بسم الله الرحمٰن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
🎊 THE RULING ON CELEBRATING MAWLID (BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES) 🎊
Shaykh Ibn Baz (d. 1420H), may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Ruling on Celebrating Mawlids
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow his guidance. To proceed:
I have read an article published in al-Madinah newspaper in its issue released on Monday, 28/12/1401H. Its content was that brother Jamal Muhammad al-Qadhi saw, in the program Abna’ al-Islam broadcast on Saudi television, an episode that included the celebration of a birthday. Jamal asked: “Does Islam permit the celebration of birthdays?” etc.
The answer:
There is no doubt that Allah, the Exalted, legislated for Muslims two festivals in which they gather for remembrance and prayer: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, in place of the festivals of Jahiliyyah. He also legislated days that involve remembrance and worship, such as Friday, the Day of Arafah, and the Days of Tashriq. But Allah, the Exalted, did not legislate for us any festival of birth—neither the birth of the Prophet ﷺ nor anyone else.
Rather, the legal evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah indicate that celebrating Mawlids is an innovated bid‘ah in the religion and a form of imitating the enemies of Allah—among the Jews, Christians, and others. Thus, it is obligatory upon the Muslims to abandon it, beware of it, denounce those who practice it, and not publish or broadcast anything that encourages it or gives the impression of its permissibility through radio, press, or television.
This is due to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ in the authentic hadith:
> “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it, it is rejected.” (Agreed upon).
And his saying ﷺ:
> “Whoever performs an action not in accordance with our matter, it is rejected.” (Narrated by Muslim, and al-Bukhari reported it with certainty).
And in Sahih Muslim, from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ used to say in the Friday sermon:
> “To proceed: The best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. The worst of affairs are the newly invented ones, and every innovation is misguidance.”
There are many hadiths in this meaning.
In Musnad Ahmad, with a good chain, from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet ﷺ said:
> “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
And in the two Sahihs, from Abu Sa‘id (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, he said:
> “You will certainly follow the ways of those before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it as well.”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said: “Who else?”
There are other hadiths in this meaning, all of which indicate the obligation to beware of resembling the enemies of Allah in their festivals and otherwise.
The noblest and best of creation, our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, never celebrated his birthday during his lifetime. His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not celebrate it after him, nor did the Tabi‘in who followed them with excellence in the three virtuous generations.
If celebrating his Mawlid ﷺ or the Mawlid of anyone else was something good, they would have preceded us in doing it, and the Prophet ﷺ would have taught it to his Ummah, encouraged them to practice it, or practiced it himself. Since none of that occurred, we know that celebrating Mawlids is among the newly introduced innovations in the religion which must be abandoned and avoided, in obedience to Allah, the Exalted, and His Messenger ﷺ.
Some scholars mentioned that the first to introduce the celebration of Mawlids were the Fatimid Shi‘a in the fourth century Hijri. Then some who ascribed themselves to Ahl al-Sunnah followed them in this innovation, out of ignorance and blind imitation of them, and also of the Jews and Christians, until this bid‘ah spread among the people.
Therefore, it is obligatory upon the scholars of the Muslims to clarify Allah’s ruling regarding this innovation, denounce it, and warn against it—because of the great corruption it causes, the spread of innovations, and the disappearance of Sunnahs. It also involves resembling the enemies of Allah—the Jews, Christians, and other disbelievers who are accustomed to such celebrations.
The scholars, past and present, have written about this, clarifying Allah’s ruling on such innovations. May Allah reward them with good and make us among their followers in goodness.
This brief statement is intended to alert the readers about this innovation so that they may be upon clarity. I have written a more detailed treatise on this matter, published in local newspapers and elsewhere more than once.
There is no doubt that it is obligatory upon officials in our government—especially in the Ministry of Information—and upon all officials in the Muslim lands to prevent the propagation of these innovations, the call to them, or the publishing of anything that may cause people to think it permissible. This is part of fulfilling the duty of advising for Allah and His servants, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and contributing to the reform of the condition of the Muslims and cleansing it of what contradicts the purified Shari‘ah.
Allah is the One sought for help, by His beautiful Names and lofty Attributes, to rectify the conditions of the Muslims, grant them success to adhere to His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ, and beware of everything that contradicts them. And to rectify their leaders and grant them success in ruling by Allah’s Shari‘ah over His servants and fighting everything that opposes it. Indeed, He is the Guardian of that and capable over it.
And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
📚 (Ibn Baz, Majmū‘ Fatāwā Ibn Bāz, 4/286–288)
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