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Fatawa Of The Rightly Guided
Imams On Mawlid
by Sh. G. F. Haddad

Imam Al-Suyuti Ibn Taymiyya

the basis of Mawlid the activities of Mawlid

others who wrote about Mawlid the Mufti of Mecca on Mawlid

one of the best innovations Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

Some Sayings Of The Rightly Guided

Imams On Mawlid
Al-Suyuti, Ibn Taymiyya, the Mufti of
Mecca and many others
Imam Al-Suyuti, from Alhawi lil-Fatawi wrote a special chapter entitled
"The Good Intention In Commemorating The Mawlid," at the beginning of
which he said, "There is a question being asked about commemorating the
mawlid of the Prophet in the month of Rabi' al-Awal: What is the
religious legal ruling in this regard, is it good or bad? Does the one who
celebrates get rewarded or not?"

The answer according to me is as follows: To commemorate the mawlid

which is basically gathering people together, reciting parts of the Quran,
narrating stories about the Prophet's birth and signs that accompanied
it, then serving food and afterwards departing, is one of the good
innovations ; and the one who practices it gets rewarded, because it
involves venerating the status of the Prophet and expressing joy for his
honorable birth.

Ibn Taymiyya
Ibn Taymiyya said in his book Iqtida' Al Sirat Al Mustaqeem (Cairo, al-Fiqqi
1950 edition, pages 294 and 297)

"What some people innovated, either to emulate the

Christians who celebrate the birth of `Isa (as) or out of love
for the Prophet and in order to exalt him:
Allah MAY reward them for such love and effort but not for the
innovations [...]. So one MAY magnify the birthdate of the
Prophet upon him blessings and peace, AND treat it as a
festival, perhaps obtaining IMMENSE REWARD for it because
of his good intentions in honoring the Messenger of Allah."

(ma yuhdithuhu ba`du al-naasi immaa mudaahaatan lil-

nasaara fi meelaadi `Isaa `alayhi as-Salam wa'imma
mahabbatan lil- Nabiyyi SallAllahu `alayhi wa Sallam
wata`zeeman lahu, wAllaahu qad yutheebuhum `ala haadhihi
al-mahabbati wal- ijtihaadi laa `ala al-
bida`i [...]. Fata`zeemu al-mawlidi wattikhaadhuhu
mawsiman qad yaf`aluhu ba`du al-naasi wayakunu lahu feehi
ajrun `azeemun lihusni qasdihi wata`zeemihi lirasulillaah).

This text is found in the 2nd edition (1369/1950) of Muhammad Hamid al-
Fiqqi at Cairo's Matba`at al-Sunnat al-Muhammadiyya.

This is a saying of someone who set fanaticism aside and sought to please
Allah and his Prophet . As far as we are concerned, we commemorate the
Mawlid for no other reason but what Ibn Taymiya said, "Out of love and
veneration of the Prophet." May Allah reward us according to this love and
effort.

Al Suyuti
In the same source previously mentioned, Al Suyuti said, "Someone asked
Ibn Hajar about commemorating the Mawlid. Ibn Hajar answered:

As for the origin of the practice of commemorating the

Prophet's birth , it is an innovation ( bida'a ) that has not
been conveyed to us from any of the pious early muslims of
the first three centuries, despite which it has included both
features that are praisweorthy and features that are not. If
one takes care to include in such a
commemoration only things that are praiseworthy and avoids
those that are otherwise, it is a praiseworthy innovation, while
if ones does not, it is not. An authentic primary textual basis
from which its legal validity is inferable has occured to me,
namely the rigourously authenticated ( sahih ) hadith in the
 collections of Bukhari and Muslim that ' the Prophet came
to Medina and found the Jews fasting on the tenth of
Muharram ( 'Ashura ' ), so he asked them about it and they
replied

'It is the day on which Allah drowned Pharaoh and rescued

Moses, so we fast in it to thanks to Allah Most high',

which indicates the validity of giving thanks to Allah for the

blessings He has bestowed on a particular day in providing a
benefit, or averting an affliction, repeating one's thanks on
the anniversary of that day every year, giving thanks to
Allah taking any various forms of worship such as prostration,
fasting, giving charity or reciting the Koran."

Al Suyuti then further writes, "Then what blessing is greater than the birth
of the Prophet , the Prophet of Mercy, on this day?"

(Quotation from Al Suyuti continues at )

"This is regarding the basis of Mawlid. As for the activities, there should be
only the things that express thankfulness to Allah, such as what has been
previously mentioned: reciting Quran, eating food, giving charity, reciting
poetry praising the Prophet or on piety which moves hearts and drives
them to do good and work for the Hereafter."

These are the derivations that those opposed to Mawlid call false
conclusions and invalid analogies.

Imam Mohammed bin Abu Bakr Abdullah Al Qaisi Al Dimashqi.

Jami' Al Athar fi Mawlid, Al Nabiy Al Mukhtar, Al lafz al ra'iq fi Mawlid khayr
al khala'iq, and Mawlid al sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi,

Imam Al `Iraqi.
Al Mawlid al heni fi al Mawlid al sani.

Mulla `Ali Al Qari.

Al Mawlid Al rawi fil Mawlid al Nabawi.

Imam Ibn Dahiya.

Al Tanweer fi Mawlid Al basheer Al Nadheer.

Imam Shamsu Din bin Nasir Al Dimashqi.

Mawlid al Sadi fi Mawlid Al Hadi. He is the one who said about the Prophets
estranged uncle, Abu Lahab, "This unbeliever who has been
dispraised, { "perish his hands" } [111: 1], will stay in Hell forever. Yet,
every Monday his torment is being reduced because of his joy at the birth
of the Prophet." How much mercy can a servant expect who spends all his
life joyous about the Prophet and dies believing in the Oneness of Allah?

Imam Shamsu Din Ibn Al Jazri.

Al Nashr fil Qira'at Al `Ashr, `Urf Al Ta'reef bil Mawlid al shareef.

Imam Ibn Al Jawzi

Imam Ibn Al Jawzi said about the honorable Mawlid, "It is security
throughout the year, and glad tidings that all wishes and desires will be
fulfilled."

Imam Abu Shama

Imam Abu Shama (Imam Nawawi's shaykh) in his book Al ba'ith ala Inkar
Al bida` wal hawadith (pg.23) said, "One of the best innovations in our
time is what is being done every year on the Prophets birthday, such as
giving charity, doing good deeds, displaying ornaments, and expressing
joy, for that expresses the feelings of love and veneration for him in the
hearts of those who are celebrating, and also, shows thankfulness to Allah
for His bounty by sending His Messenger, the one who has been sent as a
Mercy to the worlds."

Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani

Imam Al Shihab Al Qastalani (Al Bukhari's commentator) in his book Al
mawahib Al Ladunniya (1-148) said, "May Allah have mercy on the one
who turns the nights of the month of the Prophets birth into festivities in
order to decrease the suffering of those whose hearts are filled with
disease and sickness."

Other Shuyukh On Mawlid

There are others who wrote and spoke about Mawlid, such as Imam Al
Sakhawi, Imam Wajihu Din bin `Ali bin al Dayba' al Shaybani al Zubaidi,
and many more , which we will not mention due to the limited space
available. From these many evidences, it should be clear by now that
celebrating the Mawlid is highly commendable and allowed. Surely we
cannot simply shrug off as heretics the scholars and dignitaries of this
nation who approved the commemoration of the Mawlid and wrote
countless books on the subject. Are all these scholars, to whom the whole
world is indebted for the beneficial books they have written on Prophetic
sayings, jurisprudence, commentaries, and other sorts of knowledge,
among the indecent who commit sins and evil? Are they, as those opposed
to Mawlid claim, imitating the Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus?
Are they claiming that the Prophet did not convey to the nation what they
should do? We leave answers to these questions up to you.

Peace & Blessings upon Sayyidina Muhammad ,

his Family, and his Companions.

From The Muslim Magazine with permission.

Dr. `Isa al-Mani` al-Humayri, Department of Awqaaf, Dubai

Office of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Dubai Administration of

Ifta' and Research

Al Suyuti also statet:

In light of which, one should take care to commemorate it on the day itself
in order to conform to the above story of Moses and the tenth of
Muharram, those who do not view the matter thus do not mind
commemorating it on any other day of the month, while some have
expanded its time to any of the day of the year, whatever exception may
be taken at such a view.

Reference :
al Suyuti, Jalal al Din.
al Hawi li al fatawi al fiqh was ulum al tafsir was al hadith wa al usul wa al
nahw wa al i wa sa'ir al funun. 2 vols. 1352/1933 - 34 Reprint Beirut : Dar
al Kutub al Ilmiyya, 1403/1983. Quoted in The Reliance of the Traveller (
Ahmad ibn Naqib al Misri ) A Classical Manual of Islamic Sacred Law
translated by Noah Ha Mim Keller ( 1991 ) page w58.0 --> w59.0

The Mufti of Mecca

The Mufti of Mecca on Mawlid

According to the Mufti of Mecca Ahmad ibn Zayni Dahlan, in his book al-
Sira al-nabawiyya wa al-athar al-muhammadiyya, page 51: "To celebrate
the Mawlid and to remember the Prophet is accepted by all the Ulama of
the Muslims." Most of the following quotations are taken from that work.

Other Scholars' Opinions On The Mawlid

Imam Subki
Imam Subki said, "When we were celebrating the Prophet's birthday , a
great uns (familiarity) comes to our heart, and we feel something special."

Imam Shawkani
Imam Shawkani in his book al-Badr at-tali`, said, "It is permissible to
celebrate the Prophet's birthday." He mentioned that Mullah `Ali Qari held
the same opinion in a book entitled al-Mawrid ar-Rawi fi al-Mawlid al-
Nabawi, written specifically to support the celebration of the Prophet's
birthday.

Imam Abu Shama

Imam Abu Shama, the sheikh of Imam Nawawi, said in his book on
innovations entitled: al-Ba`ith `ala inkar al-bida` wa al-hawadith:

The best innovation in our day is the remembrance of the Prophet's

birthday. On that day, people give much donations, make much worship,
show much love to the Prophet, and give much thanks to Allah Almighty
for sending them His Messenger to keep them on the Sunna and Shari`a of
Islam.

Imam Sakhawi
Imam Sakhawi said, "The Mawlid was begun three centuries after the
Prophet , and all Muslim nations celebrated it, and all `ulama accepted it,
by worshipping Allah alone, by giving donations and by reading the
Prophet's Sira."

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami

Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Haytami said , "As Jews celebrated the day of `Ashura
by fasting to thank Allah, we also have to celebrate the day of Mawlid,"
and he quoted the aforementioned hadith, "When the Prophet came to
Madina..." Ibn Hajar continues, "One gives thanks to Allah for the favor
that He gave on a particular day either through a great good, or through
the averting of a disaster. That day is celebrated every year thereafter.
Thanksgiving entails various forms of worship like prostration, fast, charity,
and recitation of Qur'an, and what greater good is there than the advent of
that Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy , on the day of Mawlid?"

Ibn al-Jawzi
Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597) wrote a booklet of poems and sira to be read at
mawlid celebrations. It is entitled Mawlid al-`arus and begins with the
words: al-hamdu lillah al-ladhi abraza min ghurrati `arusi al-hadrati
subhan mustanira: "Praise be to Allah Who has manifested from the
radiance of the bridegroom of His presence a lightgiving daybreak..."

[From The Muslim Magazine with permission.]

Gathering For The Mawlid

During The Month Of Rabi` al-Awwal
Question:
Is it permissible to gather during the month of Rabi` al-Awwal to
remember the birth of the noble Prophet Allah bless him and give him
peace)?

Answer:
In his Lata'if al-Ma`arif, a book on what Muslims should do for each month
and season of the years, the great hadith master Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali held
three lessons. The first two lessons concerned the birth of the Prophet and
the third and final lessons concerning his death. Allah bless him and his
family and give them peace. As a bare minimum, this shows that Ibn Rajab
considered teaching about the life of the Prophet Allah bless him and
give him peace) during the month of Rabi` al-Awwal to be something not
only permissible, but of such importance that it should be done in public.
While virtually no Muslims denies the permissibility of studying the
biography of the Prophet Allah bless him and give him peace), a vocal
minority claims that this is a [blameworthy] innovation. fn1 Mentioning the
birth and death of the Prophet Allah bless him and give him peace as
things that Muslims should do during the month of Rabi` al-Awwal is a
clear indication from Ibn Rajab that it is permissible:

1. to learn about the birth and death of the Prophet Allah bless him and
give him peace)

2. to gather in public to do so

3. to emphasis doing it during Rabi` al-Awwal is permissible

While specific modalities of education about, reminding of, and
commemoration of these things may take different rulings, they cannot be
declared categorically impermissible.

[See: Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata'if al-Ma`arif. Damascus: Dar Ibn Kathir.
1999/1420 AH. pp158-216]

And Allah knows best.

Wa al-salamu `alaykum,
Musa

fn1: There are two taxonomies regarding things for which were not done
during the time of the Prophet Allah bless him and give him peace). The
most popular taxonomy places these things into five categories: obligatory,
praiseworthy, neutral, offensive, and impermissible. The other taxonomy
declares these things as being praiseworthy sunnahs or blameworthy
innovations. It is confusing to simply say "innovation".

With author's permission, originally from the Hanbali fiqh list.

see also related texts:

• Shaykh Qaradawi Approves of Celebrating Mawlid

• What Is Bid`a (Innovation)?
• Love Of The Prophet And Following His Example

and:
• This Is A False - Bid`a Mawlíd

next page
 vs.3.3

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2001-06-02

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