It is time to put the Mawlid debate to rest

All praise is for Allah, and salutations and prayers are upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ

The perennial dispute

The month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal each year brings with it the ancient argument surrounding celebrating the birthday (Mawlid or Mīlād) of the Prophet ﷺ; whether it is a blameworthy innovation or a permissible practice.

As is normally the case with many of these disputes, one group or another will likely consider it a core creedal issue; thus moving the argument from the realms of politely mannered academic discussions, into the realms of conflict and dispute, causing disunity among the Ummah.

Furthermore, this inevitably leads to creedal allegiances being forged upon the results of these disputes and conflicts, often spilling over from the theological into the sectarian and political realms. And so, the issue of the Mawlid has become, for many, a pivotal defining point for declaring walā and barāʿa — of allegiance and disavowal.

This state of affairs is despite the fact that Allah, the Exalted, has made “Islam” in its wider context itself His desired axis or criterion of defining one’s allegiance to others.

He, glorified is He, divided people essentially into two clear camps without mention of any third:

“The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they establish prayer and give zakat, and they obey Allah and His Messenger. Those — Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [1]

And He, the Exalted, said,

“It is He who created you, and among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer. And Allah, of what you do, is Seeing.” [2]

Without a doubt, both Islamic legislation and sound intellect confirms that that which both the Mawlid celebrators and non-celebrators agree upon is far greater, broader, and more important than that which they disagree upon. For all camps love and venerate the Prophet ﷺ and Allah, the Exalted, and all parties are free and far from intending to transgress the rights of Allah and His Messenger.

They simply disagree on the means of showing their love and adoration to the Prophet ﷺ and his Sunnah, and the boundaries and criteria allowed for expressing their love.

So why, then, do we not look to the greatness of that which we agree upon and look at how small and relatively minor the things we disagree upon are?

The Prophet ﷺ laid down a great principle for judging others. He ﷺ said in tempering people’s condemnation of a Muslim who commit a major sin,

“Do not curse him, for indeed he loves Allah and His Messenger.” [3]

Make this an international month to reintroduce the Prophet ﷺ

This is why I propose that instead of debating over the means of celebrating the Prophet’s birth (ﷺ), we do something more constructive and fruitful for propagation of his Sunnah.

Let us spend this whole month, as an Ummah, reintroducing him to ourselves and the rest of the world. Let us reintroduce the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to the world in a way which is desperately needed today, which might be different from previous centuries: a specific, tailored diagnosis.

We need to utilise all available modern communication methods in recognising and familiarising ourselves and others with his beauty, greatness, eminence, values, character, and achievements, in a contextualised way for today’s world, sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam.

The world today is in desperate need of recognising the Sunnah of the Prophet in building communities and nations. The world needs his Sunnah of laying the foundations for a just economic system. The world is in need of his Sunnah in nurturing and reforming people.

We are in need of his Sunnah in a politics infused with ethics and morality, unlike that which is widespread today. We need to familiarise ourselves with his Sunnah in wartime and during peace. We need his Sunnah in creating curricula for education. We need to know his Sunnah in the preservation of the ecosystem, as stewards (khulafā) of the world, not dominators and exploiters. We need his Sunnah in law and order.

The list goes on, of the areas of this magnificent model (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) whose divinely-inspired guidance is there for the taking once again to cure the widespread injustices and disasters that have resulted from being far away from it over the last century or two.

“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them.

“So they who have believed in him, honoured him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him — it is those who will be the successful.” [4]

Complete revival

My dear respected brothers and sisters, we are in need of a complete project for the revival of the Ummah, and it is not possible for any nation to revive itself, if it is busy squabbling amongst itself, disunited.

Allah, the Exalted, says,

“And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [5]

Some of these differences that we are always discussing have remained within our Ummah for centuries and they will not be removed with ease, so let us overlook them for the sake of fulfilling one of the great aims of the Sharīʿa — the centrality and glorification of Allah and His guidance, for the flourishing once again of creatures on this Earth and the next life.

And so, let us begin by joining the ranks of those who fall under the inclusive, broader understanding of the banner of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿa — the people of the Prophetic way and community. With one condition: that they wish to be from those who act in order to be a part of the greater, worldwide Islamic project, which is to facilitate that the Word of Allah and the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger ﷺ are given their due right. And let us rather rearrange the map of conflict to be based upon this understanding.

And Allah is the Granter of Success.

Source: Islam21c

Notes

[1] al-Qur’ān, 9:71

[2] al-Qur’ān, 64:2

[3] The complete hadith is found in Sahīh al-Bukhārī

[4] al-Qur’ān, 7:157

[5] al-Qur’ān, 8:46

Editor’s note: this article was originally published on 07 October 2022 / 11 Rabīʿ al-Awwal 1444, and revised on 26 September 2023 / 11 Rabīʿ al-Awwal 1445.