Sunnah Web (سنة ويب) Authentic Knowledge from Qur'an & Sunnah as per the Understanding of Salaf-us-Saliheen
Question: Is it permissible to celebrate the birth of Prophet (ﷺ) which we call as “Milad un Nabi” or “Mawlid un Nabi”? Can you provide all possible evidences for your reply?
Summary of Answer: From the Qur’an & authentic Sunnah, and the understanding of the earliest generations (Salaf-us-Saliheen), there is no evidence to support Milad un Nabi as an act of worship or to celebrate or venerate it. True love for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is expressed by obeying his commands and reviving his authentic Sunnah, not by introducing new forms of religious celebration which are nothing but Bidah.
Answer: Praise be to Allah.
Introduction
The Qur’an contains no directive that encourages Muslims to mark Milad un Nabi as a religious festival. During his lifetime, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) never initiated this practice, and he did not instruct his followers to adopt it after he passed away.
He specifically cautioned his Sahabah (companions) not to go to extremes in praising him, just as some Christians exceeded & transgressed the boundaries of their devotion to Jesus (peace be upon him).
He said: “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated about the son of Maryam. I am only a slave, so say, ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3445)
Qur’anic Evidence on Completing the Religion
Allah, the Exalted, declares that Islam has been perfected: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion.” (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:3)
When Allah perfected the religion during the Prophet’s lifetime, introducing new devotional practices—such as designating the Prophet’s birthday as a religious celebration—suggests a deficiency that the Qur’an explicitly denies. Thus, adding Milad un Nabi as worship conflicts with the Qur’anic principle of completion.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever innovates in this matter of ours that which is not from it, it will be rejected.” (Bukhari 2697, Muslim 1718)
If celebrating Mawlid was a good act then the Prophet ﷺ would have taught it and his noble Companions who loved him the most would have practiced it. But they never did
Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “That which was not part of the religion at that time cannot be part of the religion today.” In other words, that which was not part of the religion at the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) and he did not seek to draw close to Allah by means of it, cannot be part of the religion after that.
What Did Prophet (ﷺ) Do Regarding His Birth?
Authentic reports indicate that the Prophet (ﷺ) did not celebrate his birthday; rather, he observed worship on that day. When asked about fasting on Mondays, he replied: “That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was entrusted with the Mission or when I was first given Revelation.” (Reported by Muslim, al-Nasai and Abu Dawood)
This demonstrates that his acknowledgment of his birth took the form of fasting—a devotional act—rather than festivities or ceremonial gatherings explicitly labeled as Milad un Nabi.
Did the Companions Celebrate Milad un Nabi?
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) loved the Prophet (ﷺ) more than anyone else, yet there is no record of Abu Bakr (RA) ever commemorating the Prophet’s birthday. Likewise, neither Umar (RA)—who ruled for twelve years—nor Uthman (RA), nor Ali (RA) established such a celebration.
No reliable evidence shows that any of the Sahabah practiced Milad un Nabi. Suggesting they lacked love or insight would itself be a grave error and a misrepresentation of their rank.
Did Leading Muslim Scholars Endorse It?
The renowned imams of Islamic jurisprudence—Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi‘i, and Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them)—did not celebrate Milad un Nabi, nor did they recommend it. The notion is absent from the practice of the earliest and best generations of Muslims.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The best of mankind are my generation (or my century), then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then there will come a people who will not care if their testimony comes before their oath or vice versa (i.e., they will not take such a matter seriously).” (Reported by al-Bukhari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi)
This narration underscores the excellence of the earliest generations and cautions against later deviations introduced into religious life. The following are some of the saying from the early Muslim Scholars regarding this issue:
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy on him, said in his book “كتاب اقتضاء الصراط المستقيم لمخالفة أصحاب الجحيم لابن تيمية” about Milad un Nabi that: “Celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (ﷺ) as a holiday, despite the differences of opinion among people regarding his birth… This was not done by the early Muslims, despite the existence of the necessary conditions for it and the absence of any impediment to it. If it were purely or predominantly good, the early Muslims, may God be pleased with them, would have been more deserving of it than us. They loved and revered the Messenger of God (ﷺ) more than us, and they were more eager to do good. The perfection of love and reverence lies in following him, obeying him, adhering to his commands, reviving his Sunnah both inwardly and outwardly, spreading what he was sent with, and striving to achieve this with one’s heart, hand, and tongue. This is the way of the first and foremost of the Muhajirun and Ansar, and those who followed them in righteousness”. 1
Abu Hafs Taj al-Din Omar bin Ali al-Fakhani al-Maliki (d. 731) wrote “Al-Mawrid fi Amal al-Mawlid المورد في عمل المولد”. He wrote it to explain the innovation of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (Milad un Nabi). He said “I do not know of any basis for this celebration in the Qur’an or Sunnah, nor is its practice transmitted from any of the scholars of this nation, who are the role models in religion and adhere to the traditions of the predecessors”. And he said at the end of the risaalah: “This is despite the fact that the month in which he was born (ﷺ) which is Rabi’ al-Awwal, is the same month in which he died, so joy is not more appropriate than sadness in it”. 2
Imam Abu Ishaq Al-Shatibi (may God have mercy on him) said: “It is well-known that celebrating the Mawlid in the manner customary among people is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance”. 3
Imam Al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book “كتاب الفتح الرباني من فتاوى الإمام الشوكاني” that: “The spread of innovations is faster than the spread of fire, especially the innovation of the Mawlid, for the souls of the common people yearn for it with intense longing.” 4
Imam Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki (may God have mercy on him) said in (Al-Madkhal) about the Milad un Nabi: “If it is free of all of the above, then it is an innovation based on its intention alone, as it is an addition to the religion and not the practice of the early Salaf. . . . It is not reported from any of them that they intended the Mawlid, and we follow them, so what they did is permissible for us”. 5
Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani said “The origin of the Mawlid celebration is an innovation that was not transmitted from any of the righteous predecessors in the first three centuries.” 6
Allamah Abu Abdullah al-Haffar, a Maliki scholar, said: “The righteous predecessors, the Companions of the Messenger of God (ﷺ), and their followers did not gather for worship on the night of the Prophet’s birthday, nor did they do anything more than any other night of the year.” 7
Among the contemporary scholars:
Shaykh ibn Uthaymeen [may Allah have mercy on him] said: “Celebrating the birthday (Mawlid) of the Messenger of Allah is an innovation and forbidden [in the religion of Islām].” (Fatawa Arkan al-Islam, Page 172)
Shaikh bin baaz said: “… And the three best centuries passed, and there was no celebration of the birth of the Prophet, nor of the night of the middle of Sha’ban, nor of the night of the twenty-seventh of Rajab. It is known that this is one of the innovations that people introduced…” (Fatwa Noor Ala Al-Darb by Ibn Baz – Question 23 of Tape No. 103.)
Maulana Ashraf Ali al-Thanawi, the renowned scholar of Deoband, in his risalah “Refuting the Innovators’ Celebration of the Prophet’s Birthday ﷺ with Four Proofs”, has refuted the celebration of Prophet’s birthday and called it an innovation. 8
When Did this Celebration Begin?
The practice of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday emerged centuries after the first Muslims, during a time when innovations (bid‘ah) had spread and elements of the authentic Sunnah were being neglected.
Shaykh ‘Ali al-Mahfooz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The first ones to introduce (celebration of the Mawlid) in Cairo were the Faatimid caliphs in the fourth century AH. They introduced the celebration of six birthdays: the Prophet’s birthday, the birthday of Imam Ali (ra), the birthday of Faatimah az-Zahra (ra), the birthdays of al-Hasan and al-Husayn (ra), and the birthday of the current caliph. These celebrations continued to be observed until they were abolished by al-Afdal, the commander of the army. Then they were restored during the caliphate of al-Aamir bi-Ahkaam Allah in 524 AH, after the people had almost forgotten about them. The first one to introduce celebration of the Prophet’s birthday in the city of Irbil was al-Malik al-Muzaffar Abu Sa‘eed in the seventh century. And the people began to go too far in celebration of the Prophet’s birthday and introduced everything they themselves desired and everything prompted by the devils among mankind and the jinn.” (Al-Ibdaa‘ fi Madaar al-Ibtidaa‘, p. 251)
It came to be regarded by some as a sign of love for the Prophet (ﷺ). However, if Milad un Nabi were truly an act of worship, the Companions, the great imams, and the best early generations would have preceded others in performing it—yet they did not.
How to Truly Honor & Express Love for Prophet (ﷺ)
The Qur’an clarifies that genuine love for the Prophet (ﷺ) is demonstrated through obedience to his guidance. Allah says: “Say (O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Say: ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.” [Aal Imran 3:31–32]
This passage teaches that love without adherence is a mere claim, whereas sincere devotion is evidenced by following the Prophet’s teachings. Turning away from obedience is a serious matter in Allah’s sight.
The Prophet (ﷺ) also warned about introducing new practices into the religion: “The best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are those which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” (Reported by Muslim and al-Nasai)
On this basis, treating Milad un Nabi as a religious rite constitutes an innovation and does not belong to the authentic Sunnah. Islam teaches clear, authentic ways to honor the Messenger (ﷺ) without inventing new rituals:
- Follow his Sunnah in belief, worship, and character.
- Send abundant salutations upon him as Allah commands (Surah al-Ahzab 33:56).
- Study his Seerah and implement his teachings in daily life.
- Revive authentic practices and avoid doubtful innovations.
These actions express real love and loyalty, while keeping the religion free from innovations like Milad un Nabi.
Conclusion
From the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the understanding of the earliest generations, there is no evidence to support Milad un Nabi as an act of worship or to celebrate or venerate it. True love for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is expressed by obeying his commands and reviving his authentic Sunnah, not by introducing new forms of religious celebration.
Wallahualam (and Allah knows best)!
Footnotes:
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- https://shamela.ws/book/36181/144
- https://shamela.ws/book/96922/127#p1
- https://shamela.ws/book/96922/133
- https://shamela.ws/book/36543/896
- https://shamela.ws/book/30887/4
- https://shamela.ws/book/96722/105
- https://shamela.ws/book/96922/128
- https://darululoom-deoband.com/arabicarticles/archives/484