Max Shimba Ministries: CELEBRATING THE MAWLID (BIRTHDAY) OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Thursday, July 10, 2025

CELEBRATING THE MAWLID (BIRTHDAY) OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

CELEBRATING THE MAWLID (BIRTHDAY) OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD: PAGAN ROOTS AND ABSENCE IN THE QURAN

Max Shimba Ministries Org.

Introduction

This article examines the historical, textual, and scholarly perspectives on the celebration of the Mawlid (Prophet Muhammad’s birthday). It interrogates the origin, lack of scriptural basis, and the critical stance of renowned Islamic scholars, arguing that the practice is an innovation (bid‘ah) rooted in pagan custom rather than Islamic revelation.

1. The History of Mawlid

Historical records indicate that neither the Prophet Muhammad nor his Companions celebrated the Mawlid. The earliest reports of the celebration emerge centuries after the Prophet's death, primarily among the Fatimid (Ismaili Shi‘a) dynasty in Egypt (Calvert, 2010; Schimmel, 1987).

Al-Hafidh al-Sakhawi (d. 902 AH) records:

“The celebration of the Mawlid was not practiced by the pious predecessors (Salaf al-Salih) of the first three generations. It was introduced after them.”
(al-Sakhawi, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad, Vol. 1, p. 439)

Al-Maqrizi (d. 845 AH) provides a historical account:

“The Fatimid rulers inaugurated the Mawlid festival along with others, such as Mawlid of ‘Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn, and their living Imam, as well as other seasonal festivals.”
(al-Maqrizi, al-Khitat, Vol. 1, p. 490)

Further, Shaykh ‘Ali Mahfudh notes:

“The first to introduce Mawlid in Cairo were the Fatimid rulers in the 4th century AH. They created six Mawlids.”
(Mahfudh, al-Ibda‘ fi Madhahir al-Ibtida‘, p. 251)

Sunni Adoption

Sheikh Abdulla Saleh Farsy states:

“The first official Mawlid recited by Sunnis was organized by King Mudhaffar ad-Din in northern Iraq, a brother-in-law to Sultan Salahuddin al-Ayyubi. This event was unprecedented in size and splendor.”
(Farsy, Tafsiri ya Mawlid Barzanji, p. iv)

2. Absence of Scriptural Evidence

There is no authentic evidence from the Quran or the sahih hadith specifying the exact date of the Prophet's birth or instructing Muslims to commemorate it.

Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri writes:

“Muhammad… was born on Monday, 9th Rabi‘ al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant… corresponding to April 20 or 22, 571 CE.”
(Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum, p. 62)

Sirajur Rahman adds:

“The event of the Elephant occurred in Muharram, fifty-five days before the Prophet’s birth, suggesting the birth fell between 25th Safar and 25th Rabi‘ al-Awwal.”
(Rahman, Al-Mustafa, p. 11)

The Quran remains silent on the Prophet’s exact birth date and does not prescribe any celebration of his birth (Nasr, 2003).

3. Scholarly Critique and the Question of Innovation (Bid‘ah)

Notable classical and contemporary scholars have denounced the Mawlid as an innovation with pagan undertones:

Imam al-Shatibi (d. 790 AH): Criticized the Mawlid as an innovation in his magnum opus.
(al-Shatibi, al-I‘tisam, Vol. 1, p. 34)
Imam al-Fakihani (d. 734 AH): Authored a treatise refuting the legitimacy of Mawlid.
(al-Fakihani, Risalah fi Mawlid al-Nabi)
Imam Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki (d. 737 AH): Explicitly categorized Mawlid as bid‘ah.
(Ibn al-Hajj, al-Madkhal, Vol. 2, pp. 11–12)
Abu ‘Abdillah al-Haffar al-Maliki: Asserted the absence of Mawlid celebration among the Prophet’s Companions or their successors.
(al-Haffar, al-Mi‘yar al-Mu‘rab, Vol. 7, p. 99)
Abu At-Tayyib Shams al-Haq al-‘Aẓimabadi and his teacher Bashiruddin Qannuji authored a monograph refuting the practice.
(Qannuji, Ghayat al-Kalam fi Ibtal Amal al-Mawlid wal-Qiyam)

The Prophet himself is reported to have said:

“Whoever introduces into our religion that which is not from it, it will be rejected.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2697; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1718)

Key Questions for Reflection

Where in the Quran are Muslims instructed or permitted to celebrate the Mawlid?
Where in the Quran is the birth or lifespan of Muhammad mentioned in detail?
Why do Muslims celebrate the Mawlid when it is absent from the Quran and authentic hadith?
Who is the ultimate authority for Muslims: Allah, Muhammad, the Quran, authentic hadith, or established schools of law?

References

al-Fakihani, Abu’l-‘Abbas Ahmad. Risalah fi Mawlid al-Nabi (Treatise on the Prophet’s Birthday).
al-Haffar, Abu ‘Abdillah. al-Mi‘yar al-Mu‘rab.
al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Abu Bakr Ahmad. Tariq Baghdad.
al-Maqrizi, Taqi al-Din Ahmad. al-Khitat (The Plans), Vol. 1, Cairo, 1999.
al-Mubarakpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar), Darussalam, 2002.
al-Sakhawi, Shams al-Din Muhammad. Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad, Vol. 1.
al-Shatibi, Abu Ishaq. al-I‘tisam, Vol. 1, Beirut: Dar Ibn ‘Affan, 1997.
Farsy, Abdulla Saleh. Tafsiri ya Mawlid Barzanji, Zanzibar.
Ibn al-Hajj al-Maliki, Muhammad. al-Madkhal, Vol. 2, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1981.
Mahfudh, ‘Ali. al-Ibda‘ fi Madhahir al-Ibtida‘, Cairo, 1970.
Mubarakpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar), Darussalam, 2002.
Nasr, Seyyed Hossein, et al. The Study Quran, HarperOne, 2015.
Qannuji, Bashiruddin. Ghayat al-Kalam fi Ibtal Amal al-Mawlid wal-Qiyam.
Rahman, Sirajur. Al-Mustafa, Ansaar Muslim Youth Organisation, 1993.
Schimmel, Annemarie. And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety, University of North Carolina Press, 1987.
Calvert, John. Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism, Columbia University Press, 2010.
Qur’an: Various translations, e.g., M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Oxford University Press.
Hadith Collections: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim.

For further scholarly study, readers are encouraged to consult the original Arabic sources and the listed academic works.

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