Here we go... 

Firstly I would just like to start by emphasising that in my last post I only mentioned some of the main arguments presented by both parties. There are many more arguments used by both sides which can be found on social media. Secondly, both sides have in the past and still continue to vehemently defend their arguments and refute the arguments presented by the opposition. Finally, I don’t want to start a debate of who is right and who is wrong, because this issue can be deemed not only controversial but also sensitive. From my experience the dispute  on this topic always seems to result in both parties wanting to be RIGHT and wanting to ...

Is there ever a winner? I ask the question. From

my understanding there is never a WINNER.

Dawah Man

 Imam Hussain


This debate more than anything in my opinion just creates disunity within the Muslim community and I saw this first hand myself. I also witnessed how nasty this debate can get when I followed the latest debate on social media regarding the Mawlid between two preachers, Imam Hussain and Imran Ibn Mansur also known as Dawah Man. Both preachers have a respectable number of followers on social media.

The way in which this debate enfolded it made me question whether issues like this should even be discussed on social media. 

Those of you who are unfamiliar with the debate between the two preachers, I will explain how the debate escalated on social media. The debate began last year in January when Dawah Man released a video on Facebook regarding the impermissibility of celebrating the Prophet's birthday. To which Imam Hussain replied and provided evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah to show that celebrating the Mawlid is an acceptable practice and challenged anyone to bring forward any textual evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah which states clearly "not to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday”.

Both the videos mentioned some of the anti-Mawlid and pro-Mawlid points which I have discussed in my previous post, the videos are very long Dawah Man's video is 39 min & 05 seconds and Imam Hussain's video is 44 min & 44 seconds. I have linked the videos with the preacher's names above, so that if you guys would like to watch them you can do so.

Then approximately a year later Dawah Man posted an 1hr & 28-minute video explaining “I didn’t respond for the very purpose that I wanted to wait for the next Mawlid”. In this video he also stated “generally speaking when we discuss the issue of Mawlid in the West from both sides it is disgusting and a very shallow way and I hope with Allah's .... permission we are going to go into depth we are going to look at it from an academic and scholastic way and ... debate on the basis … of sincerity .... justice .... mercy and knowledge”.  In this video Dawah Man took the opportunity to also respond to Imam Hussain's arguments.

Imam Hussain replied by inviting Dawah Man to a meeting in Bradford which Dawah Man declined and further consecutive posts and videos were released from both sides on social media refuting each other’s arguments.

Then Imam Hussian uploaded the following video in which he sent a message to Dawah Man stating I will meet you "anywhere, any place".

  

 

 

 

It wasn’t long before the debate which began as a scholarly discussion between the two preachers on social media turned into a match of slandering and mocking with a video released by Dawah Man named “You Are Either a Liar or You Are Ignorant". In this adjacent video Dawah Man explains that Imam Hussain seems to advise his followers on social media to maintain good adab (manners/etiquettes) when discussing the Mawlid issue,

WARNING THE DURATION OF THIS VIDEO

 IS 27 MINS: 21 SECS.

 

but at the same time has responded by liking his own followers insulting comments about Dawah Man.

Prince Riz uploaded the above photo
 on Dawah Man's Facebook.

In the above video Dawah Man also questions Imam Hussain's scholarly ability as he argues that his Arabic is weak. This accusation led to the supporters of Dawah Man making fun of the Imam Hussain.

At this point, I had many thoughts going through my mind such as 

The act of sending abusive or humiliating messages, uploading photos on social media in order to laugh at a person or to hurt their feelings or to make them feel distressed is cyberbullying and this is wrong.
 

I will explain what happened next between the preachers and their followers, in my next post.

How are you all? 

I shall be continuing from my last post. 

Firstly, I will discuss some anti-Mawlid arguments.



Sheikh Assim al-Hakeem in the following video

explains why Muslim should not celebrate the Mawlid 

• One of the main arguments used is that the Prophet never celebrated Mawlid, neither did his companions. So why should we?
• The practice of Mawlid is an innovation and the Prophet forbade (bidah) innovation. Aisha (the Prophet's wife) reported that the Prophet stated "whoever introduces into this religion of ours something that we have not commanded it is to be rejected".
• The Prophet also stated “every (kul) innovation is a misguidance”. Therefore, the festival of Mawlid is haram and unacceptable and those who celebrate it will be punished in the hereafter. 

• Also the Prophet had revealed in his last meeting in Arafat “today I have perfected your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that self-surrender unto Me shall be your religion” (Verse, 5:3). As the Prophet had declared he had completed the religion of Islam then nothing can be introduced or innovated into the religion of Islam such as the practice of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday.

Certainly, some interesting points made by the anti-Mawlid party, read further to find out some of the pro-Mawlid arguments.

One of the main argument presented by those who celebrate the festival of Mawlid is that: -

·   The Prophet was born on a Monday and he used to celebrate his birth by fasting on Mondays.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Husayni al-Ninowy 

briefly explains why the Mawlid is permissible.

·   Verse 10:58 “Say: ‘In (this) bounty (fadl) of God and in His grace (rahma) - in this then, let them rejoice: it is better than all (the worldly wealth) that they may amass!" is used by the pro-Mawlid party, in order to justify the practice of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday. It is considered that the word rahma in this verse refers to Prophet Muhammad, which Allah has commanded to rejoice. The pro-Mawlid party deduce that the word rahma refers to Prophet Muhammad because the Prophet is referred to rahma in numerous verses in the Qur’an such as in verses 3:164, 21:107 “and We have sent you (oh Muhammad) but as a Mercy (rahma) for Mankind” (21:107).

·      Not all innovations are prohibited as there are two types of innovations good and bad.

Shaykh Giles Sadek describes in a short video the 

notion of the two types of innovations

     

·         Bidah is split further into five categories and Mawlid is a bidah hasanah (good).

  Bid'ah and Mawlid - Sheikh Abdal Hakim

 Murad explains that Mawlid is good bidah

                                                       





    ·  The pro-Mawlid party explain that not everything which has been invented after the demise of the Prophet is unacceptable such  as Hajj visas, and the use of hotels in Makkah and Medina,  alarm clocks, phones, laptops and driving a car etc. According to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence a practice can only be classified as being prohibited, if it opposes the Qur’an or either the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad or the Shariah (Islamic Law). They also consider that the celebration of the Prophet's birthday "has its roots in the Shariah".

Definitely, some thought-provoking points made by the pro-Mawlid party also. 

One thing which can be noticed is the clear difference in how bidah is defined by both parties. 

• The anti-Mawlid party argue that innovation is bad and unacceptable and because Mawlid is an innovative practice it is impermissible. 

• Whereas, the pro-Mawlid party consider that there is a twofold definition of bidah, there is good and bad innovation and Mawlid is a good innovation.



I'm just going to take a break and have a

 

and I shall return soon with a post on how
 this debate creates disunity within
the Muslim community.
 

Above is a picture of al-Maqrizi

I didn't know much about the history of the Mawlid before I started researching about the practice. To my surprise I realised that the celebration is understood to have been originally practised by the Shiite Fatimid dynasty in Egypt. But the exact date of when the practice was initiated is unknown. The earliest account of a Mawlid celebration is dated back to the year 517/1123 which has been documented by al-Maqrizi (d.845/1442). It is understood that whilst the practice of celebrating the Prophet's birthday became more and more popular it also received criticism from a small number of Muslims scholars such as Taj al-Din al-Fakihani and Ibn Taymiyya. 

The objection of this festival came in the form of fatwas (which are the opinions of scholars on a point of law). Equally, fatwas were also issued by Muslim scholars who defended the practice as being acceptable. For example, by al-Suyuti and Ibn Hajar. 

A quick history lesson. I hope you guys haven't 
gone to sleep as I use to during my history lessons. Lol.

 

 

In the past Muslim scholars expressed their opinion
through fatwas declaring what is permissible

and impermissible,

but in contemporary times, anybody and everybody has the

 ease and accessibility of using the social media to express

 how they feel about any topic at their fingertips.

The topic of Mawlid is no different. 

For those of you who are thinking what is all the fuss about?

 What are the arguments presented by those who oppose or accept the practice of Mawlid? 

I will mention some of the anti-Mawlid and pro-Mawlid arguments which can be found on the social media in the next post.

Hi everyone, I will be discussing one of the most controversial issues in Islam, the festival of celebrating Prophet Muhammad's birthday (Mawlid un-Nabi/Mawlid/Eid Milad un-Nabi). I thought I might as well focus on this topic seeing as it is the time of the year when the Prophet's birthday is celebrated by the majority of Muslims. Also, especially after I had attended a Mawlid gathering last week, proceeding the event I met up with family and friends and when I started discussing the festival it sparked up a big argument....... and I was like

It was too late when I realised that I should have just kept my mouth

                   

            SHUT 

However, I can say with 100% conviction (well maybe nearly 100%) that this is not the first time an argument over the practice of Mawlid had taken place. It has become more prominent that whenever it comes around to this period, arguments flare up surrounding the issue of whether the practice is permissible or not. It is sad to see that this debate has certainly created a great division amongst Muslims. On the one hand there are those who argue that the celebration is unacceptable. On the other hand, it is disputed by Muslims that Mawlid un-Nabi is a permissible practice in Islam.

The festival of Prophet Muhammad's birthday is often celebrated around the 12^th of Rabi al-Awwal (the third month in the Islamic calendar). Forty-seven Muslim countries around the world declare a public holiday on the day this festival is celebrated. During this celebration cities, mosques and homes are decorated.

The celebration is a joyous event in which people gather together and venerate the Prophet, by reciting the Prophet’s seerah (biography), the Qur'an, salatul al-nabi (invocation of blessings upon the Prophet) and sing naats (poetry).

 

Below is a beautiful poem in English which

illustrates the love for Prophet Muhammad.

“O my beloved, prophet of mercy ﷺ 

O my beloved, prophet of mercy ﷺ

Call me to visit your blessed city ﷺ
O my beloved, prophet of mercy ﷺ
Accept this plea of your sinful ummati ﷺ
O my beloved, prophet of mercy ﷺ

Indeed, you are the best of all of creation ﷺ
So amazing and wonderful is your perfection ﷺ
Allow us just one, glimpse of your beauty ﷺ
O my beloved, prophet of mercy ﷺ

You are the leader of all the Prophets ﷺ....”     

 



This is a photo of people gathering together
in Bangladesh for a Mawlid procession.



Above is a video of naat singing by Qibla Sahib Eidgah Sharif in a Mawlid un-Nabi gathering in Amsterdam, Holland.

Muslims celebrate this festival by fasting, giving money to charities, and langars (communal meals) are organised. Mawlid processions  also take place all over the world.