Aisha (Radi Allahu Anha) reported that Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said:

“For every people there is a festival, and this (Eid ul Fitr) is our festival.”
[Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

Anas ibn Malik (Radi Allahu Anho) narrated that Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said:

“Allah has given you better than those festivals (of pagans): ‘Eid-ul-Adh-haa (festival of sacrificing) and ‘Eid-ul-Fitr (festival of breaking the fast).”
[An-Nasai and Abu Dawood; Sanad Saheeh]

Should a Muslim celebrate Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam’s Birthday?

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Rasool (Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination”   [Nisaa’:59]

Referring it to Allah and His Messenger means to turn to Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

1. What does the Qur’an say about the Mawlad?
Nothing. Yes that’s right…..NOTHING. There is absolutely nothing in the Quran that tells us to celebrate the birthday of Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam or anybody else. Not one single ayah.

2. What does the Sunnah say about it?
Again, there is Nothing!!! Not a single hadith of Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam that shows us that the he (Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) EVER celebrated his birthday or that of his wives, children, Sahaba or any earlier Prophets’ Alaihum us Salaatu Was Salaam. In fact, the Prophet Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said:
“Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.” [Saheeh al Bukhari]

3. Did the Sahaba Radi Allahu Anhum celebrate the Mawlad/Milad?
The Sahaba were witnesses to the revelation of the Quran. They had their beloved Rasool Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam right in front of their eyes. They followed the Quran and Sunnah very closely.

The Prophet Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said:

“The best of mankind are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.   [Saheeh Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim]

They loved Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam more than anybody else. This love translated into the practical application of his teachings and NOT picking the 12th of Rabi-ul Awwal as a day of celebration.

“Say (O Prophet Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam!) : ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.  (Aal-e-Imran 3:31)

And remember the words of Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam when he said:
“The best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam). The most evil of things are those which are newly-invented (in Deen), and every innovation (Bidah) is a going astray.” [An-Nasai, Sanad Saheeh]

In fact, celebrating the Milad was not even mentioned during the first and best three generations of Islam. So, if the ‘best of mankind’ didn’t celebrate his birth, then we shouldn’t either.

So when celebrating the birth of our beloved Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam or anybody else’s for that matter is not established in the Qur’an and Saheeh Ahaadeeth where did this come from and when did it start?

What went wrong and when?

Actually, the celebration of Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam’s birthday appeared many centuries later. By this time, many of the features of true Deen had disappeared as far as practice is concerned and Bidah had become widespread. This is similar to the Christians celebrating birth of Eisa Alaihis Salaatu Was Salaam which was not prescribed for them. The bible doesn’t talk about celebrating his birthday but they do it. Let’s learn some of their history from their sources:

The Christmas “Birthday Party”? But what about Christmas? It is in the Bible, isn’t it?

Study any reputable encyclopedia or visit a well-stocked public library and you will discover that Christmas was celebrated by immoral, pagan idol worshippers—people who many times sacrificed their children to pagan gods—2,000 years before Christ was born! December 25th originally marked the time of the winter solstice. These idol worshippers held pagan festivals to celebrate the “rebirth” of the sun when the days began to lengthen…

Origin of Birthdays :Then where did birthday celebrations come from? The astonishing answer is from the pagan practice of astrology! Thousands of years ago, when men looked up into the night sky and charted the stars, they invented calendars and calculated the birth dates, to the very hour, of kings, rulers and their successors. These ancient pagan astrologers meticulously examined horoscopes and birthday omens because they believed that the fate of the rich and powerful might affect an entire society. Even to this day, men have been putting their trust in horoscopes instead of God. In ancient Egypt, the pharaohs ordered businesses to close on their birthdays and gave enormous feasts for hundreds of servants. In ancient Greece, wealthy males joined birthday clubs composed exclusively of men who shared their birth date. Once a month, the club celebrated with a feast. When a member died, he left money to help pay for future parties. In Persia, noblemen observed their birthdays by barbecuing an ox, a camel and a donkey and serving hundreds of small cakes to the celebrants.

In ancient Rome, the emperor gave huge parties in honour of his own birthday, which included parades, circuses, and gladiatorial combat. The celebration of days was so important to the average Roman citizen that the Roman calendar designated a majority of days for some form of celebration—including many birthdays of gods and famous men.

The Roman calendar, with its emphasis on continual celebration, has had great influence on modern society. Consider the following quote about the origin of the Roman calendar:

“Our [Roman] calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12 month year, 365 day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, Sosigenes, suggested this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. As adopted it indicated its pagan origin by the names of the months—called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named but numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. It was not until 321 A.D. that the seven-day week feature was added, when the Emperor Constantine (supposedly) adopted Christianity. Oddly enough for his weekdays he chose pagan names which are still used.” (Journal of Calendar Reform, Sept. 1953, p. 128.)

Modern birthday parties and celebrations by children take their form mainly from Germany, where the birthday child received gifts, chose a menu and received a candle-ringed butter or jam cake. The lighted candles for the cake may have originated from the birthday of the Greek moon goddess Artems. Pagan worshippers honoured her every month with moon-shaped honey cakes. Because the moon glows with light, the cakes were decorated with lighted candles.

Saying “happy birthday” to friends and loved ones was society’s superstitious way of protecting them from evil spirits. Birthday thumps, bumps, pinches, etc., were said to bring luck and send away evil spirits. Party snappers, horns and other noisemakers were also intended to scare off bad-luck spirits.

It should now be clear that birthdays are not only unbiblical, they are pagan!

{SOURCE: http://rcg.org/articles/abcc.html}

IF THIS IS CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE???


Narrated Abu Sa’eed Al Khudri Radi Allahu Anho

Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said,

“You would definitely tread the same path as was trodden by the people before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of a lizard you would follow them in this also.

The companions asked:
Do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)?

Rasoolullah Sall Allahu Alaihi Wa Sallam replied: Who else (can it be other than those two groups)?
[Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim]

Beware!!! Are we expressing our love and remembrance for Rasoolullah SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam by following the way of the pagan’s?? The Christians have been flummoxed into worshipping the Egyptian sun God while they think they are worshipping Eisa Alaihis Salaatu Was Salaam, has the majority of the Ummah been mislead as well?? Remember, We are commanded to express our love to Rasoolullah SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam by following him!
[AAL-E-IMRAN AYAH 31]

Ameena Tabassum
Jamaat ul Muslimeen,
India.