Dispelling myths about mawlid
There are three types of bid'ah - obligatory, forbidden and desired.
Al-Hafiz Abu al-Khair as-Sakhawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated in his book of Fatwas, “None of the pious predecessors, who lived in the first three centuries of Islam, used to celebrate Mawlid [the way it is celebrated today]. People started commemorating it later.
“Muslims started coming together in different countries and big cities and celebrating the month of the Prophet’s birth (PBUH). Meanwhile they plied each other with absolutely delicious food and joy and delight reigned over everything. They did each other favors, increased the number of their good deeds, diligently read special prayers for the sake of the Prophet (PBUH) - Mawlids. Thus they found the grace of the Allah’s Messenger (PBUH)”.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytham wrote in Al-Fath al-Mubin fi sharhi al-Arbain (p. 224): “Imam Abu Shamat, who is the Sheikh of Imam an-Nawawi, said, “The finest bid’ah nowadays is what people perform every year in honour of the birthday of the Prophet (PBUH). This includes giving alms (sadaqah), showing kindness, beauty and joy. Truly all of the above and paying attention to the poor open people’s hearts for love and respect for the Prophet (PBUH).
This is also showing thanks (shukr) to Allah for creating the Prophet (PBUH) by His grace and as a mercy to the worlds”. Imam an-Nawawi states in his book Takhsib al-Asma’ wa al-Lugat (p. 994-996): “Bid’ah (innovation in Shariah) is doing something that was not performed in the times of the Allah’s Messenger (PBUH). And it can be classified both as good and bad.
Shaykh Imam Abu Muhammad Abd al-Aziz ibn Abdusalam wrote in a book named al-Qawaid that bid’ah can be obligatory, forbidden, desired, hateful, permissible. “To make it clear, whichever group bid’ah belongs to, should be compared to Shariah laws.
If it corresponds to the principles of the obligatory, then performing this bid’ah is also obligatory. But if it corresponds to the principles of the forbidden (haram), then is this bid’ah forbidden (haram) as well. The principles of desired deeds are desirable.
The principles of hateful deeds are condemned. The principles of permissible (mubah) deeds are permissible. You can give examples to any kind of bid’ah”. Learning grammar as a separate discipline can be an example of an obligatory bid’ah. It is essential for understanding God’s and His Prophet’s (PBUH) speech, but it was not studied in the times of the Prophet (PBUH).
However understanding of their speech is obligatory for preserving the Sharia, because it is impossible to understand the Holy Quran and the Sunna unless you know Arabic grammar. And everything you need to perform the obligatory becomes obligatory.
The second example is learning unknown words you meet in the Quran and Sunna. The third one is to write books explaining the bases of the Islamic religion and the Islamic law (Fiqh). The fourth is writing books proving or disproving the veracity of hadith of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) and the authority of hadith narrators.
This also includes identifying if the hadith is reliable or not. Islamic law makes clear the necessity of preserving the Sharia. And this is impossible unless all means available are used. The emergence of creeds like those of the Kadarihts’, Dzhabarits’, Murdzhiits’ and Mudzhasimits’ can be given as an example of forbidden innovation. Disclosing such beliefs is an obligatory innovation and exposing of their delusions as well.
The establishment of inns and madrasahs can be given as an example of desired innovation as well as everything which benefits mankind, but did not yet exist in the first century of Hijra. Performing the Taraweeh-prayer collectively in mosques, talking over the fine points of Tasawwuf, debating, calling meetings for reasoning and proving also belong here if done for the Almighty’s sake.
Decorating of mosques and ornamenting of Qur’ans can be qualified as a hateful innovation. The examples of permissible innovations are handshaking after the morning and afternoon prayers, use of various foods and drinks, dressing up in the best clothes, building large houses and wearing of satin or wide-sleeve clothes.
There are some differences in ulama’s opinions on these points. Some ulama consider part of them to be hateful innovations. But others find them desirable innovations which were not, however, performed in the times or right after the times of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) like saying “Bismillyahi Rahmani Rahim” or “A’uzu billahi mina shaytani rajeem” in salah”. (See Takhdibu alAsma’, p. 995)
Al-Bayhaki (referring to a chain of narrators) mentions that Manaqibu al-Shafii states, “Imam al-Shafii mentioned two categories of innovations. The innovations contradicting the Quran, Sunna, Asar and Ijma are in the first category. They are called al-Bid’ah al-Zalzala, which means innovation leading to delusion”
To the second category belong all the good and beneficial innovations about which there are no contradicting opinions of ulama. In this case the innovations are not hateful. For the pious caliph Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said regarding people gathering in mosques for collective Taraweeh-prayers: “This is a nice innovation!”
It means that this was an innovation that had not been practiced before. These statements about good innovations do not contradict the sayings of Prophet (PBUH) “Beware of introducing something new, truly every innovation is a delusion”, and “He who does an act which our matter is not (in agreement) with, will have it rejected” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah).
These statements have a generalising character. In the book Al-Fatawa al-Hadisiya (p. 265) Ibn Hajar al-Haytami wrote: “Mawlids and adhkars performed nowadays generally do good. Among these are giving alms, remembrance of Allah (dhikr), blessing and praising (reciting salawat) the Allah’s Messenger (PBUH).”
Here is another quote from this book, “Someone asked Ibn Hajar if it was allowed for people to gather together to perform a permissible innovation. And he answered: “Yes, it is allowed.” Thus the hadith “Every innovation is a misguidance and every misguidance goes to hellfire” refers to forbidden innovations.
But if anything forbidden is performed at a place where people have gathered for remembrance of Allah (dhikr) or collective Taraweehprayer etc., then everyone should warn people against doing this. And others should stay away (from where haram takes place). Otherwise they become accomplices.” (al-Fatawa alHadisiya, p. 265-268) Ibn Hajar al-Haytami said: “The main point is that there are no debates of ulama regarding good innovations.
Ala’ Bid’ah al-Hasana (good innovations) is something that people should urge each other to do.” Celebrating Mawlid and gathering people for this are actions considered good innovations. Someone asked Imam as-Suyuti what was the Sharia’s decision regarding celebrating Mawlid of the Prophet (PBUH) in the month of Rabi ulAwwal, was it a praiseworthy or hateful action, and what reward would the one performing it receive.
Imam as-Suyuti answered this in the book al-Havi fil-Fatawa (vol. 1, p. 181-182): “I like people celebrating Mawlid, when they gather together to read Qur’an, tell early prophecy stories and retell the miracles related to the birth of the Prophet (PBUH). It is so nice thereafter to set the table. So this is a good innovation, namely, bid’ah al-hasana.
And the one who arranges this meeting is rewarded, because this way he glorifies and shows respect to the Prophet (PBUH) and confesses great joy at his birth. The sovereign of Irbil al-Muzafar Abu Said Kavkabary was the first person to perform Mawlid this way. And he was one of the noble and generous rulers.”
