Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim.
Assalam alaykum warahmatullah.
Al-hamdulillah. In most part of every continent of this world, Muslims’ stay at home today to mark Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, salla Llahu alayhi wasallam, is a honour to him, a means of loving him, a way of appreciating and celebrating Allah’s mercy, an opportunity to learn his Sirah and call attentions to his way of life. If all these goals are not bid‘ah, then, commemorating mawlid is never a bid‘ah. To honour prophet Muhammad is contained in Q38:9, to love him is an ibadah that guarantees Al-jannah according to many ahadith, to appreciate Allah’s mercy is contained Q10:58 and explained in Q21:107, to learn his way of life is a step to practicing it which is contained in Q33:21. Prophet Muhammad was honoured, appreciated and celebrated by his Sahabah (radiyallahu anhum), not by marking his annual birthday, yes. They didn’t need that. They were with him, saw him, loved him to his face and participated in spreading and uplifting his message. Shortly after his death, very shortly, the most emphasized part of his messages (unity of Muslims) was violated by those who saw him and leaved with him. Muslims started disunity, facing one another with swords, in the third decade after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The core virtues of the personage of Prophet Muhammad and values preached by his messengership kept fading away, hence a need to devise new and additional means of remembering him and calling attention to his way of life. Mawlid is not a bid‘ah but a wasilah (valid means) to a valid religious goal. Till the end of time, muslims will devise additional means and methods (talkless of instruments) for achieving things that Islam asks us to do, even though, the great predecessors has done it too, such as seeking knowledge, fighting the holy war etc. The means to a virtuous deed is virtuous, so said the scholars. Al- Imam Al-Bayhaqi, Al- Imam As-Suyuti, Al- Imam Al-Asqalani and Al-‘Allamah Al-Ilory are some of the great scholars, across different centuries, that agree that Mawlid celebration is valid, even though some other great scholars said “No”.
Prophet Muhammad encouraged Muslims to stick to the ways of the earliest Muslims in terms of the basics and the goals, not the means. That is why Prophet Muhammad endorsed the coming of the mujaddids (reformers), yet, Islam has been completed. Prophet Muhammad said, whoever innovates into this religion, something that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” Still talking about the validity of additional means of, he also said “whoever lays down a good way, he will have his reward and the reward of those who emulates him”. This takes care of questions such as asking “when, where and how did the sahabah celebrate the Mawlid”.
Prophet Muhammad said in numerous authentic ahadith that some Muslims will come toward the end time, they will not see me, but love me so much, such that the ummah will be like rain, both the beginning and the end are good. To remain part of those, some Muslim mark this day by reading books of Sirah and learning one or two things in his way of life. That however is not meant to be done only once in a year, but the day serves as a good evaluator and reminder. How much of his teachings have I followed and how can I improve? May Allah (subhanahu wata‘ala) make us to be good Muslims.
Happy Mawlid commemoration and jazakumullahu khayran for reading.
Abul Fatih Al-Mubaraklory. Ilorin 08139038295
