The protagonists of the custom of Moulood/Meelaad or the celebration of the birthday of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) present a number of spurious and baseless arguments in support of their un-Islamic practice. Qur’aanic verses and Hadith narrations totally unrelated to their innovated practice are cited, distorted and falsely interpreted to deceive those who lack Islamic knowledge. Among their spurious arguments is their statement: “Man must thank and show his appreciation to the Almighty for the bounty in the person of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).”

According to the upholders of Moulood the purpose for this innovation is to thank Allah. It is thus a thanksgiving day. For offering thanks to Allah Ta’ala for the great bounty in the form of Rasulullah ( صلى الله عايه وسالم), a day is set aside in the year when praises are sung and food is eaten and merrymaking is adopted. But, what is the Islamic proof for setting aside a day in the year to offer thanks in this way for this wonderful Bounty? From whence did these people obtain their direction for celebrating the birthday of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم )? Did the Sahaabah not love Rasulullah ( )? Were the Sahaabah unaware of the birthday of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم )? Did the Sahaabah not realize that they had to offer thanks on a special day for the great bounty? The Bounty had come to them in the first instance. The Bounty had extricated them from the dregs of kufr and barbarism. How is it that they did not see it fit to set aside a day for Moulood celebration? Were they then deficient in their love for Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم )? The innovation of Moulood does in fact imply that the Sahaabah-e- Kiraam were unaware of the way in which to manifest their love for Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) and that this ‘favour’ was conferred centuries after the Sahaabah to the innovators who had introduced the Meelaad custom which is in fact an inheritance acquired from irreligious persons.

DAY OF DUROOD?



The upholders of the customary Moulood celebration contend that this is their day of Durood, hence they claim: “....praises are sung in his honour, blessings and salutations of Peace are showered upon him,...”

It is indeed peculiar for those who raise the slogan of Hubb-e-Rasool (love for the Rasool) to appoint a short time in a day per year for reciting Durood on Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ). A Muslim is supposed to recite Durood daily. If a Muslim – one who claims to love Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) – recites Durood daily as he should, then what is the meaning of a special day for singing praises and showering blessings and salutations? This a Muslim does daily or should do daily, not once a year in a function of merrymaking where violations of the Shariah are perpetrated. Their claim is utterly meaningless.

Who taught the Ummah about the recitation of Durood? How did the Sahaabah recite Durood? Surely they did not have a day in the year for this important act of Ibaadat and demonstration of love for Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم )! The Sahaabah recited Durood and so did the Ummah thereafter. When Durood constitutes part of the Muslim’s daily Thikr, then of what purpose is the fixation of a day for Durood and singing of praises? What Shar’i proof do these people have for their innovation? Nothing at all! Muslims are required to recite Durood the way the Sahaabah recited Durood, not in the new fangled way innovated by irreligious persons.

DAYS OF CELEBRATION



Attempting to substantiate their innovation of Meelaad, the votaries of this custom seek to draw support from the ways of the kuffaar, thus they say: “All the religions of the world, at some or other time, celebrate certain days of the year since time immemorial.”

“In Islam these days have a special significance;...”



Why look askance at the ways of non-Muslims when Islam has clear directions for the Ummah? What is the need for this comparison? The need is there to eke out miserable support for the baseless suppositions and baatil customs of the Ahl-e-Bid’ah. A Muslim should not refer to the method of the kuffaar. Our days of celebration have been clearly explained and enumerated by Rasulullah ( ). Islam’s Days of Celebration do not include Meelaad/Moulood. Islam does not know of any ‘Prophet’s Day Celebration’ as the Meelaad-preachers are dubbing of recent. If this custom had significance whatsoever, the Sahaabah would have been the very first persons to have celebrated Meelaad. After all, days of celebration – existed “since time immemorial”. The Sahaabah with their over-brimming love for the Rasool ( صلى الله عايه وسالم) did not require the advice of anyone regarding the fixation of a specific day for Durood and praise-singing. They did not require anyone to remind them of the birthday of Rasulullah ( ). But, their deliberate and conscious abstention from innovating a day of celebration which in Islam is in fact not a day of celebration, is ample testimony for the claim that Meelaad-day has neither origin nor sanction in the Shariah, nor is there any significance in it. On the contrary, the Wrath of Allah Ta’ala descends on the innovators of baatil customs.

THE AIM



Further arguing their baseless case, the supporters of Meelaad say: “The aim is the remembrance of those great souls who sacrificed themselves in contributing to the upkeep of Islam and in so doing bring home to the future generations the responsibilities they have to bear as far as Islam is concerned.”



Irrespective of any aim and any benefit, no one has the right to innovate a practice and assign it a religious status. The aim, no matter how laudable, does not justify bid’ah which changes the purity of the Sunnah. Furthermore, the Sahaabah were well aware of such laudable aims. Did they not understand the kind of aim expressed in the aforementioned statement? The welfare of Islam and the Ummah and the love of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) were foremost and uppermost in their minds and ingrained in their hearts, but they never considered the need to celebrate a day for the “remembrance of great souls” who had sacrificed themselves for the “upkeep of Islam”. This is indeed a baseless claim in support of the bid’ah of Moulood.

If there was any Islamic validity and need for the enactment of days of celebration in remembrance of great souls who had sacrificed for the sake of Islam, the Sahaabah would have been the first to have initiated this process. But, Islamic history bears testimony that no such days of remembrance or days of celebration were introduced by the Sahaabah or by the illustrious authorities of the Shariah for centuries after the demise of Nabi-e-Kareem (صلى الله عايه وسالم ). Great and noble souls such as Sayyidush Shuhadaa Hadhrat Hamzah, Hadhrat Umar, Hadhrat Uthmaan and countless Sahaabah were martyred in the Path of Islam. Besides the Shuhadaa (Martyrs), numerous Sahaabah sacrificed their all in their Service of love and devotion for Islam and the Rasool of Allah ( ). But never did Islam enact a day of celebration in honour and in remembrance of any of its most valiant Sons who shook the world from top to bottom. But, the Ahl-e-Bid’ah considered it appropriate centuries later to innovate customs and festivals inherited from pagan kuffaar. Such innovated customs were merely disguised with an Islamic hue by the introduction of Islamic acts of Ibaadat. Since there is no Islamic precedent nor any valid Shar’i basis for the Moulood festival, this practice is utterly baatil and un-Islamic.

A DISTORTION



Among their arguments in favour of Meelaad is their baseless interpretation of the following Qur’aanic aayat: “And remind them of the days of Allah.” They present their misinterpretation as follows: “The days are those wherein Allah has sent His bounties unto His servants...... Those who believe know that above all the gifts from Allahu Ta’ala none is more apparent in greatness than the very person of the Holy Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him).......Then surely to celebrate the day of his coming cannot be branded as an innovation or as an unfounded custom or ritual.”

Why should it not be branded as such? When this custom has no beginning in Islam, when it was an unknown practice to the Sahaabah and when it did not exist for many centuries after the demise of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ), then why should it not be branded as an unfounded and a baatil custom of evil innovation? Did the Sahaabah not realize that Rasulullah ( ) was the greatest Bounty of Allah Ta’ala upon mankind? Why did the Taabieen and those after them not appreciate this fact? In the logic of the Ahl-e-Bid’ah the Sahaabah and the Aimmah-e-Mujtahideen and all the illustrious Souls who lived in Khairul Quroon (the three noblest ages succeeding the age of Rasulullah ) did not understand or appreciate this greatest of Allah’s Bounties, hence they did not innovate Meelaad. The Ulama-e-Haqq abstain from this baseless, innovated and unfounded custom just as the Sahaabah had abstained, just as the Taabieen and their followers had abstained. But, the votaries of this custom spit venom and brand as kufr abstention from their innovated baatil!

The noble Nabi of Allah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) and his illustrious Sahaabah were fully aware of the meaning of the aforementioned aayat. They, better than all, understood what was meant by “the days of Allah”. If this aayat even remotely suggested days of celebration, then undoubtedly, Rasulullah ( صلى الله عايه وسالم) would have ordered the observance of Meelaad and other days in remembrance of the sacrifices of the great souls in the cause of Islam. But there is absolutely nothing of this sort of festival and custom ordered by Rasulullah ( ) nor did the Sahaabah ever introduce any such festival or celebration. The Ahl-e-Bid’ah are audaciously implying that they possess a greater understanding of the aayat (mentioned above) than Rasulullah ( صلى الله عايه وسالم) and his Sahaabah.

By reminding people of past great events of admonition, kindness and favours of Allah Ta’ala (referred to as “the days of Allah” in the aayat) is meant nothing other than naseehat – giving good counsel, warning and admonishing. It does not mean the enactment of celebrations and festivals on specific days of the years. There is no basis whatever in the Shariah for this interpretation advanced by the supporters of Moulood festivities. The emphasis of Islam is on reminding of the days of Allah, i.e. Naseehat, hence Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) said: “Deen is Naseehat”. Islam does not stipulate that the process of reminding about the “days of Allah” be on specific days of the year.



While the Qur’aan Majeed says: “Remind them of the days of Allah”, the Ahl-e-Bid’ah say: “Remind them on particular days of the birth of the Nabi.” But, the Qur’aan does not mention this. Bounties do come within the scope of the meaning of “days of Allah”, but the Islamic way of “reminding” is not the innovation of customs, rituals and festivals which have no sanction in the Shariah. The interpretation of the Ahl-e-Bid’ah is thus baatil.

ANOTHER DISTORTION



In support of Meelaad, its votaries cite the following aayat: “Say (O Muhammad) with the descent of Allah’s Bounty and Mercy the believers should be happy.”

Arguing the Meelaad case on the basis of this verse, the Ahl-e-Bid’ah say: “Here the Holy Qur’aan clearly sanctions the fact that the believers should rejoice the bestowal of the gifts from Allahu Ta’ala. ......Thus to be happy, to rejoice and to celebrate the coming of the most supreme of Allah’s Gifts is an action of compulsory gratitude to Allah Almighty in accordance with the Divine command.”

To be happy and to rejoice over the bounties and gifts of Allah Ta’ala are one thing. No sensible person has ever denied this fact or taken up cudgels against it. But, to forge customs and to innovate unfounded practices and to introduce festivals akin to the festivals of paganism are entirely different issue which have nothing whatever to do with the expression of the Mu’min’s happiness for the Bounty of the Blessed Nabi (صلى الله عايه وسالم ). The argument of Haqq is not directed against lawful and valid rejoicing, happiness and gratitude. The argument is in refutation and in denial of the baatil Meelaad and customary evil festivals of the Bid’atis – functions of merrymaking and haraam – functions where dagga-smoking qawwaals preside with their haraam musical instruments; where fussaaq and fujjaar gather, where they sing the night through, where the raucous clamour of Hubb-e-Rasool is dinned throughout the night but the Fajr Salaat is abandoned at the altar of this conception of ‘Hubbe Rasool’ which sanctions all the haraam acts of flagrant transgression. This conception of ‘Hubb-e-Rasool’ of-the Ahl-e-Bid’ah of our time tolerates the destruction of almost every Sunnah of Muhammadur Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ). This is not an expression of love and gratitude. It is the manifestation of the bestiality of the carnal nafs floundering in the sea of shaitaani deception and baatil.

It is not an Islamic teaching to fix specific days for the innovation of celebrations to express happiness and to rejoice and be grateful for the bounties of Allah Ta’ala. If expression of gratitude and happiness had to be by means of annual festivals and celebrations then the Sahaabah would have been the first to have done so. The conspicuous absence of Meelaad celebration in the ranks of the Sahaabah and the Taabieen speaks volumes for the fallacy of the Bid’ati claim. The Ahl-e-Bid’ah are implying that the Sahaabah were ungrateful to Allah Ta’ala for the greatest of Bounties since they did not indulge in Moulood. Yet, they were the happiest and the most grateful of Muslims for the Boon of Muhammad ( ), but their happiness, rejoicing and gratitude did not assume the form of Meelaad celebration. They never specified any ‘Prophet’s Day’. Happiness and gratitude stem from the heart and manifest themselves on the external body of the Mu’min in the form of Ibaadat – Nafl Salaat in solitude, Saum, Sadqah, Thikrullah and service to the servants of Allah Ta’ala. Islamic happiness and expression of gratitude to Allah Ta’ala do not consist of singing and merrymaking under Deeni guise. The Mu’min expresses his undying loyalty and remembrance for Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ) by the inculcation of the Sunnah – by following the Sunnat teachings and practices in the minutest detail. Love for the Rasool ( ) means total obedience to him, hence the Qur’aan Shareef declares: “Say (O Muhammad!): If you love Allah then follow me (Muhammad).”

Love for Allah and love for the Rasool are enshrined in submission and obedience to the Command and to the Sunnah, not in singing praises and listening to songs sung by dagga-smoking qawwaals with the accompaniment of haraam musical instruments. The whole customary Meelaad celebrations in vogue among the Ahl-e-Bid’ah is one huge trick and deception of shaitaan – talbees-e-Iblees.

The claim that celebration of Moulood “is an action of compulsory gratitude, to Allah Almighty in accordance with Divine command”, is a vile fabrication

– a lie spoken in the Name of Allah Ta’ala. Let them produce the “Divine command” which commands Meelaad celebration, Qur’aanic verses totally unrelated to this bid’ah are not proof for this baatil claim. Those who venture such falsehood in the Name of Allah Azza Wa Jal should heed well the following warning of Rasulullah (صلى الله عايه وسالم ): “He who speaks a lie on me deliberately should prepare his abode in the Fire (of Jahannum).”