Haqaiq hawl al-Mawlid al-Nabawi
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Maktab al-Ta'awuni lil-Da'wah wa-al-Irshad wa-Taw'iyat al-Jaliyat bi-al-Hamra' wa-al-Kurnish wa-Wasat Jiddah, Qism al-Da'wah wa-al-Irshad
Haqaiq hawl al-Mawlid al-Nabawi (Facts Concerning the Prophet's Birthday) is a short Arabic treatise by Ahmad bin Abd al-Aziz al-Hamdan examining the historical divergences regarding the birth date of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and assessing the legal status of celebrating his birthday (Mawlid) .
Historical Chronology of the Prophet's Birth
The treatise opens by documenting the disagreements among biographers and historians regarding four chronological aspects of the Prophet's birth:
- Year of birth: While the majority opinion—held by Ibn Abbas—states that he was born in the Year of the Elephant, scholars differ on the exact interval: fifty days after the event according to al-Suhayli, fifty-five days according to al-Dimyati, one month or forty days according to Mughultay and Ibn Sayyid al-Nas, ten years after it according to Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, or fifteen years prior to it .
- Month of birth: Recorded opinions include Safar, Rabi' al-Thani, Rajab, or Ramadan (reported from Abdullah ibn Umar, and transmitted by al-Ya'mari and Mughultay), alongside the report that his mother conceived him during the Days of Tashriq and an anomalous view that he was born during those days .
- Day of birth: Various transmissions place it as unspecified; in Rabi' al-Awwal without a specific day, as cited by al-Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyya; on a Monday (the majority view); on the 2nd of Rabi' al-Awwal according to Ibn Abd al-Barr via al-Waqidi from Abu Ma'shar Nujayh al-Madani; on the 8th according to Ibn Abbas and Jubayr ibn Mut'im (preferred by Ibn Hazm, deemed the historical consensus by Ibn Dihya al-Kalbi, and supported by Qutb al-Din al-Qastallani and al-Quda'i); on the 9th based on the astronomical calculations of Mahmud Pasha al-Falaki and endorsed by Ali al-Tantawi; on the 10th according to al-Sha'bi and Muhammad al-Baqir; on the 12th according to Ibn Ishaq; on the 17th according to certain Shi'a groups; on the 18th; or with eight days remaining in the month .
- Time of day: Reports suggest during daylight, at dawn, at the rising of the Ghafar stars, or at night as transmitted by al-Hakim on the authority of A'isha .
From these extensive divergences, al-Hamdan argues that the Companions did not prioritize preserving the exact date of birth, indicating that Muslims are not religiously tasked with identifying or commemorating it, but rather with following the Prophet's legal teachings, Sunnah, and character .
Legal Ruling on the Mawlid
The second section addresses whether the Prophet, his Companions, or the early generations (al-Salaf al-Salih) celebrated the Mawlid . To demonstrate that the celebration is an unjustified religious innovation (bid'ah), the author marshals statements from classical jurists across the schools of law:
- Maliki scholars: Umar ibn Ali al-Fakahani ruled that the practice has no foundation in the Quran or the Sunnah and was not transmitted from the exemplary scholars of the community , a verdict cited approvingly by al-Hasan al-Adawi and Muhammad Illaysh in Fath al-Aliyy al-Malik . Similarly, Ibn al-Hajj maintained in al-Madkhal that even if the occasion is free of overt religious improprieties, holding it remains an innovation purely by virtue of the intention behind it .
- Shafi'i scholars: Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and al-Sakhawi both stated that the practice of the Mawlid was not reported from any of the predecessors during the first three centuries of Islam . Other scholars cited include Nasir al-Din Ibn al-Tabbakh and Zahir al-Din Ja'far al-Tazmanti .
The work concludes with a statement attributed to Malik ibn Anas on the finality of the religion based on Surah al-Ma'idah: الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ("This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion"), followed by the hadith narrated by al-Irbad ibn Sariyah warning against newly introduced matters in religion: فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَإِنَّ كُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ ("For every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance") .
Answer updated