Examining the Sayings of Scholars on Eid Milad-un-Nabi: Separating Fact from Fiction
Barelvi first raised the question, which is as follows.
“Question: Is there evidence of celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the sayings and actions of the scholars of the Ummah?
Answer: The great Muftis, scholars, commentators, hadith scholars, interpreters, and jurists of this Ummah have written in their books that celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a cause of reward and virtue, so let’s look at the sayings of the scholars of the Ummah.”
After writing this answer, a few sayings of the scholars are mentioned. Before these sayings, we want to tell you that in the presence of the argument of the Book and the Sunnah, the sayings have no importance. And in religion, for the proof of something, the argument of the Book and the Sunnah is required, not the sayings of the scholars. Let’s also examine the sayings of the scholars.
Barelvi’s first quote: Hazrat Imam Azam (died 150 AH) does not need to introduce his name. His religious services are so great that Muslims all over the world will benefit from his knowledge until the Day of Judgment. In his “Qasidah Numaniah”, he describes the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as follows:
Meaning! “You are the one who, if you were not, nothing would have been, and if you were not born, nothing would have been created. You are the one whose light illuminates the fourteenth moon and the sun shines with your light, and Jesus (peace be upon him) came to give the good news and brought the news of your good qualities.”
Response to the Quote: The Qasidah attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa is not proven to be from him, secondly, this Qasidah is based on excessiveness, so it is against the beliefs of Imam Sahib.
Barelvi’s second quote: Hazrat Imam Shafi’i (died 204 AH) says, “The one who celebrates the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) will be with the truthful, martyrs, and righteous.”
Response to the Quote: This quote is taken from “Al-Nemat Al-Kubra” and in the original book “Al-Nemat Al-Kubra” there is no such false thing written about the birthday, later someone inserted anti-Islamic things in “Al-Nemat Al-Kubra” and made it popular. In other words, this book is a fake book attributed to Allama Ibn Hajar Maki.
Barelvi’s third quote: Hazrat Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (died 241 AH) says, “The night of Friday is superior to the night of power because on the night of Friday, the holy light of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was transferred to the womb of his mother, Sayyida Aminah, which is the cause of countless blessings and goodness in this world and the hereafter.”
Response to the Quote: It is true that Friday is the best day of the week, but Friday is superior to the night of power, which is against the clear texts of the Quran and Hadith, so this quote is rejectable. Secondly, what is the relation of this quote to the 12th of Rabi’ al-awwal and its innovations?
Barelvi’s fourth quote: Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi (died 606 AH) says, “The one who celebrates the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him), even if he cannot afford more than salt or wheat, will not be deprived of the blessings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).”
Response to the Quote: This quote is also from “Al-Nemat Al-Kubra” and is therefore false.
Barelvi’s fifth quote: Hazrat Imam Subki (died 756 AH) says in his “Qasidah Taiyah”, “I swear that if all the oceans were my ink and the trees were my pen, I would not be able to write even a tenth of the signs of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because his signs and qualities are more than the shining stars.”
Response to the Quote: In this quote, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is praised, but is praising the Prophet (peace be upon him) celebrating the birthday? I, Maqbool Ahmed Salafi, say that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the most superior human being, no one like him has been born and no one like him will be born. Is this celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
Barelvi’s sixth quote: Hafiz Ibn Kathir (died 774 AH) says, “The night of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) birth is a night of honor, greatness, blessings, and happiness for the believers. This night is pure and clean, it reveals the lights, and it is a great night. Allah revealed in this night the hidden treasure which will never end.”
Response to the Quote: In this quote also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is praised, but there is no mention of celebrating the birthday, processions, naats, qawwalis, etc.
Barelvi’s seventh quote: Imam Hafiz Ibn Hajar (died 852 AH) says in answer to a question, “I have found the origin of this gathering (birthday celebration) from a proven source, which is present in Bukhari and Muslim.”
Response to the Quote: The hadith mentioned in this quote is about the day of Ashura, not the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him). And what is the relation of this hadith to the 12th of Rabi’ al-awwal and its innovations?
Barelvi’s eighth quote: Imam Jalal al-Din Suyuti (died 911 AH) says, “The gathering of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) birthday is a good innovation, and the one who organizes it will be rewarded, because in it there is respect, honor, and joy on the birth of the Prophet (peace be upon him).”
Response to the Quote: Although in “Hassan al-Maqasid” there is an excess in the matter of the birthday celebration, but we will tell you the reality of Barelvi’s mentioned quote.
In the quote of Jalal al-Suyuti, the word “bid’ah hasanah” (good innovation) itself proves that this is an innovation that was not present in the time of the Companions, but was invented later. In the same book, it is written that this innovation was invented by Malik Muzaffar. Tahir al-Qadri Barelvi wrote that the Companions were sad, so they did not celebrate the birthday.
Now you decide whether you prefer the Sunnah of the Companions or the innovation of the later people?
Barelvi’s ninth quote: Imam Mulla Ali Qari (died 1014 AH) says, “When I was unable to invite people to a physical feast, I wrote these papers so that it would be a spiritual feast, and it would remain on the pages of time forever, not limited to any month of the year.”
Response to the Quote: The book from which this quote is taken, on page 12, Mulla Ali writes:
“The origin of the noble birthday celebration was not narrated from any of the righteous predecessors in the three virtuous centuries, but it was invented later for good purposes.”
Now it’s up to you to decide whether to choose the virtue of the three virtuous centuries or the innovation of the later corrupt era?
Barelvi’s tenth quote: Hazrat Allama Yousuf bin Ismail Nabhani (died 1350 AH) says, “Muslims have always celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the month of his birth, and have given feasts, and have given charity in the nights of this month, and have been happy, and have done good deeds, and have recited the birthday.”
Response to the Quote: Yousuf Nabhani was a Sufi who had some false beliefs, and he even went to jail for them. Scholars have written a lot about his corrupt ideas. This quote is also one of his false and corrupt ideas. And anyway, this is just a quote, and in the presence of the argument of the Quran and Hadith, it will be rejected.
Maqbool Ahmad Salafi