Ruling on celebrating the Prophet's Mawlid


Question:

Celebrating the Mawlid (the Prophet’s birthday): a meeting is held in commemoration of that occasion in which people talk about the life of the Messenger (peace be upon him), offer prayer, mention the qualities of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and invoke Allah’s blessings on him. They recite an invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) by heart (they stand, stretching their arms, and recite an invocation of blessings upon him by heart).

Answer:

Holding a celebration to commemorate the birth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is impermissible, for being a Bid‘ah (innovation in religion) that was never done by the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Rightly-guided Caliphs, or any of the scholars of the best three generations.