Birthday, Christmas And Mawlid Celebration In The Light Of Islam

The idea of celebrating the date of your birth is a
pagan tradition. In fact, many Christians didn’t
celebrate birthdays historically, because of that link to
paganism.
Pagans thought that evil spirits lurked on days of
major changes, like the day you turn a year older.
The ancient Greeks believed that each person had a
spirit that attended his or her birth, and kept watch.
That spirit “had a mystic relation with the God on
whose birthday the individual was born,” says the
book The Lore of Birthdays.
Source
Islam is not a religion that accepts innovation in the
matters of worship! The way we pray, fast, perform
udhiyah, Hajj, celebrate, etc should be the way our
Prophet Muhammad did it. Technological innovation
and its likes may or may not be acceptable
depending on that particular technology, it's use,
among others.
Celebration is part of worship! Why not as well join
(other innovated pagan festivals like) Eyo festival
( also known as Adamu Orisha play) in Lagos, World
Sango Festival at Alaafin Oyo Palace in Oyo State or
that of Osun-Osogbo in Osun state.
A Muslim is not a carefree celebrator. We do not
celebrate just any Tomiwa, Dike and Haruna
celebration. We do not celebrate birthdays
(Personal,....,Mawlid & Christmas), Valentine's day,
Eyo Festival and the likes. There are many pagan
celebrations around us that are shunned just because
they are not widely accepted! Not all things that are
widely accepted are religiously (i.e. islamically)
permitted.
Celebration and worship: No Celebration for
Muslims except the two 'Eids
Anas bin Maalik (radi Allahu anhu) said: “The
Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) came
to Madinah and the people had two days when they
would play and have fun. He said, ‘What are these
two days?’ They said, ‘We used to play and have fun
on these days during the Jaahiliyyah (Days of
Ignorance). The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi
wa sallam) said, ‘Allah has given you something
better than them, the day of (Eid) Adhaa and the day
of (Eid) Fitr.’”
[Sunan Abu Dawood - Classed as Sahih by Shaykh
al-Albaani]
One would wonder what got Muslims to join in all
forms of birthday celebrations today. is it the
fear of being left behind in the society? or of
being termed backward and uncivilised? What
does the Prophet say about imitation and
innovation?
The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated Whoever
introduces something into this affairs of ours that is
not of it, it is to be rejected. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also stated:
Whoever performs an act which is not of our
Shari`ah, it is to be rejected. (Related by Muslim)
Also, it is related by Muslim in his Sahih on the
authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him)
from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he used
to mention during the Friday Khutbah (sermon): To
proceed, the best of the speech is embodied in the
Book of Allah, and the best of the guidance is the
guidance given by Muhammad. And the most evil
affairs are innovations; and every innovation is an
error.
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both)
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated:
Whoever imitates any people is one of them. (Abu
Dawood)
It is reported in the Two Sahih Books ( Al-Bukhari and
Muslim) on the authority of Abu Sa`id (may Allah be
pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon
him) that he stated: You would follow the ways of
those who came before you step by step to such an
extent that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you
would enter it too. They said: O Messenger of Allah,
(do you mean) the Jews and the Christians? He said:
Who else?
We pray the innovations won't reach this level:
It was narrated Ibn Al-Musaiyab: The companions of
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“Some men from my companions will come to my
Lake-Fount and they will be driven away from it, and
I will say, ‘O Lord, my companions!’ It will be said,
‘You have no knowledge of what they innovated
after you left: they turned apostate as renegades
(reverted from Islam).
Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book 81, Hadith 174
The Prophet should have been the first to
celebrate Birthday:
The best of mankind, our Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him), did not celebrate his birthday during his
lifetime, nor did his Sahabah (Companions of the
Prophet) after his death, or the Tabi`un (Followers, the
generation after the Companions of the Prophet)
during the first best three generations. If it had been
a commendable act to celebrate the Prophet's
birthday or any person's birthday, these grand people
would have hastened to celebrate birthdays and the
Prophet (peace be upon him) would have instructed
and urged his Ummah (nation) to do so, or would
have celebrated such occasions himself. Since neither
of these took place, we have deduced that
celebrating birthdays is a Bid`ah that should be
abandoned and avoided as a way of obeying the
Commandment of Allah (Glorified be He) and His
Messenger (peace be upon him).
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Verily, my Salat (prayer),
my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah,
the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that
exists). {Qur'an 6 vs 162}
And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans
except they should worship Me (Alone). {Qur'an 51 vs
56}
But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge
of mankind) to watch you. Kiraman (honourable)
Katibin writing down (your deeds).
They know all that you do. {Qur'an 82 vs 10-12}
And finally to all non-Muslims reading this:
"For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds!
You are innocent of what I do, and I am innocent of
what you do.
To us our deeds, and to you your deeds.
To you be your religion (of disbelief in Islamic
Monotheism) and to me my religion (of Islam).
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