Who Says Mawlid is Haram?

Who Says Mawlid is Haram?

I happened to come across the article “Say No To Innovations” by Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al Fawzan, in the May 2004 issue of Islamic Voice. It was very sad, disgusting and pathetic for me to read the article. I could easily gauge the foolish author’s poor understanding of Islam, his ignorance, his idiocy and moreover his proved foolishness.

Leave aside the foolish author’s ignorance, people may write foolish things, but you as an editor should take utmost care in publishing the articles and should look for the larger interests of the Muslim Ummah and not sow seeds of discord among the Ummah by irresponsibly publishing articles, which would make divisions amongst us.

The foolish author says, “Mawlid gatherings include haram and reprehensible things, such as free mixing of men and women, dancing and singing. It was so sad to read this and the author to make the article interesting is adding imaginative things, so he might as well become a fictional writer. I personally have been to so many Mawlid gatherings, but have never found the above things stated by the foolish author. He proves himself to be “A Great Liar.”

The author states a Hadith which is indeed true, “beware of newly invented things, for every newly invented thing is an innovation, and every innovation is going astray, going by this very yard stick, first thing you have to do is to close down your own publication, as publications like this were not present in the time of the Prophet (Pbuh) even if your innovation spreads Islam, it is an innovation (bid’ah) so it will be rejected.

Now here I will quote a few of the widely acclaimed scholars who your would also acknowledge, see what they have to say regarding Mawlids. Are they permissible”

Iman Ai Suyuti

To commemorate the Mawlid, which is basically gathering people together, reciting parts of the Quran, narrating stories about the Prophet’s birth and the signs that accompanied it, then serving food, and after wards departing is one of the Good Innovation: and the one who practices it gets rewarded, because it involves venerating the status of the Prophet(s) and expressing joy for his honourable birth.

Ibn Taymiyya

In his book, Iqtida’ al Siratual Mustaqeen (Al hadeeth print, P.266) Ibn Taymiyya states, “As to what some people have innovated either to compete with Christians on the birth of ‘Isa u or for the love of the Prophet(s) and veneration for him, Allah might reward them for their love and ijtihad”.

As far as we are concerned, we commemorate the Mawlid for no other reason but what Ibn Taymiyya said, “Out of love and veneration of the Prophet”. May Allah (swt) reward us according to this love and effort, and may Allah (swt) bless the one who said, “Let alone what the Christians claim about their Prophet, and you may praise Muhammad in any way you want and attribute to his essence all honours and to his status all greatness, for his merit has no limits that any expression by any speaker might reach”. (Imam al Busiri).

I am also enclosing two fatwas in support of holding Mawlid gatherings, the first fatwa is of Shaykh Qardawi who is the most renowned salafi scholar of the 20th Century, I think you may be comfortable with him, the other fatwa is from Dr. Isa al-Mani al Humayri department of Awqaaf, Dubai, office of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs.

I would humbly request you to publish the fatwas which I am enclosing along with this letter thereby giving the readers the chance to judge.

Ata Ashraf Vahedna, Email:ashrafi1@indiatimes. com

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Shaykh Qardawi Approves Celebrating Mawlid

Celebrating the Prophet’s (Pbuh) birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam… Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qardawi

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the most renowned Salafi scholar of the 20th century, in replying to the question on whether Mawlid should be celebrated replied:

We all know that the Companions of the Prophet (Pbuh) did not celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, Hijrah or the Battle of Badr, because they witnessed such events during the lifetime of the Prophet who always remained in their heart and minds.

Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqaas said that they were keen on telling their children the stories of the Prophet’s battle just as they were keen on teaching them the Quran. Therefore they used to remind their children of what happened during the Prophet’s lifetime so they did not need to hold such celebrations. However, the following generation began to forget such a glorious history and its significance. So such celebrations were held as a means of reviving great events and the values that we can learn from them.

Unfortunately, such celebrations include some innovations when they should actually be made to remind people of the Prophet’s life and his call. Actually celebrating the Prophet’s birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam. Such an occasion is meant to remind people of how the Prophet (Pbuh) lived.

Allah Almighty says: “Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the last Day, and remember Allah much”, (Al-Ahzab: 21).

By celebrating the Prophet’s Hijra, we should teach them values such as sacrifice, the sacrifice of the companions, the sacrifice of Ali who slept in the Prophet’s place on the night of the Hijra, the sacrifice of Asma as she ascended the mountain of Thawr.

We need all these lessons and such celebrations are a revival of these lessons and values. I think that these celebrations, if done in the proper way, will serve a great purpose, getting Muslims closer to the teachings of Islam and to the Prophet’s Sunnah and life.

As for celebrating ‘Ashooraa’ the Prophet (Pbuh), celebrated this day by fasting only. He asked the Jews why they fasted on that day and they told him that it was the day that Allah saved Moses and the people of Israel. The Prophet replied saying: “We have more of a right to Moses than you”. So he fasted on that day and ordered the people to fast on that day. He also said near the end of his life:

“By Allah, if I lived longer I would fast on the 9th of Muharram”. That is, that he would fast on the 9th and the 10th in order to be different from the Jews who fast on the 10th only. However, some of the Sunnis celebrate Ashura as if it were a feast.

The Shias consider it a day of sadness and mourning, but all such things are innovations and are completely un-Islamic.

About the exact birth date of the Prophet, the exact date of the Prophet’s birth is disputed, but it is most likely to be on Monday, 9th Rabee -ul-Awwal (20th or 22nd of April, 571 AC), the same year in which the invasion of the Elephants took place against the Kabah and the Prophet (Pbuh), passed away on Monday 12, Rabi ul-Awwal in the eleventh year of the Hijrah (8 June 642 AC).

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