Question:
Please give me the evidence
about Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi in the light of Quran &
Ahadith.
Ans.
Before writing the
arguments of Eid Milad-un-Nabi
(Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), I want to
clear the meaning of Milad according to literature
and Shariah.
The word Milad has been derived from "viladut" which means birth. Therefore, according to
Arabic language, Milad is word which signifies the
place and time of birth. In the light of Shariah, we
means, Milad is to remember the events which took
place at the birth time of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon
Him) and we get the opportunity of narrating the Seerat
of the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) on this occasion, we
also presents the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) gifts of
Durood -o- salam. We
mention before the people attributes and praises of the Prophet (Allah's Grace
& Peace be upon Him). We do not believe that Milad
is specified with same night but, we believe that the remembrance of the Holy
Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is incumbent in each minute and
second of time and every Muslim should act it sunnahs
in the whole life time. Milad un
Nabi (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is a
great source of preaching. It is incumbent for scholars to teach Muslims
nations on this Holy occasion, moral behavior of the
Holy Prophet, (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him)
his antiquates, His affairs, His Seerat, His dealings
and His worships.
Now I write the proofs of Milad from the Holy Quran,
the hadith of the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace
be upon Him) and consensus of Ulemas.
Evidence of the Holy Quran
The Qur’anic verses proves that to celebrate Milad is not only a proper deed but it is also a
praiseworthy.
1) Allah Almighty says in Quran:
"The peace is on Him the day when he was born and the day when he will die
and the day when he will be raised alive." (Kanzul
Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al-Maryam, Verse 15)
In the above verse Allah Almighty has mentioned the complete Milad of Hazrat Yahya (Alaihis Salam). And before this Allah
Almighty has mentioned the events which took place before the birth. It
is the same way of celebrating birth day as Ahle Sunnat adopts for the Milad of
the last Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) of Allah Almighty. In
other words the Prophet of Allah Almighty Hazrat Isa (Alaihis
Salam) celebrates his own Milad.
2) As Allah Almighty says:
"And the same peace on me the day I was born and the day I will die and
the day I would be raised alive."
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Maryam, Verse 33)
Before this verse Allah Almighty has stated the whole story of Maryam (Allah may pleased with him) that who she got
pregnant and gave birth her great son, the Prophet of Allah Isa (Alaihi Salam). Allah Almighty also mentioned the words of
Isa (Alaihis Salam) by which Isa (Alaihis
Salam) praised himself. This style of narrating story is nothing but celebration
of Milad of Isa Alaihis
Salam. Ahle Sunnat also narrate the story of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace
& Peace be upon Him) in the same style. We too narrate the events which
took place before the birth and after it as Allah Almighty narrated about Yahya and Isa (Alaihimus Salam).
Therefore, a person who has eyes of justice will obviously accept that to
celebrate Milad is an important deed which Allah
Almighty has done. So it proves that the basis of Milad
is found in the Holy Quran.
3) Allah Almighty says:
"And remind them of the days of the Allah."
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim, Verse5)
In this verse Allah Almighty orders his prophet Musa Alaihis
Salam to remind his nation the days of Allah Almighty. "The days of Allah"
are those days in which great events took place or Allah Almighty bestowed his
great rewards to his creature. As the Holy Quran testifies this explanation of
the days of Allah Almighty. In the Holy Quran Musa Alaihis
Salam says:
"And when Musa said it his people remember Allah's favor
upon you, when he delivered you from Firawn's people
who used to afflict you worstly, and slaughter your
sons and let your daughters live and in it there was shown great mercy of your
lord." (Kanzul Iman
the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim, Verse 6)
According to the Qur’anic verse emancipation of the
nation of Musa Alaihis Salam from Firawn
is a day of Allah, so the birth day of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace
& Peace be upon Him) is, with any doubt, also a day of Allah, because the
Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) emancipated whole
world from the darkness of ignorance and brought them to the light of guidance.
Therefore, the birthday (Milad) of the Holy Prophet
(Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) deserves to be celebrated then the
celebration of any other event. In case we would not be grateful to Allah
Almighty for his favor, which is Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him). He will punish us severely. As Allah Almighty says:
"And remember when your lord proclaimed, if you will be great full then I
shall give you more and if you’re thankless then my treatment is severe."
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Ibrahim, and Verse 7)
4) Allah Almighty says:
"Then remember the bounties of Allah and wander not in the earth spreading
mischief."
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Araf,
Verse 74)
In the above verse Allah Almighty orders us to remember his bounties and
rewards. The last Prophet of Allah Almighty Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace
be upon Him) is, undoubtedly, great blessing of Allah Almighty for whole
mankind. Allah Almighty himself considers the Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace
be upon him) his great favor for mankind as He says:
"Undoubtedly, Allah did a great favor to the
Muslims that in them from among themselves sent a messenger who recites unto
them His signs and purifies them and teaches them the book and wisdom and
necessarily before that they were certainly apparent error.
(Kanzul Iman the translation
of Holy Quran, Sura Ale Imran,
Verse 164)
Therefore, according to the Qur’anic commandments we
must remember the beloved Prophet of Allah Muhammad (Allah's Grace & Peace
be upon Him) and Milad-un-Nabi is a best way of
remembrance of the greatest Prophet (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him).
In another words Allah Almighty says:
"And publicize well the favor of your lord"
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Duha, Verse 11)
The companion of the Holy Prophet (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him) Hazrat
Abdullah Ibne Abbas (Allah
is well pleased with Him) explained the word favors.
He says here, In this verse favor
signifies the prophet hood and Islam.
(Tafseer Ibne Abbas, Sure Al Duha, Page 651).
So in the light of the given explanation by the cousin of the Holy Prophet
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him), we can say that Allah Almighty orders us
to remember Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) in our
gatherings between the people, in our mosque between the worshiper and in our
houses between our families and Milad un Nabi (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him), as I have
written is a best way for this Qur’anic purpose.
4) Allah Almighty orders us:
"Say you oly Allah's grace and his mercy, on it
therefore let them rejoice. That is better then all their wealth."
In this verse Allah Almighty orders us to enjoy on his grace and mercy. If we
see around us we find that each favor of Allah
Almighty is great mercy for us. Even our existence is also a mercy of Allah
Almighty. But the greatest of Allah is the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him). As Allah Almighty says:
"And we sent not you but mercy for all worlds."
(Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Ambiyaa, Verse 107)
So according the Qur’anic teachings it is necessary
for us that ewe must be happy and pleased on the birthday of the Holy Prophet
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). The one who pleases with the Holy
Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) is really a true follower of the
Quran. And it is obvious that, in whole world Muslims celebrates Milad un Nabi
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). Specially for enjoying the mercy of
Allah Almighty that is the beloved prophet of Allah Almighty (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him)Therefore the Holy Quran itself confirms the Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him)
5) The gathering of Milad un Nabi
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) incite Muslims on saying Durood and Salam ( to pray for prophet (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him) of blessing and peace) Allah Almighty says:
"Oh you who I believe send upon Him blessing and salute Him fully well in
abundance. (Kanzul Iman the
translation of Holy Quran, Sura Al Ahzab, Verse 56)
According to the law of Shariah, a thing which is
desired by Shariah, is exactly a like an aim of Shariah. And the benefits of Durood
-o- salam are so much in
numbers that can not be counted. Durood -o- salam causes for the help of Allah
Almighty in this world and here after. So Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace & Peace
be upon Him) is a source of fulfilling the commandments of Allah Almighty
6) Allah Almighty says:
"And all that we narrate to you of the tidings of the messengers is for
the purpose of strengthening your heart therewith." (Kanzul
Iman the translation of Holy Quran, Sura Hood, Verse 121)
This Qur’anic verse reveals that the wisdom of
mentioning the stories and events of Prophets (Alaihis
salam) was to stand fast the
heart of the last prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him). And it is
obvious that we are, also today, in need of being stand fast. We must know that
how; the prophet of Allah (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) faced the
problems of his time so that we may face the problems of our times according to
the Sunnah. Therefore Milad
un Nabi (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him) provides us an opportunity to know about the affair of the
Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him).
Evidence of Hadith (Narrations of the Holy
Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
There are many narrations, which proves the Milad
Sharif but I write a few.
1) The Prophet of Allah (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him) himself stated
his own birth from very beginning He says: "I had been transferred,
continuously, from purified offspring to purified wombs. I had been given birth
by a lawful marriage not by adultery. When Allah Almighty sent Adam Alaihis Salam on earth so He put me in his spine and then
transferred in Nuh Alaihis salam in his boat, and then in
Ibrahim Alaihis salam Allah
Almighty transferred me continuously from noble offspring to the purified wombs
up to that He brought me in my parents who never committed adultery."
(Tafseer Ruhul Bayan, Vol. 3, Page 54)
As I have written in the beginning that Milad means
the time of birth or place of birth. So the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him) himself celebrated his own Milad.
In the same way Ahle Sunnat
following the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)narrate the
events of the birth of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
.This hadith is the clear proof Milad
un Nabi (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him) and as
well as tell us that to celebrate Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) is not
innovation (bidat) but it is a sunnah
(tradition) of Prophet (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him).
There are many other narrations which narrate that the Prophet of Allah
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) celebrate his own Milad
several times, some of those narrations have been written in Mishkat Sharif.
2) "The one who rejoices on the birth day of the Holy Prophet would not be
severely punished and it is hopped that a Muslim who celebrate the Milad un Nabi
(Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him), will not be punished in hell. Imam Bukhari Rahmatullah Alaih narrates that Abu Lahab
would be punished lightly in the hell on Monday. Because he
rejoiced and freed his handmaid indicating by his finger, when the Prophet of
Allah Almighty (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) took birth. So as a
reward of happiness on Milad un
Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) he would
be given water by his finger. (Saheehul Bukhari Vol. 2, Page 764)
Imam Shams ud din Naseer Al
Damaishqi narrates this hadith
in poetry. Here is its translation.
If such kafir was denounced (in the Quran)
And perished are his hands, and in the flame is his
eternal abode.
It is narrated every Monday.
His torment is made easy for his joy at the birth of Ahmad. (Allah's Grace and
Peace be upon him)
What is the expectation then of a servant who spent all his life.
Happy with the arrival of Ahmad (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) and died
on the one ness of Allah Almighty. (Haul-ul-Ahtifal Bil Mawlid Al-Nabvi Al Sharif, Page
11)
2) The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) celebrated
his own Milad by having fast. Imam Wali ud din write this narration
with reference to the Saheeh Muslim. When the Prophet of Allah (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him) was
asked about the fast of Monday. He (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
said:
"I took birth and the Quran was revealed upon me in this day."
(Mishkat Sharif, Page 179)
This narration proves that to celebrate Milad un Nabi is a tradition of the Holy
Prophet (Allah’s Grace and Peace be upon him) on every Monday. Secondly it is
lawful to fix a particular day for Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace
be upon him). Thirdly it is an act of sunnah to
worship in the pleasure of the Milad un Nabi (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon him)
Evidence of general consensus of Muslim ummah
and scholars (Ulema)
1) Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Suyuti in his famous book
"Al-Hawii Lil-Fatawii"
allocated a special chapter on that topic and named it "The Excellence of
Objective in Celebrating the Mawlid" where he
said: The question under consideration is what the verdict of the Shari'ah on celebrating the Holy Birthday of the Noble
Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) during the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal. From the point of view of Shari'ah
is this a praiseworthy action or a blameworthy one? And do those who arrange
such celebration Receive blessings or not? He said:
"The reply to this question is that in my view the Milad
Shareef (Celebration of the Birthday of the Noble
Prophet Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) is in fact such an occasion of
happiness on which people assemble and recite the Holy Qu'ran
to the extent that is easy. Then they relate the prophecies concerning the
appearance of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) that
have been transmitted in Ahadith and Author, and the miraculous events and
signs that took place on his birth. Then food is set before them and according
to their desire they partake thereof to satisfaction. This festival of
celebrating the birthday of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be
upon Him) is a Bid'ah Hasanah
(good Innovation) and those arranging it will get blessing, since in such a
celebration is found the expression of joy and happiness at the greatness and
eminence of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and his
birth".
Even Ibn Tay'miah said in
his book "Necessity of the Right Path", p. 266, 5th line from the
bottom of that page, published by Dar Al-Hadith, the
following:
"As far as what people do during the Milad,
either as a rival celebration to that which the Christian do during the time of
Christ's birthday or as an expression of their love and admiration and a sign
of praise for the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), Allah
Almighty will surely reward them for such Ijtihad".
He then said: "Although Milad was not practiced
by (Salaf), they should have done so since there was
no objection against it from the Shari'ah point of
view".
And we certainly only celebrate Milad out of love and
admiration to the Prophet of all Mankind.
2. Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Qastalani, who gave commentary on
Sahih Bukhari, said:
"May Allah Almighty shower his Mercy upon a person who takes the days of
the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal, in which the Noble
Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) was born, as days of feast and
celebration for doing so is the best cure for the heart of an ailing
person."
3. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar was
asked, same reference of Imam Suyuti, about Milad Shareef. His reply was:
"Milad Shareef is, in
fact, and innovation, which was not transmitted from any pious predecessor in
the first three centuries. Nevertheless, both acts of virtue as well as acts of
abomination are found in it (i.e. Sometimes acts of virtue are found therein
and sometimes acts of abomination). If in the Milad Shareef only acts of virtue are done and acts of
abomination are abstained from, then the Milad Shareef is a Bid'ah Hasanah (good innovation), otherwise not."
He then added "
"To do any virtuous act and to observe it annually as means of
recollection for any special day on which Allah Almighty has bestowed any favor or removed any calamity is a form of showing
gratitude to Allah Almighty. Gratitude to Allah Almighty is expressed through
different kinds of Ibaadah (worship) -prostration and
standing in prayer, charity and recitation of the Holy Qu'ran.
And what is a greater favor from Allah Almighty can
there be than the appearance of the Prophet of Mercy (Allah's Grace & Peace
be upon Him) on this day (i.e. 12th of Rabbi-ul-Awwal)?"
Some people do not limit it and celebrate the Milad Shareef on any day of Rabbi-ul-Awwal.
Nay, some people have extended it even more and increased the period to the
whole year. According to the latter, the Milad Shareef can be celebrated on any day of the year. The
objective here is the same, i.e. to rejoice at and celebrate the Holy Birth of
the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him).
4. Imam Abu-Bakr Abdullah Al-Dimashqi compiled a
number of books on the subject and called them "Collection of Traditions
on the Birth of the Chosen Prophet", "The Pure Expression on the
Birthday of the Best of Creations" and "The Spring for the Thirsty
One on the Birth of the Rightly Guided".
5. Imam Al-Hafiz Al-Iraqi wrote a book and called it "The Pure Spring on
the Sublime Birth".
6. Imam Ibn Dahyah wrote a
book and called it "Enlightenment on the Birthday of the Bearer of Good
News, The Warner".
7. Imam Mulla Ali Qari
wrote a book and called it "The Quenching Spring on the Birthday of the
Prophet". (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him)
8. Imam Shams ul-Din bin Naseer
Al-Dimashqi, said in his book: "The Spring for
the Thirsty One on the Birth of the Rightly Guided" about the story of Abu
Lahab that he will receive a light punishment every
Monday for expressing joy at the birth of the Noble Prophet (Allah's Grace
& Peace be upon him) on that day. The Imam said the following verse of
poetry, the translation is: If such Kafir was
denounced in the (Qur'an) and perished are his hands, and in the Flames is his
eternal abode It is narrated that every Monday.
His torment is made easy for his Joy at the Birth of Ahmad What
is the expectation then of a servant who spent all his life Happy with the
Arrival of Ahmad (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him) and died on the
Oneness of Allah.
9. Imam Shams Ul-Din Ibn aL-Jazri, the Imam of reciters,
wrote a book and named it "The Scent of Notification on the Blessed
Birthday".
10. Imam Al-Hafiz Ibn Al-Jawzi
said in the description of Milad: "Peace and
Tranquility takes over during that year and a good glad tiding to obtain your
wish and inspiration".
11. Imam Abu-Shamah, The Sheikh of Al Hafiz Al Nawawi, said:
"The best of the innovations of our times is what is carried out on the
day of corresponding to the birthday of our Beloved Prophet (Allah's Grace
& Peace be upon Him), where people give out donations, practice what is
right, express their joy and happiness, in doing so is surely a sign of love
and admiration for the Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon him)".