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Al-Mawlid and the Messages of Glad Tidings and Victory
Author : Secretary General Dr. Zaid Al-Kilani
Date Added : 17-09-2024

Al-Mawlid and the Messages of Glad Tidings and Victory

The anniversary of the birth of the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, shines upon us, laden with messages of glad tidings and victory. These messages fill the believer's heart with certainty, trust, good hope in Allah that victory is near, that ease will follow hardship, and that the generous Giver, the Almighty, is near to the doers of good.

What is the connection between the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, in the Year of the Elephant, and the message of glad tidings? What is the relation of that historical event to hope? What is the significance of that date as we witness the aggression of the aggressor, the occupation of the occupier against our people in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and as we see their attempts to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque? What is the significance of the promising Mawlid amidst these events?

How does the day of the Mawlid carry that meaning that every believer experiences when reciting Allah's Words (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." [Ash-Sharh, 5/6]? How do we live with the birth of our Prophet, illuminated by Allah's Words (What means): "And remind them of the days of Allah" [Ibrahim/5] - the days of His victory for His friends, the days of His defeat of His enemies, the days of relief for the patient, the days of reward for those who persevere in this religion?

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was born on the twelfth of Rabi' Al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant - the year of the attack on the Kaaba, the year of oppression, the year of tyranny, the year of aggression. Yet, it turned into the year of birth, the shining of light, and the beginning of glad tidings that would be followed by victory and reward.

It all began in the Year of the Elephant, the year when Abraha moved with his massive armies and their unprecedented weapons, aiming for the Holy Kaaba, the last symbol that reminded the Arabs, from generation to generation, of the rituals they had received from the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him. This was the final landmark reminding them of monotheism and its rituals. Abraha wanted to defile, erase, and destroy it, so that people would gather around him and under his banner, and so that their attachment to the Kaaba and the remaining vestiges of the religion of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, would be severed.

Thus, the beginnings were designed to determine the endings, to make that year the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, the erasure of landmarks, and the destruction of the last reminder of monotheism. Let us now draw a comparison to see the situation of the occupying aggressor today, who uses his weapons and tyranny to kill and destroy, believing that he will expel the people from their land, deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, Judaize their holy sites, and triumph over their beliefs. This is a comparison between the two armies, between the two beginnings, and between the two delusions.

Abraha thought he could conquer the Holy Kaaba, that he could end the last symbol of monotheism. Abraha had a massive army and unprecedented weapons, and the occupier today has deadly weapons with which he attacks our people, believing that through his aggression he can deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, and remove their belief from their hearts. This comparison, this similarity in beginnings, will have the same endings and conclusions, by the permission of Allah The Exalted, Who Said (What mean): "And indeed, Our word had already gone forth to Our messengers: Indeed, they will be supported. And indeed, Our soldiers - it is They who will overcome." [As-Saffat, 171-173].

Let us return to Abraha to see the glad tidings, the results, and the outcome. Historical sources tell us about the attempts of some Arab tribes to confront Abraha, and the same sources tell us that some Arabs guided Abraha to the best way to reach the Holy Kaaba, out of treachery to gain some favor from Abraha, like Abu Rgghal who became a byword for treachery!

As for the Quraysh tribe, they decided to defend the House in the way they could, through what is known today as "guerrilla warfare." They would go to the mountains, attack Abraha's army, and then return to the mountains. The leader of Mecca, Abd Al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood in front of Abraha, warning and reminding him, saying: "The House has a Lord who protects it." Then he turned to Allah and said: "O Lord, the servant protects his camel, so protect Your camel."

Then came the divine aid that is deeply rooted in our hearts: that Allah is The Protector of His religion and the Perfecter of His Light. So Allah Sent the birds of the abyss: "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, which pelted them with stones of Sijjil, and made them like straw eaten up." [Al-Fil, 1-5].   

 

Abraha was defeated and the divine aid did not stop there; rather, the command was given to send the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, into the world - the raiser of the banner of monotheism, the continuation of the mission of Ibrahim, who would fill the earth with justice and light. In the same year - the Year of the Elephant - which was planned to be the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, it became the year of preserving the Kaaba and the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him!

This teaches us that Allah's way in the universe is that dawn comes after the darkest night, and that no matter how long the oppression lasts, the light of truth will shine, He Says (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." It also teaches us that the victory and relief of Allah for our people in Palestine is inevitable.

The armies that came with their massive and fortified weapons, symbolizing their victory, turned out to be a symbol of their defeat! They became like the remains of eaten straw, with no weight or value.

This verse, this message, and this meaning, we remember on the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, because the day of the Mawlid carries glad tidings for the group who has been given the glad tidings, just as our Prophet was born in the year when Abraha thought he could conquer the House of Allah! So Abraha was defeated, and the Master of Creation was born, peace be upon him!

Thus, the Mawlid gives us the glad tidings that victory is near. It gives glad tidings to our people in Palestine, the people who have been promised by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whereas, he said: "There will always be a group from my nation who will be openly on the truth, victorious over their enemies." We have seen them openly on the truth, and we will see them victorious over their enemies, and we will see them praying in liberation in Al-Aqsa, by Allah's permission.

This is the anniversary of the Mawlid, and this is one of its messages. This is a renewal of the covenant on the day of the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to offer an Udhiyah on behalf of the deceased?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) on behalf of a deceased person is permissible. This is the official position of the Hanbali school (as stated in Kashshaf al-Qina’ by al-Bahuti,Vol.6/P.428) and was also upheld by the prominent Shafi'i scholar Al-’Abbadi (mentioned in Bidayat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Qadi Shuhbah,Vol. 4/P.358). It has likewise been narrated as a valid view among some Maliki and Hanafi scholars.
 
In fact, Imam Abu Dawud dedicated an entire chapter in his Sunan collection entitled, "Chapter on Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased." In it, he recorded a narration from Hanash, who said: "I saw 'Ali sacrificing two rams, so I asked him, 'What is this?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, so I am sacrificing on his behalf.'"
 
Imam Abu Dawud also narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, this is from You, for You, and on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah (community). In the Name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest," and he then slaughtered the animal.
 
The textual evidence here lies in the fact that our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offered a sacrifice on behalf of his entire community—and it is well-established that his community includes those who have already passed away.
 
Furthermore, there is an abundance of sacred texts demonstrating that the rewards of righteous deeds reach the deceased. For instance, it is permissible to fast on behalf of a deceased person who passed away with missed obligatory fasts, and it is equally permissible to perform Hajj on their behalf, both of which are firmly established in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, if the reward of fasting (which is a purely physical act of worship) and Hajj (which is a joint physical and financial act of worship) can reach the deceased, then the reward of an Udhiyah reaches them with greater reason (by way of A Fortiori argument). This is because it is a purely financial act of worship, falling under the general category of charity (Sadaqah).
 
Additionally, scholars have reached a consensus (Ijma') that the rewards of charity reach the deceased, and since the Udhiyah is inherently an act of charity, it falls under the same ruling. Consequently, based on all the aforementioned evidence, we hold the view that offering a sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is entirely permissible. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

I have a date farm, and the dates come in different categories, and within each category there are different sizes. How is zakāh paid on the yield?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If the yield reaches the niṣāb (the minimum threshold for zakāh to become obligatory) — which is five awsuq (plural of wasq), equivalent to (611) kg — then zakāh becomes obligatory upon it, at a rate of one-tenth ('ushr) if irrigated by rainwater (i.e., naturally, without the use of machinery), or one-twentieth (half of the 'ushr) if irrigated using machinery/equipment.
If the yield of dates consists of different varieties, then zakāh should be paid from each variety according to its respective proportion. If this proves difficult, it is permissible to pay from a medium-quality variety [representative of the average].
It is stated in Ḥāshiyatā Qulyūbī wa ‘Umayrah (Vol.2/P.22): "Different varieties are combined together [for the purpose of calculating the niṣāb] — such as the various types of dates, the various types of raisins, and so on — and zakāh is paid from each type according to its respective proportion. However, if this becomes difficult due to the large number of varieties and the small quantity of each individual type, then zakāh should be paid from a medium-quality variety among them — neither the best nor the worst — out of consideration for both sides [the giver and the poor recipient]. If one goes to the trouble of paying from each variety according to its proportion, this is also permissible." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

How is night prayer offered?

Night prayer is offering voluntary prayer after Maghrib and before Fajr (Dawn). As for Tahajjud, it is offering voluntary prayer at night after waking up voluntarily, and for Allah`s sake as He Says (What means): "And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!" [Al-Isra`/79]. Offering Tahajjud is better than offering voluntary prayer before going to bed.

Is "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm" a verse (āyah) of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basmalah ("Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm") is, without question, a verse (āyah) of the Noble Qur'an, and according to the Shāfi‘ī school, it constitutes a verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah itself. Al-Fātiḥah is a pillar of the prayer, and it consists of seven verses, of which the basmalah is one. The prayer is not valid without reciting it, nor if any of the Fātiḥah's verses, letters, or shaddahs (consonant doublings) are omitted or altered.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm (Vol.1/p.202), from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "The basmalah is a complete verse of it [i.e., of al-Fātiḥah] in practice — and it suffices, for this to be established, that there be strong probability (ẓann), especially given that this has come very close to certainty (yaqīn), due to the consensus (ijmā‘) of the Companions on its inclusion in the muṣ-ḥaf [the written text of the Qur'an] in its script, despite their extreme diligence in excluding from it anything that did not genuinely belong to it — to the point that they even [carefully regulated] its diacritical dots and vowel markings." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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