The beloved Rasûl of Allah śallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said,

When you stand at night to offer Salâh, you should clean your teeth with a Miswāk because when you recite the Qur’ân an angel places his mouth on yours and anything coming out of your mouth enters the mouth of that angel. [Shu’ab al-Îmân, vol. 2, pp. 381, Ĥadīth 2117] 

Expressing happiness and celebrating the beloved Prophet śall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam his birthday causes even unbelievers, by Allah’s favour and mercy, to gain some benefit. This is mentioned in Sahīh Bukhârī. Bukhārī said in his Hadīth that every Monday, Abū Lahab in his grave is released from punishment because he freed his handmaid Thuwayba when she brought him the news of the Prophet’s śall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam birth.

This Hadīth is mentioned in Bukhārī in the book of Nikah, and Ibn Kathīr mentions it in his books Sirāt al-Nabī (1:124), Mawlid al-Nabī (pp. 21), and al-Bidāya (pp. 272-273). The Hāfidh Shams ud-Dīn Muhammad ibn Nasir ud-Dīn ad-Dimashqī wrote on this the following verses in his book Mawrid as-Sadi fi Mawlid al-Hadi:

If this, a disbeliever who was condemned to hell eternally with ‘Perish his hands’ [Sūrah 111], is said to enjoy a respite every Monday because he rejoiced in Ahmad śall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam: what then do you think of the servant who, all his life, was happy with Ahmad, and died saying, ‘One’?

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) 

The third Hadith is regarding a dream seen by the Uncle of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam, Hadrat Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu.

Before the birth of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam, his father, Hadrat Abdullah rađiyAllāhu ánhu had already died, so a lady slave called Thwaiba was sent to Sayyidah Aminah’s rađiyAllāhu ánha house for her help and service. Upon the birth of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam Thwaiba came running to Abu Lahab, the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam uncle, to give the good news of the birth of his nephew. Abu Lahab became extremely happy and raising two fingers pointed to Thwaiba saying,

I free you in thankfulness of the birth of my nephew.

That day was a Monday. When he died he came in the dream of Hadrat AbassrađiyAllāhu ánhu who asked him how he was fairing in the life after death. Abu Lahab replied:

I am in the fire of hell day and night and have no escape except Monday. The punishment is reduced for me and from these two fingers of mine I receive water from which I drink (like a fountain) for I freed Thwaiba on the birth of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam.

This Hadīth is in the Sahīh of Imām al-Bukharī, Kitab Ul-Nikah who quotes this from his own Shaykh, Imām Abdul Razzaq who was the student of Imām Ul-Adham, Abu Hanīfa rađiyAllāhu ánhu. It is also quoted by Imām Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani in Fath al-Barī, Hafidh Ibn Kathir, Imām al-Bayhaqī, Imām Suhaylī, Imām al-Baghwī, Imām al-Qurtubī, Imām Ibn Jawzī, Imām Mullah Alī Qarī, and Imām Abdul Haqq Muhaddith of DelhirađiyAllāhu ánhum.

Abu Lahab was an infidel and one of the greatest enemies of Islam having been cursed in the Holy Qur’ān too. Yet despite this he was still was given a favour and benefit from his act. It thus stands to reason that if a man such as Abu Lahab can be blessed then surely those Muslims who celebrate the Mīlad Un-Nabī şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam will receive manifold blessings too.

Unfortunately many people use different arguments to criticize this Hadīth. Firstly some critics have argued that since it is an Islamic principle that a pious act done by a kafir is not rewarded in the Hereafter how can Abu Lahab benefit? Imam Razzaq discusses this subject in his Musannaf (Vol 7 pg 478) as does Imām Abdul Haqq Muhaddith of Delhi rađiyAllāhu ánhu. They state that this is the qisays of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam and an exception just reserved for him. Ibn Kathir in Sīrat Un-Nabawiyyah (Vol 1, pg 224) states this is because of the fadl and kirama of Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam who is given this exception and is reiterated by Imām as-Suyūtī, Imām Shaybanī, Ibn Hisham and Imām al-Baghwī too. Moreover in a Hadīth inSahīh al-Bukharī the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam states that his uncle, Abu Talib will benefit from his intercession which is again part of the ‘qisayse muhammadiyy’.

A second criticism levelled at this Hadīth is that the event has been narrated in the form of a dream and so loses some of its integrity. This again is not a valid point. This Hadīth has been accepted by Imām al-Bukharī in his Sahīh who is one of the greatest Muhaddith of Hadīth so we cannot object to it. If this dream was not to be accepted then why did he bother to accept it? Moreover this is a narration of Hadrat Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu and if had considered the dream as unimportant then he too would not have narrated it and rejected it as insignificant. Both of these great men as well as the other scholars mentioned earlier all considered the Hadith as authentic and used it in arguments pertaining to the legality of the Mawlid.

A third criticism is that Hadrat Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu had this dream when he was not a Muslim and he is quoting something said by another non-Muslim thus querying its authenticity. Again this is not a valid critique. When we take this Hadīth as evidence that celebrating the birth of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam is rewarded, the base of this argument has no link with the aqīdah of Abu Lahab and the information he gives. The evidence is based on the narration of Hadrat Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu. If he was not a Muslim at the time of the dream, he was a Muslim when he reported it! It is part of the Usūl of Hadīth, legal and juristic principles, that the narrator of the Hadīth must be a Muslim. Hadrat Abbas rađiyAllāhu ánhu narrated this dream in his capacity as a Companion of the Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam whilst living in Madīnah Sharīf. 

Second Hadith

The Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam also specified his own birthday in the same way. In a Hadīth narrated by Abu Qatada Ansarī rađiyAllāhu ánhu, he reports that Allah's Beloved Messenger şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam was asked about fasting on Monday, whereupon he said:

It is (the day) when I was born and revelation was sent down to me.

Reference: Sahih Muslim, Bk 6, Number 2606.

This Hadīth is also reported in by Imām Abū Bakr al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan al-Kubra (Vol 4, Pg 300, Hadīth no. 8182, 8259); in the Sunan of Imām Nisa’ī and the Musnad of Imām Ahmad bin Hanbal.

It is clear from this Hadith that the Beloved Messenger şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam was very happy about the day of his birth and so fasted out of gratitude. Fasting is a form of worship, so one can celebrate this day by any form of ibâdât. One can fast or hold gatherings or provide food to the poor, all being acts of worship.