Hadīth 4: Mawlid Un-Nabī şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam

Those critics who argue that only the two Eids of Sharī’āh should be celebrated are also in error.

In a Hadīth of Sahīh al-Bukharī, (Kitab al-Imān, Ch. 34, Hadīth no. 45) a Jew quoted a Qur’ānic verse to Hadhrat Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu (today we have completed your Deen for you and have chosen the Deen of Islam for you) and said had such a verse been revealed to us in our Torah we would have celebrated that day as an Eid day. In this statement there is an implicit question addressed to Hadhrat Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu asking why the Muslims did not celebrate this day as an Eid too. Hadhrat Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhureplied:

We know which day and which place this verse was revealed on to the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam. The day of this revelation was Arafat – yawm al-hajjand that was a Friday.

From this answer Imām al-Asqalani raises a question. He states that a doubt can emerge in one’s mind that the question was not answered satisfactorily. The Jewish man wanted to ask why this day had not been celebrated as an Eid and the answer should have been given in same way – i.e. we do celebrate it as an Eid or that there are only two Eids in Islam and other Eid celebrations are prohibited. However the answer given by Hadrat Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu does not appear to address the question directly, merely informing the Jew the day upon which the verse was revealed. Imam al-Asqalani then answers his own question and comments that when Hadhrat Umar rađiyAllāhu ánhu mentioned the day of Hajj and Friday, in fact he was impliedly saying is that we already celebrate this day as an Eid since yawm-al-hajj is one of the Eid’s of Sharī’āh and every Friday,Jummah, is also considered an Eid for Muslims too. He did not reply that celebrating something as an Eid is confined just to certain named days but merely said we already have celebrations on this day. Moreover the Jew did not question again and ask for clarification but kept quiet indicating he understood.

It is thus established from this Hadīth that if a verse containing good tidings revealed on to the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam is worthy of being celebrated as an Eid then why cannot the day that the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam came to this world be celebrated too?

Imām at-Tirmizī rađiyAllāhu ánhu also reported a similar event from two narrators, Hadrat Tariq and Abdullah ibn Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu. The first narration in Kitab Tafseer Ul-Qur’ān (Ch 6, no. 3043) is similar to the one in Sahīh al-Bukharī. However the second Hadith, (no. 3044) is narrated by Ibn Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu and related by him. He states he recited these verses from Sūrah al-Maidah and a Jewish man who was standing near him commented that had this verse been revealed on to them (the Jews) they would have adopted this day as an Eid. Hadhrat Ibn Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu replied, endorsing the idea, saying the Muslims have already made it as a day of two Eids. These verses were revealed on Jummah and on the Day of Arafat meaning the Jews would have celebrated it as one Eid but we celebrate it as a double Eid. Those who argue that we cannot use the word Eid for celebrations are also incorrect since Hadhrat Ibn Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhusays eidain in the Hadīth and refers to Friday as yawm ul-eid.

The words yaw -ul eid are also contained in a Hadīth in Sunan Abū Dawūd, (Kitab al-Salat, Ch. fadlal yawm al-jummah, Hadīth no.1043). Here the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said the Ummah should read as much Salaam and Durūd Sharīf on himşallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam on a Friday in particular, as this is the day of the creation of Sayyidina Adam alayhis salam, the birth or khalq of a Prophet being yawm ul-eid. The Companions then asked if it would be possible that the Salaam reaches him after his demise? He şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam replied in the affirmative saying Allah has forbidden the earth and land to eat the bodies of the Prophet’s alayhis salam.

So if Friday has been singled out as a special day being the day of creation of Sayyidina Adam alayhis salam, in other words the birthday of the first prophet of Islam, then surely the birthday of the last prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam should can also be singled out as an Eid.

In another Hadīth in the Sunan of Imām Nisa’ī (Vol 1, no.1666, pg. 519, vol.3 pg. 91) theBeloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said we should fire bakoor in mosques as it is the Mīlad day of Sayyidina Adam alayhis salam and the day of Durūd for me. (See also the Sunan of Imām Ibn Majah Vol 1, pg. 385 no.1085). Bakoor is special incense that is lighted and releases a beautiful smelling fragrance. Elsewhere the Beloved ProphetşallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam has also said that on the day of Jummah one must first bathe and wear clean clothes, and then send Durūd on him şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallamcollectively. Sayyidunā Umar also appointed a man to perfume the mosques every Friday. (Sunan of Imām Abū Dawūd, Hadīth no.1666)