Rabiul-Awwal & Meelaad

Oct 16, 2021 14 Comments

9 Rabiul-Awwal 1443 / 16 October 2021

Rabiul-Awwal & Meelaad/Mawlid/Moulood

Someone sent us a quote of a person (perhaps a Bid’ati inclined person) who is trying to justify the celebrating of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam)’s birthday by saying that our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) celebrated his own birthday by fasting on a Monday. In order to clarify this confusion, we deem it necessary to quote the entire Hadith Shareef which explains the real and true reason why not only the fast of Mondays was observed, but even fasting on Thursdays was observed by our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam):

“The deeds are presented (to Allah Ta’ala) on Monday and Thursday. Thus, I love for my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.” Tirmizi

Nowhere in the Hadith Shareef is there any weight or even any impression given to the celebrating of the day of birth of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), which according to the common belief, was on a Monday.

Since Rabiul-Awwal is a month in which plenty of Bid’ah-type of content is shared among the masses, we have penned the following points under the discussion of this month keeping the famous Meelaad, or Mawlid or Moulood celebrations which occur and are arranged in this month in mind:

  1. Indeed, Rabi-ul-Awwal is a great month in the sense that our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was born in this month.
  2. Likewise, our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) also passed away in this month.
  3. It was indeed through the coming of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) into this world that removed humanity out of darkness into Light.
  4. Noteworthy is the irrefutable fact that despite the extreme level of love the Ashaab of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) had for Rasoolullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), no one among them ever celebrated his birthday – neither in his life nor after his demise!
  5. Thus, the current culture of ‘Meelaad’, ‘Mowlid’ or ‘Moulood’ which all mean the same – the celebration of the noble day of birth of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) – is an alien-to-Deen culture, thus a Bid’ah.
  6. No Sahaabi among the Khulafaa-e-Raashideen (Radhiyallahu anhum), viz. Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthmaan and Hazrat Ali (Radhiyallahu anhum) ever celebrated Meelaad, despite their extreme close relationship, love and Adab for our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
  7. Arranging Meelaad functions in stadiums, halls, Masaajid and any other venue is a Bid’ah indeed.
  8. Deen allows the talks and discussions of Seerah to take place at any time of the year. Special Seerah talks shouldn’t be restricted only to Rabiul-Awwal.
  9. While every Muslim’s Imaani heart is supposed to brim with extra joy and happiness in this month of Rabiul-Awwal, we should remember that we are duty bound by the Shari’ah AT ALL TIMES – in happiness and sadness. Thus, we should do things which are permitted in the Shari’ah and within its Boundaries.
  10. Yes, we can study more Seerah in this month with the intention of educating ourselves of the marvellous and splendid life of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam). However, we have to work hard to make the Seerat become a Soorat in our lives, i.e. to take a form, by adopting the way of life of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
  11. There simply is no scope in the Shari’ah for Meelaad or Mowlid or Mowlood functions which are held in Rabiul-Awwal these days. No Sahaabi ever did such in his lifetime, neither for the birthday of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam), neither for the birthday of any of the thousands of Ambiya (Alaihimus salaam) – some of whom came into this world in an extraordinary way like the birth of Nabi Isa (Alaihis salaam).
  12. Whilst our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) laid much stress on special occasions such as the day of Jumu’ah, the nights and days of the two Eids, the month of Ramadhaan, the night of Shab-e-Baraa’at (15th night of Sha’baan), there is no whisper of giving any importance to his own birthday or to the Meelaad of any Nabi.
  13. The Ulama-e-Haq say that one of the best ways to show importance to the life of our beloved Rasool (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is by trying one’s best to observe ALL the Sunnats in one’s life.
  14. However, these days, Jamaat Salaah is commonly missed, Rak’aats are habitually missed, Takbeer-e-Ula is habitually missed, meals are eaten at tables and chairs, beards are trimmed less than the Sunnah length, Hijaab from the opposite gender is discarded, etc., etc., etc. Yet, arranging Meelaad functions appears to be given far more preference than the above daily Sunnats and Waajibaat in our lives.
  15. Our Mashaaikh were such that missing even one Takbeer-e-Ula, or just one Rak’aat due to a valid reason, or missing Tahajjud Salaah, or missing out on the Khilaal of the fingers in Wuzu would be reacted in a way as if they went through death, or something even more than death! This shows that following the Deen fully is what we are supposed to bring into one’s life. Yet, they never arrange such Meelaad functions.

Meelaad functions are Bid’ah

“Every Bid’ah is Dhalaalah (misguidance)…” (Hadith)

(To read (and download) this article as PDF, please click on this link: http://custodiansofthehaq.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rabiul-Awwal-Meelaad.pdf)