Ibn Taymiyyah did not approve celebrating the Prophet's Mawlid

Question:

The brother A. M. M. from Kuwait says in his question: “One of the scholars mentioned that Imam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) viewed the celebration of the Prophet’s Birthday (Mawlid) as something commendable. Is this true, O Your Eminence the Sheikh?”

Answer:

Celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday (Mawlid)—upon its owner be the best of prayers and purest of salutations—is an innovation (bid’ah) that is not permissible according to the most correct opinion of the scholars. This is because the Prophet ﷺ did not do it, nor did his Rightly-Guided Caliphs, nor all of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), nor the scholars and rulers during the three preferred centuries. Rather, it occurred after that time because of the Shiites and those who imitated them, so it is permissible neither to practice it nor to imitate those who do.

And Sheikh Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is among those who reject this and view it as bid’ah (an innovation). However, in his book “Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat Ashhab al-Jahim,” he mentioned regarding those who do it out of ignorance.

It is not fitting for anyone to be deceived by those people who practice it, endorse it, or call to it—such as Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki and others—because the proof does not lie in the statements of men; rather, the proof lies in what Allah the Glorified said, what His Messenger ﷺ said, or what the predecessors of the Ummah agreed upon.

This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: “O you who believe! Obey Allâh and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (ﷺ), if you believe in Allâh and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.” [An-Nisa’: 59];

His saying the Glorified: ““And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allâh (He is the ruling Judge).” [Ash-Shura: 10];

And His saying the Glorified: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad ﷺ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day, and remembers Allâh much.” [Al-Ahzab: 21].

And he (upon him be peace and blessings) did not do that, and he conveyed the clear message through his words and actions ﷺ, and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not do it either. Had it been a good thing, they would have preceded us to it.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours (Islam) something that is not part of it will have it rejected” [Agreed upon by Bukhari and Muslim] 1.

He (upon him be peace and blessings) also said: “Whoever performs an action that is not in accordance with our matter [Islam], it will be rejected” (Reported by Muslim in his Sahih) 2.

He ﷺ used to say in his sermons: “To proceed: The best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ, the worst of matters are those newly invented, and every bid’ah (innovation) is a misguidance” (Reported by Muslim in his Sahih) 3.

And the Hadiths bearing this meaning are numerous. I have written at some length regarding this matter, as well as concerning other innovations—such as the celebrations of the Night of Al-Isra’ wal-Mi’raj (Night Journey and Ascension) and the middle of Sha’ban.

All of these have been published in a booklet entitled Al-Tahdhir min al-Bida’ (Warning Against Innovations), which is distributed by the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. It is also available in my book entitled Majmoo’ Fatawa wa Maqalat (Collection of Fatwas and Articles), volume 1, page 227. Whoever wishes to review it may do so.

We ask Allah to grant success to us and to all Muslims in knowing the truth and following it, and to protect us all from innovations and evil deeds, both apparent and hidden. Indeed, He is the Guardian of that and is capable of it. May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

End of the fatwa by Shaykh Ibn Baz.

Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah the Most High have mercy on him—said in “Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim” (2/123) while explaining that celebrating [such festival] is an innovation (bid’ah), even though those who do so may be rewarded for their good intention rather than for the innovation:

“The sole point is that treating this day as an eid (festival) is an invented practice with no basis. None of the pious predecessors (Salaf)—neither members of the Prophet’s household nor others—ever treated that day as an eid or introduced actions into it. Festivals are a part of Shariah, and in this regard, following [established precedent] is obligatory, not innovating. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had various sermons, covenants, and historical events on numerous days—such as the Day of Badr, Hunayn, the Trench (Khandaq), the Conquest of Makkah, the time of his migration, his entry into Madinah, and multiple sermons in which he mentioned the foundations of religion. Yet, none of this necessitated taking days like those as festivals. Doing such things is akin to what the Christians do by taking the days of events in the life of Jesus, peace be upon him, as festivals, or what the Jews do. An eid is a matter of divine legislation; what Allah has legislated is to be followed, otherwise, nothing that is not part of the religion should be introduced into it. Likewise is the case with what some people introduce—either emulating the Christians in celebrating the birth of Jesus, peace be upon him, or out of love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and veneration of him. Allah may reward them for this love and sincere effort (ijtihad), but not for the bid’ahs (innovations)—such as taking the Prophet’s birthday as a festival, especially given the differing views regarding the date of his birth. The pious predecessors never did this, despite the presence of the motivation to do so and the absence of any hindrance that would have prevented them, had it been a good thing. Had this been purely or predominantly good, the pious predecessors—may Allah be pleased with them—would have been more deserving of it than us, for they loved the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and venerated him far more than we do, and they were much more eager for goodness. The true perfection of loving and venerating him lies in following him, obeying him, complying with his commands, reviving his Sunnah both inwardly and outwardly, spreading the message with which he was sent, and striving for it with the heart, hand, and tongue. For this is the path of the foremost pioneers among the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and the Ansar (Helpers), and those who followed them in righteousness. Most of those whom you find eager for innovations of this sort—despite their good intentions and sincere efforts for which hope of reward is held—are actually sluggish regarding the matters of the Messenger that they were commanded to pursue with energy. They are merely like someone who adorns the Mushaf (Quran) but does not read it, or reads it but does not follow it.” End quote.

Sheikh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (may Allah the Most High have mercy on him) said:

As for someone who is ignorant [of the ruling], he does not incur sin, because none of the acts of disobedience incur sin except when accompanied by knowledge. He may even be rewarded for his good intention, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah pointed out in his book Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim. Thus, he is rewarded for his intention, not for his action. His action is neither righteous, nor accepted by Allah, nor pleasing to Him; however, due to his good intention coupled with ignorance, he receives a reward. This is why the Prophet ﷺ said to the man who prayed and then repeated his ablution after finding water and prayed a second time: ‘You will have a reward twice’ 4 —due to his good intention, and because the action itself is fundamentally a righteous deed. However, if someone were to intentionally perform an action a second time while knowing it is unlegislated, he would not receive a reward, because his action is unlegislated since it goes against the Sunnah. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said to the one who did not repeat it: ‘You have hit upon the Sunnah.’ End quote. 5

Sheikh Rabi’ (may Allah the Most High have mercy on him) said:

As for the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah in Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim 6: “What some people introduce—either emulating the Christians in the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him), or out of love for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and veneration. And Allah may reward them for this love and effort, not for the innovations of taking the birthday of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) as a festival”—this means the reward is for the love; He rewards them for their love for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), not for the action. This mitigates the issue, because those [others] who quote Ibn Taymiyyah believe that Allah rewards them for this action. Why? Because it stems from love for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). Here, Shaykh al-Islam explicitly states that Allah does not accept this innovator’s action, but rather He may reward them for the love. However, even regarding this love that motivated them to disobey the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), they are not rewarded for it [in that context]. Their love for the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in general, outside of this occasion, will benefit them, in sha’ Allah. But this unlegislated love that drove them to practice these innovations—they are not rewarded for it, nor is any honor granted for it. Indeed, Shaykh al-Islam mentioned in another place that the utmost that can be said is that the ignorant person among them is excused, yet he loses this action and it is not accepted from him. Everyone’s statement is to be accepted or rejected. Meaning, even if it is Shaykh al-Islam, evidence must be brought for his statement. Everyone’s statements are examined through evidence, except for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Shaykh al-Islam himself says that men are not to be taken as the standard of proof; rather, proof is brought for them 7. So if a man comes to you with a statement, say to him: “Where is your evidence? Bring your proof?” If he has no proof, his statement is not accepted—may Allah forgive him, pardon him, and we pray for him. But by Allah, it is not permissible; it is forbidden to follow him in error. End quote. 8

Sheikh Salih Al Shaykh (may Allah the Most High preserve him) said in his audio lecture Al-Sunnah wal-Bid’ah:

They also said: “Shaykh al-Islam—meaning Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)—says in a statement of his in Iqtida’ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, while discussing the revival or celebration of the night of the Prophet’s birth (upon him be peace and blessings): After clarifying that it is an innovation (bid’ah), he said: ‘And among the people are those who do that and are rewarded for what has settled in their hearts of love for the Prophet (upon him be peace and blessings).’” They argue: “This indicates that a person is rewarded for those celebrations.” The response to this is: Shaykh al-Islam himself is the one who ruled that this act is an innovation. His statement that there are those who do that and are rewarded does not mean they are rewarded unconditionally; rather, they are rewarded for what has established itself in their hearts of love. Allah the Majestic and Exalted establishes the just balance, and the angels record everything. Thus, the meaning of Shaykh al-Islam’s statement is that whoever performs that act is rewarded from one perspective—which is the perspective of love—because Allah the Majestic and Exalted does not wrong anyone in the least. However, he is burdened with sin from the perspective of the action itself, for his action is an innovation, and he is blamed for it because he introduced an innovation. As for the origin of love, this is not something he performed by way of innovation; rather, what occurred by way of innovation are the celebrations themselves. Therefore, Shaykh al-Islam was precise in his statement: the evaluation of deeds before Allah the Majestic and Exalted entails that you receive credit for what you do of righteous deeds, and you are held accountable for what you commit of sins. Whoever has goodness established in his heart is rewarded for it, but he incurs sin for the action that he innovated. An innovation—as is well-known in the statements of the scholars—is worse than ordinary acts of disobedience, meaning major sins driven by desires. Why? Because major sins and sins of desire are committed by a person while he knows he is disobedient. However, the practitioner of innovation continues to perform [his act] thinking he is obeying Allah the Majestic and Exalted and His Messenger (upon him be peace and blessings), thus having introduced a matter into the religion, whereas the Prophet (upon him be peace and blessings) said: “Every newly invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.”. Consequently, there is a division between the action itself and what settles in the heart. What settles in the heart regarding the origin of love—this has the ruling of its general category of deeds regarding the reward for it, according to the statement of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. As for what settles in the heart of perceiving innovations as good, believing that what contradicts the Sunnah is correct, and the external performance of celebrations and the like—this is a misguiding innovation because it is newly invented in the religion and because the definition of an innovation fully applies to it. End quote.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah the Most High have mercy on him—was asked in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa (25/298): Regarding a group of people who gather every year to complete a reading of the Quran (khatmah) on the night of the Prophet’s birthday, peace and blessings be upon him: is this recommended, or not?

He replied: Praise be to Allah. Gathering people for food during the two Eids and the Days of Tashreeq is a Sunnah and is one of the rituals of Islam established by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for the Muslims. Assisting the poor by providing food during the month of Ramadan is one of the Sunnahs of Islam, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a reward like his.” Giving to poor reciters of the Quran so that they may be assisted in studying it is a righteous deed at all times, and whoever assists them in that will share in their reward. As for adopting seasons [of celebration] other than the legal, religious seasons—such as some of the nights of Rabi’ al-Awwal which are said to be the night of the Mawlid, or some nights of Rajab, or the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, or the first Friday of Rajab, or the eighth of Shawwal which the ignorant call the “Festival of the Righteous”—these are among the innovations (bid’ah) that the pious Salaf neither recommended nor practiced. And Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, knows best.

Footnotes :

  1. Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on reconciliation, no. 2697; Muslim, Sahih, Book on judicial decisions, no. 1718; Abu Dawud, Sunan, Book on Al-Sunnah, no. 4606; Ibn Majah, Sunan, Introduction, no. 14; and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 6, p. 240. ↩

  2. Muslim, Sahih, Book on judicial decisions, no. 1718; and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 6, p. 256. ↩

  3. Muslim, Sahih, Book on Friday, no. 867; Al-Nasa’i, Sunan, Book on the two ‘Eid Prayers, no. 1578; Abu Dawud, Book on tribute, spoils, and rulership, no. 2954; Ibn Majah, Sunan, Introduction, no. 45; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 311; and Al-Darimy, Sunan, Introduction, no. 206. ↩

  4. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book of Purification / Chapter on the one who performs Tayammum and finds water after praying; and Al-Hakim (1/179), who authenticated it according to the conditions of the two Sheikhs [Al-Bukhari and Muslim], and Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Al-Albani authenticated it in Sahih Abu Dawud (1/69). ↩

  5. Majmoo’ Fatawa wa Rasa’il Fadilat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, vol. 9, p. 380. ↩

  6. Page 294, Al-Sunnah Al-Muhammadiyah edition, verified by Muhammad Hamid al-Fiqi. ↩

  7. Among his statements is what he said in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa (26/202): “It is not permissible for anyone to use the statement of any individual as a proof in matters of dispute. Rather, the proof is: the Islamic text (Nas), consensus (Ijma’), and a legal evidence derived therefrom, whose premises are established by legal proofs—not by the statements of some scholars. For the statements of scholars are supported by legal proofs; they are not used as a proof over legal proofs.” ↩

  8. Source: The book Awn al-Bari bi-Bayan ma Tadammanahu Sharh al-Sunnah lil-Imam al-Barbahari by Sheikh Rabi’ ibn Hadi ‘Umayr al-Madkhali, pages 364–365. ↩