Celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday a Bidah or Not?

Posted on May 12, 2008.

Well.. It depends.  If the day is set aside to educated others of the Prophet Muhammad and his sunnah, then it is not a bidah.  But if set aside as a means of praising and glorifying him then it is. 

Shaykh Morsy was asked about this issue and he responded as follows:

“Some of the Scholars say it is ok to set this day aside as a means of teaching about our Prophet and if done it is not a bidah. As Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi says:

“We all know that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, Hijrah or the Battle of Badr, because they witnessed such events during the lifetime of the Prophet who always remained in their hearts and minds.

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas said that they were keen on telling their children the stories of the Prophet’s battles just as they were keen on teaching them the Qur’an. Therefore, they used to remind their children of what happened during the Prophet’s lifetime so they did not need to hold such celebrations. However, the following generations began to forget such a glorious history and its significance. So such celebrations were held as a means of reviving great events and the values that we can learn from them.

Unfortunately, such celebrations include some innovations when they should actually be made to remind people of the Prophet’s life and his call. Actually, celebrating the Prophet’s birthday means celebrating the birth of Islam. Such an occasion is meant to remind people of how the Prophet lived.

Allah Almighty says: (Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example for him who looketh unto Allah and the last Day, and remembereth Allah much.) (Al-Ahzab 33: 21)
‏
We need all these lessons and such celebrations are a revival of these lessons and values. I think that these celebrations, if done in the proper way, will serve a great purpose, getting Muslims closer to the teachings of Islam and to the Prophet’s Sunnah and life.”

Shaykh Morsy adds that,

“Celebrating such a great event should be done through reading more about the Prophet’s Sunnah and life, and if done this way is permissable provided it does not include committing any of the prohibited things..”

Shaykh Ibrahim Dremali of our website also addressing the issue:

 
 My advice regarding this is not to debate in these matters.  In my experience it is better to just give the advice with proof and leave it as is.  As for the one who wants to argue, it is for them to present proof that what they are saying is correct. 

 
In the Quran there is one Ayah that is clear that nothing is to be added to our religion: “This Day have I perfected your Deen for you, completed My Favors upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” Surah al-Maidah (5:4).  The Quran and the Sunnah are a done deal.  There is nothing we can do to change it or add to it.  Doing so would be making up our own religion and furthermore has severe consequences.
 
Also, it is very important to understand the meaning of the word Bidah, which means to add something to the Deen - in the matter of worship (only).  And this is what the above Ayah is referring to “…perfected your Deen for you”.  Our Deen is perfect because every form of worship has been established for us to follow.  Cars were not used during the time of the Prophet, so the fact that we build cars and use them to drive to the Masjid now is not considered a bidah, because we are not using it as worship.  Neither are building schools, compiling books, and the like.  But celebrating the Prophet’s birthday for instance; praising him on that day and partaking in other rituals on that day IS a form of worship that IS a bidah.  This act of worship was never done by the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), nor the Sahaba or Tabi’een, and they loved the Prophet the most.  And we certainly are not better than them to add or make up anything in regards to worship or the religion.  
 
As far as “good bidah” in the Shariah, there is no such thing.  Bidah is bidah, and as we know from the hadith, “Every innovation is misguidance and going astray” (Abu Dawood,  at-Tirmidhee) 

Also ”…every dhalalah (innovation) is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire.” (an-Nasa’ee) 

About Imam Shafi and Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy on them both, their view of bidah was divided into categories:
 
Blameworthy Bidah
  • Bidah say’a: anything added to the Deen regarding worship (prohibited)
Praiseworthy Bidah
  • Bidah hasanat: reviving a Sunnah that has been forgotten or neglected (like Hijama, giving sadaqah…)
  • Bidah hasanat: performing an act of worship that was done by the Prophet himself, but not normally done by the people (like staying up hours at a time for Tahajjud)
Imam Shafi approved the last category and referred to it as praiseworthy bidah but this type of bidah is referring to bidah in its linguistic meaning, not the Shariah meaning.  The Shariah meaning of bidah refers to an invented act of worship that has no foundation or basis in the Shariah - it was never done before in the Sunnah.  This is the blameworthy type.
 
The linguistic meaning of bidah refers to an invented act of worship that does have a foundation and basis in the Sunnah that can be referred back to.  For instance, Omar gathering the people to pray Taraweeh is not a bidah because the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) prayed Taraweeh - Omar did not make it up.  Also about collecting the Mushaf as one book, Allah SWT Himself refers to the Quran as “al-Kitab” (pages put together in between 2 covers), and the Book already exists in the heavens, it just came down to the Prophet in parts and stages.  Furthermore the Prophet used to command that the revelation be written down, and there is no difference in separate writings and one collection, but having one collection is better and good as Abu Bakr came to see after his initial contemplation.  
 
We see in this Ayah how Allah SWT refers to a “compiled” Quran

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ

“This is the Book (the Quran), wherein there is no doubt…”  Surah al-Baqarah (2:2)

 
The point to realize here is that what Imam Shafi’ee referred to as bidah hasanat, are not bidah at all if referring to the Shariah definition of bidah, (they are acts that are already from the Sunnah) and the term “‘Dhalalah’ in the hadith “every Dhalalah is misguidance” refers to the Shariah definition of bidah.
 

 
Dr. Ibrahim Dremali

 

So thus those are the views on this issue. 

AND ALLH KNOWS BEST
AlQuran Wa Sunnah Islamic Site of learning
http://sunnahfollowers.net
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