Key Takeaways:
- Senior imams declare Mawlid celebrations religious innovation.
- No evidence from the Quran or Sunnah supports the celebration.
- Muslims are urged to follow the early generations’ practice.
The imams of Islam’s two holiest mosques have issued forceful religious declarations condemning the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (Mawlid al-Nabawi) as an innovation (bid’ah).
The statements were delivered during Friday sermons at both the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.
Sheikh Ali Al Hudaify, Imam of Masjid an-Nabawi, stated from the pulpit: “Engaging in celebration of Mawlid is a bid’ah and there is no evidence of it.” He emphasized that the early generations of Muslims never observed such practices, concluding that “it is a rejected innovation which must be discarded.”
Sheikh Usaama Al Khayyat, Imam of the Kaaba, cited the famous hadith from Sahih Muslim wherein Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it, it is rejected.” He added: “So every way that leads to celebrating the Prophet’s birthday is an innovation.”
Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, Head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, meanwhile, cautioned against both excessive veneration and inadequate recognition of the Prophet’s status.
He warned against elevating him beyond his human status as Allah’s messenger, citing the Christian exaggeration regarding Jesus as a cautionary example.
The scholars unanimously called for Muslims to express love for the Prophet through authentic practices grounded in the Quran and Sunnah rather than innovated ceremonies.
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