The legitimacy of celebrating the prophet’s ﷺ birth

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Muslims across the east and west rejoice at the mention of Muhammad ﷺ, gathering to praise him and send blessings upon him. This practice is not something to be condemned nor does it hinder the ‘Ummah; rather, it elevates the nation's and its children's status.

When we mention Muhammad ﷺ, and remind people of him, his noble life story, his miracles, and his noble character, we connect them to this esteemed Prophet ﷺ, instilling in their hearts the desire to follow his example. If they remain on this path, their condition will undoubtedly improve.

For this reason, and others, the ‘Ummah has appreciated the celebration of the Prophet’s ﷺ birth and has unanimously agreed on its legitimacy. It is indeed one of the great acts of devotion for which the doer is rewarded, as it expresses joy and elation for his noble birth. While this celebration did not occur during his time ﷺ, it is considered a good innovation (bid^atun hasanah), which the scholars of the ‘Ummah consensually deemed permissible.

The first recorded celebration of this occasion took place in the early seventh century of the Hijrah, initiated by the righteous and valiant scholar, the victorious King of ‘Irbil. He gathered many scholars of his time, who approved of his actions and praised him, without denouncing them. Similarly, subsequent scholars did not reject the practice of celebrating the Prophet's ﷺ birth, except for a few dissenters whose opinions are not to be relied upon. These dissenters, in reality, oppose the remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ, vehemently rejecting the celebration while deliberately ignoring the consensus of the ‘Ummah across generations.

They misguidedly claim, due to their ignorance and audacity toward the religion, that it is an innovation of misguidance. They cited the Hadith «كُلُّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ» misapplying it inappropriately. They sought to mislead the people with it. While this Hadith is authentic, its meaning indicates that anything introduced after the Prophet ﷺ is a non-rewarding innovation, except for that which aligns with the Shari^ah, as it is not considered blameworthy. The term «كُلُّ» in this context refers to the majority of innovations, not to every innovation without exception.

It is well-established in Sahih Muslim and other reliable sources that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam will receive its reward and a reward resembling that of those who act upon it thereafter, without their rewards being diminished in any way.'

Thus, Imam As-Shafi^iyy, may Allah accept his deeds, said: "Innovation is of two kinds: praiseworthy and blameworthy. Whatever conforms to the Sunnah is praiseworthy, and whatever contradicts it is blameworthy." This was narrated from him by Hafidh ‘Abu Nu^aym and others.

How can these deprived individuals assert that the gathering of Muslims to recite the Qur’an, remember the Most Merciful, and extol Muhammad, the Master of all creation — acts legislated by Allah and His Messenger and embraced by the ‘Ummah with unanimous approval — is an innovation of misguidance? How can they audaciously make such a claim?

Have they not heard Allah’s statement: ﴾فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ﴿ “Thus, recite [during the prayer] what you are able to from the Qur’an”, and His exalted words: ﴾يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا﴿ “O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance”? Has praise of the Prophet ﷺ not been mentioned in the Noble Qur’an, where Allah, the Exalted, speaks of His beloved, the Chosen One ﷺ, saying: ﴾وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ﴿ “And indeed, you are of a great moral character”? And has He not also said ^azza wa jall: ﴾وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ﴿ “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds”?

Furthermore, has it not been established in the pure Sunnah what indicates of praising him ﷺ collectively and individually, with drums and without, both inside and outside the mosque? Is it not confirmed in authentic Hadith that a group of Abyssinians danced in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah, praising him in their language, about whom the Messenger ﷺ asked: 'What are they saying?' It was said to him: 'They are saying, 'Muhammad is a righteous servant' (narrated by ‘Ahmad and Ibnu Hibban). He ﷺ did not disapprove of their actions.

Is it not true that Al-^Abbas the son of ^Abdu l-Muttalib and the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, I have composed verses in your praise'? To which the Messenger ﷺ replied: 'Recite them; may Allah not disfigure your mouth.' And thus, he recited a poem which means:"

مِنْ قَبْلِها طِبْتَ في الظِّلالِ وَفِي
مُسْتَوْدَعٍ حينَ يُخْصَفُ الوَرَقُ

“You were untainted ere you graced the earth,
By ‘Adam's loins, veiled in the Gardens' leaves.

[…]

وأَنْتَ لَمَّا وُلِدْتَ أَشْرَقَتِ الأَرْضُ
وضَاءَتْ بِنورِكَ الأُفُقُ.
The world awoke, enlightened by your birth,
As your radiance bath'd the horizon's weaves.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ neither forbade him nor prevented him, nor did He ﷺ declare it impermissible for him to praise him. Instead, He ﷺ approved of it and prayed that his teeth remain intact. By the blessing of the Prophet’s ﷺ supplication, Allah preserved them, and Al-^Abbas passed away during the caliphate of ^Uthman ibnu ^Affan, may Allah accept their deeds, at the age of eighty-eight, without losing a single tooth."

Hafidh As-Suyutiyy, when asked about the practice of celebrating the noble Mawlid, stated in his treatise titled ‘Husnu l-Maqsad fi ^amali l-Mawlid’: “The foundation of the Mawlid practice consists of gathering people, reciting passages from the Qur’an that fall within the range of recitation abilities, narrating the accounts of the early life of the Prophet ﷺ and the extraordinary signs that accompanied his birth, followed by the laying out of food for them to partake in. After this, they depart without any additional activities. This practice is considered one of the commendable innovations (bid^atun hasanah) for which one is rewarded, as it serves to honour the Prophet ﷺ and express joy and gladness for his noble birth.”