Passing Thoughts On The Mawlid

It's that time of the year again... Facebook posts, Twitter tweets, retweets, blog posts, and YouTube videos are soon to surface and have actually already started to surface in regards to the birthday of the Prophet ﷺ (Mawlid). This year's Mawlid cyber war has started. Some will use the oversimplified "Did the Prophet do it?" argument, whilst others will use the also oversimplified "they hate the Messenger ﷺ" argument.

In the midst of these emotions, the truth will be hard to determine. Moreover, each party seems to be talking over the other. The reality is that the difference of opinion on this matter, like many other matters, is a longstanding difference of opinion among the scholars of Islam and Muslims will continue to differ on this for the foreseeable future. The likes of al-Suyūṭī, Ibn Taymiyyah, Abu Shāmah, Ibn Ḥajar, Ibn al-Ḥāj and al-Fākihānī are involved in this discussion and no tweet, Facebook post, or blog post is going to solve this.

In fact, there is so much talking past one another that occurs on this matter that some who champion one view over another are not even aware that their opposition enjoys a rich variety of scholars who uphold the opposing view. From a practical perspective, there are too many other things that our ummah is grappling with for this to even be a matter of serious concern.

If you would like to attend a Mawlid, do so, but don't have ill feelings for your brother who doesn't attend with the premise that it was not something that the Messenger ﷺ did, because disdaining your brother is a major sin and attending a Mawlid is a virtuous innovation at best. Moreover, ensure that the conduct of the gathering you choose to attend is, in fact, a religious conduct. Do not make it a day or month to take cheap shots at your fellow Muslims who follow a position different than yours. Rather, keep it as a day in which you recall the legacy our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ to which all Muslims equally make claim.

If you choose not to attend with the fear that it may be a reprehensible innovation, then this will be a fear for which you will be rewarded, inshaAllah. Your love to practice the prescriptions of the Messenger ﷺ is truly commendable. However, complete adherence to the prescriptions of our beloved Messenger ﷺ would dictate that we discuss and not argue, guide and not smear, teach and not enforce.

Lastly, as I said to the attendee, your absence whilst disdaining the attendees is a major sin, whereas attendance with a good intention is an innovation with a good deed at worst, as pointed out by Ibn Taymiyyah (r).

May Allah be with you all and help the ummah unite in public and behind closed doors.
Engr Israr Ahmad

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