon other than Allah, seeking aid from him, or rubbing against his grave or circling it, this is a great munkar. Do not circle his grave, and do not call upon other than Allah. Do not say: "O my master so-and-so, help me, or I am under your protection, or in your sanctuary, or intercede for me, or heal my sick one." All of this is a munkar and not permissible; rather, it is among the shirk (associating partners with Allah) prohibitions. Likewise, do not circle the grave, do not rub against the soil or the stones. All of this is among the great munkars and among the disliked tabarruk (seeking blessing). Rather, seeking blessing from graves is shirk akbar (major shirk); we ask Allah for safety. It is obligatory (wajib) for the people of the village to beware of what Allah has forbidden them, to abandon this celebration, and not to take people's money unjustly. And they should supplicate for this deceased person, if he was a good Muslim, for forgiveness and mercy, and that is sufficient, and praise be to Allah.