ENLIGHTENING THE PROPONENTS OF MAWLID AND OTHER INNOVATIONS

By

Ibn 'Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Ioori

Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه said any act not done by the Prophet صلىالله عليه وسلم and his companions رضي الله عنهم in the deen is evil even anyone thinks it is good. This means that no amount of good intention would justify perpetration of bid'ah that is as clear as Mawlid Celebration. He was the same person who said:

اتبعوا ولا تبتدعوا فقد كفيتم))

Follow and do not innovate, for you have been fufilled (with a complete religion)

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said "bid'ah", it doesn't mean bid'ah in all matters. It means bid'ah in acts of ibādah, or bid'ah in the practice of the religion. The asl (foundation) of eid in Islam is ibādah. Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم talked about two annual eids (Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha). So, who are we to add another one? In this case,  Mawlid is organized to be an act of ibādah. In fact, some refer to it as Eid ul Mawlid. It constitutes an addition in the deen. There is no,basis for it in the Qur'an and Sunnah. There are many aspects of the Sunnah we have not practiced, why should add something that is not part of the deen to the deen. 

Some of those who insist on celebrating Mawlid are in the habit of attacking the sunnah and its people. By innovating Mawlid, does it mean they are better than the companions? Did the Companions celebrate the birthday of the Prophet? Do we love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم better than them? So, the general rule in matters of ibādah and the Deen generally is "do not innovate at all". In Qur'ān 5:3, Allāh says your Deen is complete. The Qur'ān and Sunnah explains the wajib, haram, mandub, mubah, and makruh. There is no need for addition. In a very clear hadith that most of us know, Aisha رضي الله عنها reported from the Prophet:

((من أحدث في أمرنا هذ ما ليس منه فهو رد))

Whoever introduces in our matter (the deen) that which is not there (not done by the Prophet, Companions and the Taabi'een) shall be rejected (Bukhari and Muslim]

Not only this, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم addresed Jabir Bin Abdillah رضي الله عنه: And you are warned about newly invented matters, for all newly invented matters in the deen are innovations, all innovations in the deen are misguidance and all misguidance is hell-fire. (Hadith Sahih)

Why do Muslims joke with innovations these days. It is so dangerous. It is a form of disobedience to the Messenger of Allah. Imam Malik رحمه الله said: anyone who innovates in the deen is indirectly saying the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not complete his mission. 

In worldly matters, we can do whatever we like except where it contradicts any aspect of the Sunnah or harmless conventional practices. An example of a worldly invention that is haram is an invention for gender change. So, any technological or scientific invention is permissible for Muslims if it has no impediments in the shari'ah. 

Therefore,  it is a display of ignorance to say using of phones, cars, aeroplane and so on are also bid'ah. These are products of modern knowledge that has nothing to do with the Deen. More of these would be invented later in future without offending the shari'ah. For us to know that innovations in matters of the Deen is different from inventions in worldly matters: you would realize all the scientific and technological inventions are not specifically for Muslims. Non Muslims also use them and when we use them, we don't intend them to be act of ibādah. For instance, someone can't be driving car and say he is doing an act of ibādah. The people of bid'ah bring up these kinds of confusions to mislead ignorant people.

Muslims are permitted to invent in worldly matter and not in matters of the Deen. Now that Nigeria is facing economic challenges, we need Muslims to come up with scientific and technological inventions that would boost our economy. Why don't we come up with beneficial inventions in worldly affairs. Why should you leave what is permissible (innovations in worldly affairs) for what is forbidden (innovation in the deen). That brain you have wasted in fabricating Mawlid (leading to misguidance) and other innovations would have been useful in the inventions in science and technological. So, don't say why marbles on the walls of the Ka'bah? Don't say why tiles in Mosques? Stop displaying ignorance. All these are permissible because they are not inventions in affairs of the deen. Without all these things we can still pray.  

Why wasting your time inventing in matters of religion that Allah and His Rosul صلى الله عليه وسلم says is already complete. Your effort is not needed in this area. What is needed from you is طاعة (obedience or followership) and not بدع (innovations). If it were to be permissible to invent in matters of the Deen as the shi'as and sufis have done and still doing, the Companions رضي الله عنهم would have done better than you because they met the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, they witnessed the revelations and recorded hadiths. But they were warned by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم not to engage in bid'ah and they didn't innovate. A narration was mentioned in a book 'Min Akhlaaq Salaf' of Sheikh Ahmad Fareed that Umar رضي الله عنه as an Amir wanted to do something and he had resolved to do it. But one of the Muslims told him that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم didn't do this, and Umar changed his decision to do that thing. 

So, why are we so hard-hearted today? When we are advised to move away from bid'ah or any other evil, we refuse to listen. Are we better than the likes 'Umar and other Companions. Up till today, there is no single evidence to prove the Celebration of Mawlid, yet many people are still doing it. Why? More so, Mawlid was initiated into the deen by shias who are known with the habit of cursing the Companions of the Prophet رضي الله عنهم. They are imitating the Christians who celebrate the birthday of Prophet Isa عليه السلام ignorantly (Christmas). This shows that Mawlid is not just an innovation, it is an imitation of the Kuffar, and whoever imitates a people is part of them (Authentic Hadith). Then, the origin of birthday itself is also pagan.

Lastly, I have never seen a celebration of birthday where the celebrant is dead and not alive. Is Mawlid Nabiyy actually a celebration of birth or death? No one celebrates Mawlid after clear proofs have been presented to him except an arrogant person or ignorant person who doesn't know his religion properly or someone who just chooses to disobey Allah and His Apostle صلى الله عليه وسلم. 

So, anyone trying to justify Mawlid Celebration in Islam is just promoting evil and Allāh is aware of everything we do.

May Allah guide us aright.