Celebrating the Birth of the Prophet sws

  

26 April 2009

The word Rabee in Arabic refers to the season of spring. This season is indicative of a change in the landscape, when flowers bloom, when trees turn green and when there is a general renewal of life. The coming of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) represents change and a new beginning for the whole universe. His coming was like a light that lit up this universe.

This light was not only manifested in the person of the Nabi (SAW), but was also evident in his parents. It is recorded that when the father of the Prophet (SAW) was on his way to marry Sayyida Amina, he was stopped by a lady from Quraish who asked him to marry her. He refused, explaining that he was on his way to get married. After having consummated his marriage, he met the same lady who showed no interest in him. He then inquired from the lady as to why she showed such indifference towards him after wanting to marry him, she replied and said that he no longer carried that light on his forehead. The light had been transferred to the mother of the Nabi (SAW), Sayyida Amina.

When Sayyida Amina became pregnant with the Nabi Muhammad (SAW), she was told in a dream that she was pregnant with the Master of this nation and the sign of that would be that when she gave birth to him, she would witness a light coming out with him that would light up the palaces of Bosra in Syria. When she saw this light, she should then call him Muhammad. When she gave birth to the Prophet (SAW), she saw a light that lit up the skies from the east to the west. This was later confirmed by the Prophet (SAW) himself when he spoke about the light which his mother saw at his birth.

This Prophet of light then became the central figure in the life of every Muslim. He taught them how to eat, drink, speak, walk and sleep. He taught them how to pray to their Lord and how to establish a spiritual link with Him. He taught them to respect each other, how to interact with people and how to honour mankind. He taught them how to revere their womenfolk, mothers and fathers. He taught them the meaning of love, compassion, mercy and respect. With his coming, he set an ethical standard never before witnessed by this world and never to be equalled by any person after his demise.

This wonderful person became the guide, leader, inspiration and goal of every Muslim during his time, after he passed away, and in time to come. His status is so celebrated in Islam, that the faith of a Muslim is not complete until he loves the Prophet (SAW) more than he loves his self, his children, his parents and all of mankind. In his presence, no one was allowed to raise his voice above his voice, or else his good deeds would be obliterated without his knowledge. No one is allowed to call him by his name or to address him in the way they would address each other. This example was set by the Almighty in the Holy Quran where He refrained from calling the Nabi (SAW) by his name and instead addressed him as ‘O Prophet’ and ‘O Messenger’, as opposed to the other Prophets whom He addressed by their names.

His status is further enhanced by the confirmation of the Holy Quran of his sublime morals and beautiful manners. His excellent behaviour and beautiful personal features left no Believer in doubt about his status and position as the Prophet of Allah and the best of creation. His personal interaction with people was instrumental in drawing them closer to Islam and increasing their love for him (SAW). His outstanding disposition was acknowledged even by his enemies and people of other faiths. His compassion and care for his companions instilled in them a love so intense, so true, and so sincere, that he became their objective in this world and the hereafter. They feared that they would be separated from him after death and longed to be with him even in paradise. He became the all and everything for them when he informed them that he would intercede for the Believers on the day of judgement.

In the month of Rabee ul Awwal, Muslims all over the world acknowledge the importance of the coming of this beautiful Prophet (SAW) by celebrating his birth, his life, his character and his personality. These celebrations take the form of athkaar, praise, lessons from his seerah, and feeding of the poor and those who attend these gatherings. It is a gathering place for those whose cup runneth over with the love of the Prophet (SAW). It is a time of giving thanks to the Almighty for blessing this world with the presence of His beloved. It is an opportunity to recite the praiseworthy qualities of the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the form of famous Qasidas like the Qasidah Burdah and the Mawlid of Barzanji.

These acts of celebration are however not sanctioned by all Muslims. Some are of the opinion that it is an innovation and should not be allowed in Islam. This contrasts sharply with the general understanding of the word ‘bid’ah’ among the scholars of Islam. It is well documented that the Ameerul Mu’mineen, Sayyidina Umer (RA), gathered the people behind one Imam for the prayer of taraweeg and then commented about the beautiful bid’ah. The words of Imam Shafii (RA) concerning which bid’ah is either a good or a bad innovation are not disputed by the people of knowledge. The Prophet (SAW) himself referred to innovations being divided into the categories of good and bad  when he said that the one who introduces a good ‘sunnah’ in Islam will receive the reward thereof and the reward of those who follow him. Probably the most definitive proof for the permissibility of celebrating Mawlid, came from the Prophet (SAW) himself when he replied in answer to a question about fasting on a Monday, “I was born on that day and became a Prophet on that day”.

However, the debate is ongoing, with one group fearing the possibility of falling into sin, and the other group overcome by their love and reverence of the Prophet (SAW). But what cannot be disputed by anyone is that the Nabi (SAW) was sent as a mercy and blessing to this world, and his name, life and personality was honoured by none other than Allah (SWT). So whomsoever honours the Prophet (SAW) and praises him, only but follows the way shown to us by Allah.


Sheikh Bashier Benjamin
Online Journalist/Broadcaster
Voice of the Cape Radio, Cape Town, South Africa

Comments

  1. Yahyah bin Ayub

    29 December 2011 7:32 PM

    Shukran for this beautiful article which is based on the traditional Islamic sources. We should not allow ourselves to be fooled by these Neo-Salafis who have brought nothing but disgrace to Islam. By the Grace of Allah, they will always expose themselves whith their attitude to celebrating the birth,life,love and personality of the Nabi SAW. They are prepared to go against the traditional and authentic scholars of Ahli Sunna wal Jamaáh to support their sick beliefs.

    Celebrations in commemoration of the birth (Al-Mawlid) of Prophet Muhammad, whom Allah sent as mercy, by way of reciting the Qur’an and by way of remembering the honourable traits and characteristics of the Prophet is a blessed matter of immense goodness, as long as the celebrations do not immerse in any types of hideous innovations which our Religion rejects.

    Moreover, it should be made clear that the act of passing rules in Religion for new matters that appear in life is the function of the top Scholars of Islam (Mujtahid in) such as Imam M alik, Ash-Sh afi`iyy, Ab u Han ifah and A hmad Ibn Hanbal may Allah be pleased with them and with all the righteous Salaf. It is not the job of any person that has authored a small book or even large volumes to take on the role of the Imams of the Salaf and Khalaf in ruling religious edicts without referring back to the scholars, whose knowledge has been witnessed to by many.

    The person that renders unlawful the recitation of the Qur’an or the joining in rememberance of the honourable characterists of the Prophet on the day of his birth with the excuse that the Prophet did not do it, is responded to with the following questions: ‘Do you object to the presence of Ma har ib (prayer niches) in the Mosques believing that it is an innovation of misguidance?!’, or ‘Do you reject the assembling of the chapters of the Holy Qur’an (Suwar) in the present order and the putting of the dots under and above some of its Arabic letters with the excuse that the Prophet did not do it?!’ If you illegitimatise this then you are imposing constraints, that Allah has relieved us from, on all innovations and acts of goodness that did not prevail in the time of the Prophet.

    Imam Muslim related in in his Sa hi h that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said what means: “The one who innovates a good innovation in Islam receives its reward and a reward similar to that of all those who practice with it after him ­­without any lessening in their reward”. Our righteous leader Imam `Umar ibn Al-Kha ttab, may Allah be pleased with him, said after he gathered the people to be lead by one Imam during the Tarawih prayer: “Praised is this innovation” (related by Imam Bukhariyy in his Sahih).

    Imam Ash-Shafi`iyy concluded from this that “Innovations in matters of Religion are classified into two categories: First, innovations that conflict with the Qur’an or the Sunnah (methodology of the Prophet) or an ‘Athar (saying of the Prophet or the companions) or the consensus of the Islamic scholars are classified as innovations of misguidance. Second, what has been innovated in goodness and does not conflict with any of the aforementioned is an innovation which is not dispraised” (related by Al- Hafidh Al-Bayha qiyy in his book Manaqib Ash-Sh afi`iyy pp. 469).

    For those who wish, they can look at what Al- Hafidh Ibn Hajar Al-`As qal aniyy, may Allah be pleased with him, said in that: “The celebrations of the honourable birth of the Prophet is an innovation of goodness”. The judgement of those who say that such a celebration is a dissallowed innovation is an invalid judgement for the above mentioned reasons and proofs. Also, their saying contradicts the fatwa given by the scholars and Imams whose knowledge is witnessed to by many, and whose fatwas is valid, such as Al-Hafi dhibn Di hyah, Al- Hafi dh Al-`Iraqiyy, Al- Hafi dh As-Sakh awiyy, Al- Hafidh As- Suyutiyy, Shaykh ibn Hajar Al-Haytamiyy, Shaykh Muhammad Bikh it Al-Muti`iyy the former Mufti of Egypt and Shaykh Mustafa Naj a the former Mufti of Beirut. No validity or weight is given to the words of those who contradict these scholars, because they are not Mujtahids. Validity is given to the words of those who are in agreement with the statements of the considerable scholars of Islam. Furthermore, in Islam, the ruling on affairs is that it’s allowable so long as there is no Islamic disallowance or prohibition.

    The Religion of Allah facilitates life and does not hinder it, and Allah is the One that Guides to the path of integrity and uprightness. Lastly our supplication to Allah is to unite us on spreading goodness and to bestow upon us the blessings of Prophet Muhammad.

  2. Maryam

    31 July 2010 8:18 AM

    Assalamualaikum wa rehamathullahi wa barakathuhu,
    I completly agree with Ahmad al muslim, he has given the complete authentic information about our beloved prophet (saw).Muslims we should be very care full about innovation , there is no any such good or bad innovation, we should love our prophet and follow what is told by him.Imagine Prophet is the most beloved human in our life and if birthday would be allowed to celebrate sahabis would have celebrated ,there is no hadhis about the celebration. do not follow innovation because it ll not reward us but put us in the hell fire.whoever believes in celebrating birthday of prophet (saw)remember it is an innovation and stop it. only one sect can enter heaven that is who follows prophet (saw)but not those who invent new good innovations.this article is not at all authentic and nor approved.u have evidences ,read those and start following the righteous path.innovations whether good or bad puts you out of ISLAM.

    jazakallah kair

  3. Ahmad Al Muslim

    15 February 2010 1:59 PM

    Jazakallah khair

    3 points which i would like to mention.

    Firstly, Taraweegh in jamaah was not a “bidah” in the religious innovation sense but was re-introduced as the Prophet (saw) did practice it in jamaah but later stopped due to fear of it becoming fard. Hazrat Umar’s (RA) statement of it being a “Bidah” should be looked at in the light of the incident itself .

    2ndly, there is no narration in the famous ‘Six Books’ of ḥadīth that specifies when the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam was born. Rather, the only narration that exists specifies the day he was born, and not the date. Abū Qatāda narrates that a Bedouin came to the Prophet and asked him about fasting on Monday, to which the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam replied, “That is the day I was born on, and the day that the revelation began” [Narrated by Muslim]. Therefore, the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam was born on Monday. But Monday of which month, and which year? For that, we need to turn to other sources.

    Again, no standard source book of ḥadīth mentions any precise date. However, there is a tradition of disputed authenticity, in the Sunan of al-Bayhaqī [vol. 1, p. 79] states that Suwayd b. Ghafla narrated, “The Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam and I were born in the same year, the ‘Year of the Elephant.’” Certain other evidences also indicate that he was born this year. Hence, from the extended books of ḥadīth, two pieces of information can be gleaned: that he was born on a Monday (and this is confirmed), and that he was born in the ‘Year of the Elephant’ (and this is most likely correct).

    When we turn to books of history, a number of dates regarding the birth of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam are found. Ibn Isḥāq (d. 150 AH), the earliest and most authoritative biographer of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, states, without any isnād or other reference, that the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam was born on Monday, the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, in the ‘Year of the Elephant’.1 Between Ibn Isḥāq and the birth of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam lies almost two centuries, so some more proof is needed before this date is settled on.

    Another extremely important early source, Ibn Saʿd (d. 230 AH) in his Ṭabaqāt, 2 mentions the opinion of a few early authorities regarding the date of his birth. In order, they are:

    1) Monday, 10th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, the ‘Year of the Elephant’.
    2) Monday, 2nd of Rabīʿ al-Awwal.
    3) Monday, no precise date.
    4) The ‘Year of the Elephant’, no precise date.

    It is interesting to note that Ibn Saʿd, one of the most respected historians of early Islam, does not even list the date of the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal as a possible candidate. Of course the last two opinions are correct and do not clash with any specific date, but by quoting earlier authorities who only gave this information, it can be noted that the precise birth date of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam was not known to them, hence they only gave the information they knew.

    Ibn Kathīr (d. 774), the famous medieval historian, also lists many opinions in his monumental al-Bidāya wa-l-nihāyah regarding the birth-date of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam. 3 He states that the majority of scholars believed that the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam was born in the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, but differed regarding the precise day of the month. Some of these opinions are:

    1. 2nd Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This was the preferred opinion of Abū Maʿshar al-Sindī (d. 171 AH), one of the earliest scholars of sīra, and of the famous Māliki jurist and scholar, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (d. 463). It was also listed by al-Wāqidī (d. 207 AH) as a possible opinion. [Al-Wāqidī is one of the most reputable early historians of Islam, despite his weakness as a narrator of ḥadīth].

    2. 8th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This was the opinion of the Andalusian scholar Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456 AH), and many of the early scholars. Imām Mālik (d. 179 AH) reported this opinion from al-Zuhrī (d. 128 AH) and Muḥammad b. Jubayr b. Muṭʿim (a famous Successor), amongst others. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, while subscribing to the first opinion, said that this opinion was the opinion of most historians. Ibn Diḥya (d. ~ 610 AH), one of the first to write a treatise on the birth of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, also considered this date to be the strongest opinion.

    3. 10th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This has been reported by Ibn ʿAsākir (d. 571 AH) from Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (d. 114 AH), a descendant of the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam and an alleged Imam of the Shiʾites. It is also the opinion of al-Shaʿbī (d. 100 AH), a famous scholar and student of the Companions, and al-Wāqidī (d. 207 AH) himself.

    4. 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This is the opinion of Ibn Isḥāq (d. 150), who reported it without any reference. In other sources, it is reported as the opinion of Jābir and Ibn ʿAbbās, but there is no isnād found in any primary source book to them. Ibn Kathīr writes, “…and this is the most common opinion on the matter, and Allah knows best.” I could not find this opinion attributed to any other authorities of the first few generations of Islam.

    5. 17th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This was the opinion of some Shiʾite scholars, and is rejected by most Sunnī authorities.

    6. 22nd of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. This opinion has also been attributed to Ibn Ḥazm.

    7. In the month of Ramaḍān, without a specific date, in the ‘Year of the Elephant’. This was the opinion of the famous early historian al-Zubayr b. al-Bakkār (d. 256), who wrote the first and most authoritative history of Makkah, and some early authorities agreed with him.

    8. 12th of Ramaḍān, in the ‘Year of the Elephant’. This opinion was reported by Ibn ʿAsākir as being held by some early authorities.
    These are the most predominant opinion regarding the date of the Prophet’s salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam birth. However, this is by no means comprehensive – for example, a modern researcher has concluded that the 9th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal is the strongest candidate for the exact date, whereas a few earlier authorities even disputed the very year, claiming that it was ten, or twenty-three, or forty years after the ‘Year of the Elephant’

    3rdly, The Prophet (saw) didn’t refer to innovations being divided into the categories of good and bad as the author has stated. The proof that the author uses is from an incident when money/goods were being collected by the prophet (saw) and a sahabi brought a bad load full and others then followed him. The sahabi didn’t create a new sunnah or a new act of worship, he was the first to bring a bag full of Sadaqa and people were inspired by him to do likewise.

    Big Difference!!!!

  4. Ahmad Al-Qadri

    25 December 2009 1:38 PM

    Could you please supply us with the contact details of this Shaykh?
    Only a lover of the Prophet(SAW) can write like this.

  5. Muhammad Ramadan

    3 October 2009 11:00 AM

    JazakAllah informative post.

  6. monsuru somide

    21 July 2009 7:14 PM

    may Allah reward you for this great lecture

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