Birth of Isa (AS)- Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ. Alhamdulillah, today being the 13th of Rabi'ul Awwal, it befits us to remember the fact that this month is, from the perspective of the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the most significant month in the Islamic year.

And this is the month in which humanity was blessed with the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Before the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), before his advent, the entire humanity was lost in darkness. Not only the Arabian Peninsula, but so-called civilized nations of Rome and Persia were also drowning in the ignorance, superstitions, oppression, and unrest.

It was Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), our beloved Prophet, who came with ilm, with knowledge, with hidayat, with guidance from Allah, with revelation, with wahi from Allah, with the kalima of tawheed — لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ — and with this eternal truth, and provided the foundation for faith, such faith which provides a firm basis for humanity to find the purpose of their life in this world, and prepare for the hereafter. So, from this perspective, the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) can be considered to be the most significant and most remarkable event in the history of humanity. And as Muslims, we believe that.

The Islamic Position on Celebrating Birthdays

At the same time, moving forward after first establishing that, we believe that in Islamic teachings, if there had been any room for ritually celebrating birthdays, then there is no birthday that deserves more celebration than the birthday of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). But we find in our Islamic teachings, from the practice of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself, and the sahaba (radiyallahu anhum ajma'een) — those who loved him more than anyone else, those who loved Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) more than they loved their parents, more than they loved their children, more than they loved anyone — we do not find them necessarily ritually celebrating the birthday of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). This is how Islam is different from Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, in which we only have two Eids in the year, two ritual days of celebration.

One is the Eid al-Fitr, and one is the Eid al-Adha. And the dates of both of these Eids do not correspond to the birth date of any individual, nor the death date of any individual. Nor are they the anniversary of any particular event. And they cannot be linked to the date of birth of any outstanding person in Islamic history, nor to any particular event that occurred. Rather, both of these days have been prescribed by Allah as days of shukr to Allah, and expressing gratitude to Allah for the completion of ibadat. And they are linked with ibadat.

The Philosophy of Eid al-Fitr

With respect to Eid al-Fitr, this philosophy is explained by Allah himself in the Quran. Allah says in the famous passage where he is speaking about fasting:

O those who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you like upon nations prior to you so that you may attain taqwa. And then moving forward, Allah says:

That has been revealed as a source of guidance for all mankind. Then in the next ayah, Allah says:

Then you complete the days of fasting. And then you make the takbeers at the end of Ramadan:

To thank Allah for the tawfiq and guidance — that through his tawfiq you are able to fast in the month of Ramadan, you are able to make qiyam in the night, you are able to complete the tilawat of the Quran, you are able to give sadaqah. So this is linked with the ibadat of Ramadan — Eid al-Fitr. And Eid al-Adha is of course linked with the ibadah of hajj and udhiyyah and sacrifice. Both of them happen to be great pillars of our Islam.

So this is one difference between our festivals, our ritual festivals and our deen, versus the festivals of other religions. Where they are based upon individuals and different historic events, our Eids are based upon ibadah and showing shukr to Allah. That is the one difference.

The Manner of Celebrating the Eids

The second difference is the manner prescribed for the celebration of these Eids. It is also different from the non-Islamic festivals. We do not have in our deen formal processions or marches or illuminations where we are lighting up candles or such activities to express formal happiness. On the other hand, instead of that, we have five daily prayers mandated by Allah every day for us — every day of the year, every day of our life. But on these days, there is a sixth additional prayer — an additional congregational prayer that is performed in jama'at, in Salat al-Eid. And it is not only permitted, but it is the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to visit relatives. We can have mutual visitations, meet and greet one another. Such social activity is permitted and part of the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to express happiness.

Giving of gifts — that part is permissible. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has said:

But beyond this, we see that in Islam, no matter how significant a person might be, there is no formal observance of their birthdays. And we do not deny that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself holds the highest status Allah has granted amongst all of humanity — there can be no doubt in that. But neither did Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) nor his noble companions, in all the narrations that we have, can we find any single narration — even a weak narration — in which they were ritually observing their birthdays or anniversaries.

And this does not take away anything from the fact that we honestly, sincerely believe — and we must believe as a Muslim — that the happiest day for all of mankind was the day in which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself was born and entered into this world.

So, how long did the Sahaba in their blessed era continue after Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? Till the last Sahabi was alive, we can see that this would take us all the way to nearly a century after Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) left. And despite their unparalleled love and profound attachment towards him, they did not celebrate his birthday, nor did they have any function on the day he left this world. Instead, what was their practice? It was that they devoted their lives to promote the cause of Islam, to spread the deen of Allah, bringing his teachings into their practice, conveying his message to the four corners of the world, and establishing the Islamic way of life in all walks of life. This is the behavior of the Sahaba in our deen.

The Origins of Christmas

On the other hand, not only is today the 13th of Rabi'ul Awwal, but it is also the 25th of December — the day which is celebrated as Christmas by the Christians. If we go back and look at the origin of Christmas itself, we find that commemorating the birth of a distinguished person has never been prescribed by any religion that attributes itself to divine revelation. So the other religions as well — even Christianity — if you go back to the original teachings, this was not necessarily part of their teachings at all. This is what the Christians themselves accept.

It was originally a custom prevalent in pagan communities only — those who are Mushrikeen, those who worship different spirits and different gods and different idols. This was something that originated from them. So if you look through the Bible and the early teachings and the early Christian writings, there is no mention of Christmas or celebration of this holiday. Christmas originated four centuries after Isa (alayhi al-salam) was returned back to Allah. And that is when Christmas was recognized as a regular Christian feast.

To quote from the Christian resources themselves, they say: it is impossible to determine the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ, either from the evidence of the Gospels or from any sound tradition. So if the whole celebration is regarding his birthday — and we see those nativity scenes where they have the baby and the priests coming and looking at the baby, and they have statues of Maryam (alayha al-salam) along with the baby — all of this is revolving around the birth of Isa (alayhi al-salam). But they admit that it is impossible to determine the exact date of his birth.

During the first three centuries of the Christian era — this is very significant and ironic — you will find that there was considerable opposition in the church to the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays. There was a strong opposition against this, that this is the way of the Mushrikeen, this is the way of the idol worshippers, this is not a Christian way, we should not celebrate birthdays. The first reference is from Clement of Alexandria in Egypt. He mentions the existence of the feast in Egypt about the year AD 200. And we have some evidence that it was observed on various dates in scattered areas — different areas started celebrating on different dates, and they did not have a consensus on which date should be celebrated.

After the triumph of Constantine, the Eastern Roman Emperor, the church at Rome assigned December 25 as the date for the celebration of the feast. This happened in the year AD 353 — that is, 353 years after Isa (alayhi al-salam) left this world. Then they finally concluded, okay, we will celebrate it on December 25. By the end of the 4th century, the whole Christian world began celebrating Christmas on that date, with the exception of the Eastern churches where it continued to be celebrated on January 6th.

And what is the reason why they selected the 25th of December? There is a very famous statement: when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And this is not without any basis — this actually goes back to many different practices of the Christians when they came to Rome, where they literally did as the Romans did and adopted many of the Roman practices. So the choice of December 25 was influenced by the fact that on this date, the Romans celebrated the Mithraic feast of the sun god, and the Saturnalia also came at this time.

This was the day when those who were worshipping the sun saw that the days are getting shorter and shorter, and they became afraid that the sun god is getting upset and is not coming out as long as it used to in the summer. When it came to the shortest days of the year, they used to worship the sun god and make pooja and ibadah of the sun, so that the sun becomes happy and starts coming out for longer periods of time. This is the origin of December 25. And then after they would be doing the ibadah and worshipping the sun, we see that by the 26th, 27th, 28th, into January and February — what happens? The sun continues to come out for longer periods of time in the day.

Now of course through science we are all fully aware that this has nothing to do with the worship of the sun. The sun of course is a makhluq. The sun and the moon — they are set on a calculation by Allah. Actually this has nothing to do with the sun in fact. This has to do with the tilt of the earth on its axis. The northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun — those are our summer months — and when the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun, those are our winter months. The seasons in the southern hemisphere are the opposite. That is why when we were in South Africa, June, July, August were the coldest freezing months of the year, and December and January were the hottest months. It's the opposite. So this has to do with the tilting of the earth towards the sun or away from the sun.

But this is the day that they were worshipping the sun — on the 25th of December. And that is why the Christians said, okay, when in Rome do as the Romans do, let's start our celebration on this day. It has nothing to do with Isa (alayhi al-salam) at all. This is the reality.

What the Encyclopedia Britannica Says

A similar description of the origin of Christmas is found in the Encyclopedia Britannica. What does it say? Christmas was not amongst the earliest festivals of the church, and before the 5th century, there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar — January 6th was one opinion, March 25th another, December 25th another. The earliest identification of December 25th is found in one particular Philos of Antioch, who came up with this idea. As late as AD 245, a great Christian teacher, Origen, reputed the idea of keeping the birthday of Christ. He said this is as if we are making Jesus a king like Pharaoh — he was writing against it, saying no, this is wrong, we should not do this.

Conclusions on Christmas and Birthday Commemorations

The conclusions we can reach from all of this are as follows: First, the commemoration of birthdays of kings or of gods is originally a pagan custom from the Mushrikeen. It was never recognized by divine scripture or a prophetic teaching. Second, the exact date of the birth of Sayyidina Isa (alayhi al-salam) is unknown and it is impossible to be certain. Third, the commemoration of the birth of Isa (alayhi al-salam) was not a recognized practice in the early period of Christian history — it was only in the 5th century that it was recognized as a religious feast, and this was also under the influence of the pagans who were worshipping the sun god. And lastly, there was a strong opposition against commemorating birthdays by early Christian scholars like Origen and others, on the ground that it is originally a custom of pagans and idolaters.

So this goes back to the hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that whoever adopts the customs and rituals of a particular nation will become amongst them. We can see what happened to Christianity — what was the original teaching of Isa (alayhi al-salam), and how over time it changed and morphed and was destroyed, and nothing is left of the original teachings. And this is a warning for us not to follow their footsteps.

But it was also prophesized by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that you will be following the footsteps of the Jews and the Christians step by step, step by step, until if they fell into a hole and got bitten, you will fall into the same hole and get bitten. And that is what we are seeing.

Islamic Teachings on Bid'ah (Innovation)

Now let us come back to our Islamic teachings. In original Islamic resources, we do not find any particular instruction about the celebration of birthdays or death anniversaries. Many companions of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) passed away during his lifetime, some of them very close to him. His beloved uncle Hamza (radiyallahu anhu) who passed away in the battle of Uhud — he was martyred. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was very much grieved by his loss. Likewise, Uthman ibn Maz'un (radiyallahu anhu) was the first Muhajir who passed away, and Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was very sad when he passed away and buried him in Jannat al-Baqi'. His beloved son Ibrahim passed away. Many companions passed away during his lifetime. His very beloved and supporting wife Khadijah al-Kubra (radiyallahu anha) passed away in Makkah. Yet Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not observe their birthdays, nor did he hold any function on their death anniversaries — the annual date of their death. Nor did he advise any of his followers to celebrate his own birthday in Rabi'ul Awwal.

So then the question becomes: what's the big deal, why is it wrong if you do so? The reason why abstinence from such celebrations is better is that these celebrations divert our attention from the real teachings of Islam towards the observance of certain formal activities only. We go away from the spirit of Islam and create other things. Initially the celebration may begin with utmost piety and the best intentions — that we are paying homage to certain pious individuals of the past. But the nature of a celebration is such that it has to be ultimately infused with an element of merrymaking and rejoicing, otherwise what's the point of a celebration? And generally it becomes confused with secular festivals, and eventually sinful activities creep in gradually and become part of the practice — open mixing of men and women, musical festivals, and all of these activities, while the title remains that we are celebrating the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Nowadays there is a practice — you might have come across it, it was sent to me also — where they have been breaking world records by building the biggest birthday cakes. So many tons of flour, so many tons of sugar, the tallest cake in the world, the heaviest cake in the world, breaking all the records. And who are these birthday cakes for? Apparently these birthday cakes are for Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). People think that building birthday cakes taller than several stories, with so much wastage of resources, is now a way to celebrate the birthday of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

Look at what happened to Christmas. Originally, the feast was innovated to commemorate the birth of Isa (alayhi al-salam), and obviously we would imagine it was meant to remember his teachings. But once it had been recognized as a feast, all the secular elements of public festivals crept in. The record says that for several centuries, Christmas was solely a church anniversary observed by religious services — they used to originally just have ibadah on Christmas. But as Christianity spread amongst the people of pagan lands, many of the practices of the winter solstice were blended with those of Christianity, and Christmas became a combination of religious and secular celebration. So the Christmas tree, the wreaths they hang on the doors — each one of these different rituals has a pagan origin. The evergreen tree was brought into homes and kept there as a sign of life because it remained green while all other trees lost their leaves. And then it became celebrated in the great halls of feudal lords, where hospitality was extended to all friends, tenants, and households — sailing, feasting, singing, games, dancing, masquerading — all of these types of activities became part of the celebration.

This is enough to show us how an apparently innocent feast of reverence can be converted into a secular festival, where merrymaking and seeking enjoyment takes preference over all religious and spiritual activities.

Now our deen of Islam, being fully aware of this human psychology, never prescribed nor encouraged the observance of birthdays and anniversaries. And when they are made part of the religion, they are absolutely forbidden. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also said:

And on the last day of Hajj, the ayah was revealed:

Today I have completed my deen for you. I have completed my favours upon you. I have chosen Islam to be your religion. So it is forbidden for us to add new things to our deen and make them part of our deen.

When Did Mawlid Enter Islamic Practice?

So when did this come into our Islamic practice? Several centuries later — and even those who practice it acknowledge that this was a later-day innovation. In the year 604 Hijri, 600 years after Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) left this world after the Hijrah, some of the Islamic kings started observing this date as the birthday of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). This is particularly problematic because the exact date of the birth of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is also not 100% confirmed. There are different dates that have been suggested by different scholars of Sirah. A vast majority of Islamic scholars — and this might be surprising to know — are inclined to hold that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was not born on the 12th of Rabi'ul Awwal but was born on the 9th. To begin with, the date itself is doubtful.

So this difference of opinion regarding the date is another evidence to prove that the observance of the birthday of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is not part of the religion. Otherwise, its exact date would have been preserved with accuracy.

How to Truly Show Love for the Prophet

So what should we do? How should we show our love of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? The answer is that we should follow his Sunnah. We should study his life. We should gain inspiration from his life — study his biography, his Sunnah, his noble life. Different aspects of his life have beautiful lessons for us. And it is not showing love of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) by building a birthday cake to smash all the records — rather it is to see how much of his Sunnah is in our life.

Yes, it is permissible, of course, to hold seerah meetings, seerah conferences, and talk about his beloved life in this month or any other month of the year. But we have to know that if you regard it as part of the deen, and believe that by not holding a seerah conference you are not fulfilling the right of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), then that is making it into an innovation. Singing poetry in praise of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) — of course that is beautiful, it is permissible.

However, believing that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) physically comes and presents himself and sits with us in the gathering — presenting a chair for Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and saying he is sitting here, and asking everyone to rise in his honor — that of course is not permissible. This is also among some of the practices which occur, where a chair is kept for Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and it is believed that he actually leaves the Rawdah Mubarakah in Madinah al-Munawwarah and comes and sits in that gathering. That would not be permissible.

Conclusion and Du'a

I have exceeded the time, but I just want to conclude that may Allah protect us and this ummah, protect our deen from corruption, and let us not follow the footsteps of other religions where they have deviated from the path of guidance of the original revelation and corrupted the message of the prophets that were sent to them. This is a unique opportunity for us to reflect on these two dates — yesterday being the 12th of Rabi'ul Awwal, today being the 25th of December. May Allah keep us on the correct aqeedah and allow us to die with the correct belief and resurrect us with the righteous ones.