The Response to Those Who Deny the Innovation of Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
In a clipping from the Egyptian magazine Al-Akhbar, dated 17/12/83, it is stated that celebrating the Prophet's birthday is not an innovation. Some people say: Celebrating the Prophet's birthday is an innovation, and their evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or any of his noble Companions did not celebrate this occasion. This question was directed to the honorable Shaykh 'Atiyyah Saqr, a member of the Islamic Research Academy, and I received from him the following answer: We must define the meanings of the terms we use when giving them their due in judgment, whether in terms of validity or invalidity. The term "bid'ah" (innovation) is understood by some to mean anything newly introduced, regardless of whether it is beneficial or harmful. The term "bid'ah" appears in some hadiths described as misguidance, meaning any newly introduced matter in the religion. However, in the subject we are discussing, its meaning is linguistic, i.e., something invented that has no precedent. With this understanding, we avoid the contradiction present in some narrations, to the end of the article?
Answer:
He admitted what indicates the intended meaning. The hadith came so celebrating the birthday is misguidance; because it is an innovation in the religion. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did his Companions, nor the blessed generations: the first, the second, and the third. So it is an innovation of misguidance.
And loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not achieved by celebrating his birthday; it is achieved by obeying him, following his Shari'ah, studying what came from him, and gaining knowledge of his religion, not by the innovations that scholars have condemned and the ignorant have introduced, or that the Rafidah have introduced, or those similar to them. So celebrating birthdays is an innovation of the Rafidah. The first to introduce it were the Fatimid Rafidah, and then some people followed them in that. So this is an innovation in the religion, and it is imitating the Christians, the Jews, and the Rafidah in what they do. We ask Allah for safety.
In a clipping from the Egyptian magazine Al-Akhbar, dated 17/12/83, it is stated that celebrating the Prophet's birthday is not an innovation. Some people say: Celebrating the Prophet's birthday is an innovation, and their evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or any of his noble Companions did not celebrate this occasion. This question was directed to the honorable Shaykh 'Atiyyah Saqr, a member of the Islamic Research Academy, and I received from him the following answer: We must define the meanings of the terms we use when giving them their due in judgment, whether in terms of validity or invalidity. The term "bid'ah" (innovation) is understood by some to mean anything newly introduced, regardless of whether it is beneficial or harmful. The term "bid'ah" appears in some hadiths described as misguidance, meaning any newly introduced matter in the religion. However, in the subject we are discussing, its meaning is linguistic, i.e., something invented that has no precedent. With this understanding, we avoid the contradiction present in some narrations, to the end of the article?
Answer:
He admitted what indicates the intended meaning. The hadith came
Every innovation is misguidance.
كل بدعة ضلالةAnd loving the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is not achieved by celebrating his birthday; it is achieved by obeying him, following his Shari'ah, studying what came from him, and gaining knowledge of his religion, not by the innovations that scholars have condemned and the ignorant have introduced, or that the Rafidah have introduced, or those similar to them. So celebrating birthdays is an innovation of the Rafidah. The first to introduce it were the Fatimid Rafidah, and then some people followed them in that. So this is an innovation in the religion, and it is imitating the Christians, the Jews, and the Rafidah in what they do. We ask Allah for safety.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.