SectionDiscussing the Most Common Doubts About the Mawlid
The First Doubt: The Verse {In that let them rejoice}
Allah says:
{Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy, in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate} [Yunus: 58].
Rejoicing in the bounty and mercy of Allah, in Islam, in the Quran, and in the sending of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him is a lawful and constant rejoicing. But the verse does not contain singling out the day of his birth with an annual celebration, and the Companions did not understand it that way. Using the verse as evidence for a specific act of worship requires clarification from the Messenger peace and blessings be upon him or the practice of his Companions, and nothing of that has been transmitted.
The Second Doubt: The Hadith "Whoever Introduces a Good Sunnah in Islam"
The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him said:
"Whoever introduces a good Sunnah in Islam will have its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him, without that decreasing anything from their rewards. And whoever introduces an evil Sunnah in Islam will bear its burden and the burden of those who act upon it after him, without that decreasing anything from their burdens."
Narrated by Muslim.
The hadith was about a man who hastened to give charity, and then people followed him in giving charity. What is meant is initiating action upon a Sunnah that already has an established basis in the Shariah, or reviving it and hastening to it, not creating a new act of worship. Otherwise, such an understanding would contradict the Prophet’s statement peace and blessings be upon him, "Every innovation is misguidance," and his words do not contradict one another.
The Third Doubt: Umar’s Statement may Allah be pleased with him, "What a Good Innovation This Is"
Umar may Allah be pleased with him said this when he gathered the people behind one Imam for the night prayer in Ramadan. Praying night prayer in Ramadan in congregation was not a newly invented act of worship; the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him had prayed with his Companions for some nights, then left continuing the gathering out of fear that it would be made obligatory upon them. When the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him died, revelation ended and the fear of obligation was removed, so Umar revived an established Sunnah and gathered the people upon it.
He called it an innovation in the linguistic sense, meaning that its continuous congregational form was new compared to what people had become accustomed to at that time, not that it was a religious innovation with no basis.
The Fourth Doubt: The Story of Abu Lahab’s Punishment Being Lightened
Some people use as evidence the report that Abu Lahab’s punishment was lightened because he rejoiced at the birth of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him and freed Thuwaybah. What al-Bukhari mentioned from Urwah in the story of Thuwaybah is a mursal report containing a dream, not a marfu hadith attributed to the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, and legal rulings are not established by it. As for the famous addition that his punishment is lightened every Monday because of his joy at the Mawlid, that wording is not in al-Bukhari.
The report contains no legislation of an annual celebration and no singling out the night of the Mawlid with worship. Even if it were assumed that Abu Lahab was rewarded for a particular act of kindness, the most it would show is that Allah recompensed him for that kindness. It does not prove the creation of a religious season for Muslims.
The Fifth Doubt: The Celebration Only Contains Quran, Seerah, and Food
Reciting the Quran, teaching the Seerah, sending salah upon the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him, giving charity, and feeding people are lawful actions in their lawful times and forms. But gathering them on a specific date that repeats every year, while believing in a special virtue for that gathering or seeking nearness to Allah through it as a Mawlid celebration, needs evidence.
The discussion is not about the original ruling of reciting Quran or giving charity; it is about singling them out with a time and form as a religious act that the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him did not legislate.
The Sixth Doubt: Did Ibn Taymiyyah Permit Celebrating the Mawlid?
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah may Allah have mercy on him did not permit taking the Mawlid as an Eid. Rather, he stated that it is "a newly introduced Eid that has no basis," and he explained that the Salaf did not do it despite the reason for it existing and no obstacle preventing it, and that if they had seen it as good, they would have preceded others to it.
As for his statement that some people may be rewarded for their love and good intention, it does not mean that the innovation is legislated. An ignorant person or someone mistaken in interpretation may be rewarded for his good intention, but not for the newly introduced act itself. He may Allah have mercy on him clearly stated this meaning when he said: "Allah may reward them for this love and effort, not for the innovations." A good intention may be an excuse for its doer, but it does not turn an action that opposes the Sunnah into a legislated Sunnah.
The Seventh Doubt: We Do Not Call It an Eid; We Call It a Commemoration
The reality of the action matters, not the name given to it. If people single out a day that returns every year and gather in it upon actions intended for nearness and reverence, it becomes a religious season and Eid in the Shariah meaning, even if it is called a commemoration, occasion, or celebration. Changing the name does not change the ruling.
The Eighth Doubt: The Basic Rule for Things Is Permissibility, and the Mawlid Is a Custom Not Worship
This principle is correct regarding customs and worldly benefits. As for acts of worship and religious seasons, their foundation is textual evidence; nothing from them is legislated except what evidence proves. If the gathering were purely worldly, not connected to the day of the Mawlid, not intended as nearness to Allah, and no religious virtue were believed for its time, then it would fall under the rulings of customs.
But singling out a day for a religious reason, repeating it every year, and establishing recitation, praise poems, and charity in it with the intention of honoring the occasion and gaining reward is, in reality, a religious season and an act of nearness, even if those who do it call it a custom or cultural occasion. What matters is the reality of the action, its intention, and its form, not merely its name. Therefore, evidence for its legislation is required, and it is not enough to say that the basic rule is permissibility.
The Ninth Doubt: The Prophet’s Mere Leaving of Something Does Not Prove Prohibition
Not everything the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him left is forbidden merely because he left it. But this issue is not based on leaving alone. The celebration is an act of nearness and a religious season, the foundation of worship is textual evidence, its reason existed during his time, there was no obstacle preventing it, then he, his caliphs, his Companions, and the virtuous generations all left it, along with the texts rejecting newly introduced matters. The combination of these matters shows that taking the Mawlid as a religious season is not from the Sunnah.
The Tenth Doubt: The Mawlid Is a Good Innovation Like Compiling the Mushaf
Innovation in its religious meaning is all misguidance, as the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him informed us. Whatever has a basis in the Shariah, or is a lawful means to preserve something legislated, is not a religious innovation even if it is new linguistically or organizationally.
The Companions’ compiling of the Mushaf was not the creation of a new act of worship or the singling out of a religious season. Rather, it was a means of preserving the Quran, which Allah commanded to be recited, conveyed, and acted upon, and the need to compile it into one Mushaf appeared after a number of reciters died. As for the reason for celebrating the Mawlid, namely the birth of the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him and love for him, it existed during his life and after his death, yet the Companions did not take it as worship or a season. Therefore, one matter cannot be compared to the other.
The Eleventh Doubt: Comparing the Mawlid to Fasting Ashura in Gratitude to Allah
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrated:
"The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting the day of Ashura. He said: What is this? They said: This is a righteous day. This is the day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy, so Musa fasted it. He said: I have more right to Musa than you. So he fasted it and commanded fasting it."
Agreed upon.
Fasting Ashura is an act of worship established by the statement, action, and command of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, so the Ummah follows him in it. The hadith does not give permission for every person to create a religious season or annual celebration for every blessing from himself. Acts of worship are defined by the Sunnah, and one may not analogize from an established act of worship to invent an act of worship that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions did not do. If thanking Allah for his birth through an annual celebration were legislated, he would have clarified it and practiced it. He clarified that the legislated act connected to the day of his birth is fasting Monday.
The Twelfth Doubt: The Report That the Prophet Made Aqiqah for Himself After Prophethood
It is narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him: "The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made aqiqah for himself after prophethood." Some people use this as evidence for repeatedly celebrating his birth.
This report is not authentic. Imam al-Bayhaqi described it as a munkar hadith, Imam an-Nawawi judged it false, and in its chain is Abdullah ibn Muharrar, who is abandoned in hadith. Therefore, it is not permissible to build an act of worship or religious season upon a report that is not authentic. Also, aqiqah, even if the report were authentic, is an independent ruling connected to a newborn; it is not an annual celebration and not evidence for singling out the day of the Mawlid with repeated rituals every year.
The Thirteenth Doubt: The Claim That the Prophet Attends Mawlid Gatherings
It is not established in the Quran or authentic Sunnah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, attends Mawlid gatherings, nor that standing when his birth is mentioned is legislated to welcome him. His life in the barzakh is true in the manner Allah willed, but it does not establish this specific claim. Matters of the unseen are not established by feelings, dreams, or stories; they are established by revelation.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Allah has angels who travel throughout the earth, conveying to me the salam of my Ummah."
Narrated by an-Nasai and Ahmad, and authenticated by the scholars.
The hadith establishes that the angels convey the salam of his Ummah to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, but it does not indicate that he attends their gatherings. As for believing that he has absolute knowledge of the unseen, or calling upon him and seeking rescue from him in matters only Allah can do, this is forbidden exaggeration and may reach major shirk if worship is directed to him besides Allah.
The Fourteenth Doubt: There Is No Specific Text Saying, "Do Not Celebrate the Mawlid"
It is not required that every newly introduced action be mentioned by name in a separate text. The Shariah brought general principles that include whatever is introduced until the Day of Judgment. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it, it is rejected."
Agreed upon.
And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance." Narrated by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by the scholars.
Whoever makes an action an act of worship, or singles out a time with religious virtue and rituals, must bring evidence for its legislation. Otherwise, anyone could introduce a prayer, dhikr, or season, then demand from others a text mentioning his newly introduced matter by name. The Mawlid falls under the general meaning of these texts because it is a newly introduced religious season that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not legislate and his Companions did not practice.
The Fifteenth Doubt: The Large Number of Muslims Who Celebrate the Mawlid Proves It Is Permissible
The large number of people doing something and the spread of an action do not make a newly introduced act of worship a Sunnah. The proof is revelation and what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions were upon, not the number of people who became accustomed to an action after them. Allah says:
{O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best way and best in result} [An-Nisa: 59].
A religious custom may spread over a long time until some people think it is from the Sunnah, even though it was not known among the Companions or in the virtuous early generations. Therefore, the Mawlid is not judged by the large number of people who do it; rather, it is weighed against the Book, the Sunnah, and the guidance of the Companions. When that is done, it becomes clear that it is newly introduced and has no basis.
