MAWLID UN NABIYY BETWEEN ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION- BY PROFESSOR TIMEHIN SAHEED

The season of Mawlid un Nabiyy is officially here. From now till the last weekend before the beginning of Ramadan, our social space will witness different hues of Mawlid celebration-the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Our conventional and social media platforms have, in the last three weeks, been dominated by conflicting information about the legality or otherwise of the celebration. While the Sufi groups and Muslim hagiographers accept its celebration almost to the point of canonizing it as a pillar of faith, Salafis and self-styled Ahl-us-Sunnah groups reject it with step-motherly abhorrence to the point of excommunicating those who celebrate it from the pale of Islam. 

Last week, a friend accosted me with an accusation that I had gone to deliver a lecture at a Mawlid un Nabiyy celebration despite my insistence that we should be celebrating Sirat un Nabiyy and not Mawlid un Nabiyy.

I explained to him that what distinguishes Mawlid un Nabiyy from Sirat un Nabiyy is how it is conducted. Otherwise, there is no difference other than the nomenclature.

In the last few decades, I have witnessed different kinds of Mawlid celebrations. I have seen so many that focused mainly on the life and teachings of the Prophet (saw). This is my understanding of Sirat un Nabiyy, even if it is called Mawlid un Nabiyy. I have also witnessed occasions where, though the discourses were not primarily on the life of the Prophet and his direct teachings, they addressed different challenges facing the Muslim Ummah by drawing solutions from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Similarly, I have attended Mawlid ceremonies from where I have had to walk away in disgust because what they were doing was nothing but mockery of the prophetic teachings.

In my understanding, the first two types of Mawlid celebrations are not only desirable but also meritorious.

In light of the ideological mudslinging between different camps about this issue, it is perhaps apt to ask ourselves honestly: what is Mawlid un Nabiyy? Why do its lovers celebrate it, and why do its haters condemn it? 

Literally translated, Mawlid un Nabiyy means the birth of the Prophet. It represents the series of activities carried out by its supporters to commemorate the illustrious life of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad al Mustafa (saw). It is used to express love for the Prophet, discuss his teachings, accentuate his Sunnah, and sing his praise. 

Those who oppose it, however, condemn it on the basis of its being absent from the documented ceremonies endorsed by the Prophet himself and his noble companions, as well as the early Muslim devotees of the first three centuries of Islam (As Salaf-us-Salih), whose actions they have accepted as the ultimate standard of faith. To them, it is a bid‘ah (an innovation), and all innovations, according to their interpretation, are misguidance.

It is, however, worthy of note that not all bid‘ah are condemnable. Yes, the Prophet and his companions did not celebrate his birthday, and neither did the Salaf. Even if we were to concede that the mere non-practice of Mawlid by the Prophet and the Salaf is itself binding proof that it is wrong, then the principle should be applied consistently.

Did the Salaf ever pray tahajjud together in congregation inside the mosques? Never. Did they ever complete the Qur’an in taraweeh prayers? Not once. Did they designate special prayer sections for women in the mosques? They did not. Did they place dots, diacritical marks, and divisions of quarters and eighths in the Qur’an? All these came only later. Did they write Qur’anic verses on the walls of mosques or upon the Prophet’s (saw) blessed tomb walls? No, they refrained.

Did they record the Hadith of the Prophet (saw) during his lifetime? In fact, they initially forbade it. And did they celebrate the noble birth of the Prophet? No, they did not.

So I ask: Why are all these practices that are equally bid‘ah today accepted without outrage, yet the moment it comes to celebrating the Mawlid, suddenly it is condemned as a forbidden bid‘ah?

Is the love of the Prophet (saw) expressed in remembering his birth and promoting his teachings less deserving than decorating our mosques with calligraphy? Is honoring the Messenger of Allah (saw) more blameworthy than dividing the Qur’an into sections and adorning it with marks the Salaf themselves never used?

Is gathering in joy for the Beloved of Allah (saw) truly more dangerous than instituting taraweeh completions the Salaf never performed? Why this double standard? Why this selective strictness? Why such leniency for other innovations, but harshness only when it comes to the remembrance of the one whom Allah Himself described as a mercy for the universe? Q 21 v 107).

What greater blessing has this world received other than the blessed birth and advent of the Messenger of Allah (saw)? Did not the Prophet himself fast on Mondays? When asked why, did he not reply: That is the day I was born and the day I first received revelation (Sahih Muslim).

If the Prophet (saw) himself commemorated his own birth weekly through fasting, should it be blameworthy to commemorate it yearly through gatherings of dhikr, admonitions about his lofty teachings and addressing the challenges of his ummah?

Many great scholars of Islam recognized this truth. Imām Jalal ud Din as-Suyūṭī declared: “The Mawlid, as it is practiced, is a good innovation for which one is rewarded, because it entails veneration of the Prophet (saw) and expression of joy at his noble birth.”

Similarly, al Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī said: “The basis of the Mawlid is a bid‘ah, but it can be either good or bad depending on how it is practiced. Whoever seeks through it only good and avoids blameworthy matters, then it is a good innovation.”

Imām al-Nawawī also reminds us: “Anything newly introduced that accords with the principles of the Shari‘ah, and serves the community, is not blameworthy.”

And beyond mere words, let us look at history. The practice of celebrating the Mawlid was first organized by the righteous ruler al-Malik al-Muẓaffar of Irbil in the 7th century Hijrah. He gathered scholars, jurists, and reciters, feeding the poor, honoring the Prophet, discussing his Sirah, and filling the cities with joy. Great scholars of his time, such as Ibn Dihyah al-Kalbī, wrote entire works in praise of the Mawlid and attended those gatherings.

Later, under the Mamluks of Egypt, the Mawlid was celebrated with Qur’an recitations, public feasts, and gatherings of remembrance. The Ottomans, too, elevated the Mawlid into a day of national rejoicing, with scholars, imams, and common people all participating in glorifying the Prophet (saw).

For centuries, from North Africa to the Middle East, from the Indian Subcontinent to the Malay Archipelago, Muslims of every land have commemorated the Mawlid—not as an obligation, but as an act of love, gratitude, and joy for the Messenger of Allah (saw)'s blessed mission on earth.

So, how can a practice endorsed by scholars, embraced by communities, and celebrated for centuries across the Ummah be dismissed so lightly as misguidance? No, beloved brethren —the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: Whoever initiates in Islam a good practice (sunnah hasanah), he will have its reward and share in the rewards of those who act upon it after him. (Sahih Muslim).

From the above, the celebration of Mawlid is not misguidance—it is guidance. It is not forbidden—it is a declaration of love. It is not blameworthy—it is praiseworthy.

A note of warning should, however, be sounded. The legitimacy of the Mawlid depends on the intention behind it and how it is celebrated. Mawlid is not for frivolities; it is for understanding the Prophet’s life and teachings better. It is not to discuss worldly matters; it is to bring the Sirah closer to the people to enable them to align their lifestyle with the Prophet’s noble model.

May Allah enable us to live our lives in accordance with the Prophet’s teachings, glorifying his message, ennobling his precepts, and celebrating his prophethood with our conduct.

Jum'ah Mubarakah

© PROFESSOR TIIMEHIN SAHEED OLUROTIMI 

- Nigeria