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Why do we Celebrate Prophet Mohammad`s Birthday?
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 18-02-2024

Why do we Celebrate Prophet Mohammad`s Birthday?

 

 

Behold, the month of the birth of our Master and the Messenger has come, and its moon has risen anew. Its light has illuminated the hearts of the faithful, who were raised under the light of obedience, worship, and faith. At this time of every year, our mosques, homes, and countries are illuminated with the celebration of the birth of the Master of Humanity, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Rather, our hearts, souls, and minds rejoice with love and joy at his birth, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. His birth is not like any other occasion, nor is it a mere passing event in the course of history. Rather, it is the birth of a nation that was united after division, reconciled after enmity, and in which justice was established on earth after injustice and tyranny. It is the descent of mercy upon the worlds after cruelty had prevailed and filled the hearts of people, and the shining of a light that covered the earth after darkness had prevailed. Allah says {What means}: "And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah’s favour unto you: How ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and (how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided," {Al-Imran, 103}.

 

On the anniversary of the birth of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, hearts celebrate with joy the Prophetic radiance and  mercy that illuminated the darkness of ignorance, so the universes were lit with his light. How can our hearts not celebrate when the stars of the sky celebrated him and increased their brilliance, the thrones of Kisra fell, and the fire of the ignorant Magi was extinguished? The world rejoiced with the coming of good after it was drowned in the darkness of idolatrous worship, atheistic and kufr beliefs. Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "O Prophet! Lo! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and as a lamp that giveth light. And announce unto the believers the good tidings that they will have great bounty from Allah."{Al-Ahzab, 45-47}.

 

He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is our refuge in our distress and hardship, and our safety from the worries and miseries of the world. Through him, we intercede with Allah the Almighty to have mercy on us when our actions prevent us from acceptance. Through him, Allah the Almighty removes the burden, and with his mention, the ambition rises. We celebrate him because he is the mercy sent down, the blessing bestowed, and the means of salvation. "We haven`t sent you except as a mercy to the worlds." (Al-Anbiya, 107). So, all humans, jinn, and worlds are blessed by him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. "And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will Allah punish them while they seek forgiveness." (Al-Anfal, 33).

 

Through his blessings, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, our sins are forgiven, our worries are removed, and our debts are paid off. The companions knew his right and his worth, so one of them said: I will make much Salah for you. Therefore, he had the pure good news from Allah and His Messenger: (Then your problems would be solved and your sins would be forgiven.) (Sunan al-Tirmidhi).

 

We celebrate our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because through him we have become a great nation after being a burden. We have become honorable after being humiliated. Through him, we rose from the dust to reach the heights of the sky. A nation was established on the scales of truth, justice, and equity among people. We were guided by his Sunnah to the best of words and the best of deeds. We came to know our Lord, established our religion, and spread the fragrance of love among us. Allah sent down with him the Quran, a book of guidance, light, and distinction, by which people are brought out of darkness into light. "So those who believed in him, honored him, supported him, and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be successful." (Al-A'raf, 157). He is our leader and the witness with our Lord to our faith, obedience, and love for him. "Then how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you as a witness over these?" (An-Nisa`, 41).

 

We celebrate our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because the entire universe celebrated him, his arrival, and the light that was before him when Gibreel descended to him in the Cave of Hira. Our Lord honored him by the Night of Isra`, so he led the prophets in prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Then, he ascended to the high heavens and the angels greeted him with the most beautiful welcome. " The heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw. Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he seeth ? And verily he saw him yet another time By the lote-tree of the utmost boundary, Nigh unto which is the Garden of Abode. When that which shroudeth did enshroud the lote-tree, The eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold. Verily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord." (An-Najim, 11-18).

 

We celebrate him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because he is one of the first things we will be asked about in our graves, and the first thing we will resort to when we are resurrected. He is the one on whose foot we will be gathered, and we will call on him for help on the Day of the Great Stand, when hopes are cut off, and deeds are spread out. "On the Day when a man will flee from his brother, his mother and his father, his wife and his children. On that Day, every man will have enough concern to make him forget others." (Abasa, 34-37). On the Day when voices will be hushed before the Most Gracious, and you will hear nothing but whispers. The Lord Almighty will call out to him: (O Mohammad, raise your head, intercede and you will be interceded, ask and you will be given.). When every prophet will say, "Myself, myself," and our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, will cry out, "My people, my people."

 

In conclusion, when we enter Paradise, it will be the most beautiful way to celebrate our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. What is higher and more honorable than accompanying our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace? This is the ultimate goal of the Companions and the Dua` of the righteous, and the wish of all Muslims. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "A person will be resurrected with the one he loved." We ask Allah Almighty to gather us with our Prophet at the Hawd and to drink from his hand a sip after which we will never get thirst again. May all Muslims and we be in his company in Paradise, whose width is the heavens and the earth.

 

And all perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is Aqeeqah?

It is the sheep slaughtered on the seventh day from the child`s birth, and it is a confirmed Sunnah after the Prophet (PBUH).

Is it permissible for someone who is unable to fast to pay the fidyah (ransom/compensation payment) to himself, due to his own poverty?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is not permissible, nor does it fulfill the obligation, for a sick person who is currently and permanently unable to fast to pay the fidyah (ransom/compensation payment) to himself, since it is a financial obligation owed by him, established as a standing debt upon him — much like any other debt he owes. If he were to pay it to himself, it would not thereby be discharged. So if he cannot find [anyone eligible to] pay it to, it remains a standing obligation upon him, and is not thereby waived. If Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, later grants him wealth, it becomes obligatory upon him to pay it out to the poor and needy.
Imam al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "There is no difference in the obligation of the fidyah between the wealthy and the poor person; its benefit lies in its remaining established as a standing debt upon the poor person [until he is able to pay it] — and this is the more correct position (al-aṣaḥḥ), as indicated by the wording of ar-Rawḍah and its source text." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.174]
Accordingly: it is not permissible for a Muslim to pay the fidyah to himself while he remains poor. If the sick person is poor, he is not obligated to pay the fidyah immediately, and it remains a standing debt upon him until a time when he has sufficient means and wealth. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who is uncertain whether he omitted one of the ab‘āḍ of the prayer, such as being uncertain whether he omitted the first tashahhud?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The ab‘āḍ include the middle tashahhud and the qunūt in Fajr prayer — for which sujūd as-sahw (the prostration of forgetfulness) is prescribed if left out. Whoever is uncertain, during the prayer, whether he omitted one of these elements, should proceed on the assumption that he did not perform it, and should perform sujūd as-sahw accordingly.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 63): "If he is uncertain... whether he omitted a specific ab‘āḍ element, or whether he performed sujūd as-sahw, or whether he prayed three or four rak‘ahs — he proceeds on the assumption that he did not do it, and performs sujūd as-sahw."
The original principle (al-aṣl) for someone uncertain about [having performed] the first tashahhud is that he assumes he did not perform it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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