celebrating the birthday of the beloved prophet

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The Milad:Celebrating the birthday of

the Beloved Prophet

Dr Musharraf Hussain al-Azhari



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Invitation Publications

Karimia Institute

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Nottingham

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England

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email: [email protected]

http://karimia.com

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http://introducingislam.co.uk

The Milad: Celebrating the birthday of the Beloved

Prophet , part of the series, “Islamic Times, Places and

People”

Compiled and Designed by Ghufran Shah, Series

Editor, “Islamic Times, Places and People”

2nd

Edition, 10th

March 2008

ISBN: 1 9022 48 12 0



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Contents

Preface ....................................................................................4

Celebrating the birthday of the Beloved ............................ 5

Are Milad Celebrations Bidah ? ..........................................9

The Messengers of God are a Special Favour ............... 12

Celebrating Days of Allah ................................................. 15

How to Celebrate the Milad ............................................... 16

The Milad in Makkah .......................................................... 18

Summary ............................................................................. 21

The Role of Prophets in History ....................................... 23



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Preface

Expressing our deepest love and affection for the beloved and

blessed Messenger of Islam, and the Mercy of the Universe

Muhammad , is a mandatory requirement for attaining the Mercy of Allah.

Based on the works of Justice Pir Muhammad Karam Shah Al-

Azhari (“Zia-ul Ummat”,Luminary of the Ummah,1918-1998), the

late Maulana Abdul Sattar Khan Niyazi (member of the Pakistan

Senate and former minister) and Dr. Muhammad Said Ramadan al-

Buti (Chair of the Theology Department at Damascus University and

a well-known international Islamic thinker), we will provide factual

and coherent reasoning for remembering the most celebrated man in

history, as stated by Michael H. Hart in his well known work, “The

100, a Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.”

The Milad is celebrated at an official level in most of the Muslim

countries in the world today, and is not a misguided innovation, but

rather an outward expression of the love that Muslims have for the

blessed Messenger , who is their spiritual master, role model and

example of perfection embodied in the best creation of Allah.

Let us make the sincerest intention to implement the message and

teachings of Islam in our everyday transactions, and let us become

the staunchest advocates of expressing love for the beloved

Messenger, Muhammad .

My deepest thanks go to Brother Arslan Raja for funding this

publication, and Brothers Idrees Ahmad and Sajid Hussain forproviding the inspiration for the artwork and layout. May Allah

protect them both and shower them with infinite blessings,

Insha’Allah.

Ghufran Shah, Series Editor, “Islamic Times, Places & People”



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Celebrating the birthday of the Beloved

Giving thanks is a clear indication of a person’s appreciation of

something that has been received. It is often said that such

appreciation is a sure sign of a person's sanity, for only the insanefail to recognise their benefactor. Perhaps this is why the Glorious

Quran urges the believers to acknowledge the divine favours and

show gratitude to Him:

"So eat from Allah's sustenance that which is lawful and pure and be

grateful for God's favours if you really worship him”

(Surah An-Nahl, ayah 114)

The same theme of thanksgiving is repeated in the following ayah:

“So seeks sustenance from Allah and worship Him and give thanks to

Him and to Him you will be returning”

(Surah Ankabut, ayah 17)

In the following verse Allah is forcefully urging the believer to give

thanks to Allah so that they may gain more of His favours and be

saved from His wrath:

“Remember when your Lord proclaimed: If you are grateful then

I shall give you more and if you are ungrateful,

lo! My punishment is severe”

(Surah Ibrahim, ayah 7)

The air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, our health and

youth and the wealth we posses are all divine favours for which we

are obliged to be grateful to Him.

We might then ask - if we have to be grateful for these material and

ephemeral things then shouldn’t we also be thankful to Allah for

sending his beloved Al-Mustafa ? Is there any other favour

bestowed upon us which is greater than the beloved Messenger ?

The restoration of the broken link between man and God came as a

direct consequence of his life long struggle. He came as a mercy




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for the entire world. He led humanity out of the darkness of Kufr

and into the light of faith.

The coming of blessed Mustafa is considered as God's specialfavour on the believers as attested by the following ayah:

“Surely Allah has bestowed a special favour on the believers by

sending amongst them the Messenger who recites on to them his

verses and purifies them and teaches them the book and the wisdom

and before that they were clearly misguided.”

(Surah Ali-Imran, ayah 164)

This is why Milad celebrations have been a familiar feature of theMuslim Calendar through the ages. It is an enthusiastic

demonstration of thanksgiving. It is only natural that when a person

receives a gift his heart overflows with feelings of happiness and joy.

The level of happiness corresponds to his appreciation of the gift, the

greater the appreciation the more joy.

If however there is no happiness upon receiving the gift it's a clear

indication that it is not appreciated, it would have been the same hadhe received it or not! The gift is worthless in his sight, Nay! The

Muslims are not like that. They have always passionately expressed

their love of Al-Mustafa .

These celebrations consist of holding gatherings where poems and

stories of the prophets are read, sermons are delivered to honour the

Prophet and deepen peoples’ knowledge about his character and

traditions.




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Unfortunately there are a few people amongst the Muslims who

criticise those people who celebrate Milad. It appears as though these

people haven’t closely examined the Quran:

"Say in the bounty of Allah and His mercy: therein let them rejoice, it

is better than what they accumulate.”

(Surah Yunus, ayah 58)

The ayah tells us that upon receiving Allah’s bounty we should be

joyful and delighted. Is there a favour greater than Al-Mustafa ?

Muslims have been celebrating the Milad for centuries in villages

and towns. Practices and ways may have differed but the mood has

always been the same: one of rejoicing. People have gathered to talk

and listen to God's praise and to sing his hymns.

The stories of the Prophet’s birth, his miracles and greatness are

told in a moving poetic way. Salaam and blessings are sent upon the

great benefactor. People prepare and distribute sweet dishes. There is

an air of festivity, generosity and thanksgiving. The whole

community of believers is rejoicing, “Therein let them rejoice!”

The great Muhaddith Imam Sakhavi says:

“The celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday started after the golden

periods and have since continued throughout the Muslim world. In

all big cities gatherings are held to celebrate the birthday of the

beloved Prophet , people spend on the poor and needy and the

story of the Prophet's birth is read aloud, surely God showers His

blessings on them for these activities.”Ibn Jawzi (died 597AH) is another great Hanbali Muhaddith well

known for his literalist attitude towards the texts. He has this to say

about the Milad celebrations:

“Amongst the special blessings of Milad celebrations are that one

remains in God's protection throughout the year and it herald’s good

news for attaining one's goals.”

He continues and says,




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“The official celebrations of Milad began at the time of Al-Malik ul

Muzzafer Abu Saeed (died 630 AH)”

He was the ruler of Irbal, in modern day Syria. The famousMuhaddith of his time, Ibn Wahya wrote a book on the birth of the

Prophet entitled ‘Al-Tanvir fi milad il-Basheer ul-Nazir.’ When

the book was presented to the King he was so delighted that he gave

him a gift of one thousand golden coins (Mirat ul-Ziman),

Shah Wali Allah was a great eighteenth century Muhaddith of the

Indian Subcontinent. The spiritual values of celebration are described

in many of his works. In his magnum opus, “Fuyud al Haramain”, he

described a vision after attending a Milad celebration in the year

1144 AH:

“The light of mercy is strong and apparent. Before this I attended a

blessed Milad in Makkah. People were reciting the Darud and

Salaam and reminiscing the signs which surrounded his noble birth

and the visions which preceded his mission. Then I saw lights which

flashed once and I am not sure whether I perceived these lights with

my physical senses or spiritual insight. God knows which of them it

was. Upon further reflection I realised they came from angels who

are in charge of such gatherings and I saw that the lights of the

angels are mixed with the lights of mercy.”

He gives another moving account of a vision but this time it is his

father’s version, in which he says :

“My master, my beloved father told me: On Milad days I used tohave food prepared in the honour of the blessed Prophet .

One year, on a Milad day I didn't have much to offer except some

roasted chick peas which I distribute amongst the people. That night

I had a dream and I saw the beloved Prophet standing beside a

heap of food and on top of it were my chick peas. He was smiling

with delight at them.”



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Are Milad Celebrations Bidah ?

Some critics of Milad consider it to be a bidah Dallah, a misguided

innovation. Let us briefly examine this allegation.

Bidah is an innovation in religion; something new appended toreligion. As such it can be good or bad, condoned or condemned,

praiseworthy or blameworthy.

Imam Bukhari narrates that Umar gathered people for Tarawih

prayers and said this is a good innovation. Whilst commenting on

this hadith Hafiz Ibn Hajar says: “Bidah is something which has no

precedent and if its application contravenes a sunnah it is a

condemnable bidah. If it conforms to Shariah then it is a good bidahotherwise it is permissible.”

This is also the view of Imam Shafi who divides bidah into bidah

mahmooda (good) and bidah mazmooma (bad). Similarly Imam

Baihaqi has said in his book “Munaqib”: “Bidah is of two kinds, one

that contravenes the Quran and hadith and is also against the

consensus, that is misguided bidah, but any innovation which is for

the benefit of the Muslims and is not against the Shariah isacceptable.”

Other scholars have divided bidah into five categories:

• Wajib: This is any innovation which is for the benefit or

welfare of the Muslims like the invention of the science of

grammar, syntax, logics, and the punctuation of the Quran,

etc. These formative sciences were non existent in the time of

the Prophet , and today they are used for the properunderstanding of Islam. Learning them is therefore wajib.

• Mustahab: The building of roads is mustahab since people

benefit from them. Similarly the building of minarets for

Adhan aids in spreading the call of prayer and it is therefore

regarded as a mustahab bidah.




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• Mubah: This third category of innovation is mubah or

permissible. For example wearing good clothes, eating varied

and refined foods. These are all permissible.

• Makruh: Anything that has an element of extravagance is

makruh, or offensive in the sight of Shariah. Like

unnecessary decoration of Masjids and copies of the Quran.

• Haram: An innovation is haram if it is against the sunnah

and has no benefit for the Muslims.

In light of this we can now examine the allegation that the

celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday are a blameworthy bidah.One may ask what is wrong in these celebrations? Is the praising and

telling of stories about the Prophet haram ? Is thanksgiving for the

coming of the Prophet undesirable?

The answer is quite obvious. Milad celebrations are held to carry out

the Quranic command “Fal ya frahoo” – “Therein rejoice.”

Imam Bukhari narrates a hadith about Abu Lahab, the Prophet’s

uncle, who upon hearing the news of his nephew’s birth freed hisslave Saubiya as a mark of joy and happiness. However Abu Lahab

never believed in the Prophet and died a Kafir. A whole chapter

was revealed to condemn his anti-Prophetic attitude.

In this hadith, Abu Lahab tells his older Abbas, “I receive a sip of

water every Monday and my punishment is some what lightened.” So

we see that even a non-Muslim benefited from celebrating the

coming of the Messenger . Will a Muslim then, and a follower of the Prophet not benefit from celebrating his birthday?

We therefore suggest humbly to these brothers that they should stop

their extremism and join the rest of the Ummah in thanking God for

this great favour that He bestowed upon us. Let us all on this blessed

occasion prostrate before our Lord and sing His praise and hymns as

a show of our joy and happiness. Let us hold gatherings and

conferences where our Ulama and Scholars can explain and talk




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about the contributions and the impact of Muhammad’s teachings

on humanity.

The birth of Mustafa undoubtedly heralded a new dawn for

mankind and it marked the end of ignorance and the beginning of

enlightenment.

Professor Muhammad Saeed Ramadan Bootie of Damascus

University rejects the opponents of Milad and says every new thing

is not bidah. He says yes to gather people to tell them of Eid. Milad

is one of those things which began after the Prophet . Is it enough

to say it is bidah and whoever invented something which was not in

our deen was an apostate?



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The Messengers of God are a Special Favour

As ayah 164 of Surah Ali-Imran makes it clear, the Messenger is a

special gift of God given to the believers. Since he delivered them

from darkness to light and from ignorance to enlightenment itfollows that his coming should be celebrated. In fact the arrival of all

the messengers is an occasion to be celebrated. The Quran makes this

point by celebrating the births of Mary, John, Jesus, Israel and Ishaq.

(May peace be upon all of them).

It also highlights the good fortunes, prosperity and success brought

by them; the Barakah of their birth, The passage which describes the

birth of Mary :

“Remember when the wife of Imran said 'O My Lord! I dedicate unto

you for your service, what is in my womb. Please accept this of me.

For you are the Hearing and all Knowing.’ When she gave birth to

her she said. ‘O my Lord! I have given birth to a girl…”

(Surah Ali-Imran ayaat 34-35)

The Quran mentioned Mary’s miracles which were a source of

inspiration to Zakariya, who then pleaded to Allah for a righteousson (Surah Maryam, ayaat 3-15). Similarly the miraculous birth of

Jesus is graphically depicted in several passages.

Perhaps the most beautiful is in Surah Maryam ayaat 16-33. The

passage ends with the baby Jesus saying

“So peace on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day

that I shall be raised.”

(Surah Maryam, ayah 33)

These divine words create the air of joy, happiness and success.

These may well have inspired the scholars to write about the birth

and early childhood of the blessed Messenger ; the crown of Allah's

creation.

The early scholars and Imams like Bukhari and Muslim actually

make a point of mentioning the birth of the blessed Prophet .




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Imam Bukhari in his Sahih Hadith reports: The uncle of the Prophet,

Abbas saw Abu Lahab in a dream. Upon enquiring how he was, Abu

Lahab told him about the severe punishment meted out to him in

Hell. However, he said I receive water from my index finger every

Monday and the punishment is lightened. This is the reward for me,

because I freed my maid Swaibiya when she brought me the news of

the birth of my nephew Muhammad .

It must be remembered that all the Ahadith of Bukhari and Muslim

are regarding as sahih, authentic by the scholars, i.e. they are

accurate. This Hadith shows that celebrations of the Prophets birth

are joyous and blessed events for the Muslims. It brings good luck

even for the non-believers.

Bukhari and Muslim also report on the miracle of the opening of the

Prophet’s chest in his childhood. Imam Muslim reports Anas

bin Malik said:

“The blessed Prophet Muhammad was playing with two boys and

the angel Jibrael came, caught him, laid him on the ground andsplit open his chest. He took out his heart and removed a black piece

of flesh from it said this is part of Shaitan. Then he washed the heart

with the water of Zam Zam on the golden tray and replaced the heart

in the chest.

The boys ran home and told Halima that Muhammad had been

killed. They all ran to him and found him standing and his

face had turned pale. The Muhaditheen say that this is the most

accurate account of this event. How did Anas know about this

event? Since he was only ten years old when the Messenger

entered Madina. Could it have been from Halima? Most unlikely

since there is no record of Anas having met her. Could it be the

Messenger himself who would have told him this story? This

clearly means that the Prophet used to talk about his childhood.




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The purpose of celebrating Milad is to retell these stories of birth,

miracles of childhood and the noble character of our blessed

Messenger . Poets express their joy in poems whilst writers in

prose and all praise the greatness of the new born . The coming of Muhammad heralded a new dawn of enlightenment, a beginning of

a new era. A most joyous occasion when everything rejoiced on the

earth and in the heavens. However amidst such happiness there was

someone who was very sad and disturbed. Haifa bin-e-chatter in

serest at Nabawiya (vol 1 p212) says “The Shaitan cried and wailed

four times. Once when he was rejected by Allah, secondly when he

was expelled from Heaven and thirdly when the Messenger was born

and lastly when Surah al-Fatihah was revealed.”

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”



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Celebrating Days of Allah

The glorious Quran repeatedly tells us to commemorate honour and

remember special days of Allah. The Quran says,

“And we sent Moses with our signs and told him to bring out his people from the depth of darkness and into light and teach them to

remember the days of Allah.”

(Surah Ibrahim, ayah 5)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his commentary says the days of Allah are the

days when Allah’s mercy was specially shown to them. Every hour

and minute Allah’s Grace flows to us abundantly but there are

special events in personal and national history which may becommemorated as “Red letter days”, to remind us of Allah’s favours;

His material and spiritual gifts, the miracles which freshen ones

faiths and draw one towards Allah’s days which bring back happy

memories.

Amongst these “days of Allah” are the life events of Prophets from

their birth to death. Every action of theirs is a source of inspiration,

guidance and mercy for mankind. In them hearts find solace, mindsfind light, souls find satisfaction, eyes find insight, and senses find

comfort. So the commemoration of these days is of enormous

benefit.

These celebrations spur people to follow these righteous ones. It is

the best time to spread his message, work and describe his life.

This encourages the people to follow his example. Special days

commemorating great people are a powerful means of spurringpeople to emulate them.

What a great loss it would be if the Muslims were to forget the

achievements, life histories, successes and victories of their noble

ancestors. No wonder the Quran encourages us to celebrate and

remember the lives of righteous people.



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How to Celebrate the Milad

Now that we have established the importance of commemorating and

marking “Allah’s days”, the question arises as to how to celebrate

them? Bukhari reports from his Sahih from lbn Abbas , “When theMessenger arrived in Madina, he found the Jews fasting on the

10th of Muharram. He asked them: why do you fast on this day?

They replied ‘it is a great day on which God saved Moses and his

people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people. So Moses fasted to

thank God so we fast’. The blessed Prophet said we have more

right to Moses than you, so he fasted and told his companions

to fast as well.” From this Hadith, we learn:

It is permissible to celebrate specific historical events since these are

days of God (Ayam Allah)

Fasting is one form of thanksgiving.

The Messenger used to fast every Monday. Once he was asked

“why do you fast on Mondays?” He replied, “That day I was born

and on that day it (Quran) was revealed.” (Muslim vol 1 page 168).

Fasting is a way of thanksgiving so the Messenger by fasting onMonday is thanking Allah for his birthday. He further emphasized

the greatness of this day by saying that God chose this day for the

revelation of the Quran.

Is fasting the only way to celebrate special days? Imam Bukhari and

Muslim report how the Messenger celebrated Eid by listening to

songs. Imam Muslim reports from Aisha: Abu Bakr entered my

apartment on the days of Eid. There were two Ansari girls singingsongs about the Ansars’ victory on the day of Bath. Abu Bakr said

“what are these flutes of Shaitan in the Messengers home?” The

Messenger said ' Abu Bakr every nation has an Eid and this is our

Eid (Muslim vol 3m p21).



How to Celebrate the Milad

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Imams Bukhari and Muslim also report with the same sanad (chain

of narration), “the two girls were playing a tambourine (daf).”

The Hadith tells us:Since the singing was done in front of the Messenger and he did

not disapprove of it, we can assume it is Mubah to sing and use

musical instruments for entertainment.

Abu Bakr thought this was wrong but the Messenger soon

corrected him.

It is most probable that these were small girls (pre-adolescent

perhaps as young as 9-12 years old) who would not incite evilthoughts of lust. Singing by boys or girls of this age is not the same

as singing by grown up young girls. There is a world of difference.

The purpose of Islamic celebrations is to thank God for his favours

and to derive joy and delight from the occasion. There is no set

pattern of doing this. As long as these two things are achieved within

the framework of Shariah, there is no blame.



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The Milad in Makkah

In his book Akhbar Makkah, Vol. 2, p. 160, the 3rd-century historian

of Makkah, al-Azraqi, mentions as one of the many places in

Makkah in which the performance of salat is desirable (mustahabb),the house where the Prophet was born (Milad an-Nabi).

According to him, the house had previously been turned into a

mosque by the mother of the caliphs Musa al-Hadi and Harun ar-

Rashid.

The Quranic scholar an-Naqqash (266-351) mentions the birthplace

of the Prophet as a place where dua by noon on Mondays is

answered. He is quoted in al-Fasi's Shifa al-gharam Vol. 1, p. 199,and others.

Earliest Mentions of the Public Milad

The oldest source that mentions a public commemoration of the

Milad is in Ibn Jubayr's (540-614) Rihal ("Travels"), p. 114-115:

“This blessed place (the house of the Prophet ) is opened, and allmen enter it to derive blessing from it (mutabarrikin bihi), on every

Monday of the month of Rabi al-Awwal; for on that day and in that

month was born the Prophet.”

The 7th-century historians Abul Abbas al-Azafi and his son Abul

Qasim al-Azafi wrote in their unpublished Kitab ad-durr al-

munazzam:

“Pious pilgrims and prominent travellers testified that, on the day of the Milad in Makkah, no activities are undertaken, and nothing is

sold or bought, except by the people who are busy visiting his noble

birthplace, and rush to it. On this day the Kabah is opened and

visited.”



The Milad in Makkah

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Tenth-Century Accounts of the Milad

The following description consolidates eyewitness accounts by three10th-century authorities: the historian Ibn Zahira al-Hanafi from his

al-Jami al-latif fi fasl Makka wa ahliha, p.326; Imam Ibn Hajar al-

Haytami from his Kitab al-milad al-sharif al-muazzam, and the

historian al-Nahrawali from al-Ilam bi-alam bayt Allah al-haram, p.

205.

Each year on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, after the prayer of Maghrib,

the four Qadis (Judges) of Makkah (representing the Four Schools of Islamic Fiqh) and large groups of people including the fuqaha

(scholars) and fudala (notables) of Makkah, shaykhs, zawiya teachers

and their students, ruasa (magistrates), and mutaammamin (scholars)

leave the mosque and set out collectively for a visit to the birthplace

of the Prophet, shouting out dhikr and tahlil (“La Ilaha Illalllah”).

The houses on the route are illuminated with numerous lanterns andlarge candles, and a great many people are out and about. They all

wear special clothes and they take their children with them. Having

reached the birthplace, inside, a special sermon for the occasion of

the birthday of the Prophet is delivered, mentioning the miracles

(karamat) that took place on that occasion.

Hereafter the dua for the Sultan (i.e. the Caliph), the Emir of

Makkah, and the Shafi qadi is performed and all pray humbly.

Shortly before the night prayer, the whole party returns from the

birthplace of the Prophet to the Great Mosque, which is almost

overcrowded, and all sit down in rows at the foot of the Maqam

Ibrahim.



The Milad in Makkah

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In the mosque, a preacher first mentions the tahmid

(“Alhamdulillah”) and the tahlil, and once again the dua for the

Sultan, the Emir, and the Shafi qadi is performed. After this the call

for the Salat al-Isha is made. After the salat, the crowd breaks up. Asimilar description is given by al-Diyarbakri (d. 960) in his Tarikh al-

Khamis.

The Messenger's Mosque in Madinah



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Summary

The birth of the Beloved Prophet is a universal day of celebrations.

“We sent you as a Mercy for the universe.”

(Surah Anbiya, ayah 102)

The Beloved Messenger was undoubtedly Allah's most special gift

to mankind. His coming is therefore an occasion to be remembered

and celebrated. Many great scholars such as, Ibn Jawzi and Imam

Sakhavi Shah Wali Allah have written about the permissibility,

history and their personal experience of Milad.

As an example I will conclude this discussion with an excerpt from

Imam Abu Shama. Imam Abu Shama, the teacher of Imam Nawawi,

(the great commentator of Sahih Muslim) vividly captures the mood

of the people on Milad celebrations in the Seventh Century (AH). He

says:

“One of the good innovations of our times is celebrations of the

blessed Prophet’s birthday every year. There are celebrations,

people give charity and decorate their homes and streets. This has

many benefits; the poor and needy are generously treated and peopleexpress their love and respect of Al-Mustafa . Above all, Allah has

sent the Messenger as a Mercy for the entire universe and this is

one of his greatest favours on mankind.”

(Seerat-ul-Halbiya, vol 1, p80)

The evidence cited from Quran and Sunnah and consensus clearly

shows that Milad is a justified Islamic practice. It is a form of

thanksgiving for God's most precious gift; the Messenger . Thewritings of Great Muhadditheen like Imam’s Suyuti, Ibn Jawzi, Abu

Shama, Ibn Wahya and Shah Wali Allah all attest to the correctness

of celebrating Milad. This is why today most of the forty four

Muslim countries including Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt and Morocco

celebrate Milad at an official level. The beloved Prophet said, “My

nation will never agree on error.”



Summary

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Milad is a wonderful occasion and should not be allowed to be

overshadowed by the polemics or the views of extremists. Rather let

us enjoy the celebrations and taste the joy of paradise.

Above is the Beloved Messenger’s seal which was used on documents such as letters sent

to other rulers



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The Role of Prophets in History

Although every Muslim considers the praising of the Prophet as a

sure means of achieving salvation, an ordinary mortal like me,

trembles with fear at the prospect of speaking about him .This is the most respectable and sensitive place under the heavens.

Even Junaid and Bayazid immersed themselves in it. (Saidi)

Talking about the nature of the Prophet's status only befits those

sages who are free from pettiness and who are able to see with the

eye of faith. These lucky ones will be at the forefront of singing

praises of the Prophet . To recognise the esteemed status of Al-

Mustafa is therefore the prime responsibility of such scholars. Andthis humility in itself is a source of blessing for me.

Thousand times were I to wash my mouth with rose water

Still I would not be worthy of uttering your holy name. (Saidi)

When I look at contemporary human society and its manifold

problems, the only solution I see is in the teachings of the beloved

Mustafa .

When man decides to solve his problems with the help of his intellect

alone, what are the limits of his intellect? The scientist thinks that

unlike his ancestors he can observe the macrocosm with a telescope

and the micro world with his microscope. Ancient man merely heard

with his ears but today man controls the airwaves. Man in the past

could only walk to travel the world, but today he moves at the

phenomenal speed of sound!

No one can deny that man has made progress during the seven

thousand years of recorded history. However, man still remains

ignorant about the purpose of his creation and even more so of the

unseen world of the hereafter! He has discovered that the sun does

not orbit the earth and the earth is a planet in the solar system, he still

doesn’t know what is beyond the galaxies or where the universe

begins or ends.




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When he looks at himself, its alpha and omega appears as a dilemma

for him, and its reality is deeply buried in darkness for the human

intellect. Not only does the intellect begin its journey in ignorance

but it ends in ignorance. Even human expectations start in ignoranceand end in ignorance. Imam Ali said:

“I knew my Lord through the unfulfilled expectations.”

Human intellect is therefore imperfect and limited in its scope. And

as long as man relies entirely on this imperfect intellect, there will

continue to be conflict and disharmony. The American ‘explorer’ is

fighting the Russian Sputnik in space whilst on the earth Gorbachov

is blaming Stalin for all the ills of communist Russia, one class is

fighting the other, nation against nation, democracy against

democracy. Dr Muhammad Iqbal says:

"The intellect is not acquainted with good and bad.The brute is going beyond its limits

God knows what has happened to me.The intellect is dissatisfied with the heart and the heart with the intellect.”

Three Groups of People

With respect to belief in the metaphysical there are three groups of

intellectuals:

• The first group denies the limited light of the intellect and

have become lost in the darkness of ignorance. These people

deny anything beyond the physical realm of existence and

even regard the world as an illusion. The Quran calls suchpeople sceptics or idealists.

• The second group relies solely on the intellect and denies all

that which is beyond it, believing in the physical world only.

These are polytheists in the words of the Quran whether they

are materialists or pragmatists.

• The third group are those who have been responsible for the

progress of humanity, they relied on the intellect but at the




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same time believed in the metaphysical and the unseen. They

had faith in the spiritual existence. These are the ‘believers’

in the words of the Quran, led by the Prophets of God who

were recipients of Divine guidance and knowledge.

The Intellectual and Historical Place of the Prophets

In modern languages a certain degree of confusion exists in the usage

of words for God’s Messenger . These words convey the prejudice

and superstitions of the non-Muslims. For example, the oft-used

English word Prophet is derived from the Greek root which in turnwas borrowed from the Hebrew language. A prophet is someone who

can sometimes forecast events. He foretells future happenings which

are concerned with his real mission. The Arabs in the pre-Islamic

period used the term Kahin for someone who could foretell and

speak wisely. The Quran has rejected such a meaning of a Prophet:

“And they say why the verses were not revealed to him from his

Lord. Say the verses are with Allah and surely I am only a clear warner.”

(Surah 26, ayah 50)

The function of God’s Prophet is not merely to make guesses or to

forecast future happenings like that of the Clairvoyant.

The Arabic word ‘Nabi’ also means the one who gives news of the

unseen and makes forecast, however it’s pertinent to ask what he

foretells. His foretelling consists both of good news and clearwarnings.

We also need to know what is the basic message of the Prophet ? It

is basically a message which helps to discriminate between right and

wrong and between halal and haram.

The prophets throughout the ages have taught man the boundaries

within which he can beneficially use his cognition and intellect. The

human mind can only develop properly if there is a healthy and




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stable society. Man is a social animal. Without company he can

neither remain in his natural state nor develop. There is a minimum

requirement of certain factors in order to give birth to a society and

to maintain it, without these factors no society can remain. Forinstance, if constructive tendencies and natural feelings evaporate

from the human mind then life will ease. Similarly, the

disappearance of kindness from within the family will lead to

fragmentation and conflict. Just as the inability to discriminate

between right and wrong will make the society evil and unjust.

Ibrahim Shatters the Myth of Identity

The prophet fixes the exact boundaries of the do’s and don’ts for his

people; the activities which determine both their worldly affairs and

the life to come in the hereafter. As far back as 2000 BC we notice in

the Egyptian Civilisation that they were already anxious to know

whether the trees, the stones, the sun, the moon, or the stars also

possessed a personality and whether a conscious relationship could

be built between them to make them happy? Or whether there wereweaker forces that man could conquer rather than worship. Allah

tells us in the Quran that at this time Ibrahim reminded the people

that the sun, star and the moon were not masters of human destiny.

He said:

“I do not love those that sink. I turn myself towards Him who created

the heavens and the earth, He is alone and I am not amongst the

polytheists.”

By seeing the natural forces with his imaginative mind, man made

them his idols yet they possessed no power over him. And similarly

dictatorial and powerful kings like Shaddad and Namrood were

shown to be no superior to ordinary men. He taught that the Lord of

the universe is He who brings into existence all beings and that

man’s forehead should only bow before him. This prostration gave




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birth to the focal point which abolished all the previous superstitions

and wild notions held by his ancestors.

Many historians forget that freedom, wisdom, politics and culturewere an indirect consequence of the teachings of Ibrahim , since

the Greek borrowed their ideas and scientific methodology.

Moses challenges an oppressive ruler

A thousand years later when Pharaoh’s political domination and

Qaroon’s economical hegemony had trapped the Egyptian people, we

see Moses teaching the ten commandments and thus dispellingthe myth that political and economical powers are major goals of

man’s existence not they are God’s ! In fact he showed man that

God is the source of law and guidance. Several centuries later the

spirit of these commandments formed the basis of Roman law.

Jesus teaches love & forbearance

Again when some men began to abuse the law and use their military

prowess to exploit others, Jesus stood up against the injustice and

taught people that a healthy and a stable society cannot be

established merely by rigid and inflexible laws, which applied to

some and not others. It could not be ruled by pomp but needed a plan

for a sustainable future. This was the ideal of a heavenly kingdom

that inspired a new civilisation which blessed humanity for several

centuries.

In short we see that whenever humanity endeavoured to make any

progress it had already been furnished by the teachings of the prophet

of its time. Intellect can only have a positive impact on society when

it is in harmony with the divine teachings. Without the divine help,

intellect would fail to establish its boundaries and man would be lost

in superstitions and myths.




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In order to establish the boundaries of the intellect, historians have

relied on evidence from the evolution of human society. However,

they have not succeeded in defining what makes a nation and what

constitutes culture. The concept of a nation and a civilization isimpossible without considering society and no society can exist

without accepting the divine laws. A person who doesn’t know what

he knows not and whoever doesn't know what is the purpose of

whatever he knows, such a person will be like a sheep in a flock,

which will be controlled by others. Not only is the knowledge of the

unseen and the life hereafter the foundation of a society, but it is the

driving force for its development.

I submit that historians and sociologists have not used the religious

terms of Halal and Haram to explain the constituent factors of a

society. They believe that like the autumn rains that cause the grass

to grow, similarly society develops without self-consciousness. It’s a

pity that those who see the non-living evolve into plants and plants

into animals fail to recognize the complexity of man and wish to

bring him down to the lowest of the common denominators. It’s true

that the grass grows by itself after the autumn rains but the beauty of

beds of flowers depends on the hard work of an experienced

gardener.

Why is it that they are still searching for the origin of human culture

in the instinct of apes and monkeys? They seek its origin in the

sensuality of the jungle man rather than in the divine revelation. Why

are they blind to the divine revelation?

Religion is the foundation of all cultures and the only other

alternative can be in race and nationhood. Today all states founded

on race have been abolished. The history of religious states is

testimony to the fact that in order to have peace in the world, states

have to give up racial prejudice. Nations only express their pride

cautiously avoiding any connotation of racial superiority.




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“Say, O People! I am God’s prophet to you all.”

(Surah Al-Araf, ayah 8)

“We have certainly sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner.”

(Surah al-Azhab, ayah 45)

For the first time in the history of mankind the concept of equality of

mankind was presented in which white and black, red and yellow

were all considered equal and eligible to vote.

The only criterion of superiority was “fear of God”. “Surely, the

most noble amongst you is the one who is most God fearing”. In thefamous farewell sermon (shown in full at the end of this book) the

beloved Messenger said:

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority

over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab;

also a white has no superiority over a black nor does a black have

any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action.”

This was the final divine testament which marked the end of divinerevelation and opened the way for scientific study and observation.

Thus, linking the sacred with the secular and the revealed with the

empirical.




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The Prophet’s way: A Means for Unity

The veil that separated the intellect from the metaphysical reality was

removed by the beloved Muhammad when he said. “The prayeris the believer’s ascension.” The climax and the most enviable state

of human existence. However, the metaphysical can only be reached

through tawheed, the belief in the unity of the created. Science can

progress, art and culture can develop, but only if they are in

conformity with the divine plan. If science neglects this principle of

unity of the sacred and the secular it will not be accepted! The key to

this unity is the prophethood of Muhammad

He is the wise, the final Prophet, the master of allwho raised specks of dust to the height of Sinai

In the eyes of passion and love He is the first and the lastHe is the Quran, the criterion, Yasin and Taha

(Iqbal)

When we reflect upon today’s international scene we notice three

major issues blighting humanity.

The first of these is the brotherhood and equality of mankind. The

great hindrance to human progress is no longer ghosts, ghouls and

superstitions, but men who have acquired all evil traits. Man should

be a support to others. He should have guided others and solved their

problems. But today he only thinks about how he can destroy others

with his deadly atom, hydrogen and neutron bombs and mustard

gasses.

If today man orbits mars, it is not because he wishes to serve

humanity; it is simply to devise plans to dominate others. The

establishment of the UN was not to support the weak but to ensure

that the strong are given a free hand to do whatever they like.

When they gather in Geneva, it is to devise plans to keep Palestinians

as they are.




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Politics is devoid of truth and thisleads to the destruction of the poor’s house

its causes the division of humanity into nations

and it cuts the roots of Islam(Iqbal)

Human brotherhood is not possible until there is a common uniting

factor between all. And that factor is the unanimous acceptance of

one Lord, Creator, Giver of life and death. And this theoretical

Tawheed cannot be practiced without the teachings of the final

Prophet .

The second issue facing humanity is oppressive governments. People

pay taxes not to fill government coffers but to run the country and for

the general welfare of the people. But today, whether it is America or

Japan or Russia, the governments have enchanted the people like the

lace of Sinbad the traveller. The poor are oppressed and the

government officials rich and enjoying themselves.

Yet the fact is no man has the right to rule others by his own rule, as

rule lies in the hands of God alone.

“Surely the rule belongs to God.”

(Surah Yusuf, ayah 67)

The final Prophet was blessed with authority from God and how

only he can rule who has been delegated this authority from the court

of Muhammad .

The third important issue is the freedom of thought. The objective of the movement for freedom of thought was to ensure that man may be

saved from submitting to tyrants and unjust rulers. Everyone is free

to think the way he wants to think and act according to his own

conviction. However the problem has always been that these very

champions of freedom of thought turn out to be dictators, the likes of

Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Saddam.




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When Lenin and Stalin had killed thousands of people and the great

leaders of the revolution had spent their lives behind bars it suddenly

dawned upon the communist leaders that Marx’s teachings could also

have been implemented without so much bloodshed.

Similarly, the Americans after brutally committing the genocide of

the Red Indians and after enslaving millions of blacks suddenly felt

at peace by giving freedom to the slaves and by preaching sermons

about democracy. Again the condition is that this freedom should not

be in conflict with American interest whether it is to do with freedom

of Palestine or the Algerians seeking their rights. So according to the

Americans only that democracy and freedom is acceptable whichdoes not conflict with American interests.

The price of perfection of civilization is the loss of nobilitySabotage is the economics of the big nations.

Each wolf is in search of the innocent(Iqbal)

The misguided form of freedom of thought must be corrected and

this is only possible if man is to be free from surrendering to others.However all followers must be obedient to the divine Messenger .

Since without this obedience there can be no guarantee for freedom

of human thoughts.

“O believers, answer God and his apostle when he calls you so that

you may be given life.”

(Surah Anfal, ayah 35)

Muhammad’s obedience is a guarantee of freedomWay of dwelling in the protection of God’s unity

(Iqbal)




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Human Salvation lies in following the Mercy of the Universe

We have seen how human knowledge is limited in solving problems.

When social problems can no longer be solved by the intellect thenthe point has been reached where he must turn to the divine

guidance. Wherever the boundaries of human knowledge end that is

the starting point of the Prophet’s knowledge.

The Universal Prophet presented humanity with a perfect model. A

model to be followed for a happy life and for seeking the pleasure of

Allah. He is exemplary for everyone, for he was a perfect

example of a judge, an army general, a teacher of morality, a

reformer, a legislator, an economist, and in short he is to be

followed in all fields of human activity.

Potentially today, the doors of learning and achievement are wide

open for the followers of Muhammad as they were for the

Prophets of Israel.

Today the Muslim scholars in the light of the Prophet’s teaching can

solve the most complex social problems. However this can only beachieved after one has immersed himself in his teachings and

accepted them whole heartedly. Otherwise humanity will continue to

wonder like the proverbial lost sheep.

Nations will continue to fight other nations, economic warfare, social

and moral disintegration will continue. We have already witnessed

this in the two world wars. The preparations for the third are in full

swing. All this clearly indicates that to save humanity, man must

follow the Universal Prophet’s teachings otherwise nations will

destroy others like the scourge of scorpions.

It was this very thought that fired Jamal Din Afghani to spend his

entire life in the quest for the unity of the Muslim world. It was this

very passion which drove the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent to

make all kinds of sacrifices for example the Khilafah movement.

And finally in the creation of the largest Islamic nation Pakistan.




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The Muslims of the Indian subcontinent were not going to be

satisfied until they could follow the law of Muhammad in its

entirety. The wanted to follow him in their private and collective

affairs. They wanted to follow his teachings in all aspects of theirlives, whether they were economic, cultured or political. Therefore

they struggled for establishing a Muslim State of Pakistan.

Unfortunately, Pakistan has not lived up to the expectations of its

founders and by neglecting the teachings of the Universal Prophet ,

they have created a multitude of problems. These problems can only

be solved by returning to prophetic teachings.

At one time, the most crucial issue for Muslim preachers was

teaching Tawheed to people, then when that became established they

shifted their attention to training spiritually oriented people who

through their benevolent manners and appealing character converted

the idol worshippers. Then there was a time when the Muslims had to

fight in the battlefield to defend the Islamic countries. When

Muslims neglected devotion the preachers began to emphasis the

value and importance of worship. Today the problem seems to be theweakening of our ties with the Prophet

Therefore, the fire of love of the Prophet must once again be

rekindled!

“The essence of Quran, spirit of faith and seerah of religionlies in the love of the mercy of the universe”

(Iqbal)



"Muhammad is a man but not likeall men. He is a ruby among

stones”

celebrating the birthday of the beloved prophet

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