Rabi’ulawwal 1440
illuminating the
hearts
at the end of time
Raja Arab turun ke Acheh,
Singgah di Jawa bertanam rambutan;
Apa diharap hati yang bersih,
Pandangan Allah dan RasulNya yang didambakan.
The above couplet is loosely translated to:
To Aceh, an Arab King departs,
In Java, rambutans he collected;
What is hoped for are sound hearts,
And the gaze of Allah and His Prophet.
A great scholar from the Malay world, As-Sayyid Ash-
Shaykh Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah As-Suhaimi q
said: “The best thing to do at this time is to strive to seek
beneficial knowledge, especially religious knowledge
and to spread it. Doing this, coupled with the right in-
tentions, is better than fasting in the day and worshipping
at night, and indeed is better than anything else (al-
though fasting and performing seclusion has its benefits).”
He said: “In actuality, there is no deed more beloved by
the Prophet s in this time than to work to teach the
Shari’ah to his ummah. Moreover, there is nothing more
pleasing to Allah u besides it, because aren’t all Proph-
ets and Messengers f sent for the same reason?”
1
Taken from the kitab authored by As-Sayyid Ash-Shaykh
Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah As-Suhaimi q An-Nafahatul Miskiyyah fi
Fadhilati Qiraati Mawlidi Khairil Bariyyah `Alaihi Afdhalus Solaah
Wa Azkat Tahiyyah.
He continued: “Blessed gatherings of the Mawlidur
Rasul such as these are to encourage, attract and make
the masses heedful of remembering our Prophet, Sayy-
iduna Muhammad s by increasing in salawat on him,
reading stories and poetry of his life and other acts of
worship to Allah u.”
Valuable advice from him: “There is no deed more
beneficial to illuminate hearts as well as to help seekers
‘reach’ Allah besides constantly remembering the Proph-
et s and performing salawat on him because doing so
consistently and diligently is a means for that one to
receive lots of light. With the blessing (barakah) of this
light, he/she will get a ‘connection’ to Prophet Muham-
mad s or meet someone who will deliver them to the
Prophet s provided he/she perform their obligations
(wajib), avoid sins and adorn themselves with good
character. Especially in these end times when there is a
dearth of people with good character, and religious law
is mixed with contaminants among the people.1”
That is his advice that is so necessary for our family
and us to heed, and hold close as the ummah of the
Prophet at this age.
This risalah was originally written in Malay in 2010,
but I decided to translate in English this year. Hope-
fully, it will benefit the increasing and widening En-
glish-speaking jama’ah, local and international.
In this Risalah Mawlid 1440h, I have selected and
compiled the sayings of our scholars who have been
adorned with great virtues, and who have been grant-
ed blessings from Allah, in the following topics:
• No need to dispute about Mawlidur Rasul s
anymore.
• The slander by those who oppose, and the re-
sponses to them.
• True story “This palace is for those who celebrate
Mawlidur Rasulullah”.
• Remembering the greatest of men!
I hope that with the publication of Risalah Mawlid
1440h, it helps to explain the rulings as well as shed
light on the discussions surrounding the celebration
of Mawlidur Rasul s.
I dedicate the rewards of this publication and it’s
distribution to my parents as well as my teachers, with
special mention to As-Sayyid Ash-Shaykh Muhammad
Taha As-Suhaimi r and As-Sayyid Habib Ahmad bin
Muhammad bin Semait r who have done much to
educate and guide me.
Not also forgetting to my wife, children, family and
friends.
Lastly, I also dedicate the reward of this effort to my
jama’ah wherever they may be, who have continu-
ously supported, helped and prayed for the success
of this fii-sabilillah effort. Especially to our kind spon-
sors qasidah group Al-Mustargfirin, Fadlon Ali Ba-
hajaj, Mohd Karim bin Ahmad, Robiah bte Bujang,
Fauzia Abdul Wahab, Hjh Sabiha bte Hj Basri, Abdol
Aziz bin Mohamed and those whose names were
asked not to mention.
May Allah u send them the reward of this effort to
them all. This publication is a token of my appreciation
and gratitude to them.
A special thanks to Ameera Begum Aslam for her kind
help editing the risalah and ‘Abdul Khafid of Muham-
madan Press for his service designing the publication.
Al-Faqir Ila Allah
Muhammad Mazdiuky bin Md Ishak
no need to dispute about
Mawlidur Rasul
anymore
Amongst the greatest blessings of Allah u to all His
creation on earth is Him sending the Prophet s. The
birth of the Prophet s is a mercy to all the worlds.
Allah u says in surah Al-Anbiya’, verse 107:
َ ِ‫ح ًة ِّل ْل َعا َل‬
‫ني‬ َ ْ ‫َاك إِالَّ َر‬
َ ‫َو َمآ َأ ْر َس ْلن‬
“We sent thee (O Prophet Muhammad s) not, but as a
mercy for all creatures.”
Amongst the ways to show that we love and miss
Rasulullah s is by celebrating the day of his birth s.
According to a great scholar of Makkah Al-Mukarra-
mah, Al-Imam Muhammad bin ‘Alawi Al-Maliki r:
“Verily a gathering to celebrate the birth of the Prophet
s is one of the ways to gain proximity to Allah u. It
is because such gatherings are filled with salawat upon
2
Taken from the kitab authored by Al-Imam As-Sayyid Muhammad bin ‘Alawi Al-Maliki r Hawlal Ihtifaal Bidzikraa Al-Mawlid An-Nabawi
Ash-Shariif.
Sayyidina Muhammad s, dzikr, recitation of the
Qur‘an and other forms of ‘ibadah.2”
Yet every year, when Rabi’ul Awwal approaches, there
are ‘voices’ from the same group of people who will
nitpick, criticise and are unhappy with the Mawlid
celebrations. This discontent is voiced out in various
ways and on multiple levels.
There are those who deny the importance or merit of
Mawlidur Rasulullah s and compare it to the signif-
icance of Nuzul Qur‘an. Others bring up the fact that
the Prophet s and his Sahabah never celebrated the
Mawlid and therefore claim that it is a deviant bid‘ah,
and there are those who choose the Mawlid season
to write and emphasise the humanity of Prophet
Muhammad s.
Others dispute the way and manner the celebration
is held.
Those who understand and are aware of these voices
are not too surprised although they will still slap their
foreheads and rub their chests out of sadness and
regret at the attempts at confusion and stubbornness
in the behaviour of those from this group. Those who
don’t understand fully will more or less get confused
or begin to have doubts towards the celebration of
the Mawlid.
Actually, there is no need to dispute the Mawlidur
Rasulullah s anymore because the scholars of the
Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah (the largest and safe group
in Islam regarding creed) has for centuries explained
in depth and detail the ruling on celebrating it. More-
over, they even celebrate it themselves in various
ways and also encourage the ummah to do the same.
May this brief explanation be beneficial to all.
When did the celebration of Mawlidur Rasulullah
start?
Al-Imam As-Suyuthi r in his kitab Al-Hawi lil Fatawa
in the chapter Husnul Maqasid fii ‘Amalil Mawlid said
that the celebration of Mawlidur Rasulullah was start-
ed by Sultan Al-Mudzaffar Abu Sa’id Al-Kukburi r,
a king that was very generous and just. Imam Suyuthi
also quoted the words of Al-Imam Ibn Kathir r who
praised the king and said that he has a clean heart, is
very just, knowledgeable, brave and he celebrated
Mawlid Nabi in Rabi’ul Awwal in a very festive man-
ner.
Are we obliged to celebrate it?
Asy-Shaykh As-Sayyid Abu Hasanain Abdullah Al-Hu-
saini Al-Makki Al-Hashimi r a great scholar of Mak-
kah, said3: “Verily the celebration of Mawlidur Rasul
is not a festival and we don’t say that it is an Eid. The
celebration is much bigger, more virtuous, and more
excellent than Eid itself. We don’t celebrate Eid except
for once a year. However, the Mawlidur Rasul and
being heedful of the Prophet s and his sirah is an ob-
3
Ibid.
“I‘d love it if I had gold
in the size of Mount
Uhud for me to give in
nafqah for reading
Mawlid Ar-Rasul.”
Imam Hasan Al-Basri
Taken from the kitab I‘aanathuth Thaalibiin by Al-‘Al-
laamah As-Sayyid Abu Bakr Syatha Ad-Dimyathi r.
He is Abu Sa‘id Al-Hasan bin Abil Hasan Yasar Al-Bas-
ri born in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah in the year
21h/642m. His wet nurse/suckling mother included
Ummul Mu’minin Sayyidah Ummu Salamah j, the wife
of Rasulullah s. Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri was a student
of many of the Sahabah of the Prophet l until he was
known as a formidable scholar. He passed on in Basrah
on Friday 5 Rajab 110h/728m.
ligation to be fulfilled all the time and not only at certain
times.”
Said the Shaykh: “Whoever that says that it is an Eid
(that should be celebrated once a year only) then they
are ignorant because this does not happen (equating
Mawlidur Rasul to Eid) except with the common man
(awam), and they do not mean that the celebration is
an Eid that is referred to in shar’iah. It’s nothing but a
custom of the people, if a day brings joy and happiness
then they refer to that day as Eid.”
Shaykh As-Sayyid Abu Hasanain r added: “It is clear-
er than the day that in Islam there are no other festivals
besides the two big Eids, ‘Eidul Fitri and ‘Eidul Adha.
However, Mawlidur Rasul is far bigger and more ex-
cellent than both Eids mentioned even though we’re not
calling it (Mawlidur Rasul) an Eid. Rasulullah s is
someone who brought us all this happiness. If not for
the birth of the Prophet s, then there isn’t his ascent as
a Messenger, the Qur‘an would not be revealed, there
is no Isra’ and Mi’raj, no Hijrah, no help during the
Battle of Badr and no Day of Opening Of Makkah
(Fathul Makkah). All these happened was because re-
lated to the birth of the Prophet s. Therefore the Proph- “So Peace from Us (Al-
et is the father and the cause of all goodness that we
experience.” lah) on him (Yahya e)
the day he was born, the
The opinion mentioned by Asy-Shaykh As-Sayyid
Abu Hasanain r is clear and precise. Whoever un- day that he dies, and the
derstands this well will have his heart opened.
day that he will be raised
What is the ruling of celebrating Mawlidur Ra- up to life (again).
sulullah s?

Explicitly we say that the ruling for celebrating Mawlid

(The infant ‘Isa e said
Nabi is sunnat. Here we will mention the evidence in his mother's arm) So
individually and in detail.
peace is on me the day I
First evidence: It is permitted to commemorate
days and places of birth of Prophets f based on
was born, the day that I
Al-Qur‘an and As-Sunnah. die, and the day that I
Amongst them are: shall be raised up to life
We commemorate Fridays because it is the day that
Prophet Adam e was created. The greatness of Fri-
(again).”
The words of Allah u in surah Maryam, verses 15 & 33
days is narrated in a hadith by Imam Abu Dawud, proves that Allah u celebrated the birth of Prophets f
written in Imam Nawawi’s r kitab Riyadhus Solihin. before Nabi Muhammad s.

From Imam At-Thabarani, Sayyidina Syaddad bin

Uwais g narrated: “Sayyidina Jibril e once asked the
Prophet s to perform two raka’at of prayer at Baytul
Laham. Then Sayyidina Jibril asked the Prophet: ‘Do
you know where you prayed earlier?’ Rasulullah replied:
‘I don’t know.’ Sayyidina Jibril e said: ‘You prayed at
Baytul Laham where Sayyidina Isa e was born.4’”
Peace and blessings on the days that other Prophets
were born on were also mentioned explicitly in the
Qur‘an.
Second evidence: The story of Abu Lahab freeing
Thuwaybah Al-Aslamiyah due to his happiness at
the birth of the Prophet s.
Imam Ibn Kathir r said: “The first woman to breastfeed
the Prophet s is Thuwaybah who was the slavegirl of
Abu Lahab. She was freed by Abu Lahab as soon as she
informed him of the birth of the Prophet s to him.5”
Imam Muhammad bin ‘Alawi Al-Maliki r and other
scholars mention in their kitabs: “Indeed Abu Lahab
mentioned to his brother Al-Abbas g in a dream: ‘Ver-
ily the punishment I receive in the grave is lightened
every Monday.’ If Abu Lahab, who is cursed by Allah
u in the Qur‘an gets his punishment lightened only for
showing happiness at the birth of the Prophet s, what
more to the believers who are happy at the birth of the
Prophet s?”
Al-Imam Al-Hafidz Syamsuddin bin Al-Jazari r also
mentions the same in his kitab ‘Araf Ta’arif bi Mawlid-
isy Syarif.
Imam Al-Hafidz Syamsuddin bin Nasaruddin Ad-Di-
masyqi r mentioned a poetry in his kitab Mawrid
As-Soodii fi Mawludil Hadi: “If that disbeliever (Abu

4
Taken from the kitab written by Al-Imam Al-Haafidz Abul Qasim Sulaiman bin Ahmad Ath-Thabarani r Mu‘jam At-Thabarani Al-Kabiir.
5
Taken from the kitab written by ‘Imad Ad-Din Abu Al-Fida’ Ismail bin Umar Ibn Kathir Al-Qurashi Ash-Shafi‘i r Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah.
Lahab) who is cursed in surah Tabbat (Surah Al-Lahab)
will persist eternally in Hellfire, but on Mondays his
punishment is lightened due to happiness at the birth of
the Prophet s, what about a servant who spends his
whole life being happy at the birth of the Prophet s?
Will they not be saved from the punishment of the Hell-
fire?”
According to a scholar from Syam, Shaykh Dr Yusuf
Khattar Muhammad ‫حفظــه اهلل‬: “Many scholars of had-
ith and sirah narrate the hadith of Abu Lahab being
released from punishment on Mondays due to being
happy at the birth of the Prophet s. Amongst them are
Al-Imam Abdul Razak San’ani, Al-Imam Bukhari, Al-
Imam Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Al-Hafidz Al-Bayhaqi,
Imam Ibn Hisham, Al-Imam Suhayli, Al-Hafidz Bagha-
wi, Al-Imam Ibn Daiba’, Al-Imam Al-Asyqar, and
Al-Imam Al-A’miri ‫رمحهم اهلل‬.”
It needs to be understood that even though dreams
cannot be used as a proof for or against Shari’ah rul-
ings, dreams can be used for biographies, history and
others. For example, Sayyidah Aminah dreamt of the
rising of the Prophet s from her womb, then surely
that can be used as a proof of it. The scholars of Had-
ith who narrate about this dream are proof that it is
true because they vouch for it and continue to narrate
it and did not reject it.
Third evidence: The Prophet s himself celebrated
the day of his birth by fasting on Mondays.
lullah s was asked about fasting on Mondays. So he
s said: ‘It is the day I was born and on that day reve-
lation was first revealed to me too.’”
The hadith above is clear evidence that the Prophet
s himself gave attention to and commemorated the
day of his birth. Perhaps the way he s commemo-
rated it was different, but it still means that it’s good
to fast on that day, or to give food or to gather to make
dzikir and salawat on our Beloved Prophet Muham-
mad s.
The celebration of Mawlidur Rasul isn’t just to be
happy on the day itself but on that day we are encour-
aged to remember his life (sirah) and everything that
is related to the Prophet s. The celebration is nec-
essary because it helps to increase our knowledge as
well as our love for the Prophet while strengthening
our faith in Allah and His Prophet s.
Such celebrations also help to revive our remem-
brance of the Prophet s, and this is established in
Shari’ah. We find that in the rituals of Hajj, there are
many forms of worship that are ways to commemorate
and remember certain events of the past that hap-
pened at particular locations such as the sa’i between
Safa and Marwa, stoning at Jamrah, sacrificing an
animal at Mina and others—they are all historical
events that happened before. The actions are being
done again to remember and commemorate such
landmark events.

Imam Muslim narrated in his kitab Sahih: It was nar-

rated by Sayyidina Abu Qatadah g : “Indeed Rasu- <>

“Uthman bin Abil Ath-Athaqafiy narrated from his mother who used to be the helper of
(Sayyidah) Aminah, Prophet Muhammad's mother. When she was in labour with the
Prophet, she (Uthman's mother) saw stars that were so close that she was afraid it
would fall on her head, and she saw a light that emanated from the Prophet's mother
that was so bright it lit up the room and the house. When giving birth to the Prophet,
she (Aminah) saw a light that was so bright that she was able to see the castles of Rome.
On the night of the birth of the Prophet, the palaces of Kaisar and Kisra was ruined,
and 14 towers of the palace of Kisra fell, and the fire that the Persians worshipped and
had been burning for 1000 years miraculously extinguished.”
Taken from the kitab Fathul Baari by Shaykhul Islam Al-Imam Syihabuddin Abul Fadhl Ahmad bin Ali bin Hajar Al-‘Asqalani Ash-Shafi’i r.
 The Slander by
Those Opposed
& the Responses
to Them
first slander:
If someone says: “The celebration of the Mawlid Naba-
wi is something that was never done by the Salaf, and
it also didn’t occur during the time of the Sahabah. It’s
clear then that it is considered a bid‘ah (innovation)
that is forbidden, and it is obligatory on us to oppose
it.”
response:
The jurists agree on the foundational maxim that
everything is mubah or permissible as long as there
is no text (nas) from the Qur‘an or Sunnah of Rasu-
lullah s that is explicit and clear to say that it is haram
(forbidden).
The same is said for a forbidden bid‘ah—there is no
other yardstick to deem something as forbidden or
permissible except the Qur‘an and the Sunnah of
Rasulullah s.
About the celebration of the Mawlid Nabi, no Muslim
since the advent of Islam on Earth until today has
witnessed, heard, read or found any text in the Qur‘an
or Hadith to conclusively decide that the remem-
brance or celebration of the Mawlid Nabi is a deviant
bid‘ah or something haram!
Moreover, no Muslim can prove with valid evidence
that celebrating the birth of the Prophet is against
the Qur‘an and Sunnah of Rasulullah s.
One of the excuses used by those who accuse the
celebration of mawlid as a forbidden bid‘ah is: During
the life of the Prophet s, the Muslims did not have
a gathering to remember his birth (mawlid). To
strengthen their accusation, they find many small
excuses that they deem “deviant” in the celebration
of the Mawlid Nabi. Clearly, their judgment is based
on their own thinking and opinion.
Therefore, it is not correct to think that anything that
was not done during the start of Islam is considered
a forbidden bid‘ah. If we were to put such a ruling,
then the actions of Sayyidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq,
Sayyidina ‘Umar Al-Khattab and Sayyidina Zaid ibn
Thabit l in compiling the Qur‘an will be considered
haram. The same goes for the actions of Sayyidina
‘Umar g who gathered the Sahabah and having an
Imam to perform the sunnah Tarawih prayers. He
also said in the famous words: “The best of bid‘ah
actions is this”.
Many more actions would be considered haram if we
merely say that anything that was not done during
the start of Islam is considered a forbidden bid‘ah.
Amongst them are gathering the Islamic sciences,
creating places of worship, building schools, hospitals,
orphanages, prisons and others will all be deemed
haram.
What should be done is to look at the evidence put
forth in Shara’. If what we intend to accomplish is
creating a solution for something that is obligatory
to do, then the ruling for doing it also becomes an
obligation (wajib). If what we intend to do is haram,
then the ruling is also haram, and so forth. For every
new thing that we intend to do, if it is aligned with
the maxims established by Shara’, and we don’t intend
to do something against the rules of Allah u, then it
becomes part of Islam.
Because of this, the ‘ulama place the hadith that was
said by the Prophet s that means: “Every bid‘ah is
deviant” not to every type of bid‘ah. This opinion is
further strengthened by the hadith narrated by Imam
Bukhari where Rasulullah s said: “Whoever starts
something (sunnah) good in Islam, he/she gets their
own reward and also the reward of those who follow
the act, without it detracting from their reward in any
way.”
In the book of Qur‘anic exegesis (tafsir) of Imam
Qurthubi r, Al-Hafidz Al-Muhaddith Al-Imam Mu-
hammad bin Idris Ash-Shafi’i r said: “Bid‘ah is di-
vided into two, bid‘ah mahmudah (praiseworthy) and
bid‘ah madzmumah (blameworthy), so the one that is
aligned with the sunnah is praiseworthy, and the one
opposed to the sunnah is blameworthy.” Imam Shafi’i
takes his evidence from the words of Sayyidina ‘Umar
bin Khattab g regarding the tarawih prayer: “This is
the best of bid‘ah.”
second slander:
If those who oppose saying: “The celebration of the
Mawlid is done in Rabi’ul Awwal. We are well aware
that the Prophet s also passed on in this month. So
why must we be happy at his birth but not grieve at his
passing s?”
response:
Imam Suyuti6 r answered this by saying: “Indeed the
birth of the Prophet s is the biggest blessing to us, while
the passing of the Prophet s is our biggest tragedy and
calamity. As we are aware, the Shara’ encourages us to
be happy at the birth of someone, and the Shara’ also
shows us to be quiet when faced with a calamity. The
Shara’ encourages us to perform ‘aqiqah when a baby
is born but does not tell us to sacrifice an animal when
death happens. So the evidence that we can take from
this is that we should rejoice at the birth of the Prophet
s and not show sadness on the day.7”
third slander:
Those who oppose the Mawlid say: “The night of the
birth of the Prophet s is not known conclusively (qat‘i),
and there are those who opine that it is on 9 Rabi’ul
Awwal and not the 12. If so, the commemoration of
Mawlid Nabi s that is done on 12 Rabi’ul Awwal does
not have standing based on history.”
6
He is ‘Abdur Rahman bin Kamaluddin Abu Bakar bin Muhammad
Jalaluddin As-Suyuthi Ash-Shafi’i r born in the year 849h/1443m,
an Imam Mujtahid and Mujaddid (distinguished Jurist and Reviver)
in the 9th century Hijriyyah, master of hadith, a jurist, Sufi, expert
in language, kalam (theology), history and a saint who possesses
karamah (miracles). He has authored books across almost all Islamic
sciences. This noble Imam passed away in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday
night, 19 Jamadilawwal 911h/1443m.
7
Taken from the writing of Al-Mujaddid Al-Imam Jalaluddin As-
Suyuthi r Husnul Maqasid fii ‘Amalil Mawlid.
 night of 8 Rabi’ul Awwal (day of 9 Rabi’ul Awwal) on
a particular year, and celebrated it on the night of 12
Rabi’ul Awwal on another year to practice and com-
memorate both narrations9. He continued: “The tra-
dition that is followed in Muslim countries when
celebrating the Mawlid Nabi is on 12 Rabi’ul Awwal
because it was agreed upon globally that the birth of
the Prophet s did not happen after the date (from
13 to 30 Rabi’ul Awwal). So they have it on a night
that does not have any differences in opinion on the
matter because it is clear the Prophet s was born
before that date. Also, it is not strange that there are
differences in opinion on the date of the birth of the
Prophet s because Rasulullah was born to a com-
munity that was illiterate, did not know writing or
counting, and it wasn’t written in their history except
events that were well-known to them.”

According to Al-‘Allaamah Al-Muhaddith As-Sayyid

Imam Muhammad ‘Alawi Al-Maliki Al-Hasani r: “We
response: do not say that the celebration of the birth of Rasu-
The excuse that the night of the birth of the Prophet lullah s is a sunnah and is tied to any particular date
s is not known qat‘i (conclusively) cannot be used or night. Whoever believes so and is convinced in it
as a proof to oppose the celebration of the Maulid then he/she has done a deviant bid‘ah in the religion
Nabi due to a few reasons. because remembering Rasulullah s and having your
heart firm on the Prophet should be done at every
Firstly, the ‘ulama who allow, and even encourage time and every age, and it is necessary to fill your soul
the Maulid Nabi never claimed that the night of the with love for Rasulullah s. Our gathering to celebrate
Prophet’s s birth was known conclusively. the birth of the Prophet s in the month of Rabi’ul
Awwal is not worship, but it is a tradition that is an
Secondly, in determining a fiqh ruling, it is not always excellent means to do da‘wah, to remind the heedless
based on conclusive evidence (dalil qat‘) ) but instead, among the ummah about good character, etiquette,
the majority of the ijtihad (rigorous endeavour) of things related to the Prophet s, his history, his in-
the scholars was based on evidence that was dzanni teractions and his worship.10”
(firm conviction but not conclusive). The majority of
the scholars opine, and it is mentioned in the books fourth slander:
of sirah that the birth of the Prophet s was on 12 If the party that opposes says: “Indeed the celebration
Rabi’ul Awwal. According to Shaykhul Islam Al-Imam of the Maulid is over-glorifying the Prophet s when he
Muhammad Zahid Al-Kawthari8 r, Sultan Al-Mudzaf- is a regular human being. Even the Prophet s mentioned
far Abu Sa’id (passed away in 620h) who started the the hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad r that means:
celebration of the Mawlid Nabi did celebrate it on the ‘Do not idolise me like the Christians have idolised ‘Isa

8
He was the last Shaykh Al-Islam of the Khilafah ‘Uthmaniyyah and a Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century. He studied under his father as well
as the scholar of Qur‘an and hadith Ibrahim Haqqi (d. 1345), Shaykh Zayn Al- ‘Abidin Al-Alsuni (d. 1336), Shaykh Muhammad Khalis Ash-
Shirwani, Al-Hasan Al-Aztuwa’i and others. When the Caliphate fell he moved to Cairo, then Sham, then Cairo again until his death, where
the late Shaykhs ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and ‘Abd Allah al-Ghumari became his students.
9
Taken from the writing of Shaykhul Islam Al-Imam Al-‘Allaamah Al-Muhaddith Al-Faqih Muhammad Zahid Al-Kawthari r Maqaalaat Al-
Kawthari.
10
Taken from the kitab authored by Al-Imam As-Sayyid Muhammad bin ‘Alawi Al-Maliki r Hawlal Ihtifaal Bidzikraa Al-Mawlid An-Nabawi
Ash-Shariif.
bin Maryam, verily I am just a servant of Allah and be able to encapsulate all of the blessings that were
His Messenger.’” given to the Prophet s by Allah u. Allah u praised
the Prophet s in surah Al-Qalam, verse 4:
response:
Asy-Shaykh Ahmad Fahmi Zamzam Al-Banjari An-Na- ‫َوإِن ََّك َل َع َ ٰل ُخ ُل ٍق َعظِي ٍم‬
dwi Al-Maliki ‫ حفظه اهلل‬says: “Praising and mentioning
the lofty characteristics of the Prophet s has become a “And thou (O Nabi Muhammad) (standest) on an ex-
tradition and culture of the Muslim ummah since the alted standard of character.”
time of the Prophet s himself until today. Throughout
history, all kinds of praises and glorification were writ- Allah u, The Most High, Most Glorious, has praised
ten about the Prophet s. People are still not satisfied the lofty character of the Prophet s, so surely Allah’s
with praising him. Even when poets are tongue-tied in praise is worth more than any praise from any human
their poetry and couplets, yet it still feels like praising towards the Prophet s. How can the praise from a
him has not reached its pinnacle or climax.” creation compete with praise from Allah u? It is
impossible. So surely we cannot reach the pinnacle
Such behaviour is not extreme as certain groups per- of praise that is befitting of Prophet s.
ceive it, but it is an outpouring of love and yearning
that is so deep towards the Beloved of Allah and the It was because of this that Imam Al-Bushiri r wrote
Best of Creation. in his Burdah verse 43 that:

No matter what praises are heaped onto him s, based “Leave how the Christians glorified their Prophet (Nabi
on the understanding of the ‘ulama, such praises will ‘Isa e), then (after that) praise him s in any way you
never meet its pinnacle or climax, and it will never want.”

The words of Imam Bushiri r mean that you can

praise him as much as you want as long as you don’t
overstep the boundaries and praise the Prophet s
the way the Christians glorified Prophet ‘Isa e and
say that he is a god. For example, you can say that
Rasulullah s is the best of creation, the light that fills
the earth, the leader of all Prophets and Messengers,
the most beloved to Allah u, the perfect man, the
servant with the most taqwa to Allah, and so on.
However, you cannot say that the Prophet s is
All-Powerful One, owns destiny (taqdir), can give life
or death, creator of Paradise or Hellfire and any oth-
er praise that shows divine attributes. We cannot
praise him s to that level.

A scholar from Syam, Asy-Shaykh Abdul Qadir Isa

Al-Halabi Ash-Shazili r responded to this question
with: “The evidence used by this group is false and not
true because praises and glorification that is forbidden
are when they attribute divine qualities that are done
by the Christians towards Prophet ‘Isa e. They place
Nabi ‘Isa e as the son of God and associate partners
in the Oneness of Allah u. Allah u says in surah
At-Tawbah:
 َ ‫ـيح ٱ ْب ـ ُن ٱللَِّ ٰذلِـ‬
‫ـك‬ ِ
ُ ‫ـارى ٱ َْلسـ‬ َ ‫ـت ٱلن ََّصـ‬ ْ ‫ـت ٱ ْل َي ُهــو ُد ُع َز ْيـ ٌـر ٱ ْب ـ ُن ٱهللِ َو َقا َلـ‬ ِ ‫و َقا َلـ‬
َ • The fast of ‘Ashura’—Prophet Muhammad s prac-
َ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ َ ِ
ُ ‫ـو َل ٱ َّلذيـ َن َك َفـ ُـرو ْا مــن َق ْبـ ُـل َقا َت َل ُهـ‬
‫ـم ٱللَُّ أن َّٰى‬ ْ ‫ـون َقـ‬
َ ‫ـم ُي َضاه ُئـ‬ ْ ‫َق ْو ُلُــم بأ ْف َواههـ‬ tised it and encouraged it because the Jews of Ma-
َ ‫ُي ْؤ َفك‬
‫ُون‬ dinah did it as a way to remember the victory of
Prophet Musa e and the Children of Israel against
‘The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians Pharaoh.
call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their • On ruqyah (healing incantations)—Nabi s allowed
mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers several ruqyah that came from the Arabs during the
of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) as long as it did not
are deluded away from the Truth!’” contain elements of shirik (association with the
Oneness of God).
Allah u again says in surah Al-Maaidah, verse 73: • Erecting prayer niches (mihrab) in masjids—this
was started by the People of the Book before Islam.
‫ال َث ٍة‬
َ ‫َّل َقدْ َك َف َر ٱ َّل ِذي َن َقا ُلو ْا إِ َّن ٱهللَ َثالِ ُث َث‬ • Compiling of books and scripture—this was started
by priests and rabbis from the People of the Book
“They do blaspheme who say: ‘Allah is one of three in a before Islam and is still being practised today.
Trinity.’”

The praises and glorification that takes place during <>

a celebration of the Mawlid do not glorify the Proph-
et s as being more than a creation (makhluq).

fifth slander:
Those who accuse say: “Celebrating the Maulid Nabi
s is a bid‘ah that was first done by the Shi‘ah Fathimi-
yyah, why follow them?”

response: “It is not befitting (may we be

We don’t agree with the accusation that the first time saved from it) for a Muslim
the Mawlid Nabi s was done was by the Shi‘ah
Fathimiyyah. The first time it was done was by Sultan (to say) that remembering
Mudzaffar Abu Sa’id r, an Irbil king in Iraq who was Mawlid Nabi s is a blame-
known for his piety and he was a follower of Ahlus
Sunnah Wal Jama‘ah Ash‘ariyyah Ash-Shafi‘iyyah11.
worthy and forbidden inno-
Together with Sultan Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi r, they vation!! Even to speak
fought the Salabiyyah (Crusaders). Not one ‘ulama (about the) dust from the
from that time protested or went against their actions
of celebrating the Mawlid Nabi s lavishly, costing sandals of the Prophet and
Sultan Mudzaffar 300,000 dinar. the urine of the donkey of the
If the first person to celebrate Maulid Nabi s was a
Prophet s is amongst the
Shi‘ah Fathimiyyah, does it mean that it’s haram be- best of sunnah and the most
cause they are from a deviant sect? In our religion we
have many examples of rulings that were taken from
lofty encouragement (mus-
religions and traditions before Islam, for example: tahab) according to us…”
Taken from the article Al-Muhannad ‘alal Mufannad by
Al-Muhaddith Imam Khalil Ahmad As-Sahranfuri r author
11
Taken from the kitab written by ‘Imad Ad-Din Abu Al-Fida’ Ismail of Bazlul Majhud Syarah Sunan Abi Daud.
bin Umar Ibn Kathir Al-Qurashi Ash-Shafi‘i r Bidayah wa Al-
The article was shown to the Shaykhul Azhar at the time,
Nihayah.
Al-Imam Al-‘Allamah Shaykh Salim Al-Bisyri r and he
agrees with this fatwa by the Indian scholar.
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By Al-Ustadz As-Sayyid Ahmad

Haris As-Suhaimi
Translated by Muhammad
Mazdiuky bin Muhammad Ishak

the greatness of islam, the blessed religion!

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This Palace This true story is narrated by Sultan ‘Ulama Al-Hijaz
As-Sayyid Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Nawawi Al-Ban-
tani12 r, told by Shaykh ‘Abdullah bin ‘Isa Al-Ansari

Is for Those regarding his pious female neighbour. His neighbour

also had a pious son. This pious woman did not have
much wealth besides one dinar that she got from her

Who Celebrate weaving. When she passed on, that one dinar was
inherited by her son. Her pious son said to himself
that this one dinar from the efforts of his mother

Mawlid would only be used for matters of the Hereafter.

One day, this son of the pious woman left his home

Rasulullah s for an errand. He walked past a gathering that was

reciting the Qur‘an and celebrating the Mawlidun
Nabi s in Rabi’ul Awwal. He then sat with them and
participated in the majlis Mawlid.

That night, he dreamt as if the Day of Judgment was

happening and a caller called out: “Where is this per-
son, son of this person?” The names of some people in
that gathering were called, and they were escorted
to paradise, with him amongst them. When entering
paradise, the caller said: “Indeed Allah u has given
each of you a palace in paradise.” So he entered his
palace; he had never seen a palace like it regarding
beauty and perfection, it was filled with houri, and
every door had a servant. He saw that there were
other palaces more beautiful than his, and he desired
to enter them. As soon as that desire was felt in his
heart, one of the servants said to him: “That is not for
you. That palace is for those who host Mawlid Rasulul-
lah s.”

The next day, he spent the one dinar he inherited from

his mother to host a Mawlid Nabi s because of his
joy at having the dream. He gathered people to make
dzikr of Allah, recite Al-Qur‘an and read the Mawlid
Nabi s. He also narrated his dream to them, and they
rejoiced at hearing it. He made a promise (nazar) not
to abandon hosting gatherings of Mawlid Nabi
throughout his life.

Later, he dreamt again and in his dream, he met his

mother. His mother was in a good state, adorned with
the adornments of paradise, and had a beautiful smell
from the smells of paradise. He kissed his mother’s
hands and his mother kissed his forehead saying:
“May Allah u reward you with goodness my son. Angels
have come to me bringing these adornments.” He asked
his mother: “Where did you get such adornments?”
She answered: “Because you spent the one dinar I had
left behind to host a mawlid for the Leader of those who “There is no house, or masjid,
has come before and the ones to come, then this is the or any place where the
reward for those who sanctify their Prophet and host a
gathering to remember the Mawlid of the Prophet s.”
Mawlidin Nabi s is read
except that they are sur-
Such is the sharing of a true story of a dream from a rounded by angels and Allah
pious one, told to a pious one, and compiled by a
pious one. May the blessings of their piety reach us will spread His Mercy (rah-
and make us from amongst them. mah) to them. Angels with
We would like to remind that the dream is a mubasy-
necklaces of light—Jibril, Mi-
syiraat (glad tidings) as mentioned by Rasulullah s kail, Israfil, Qarbail, 'Aynail,
that was narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari:
Ash-Shaafun, Al-Haafun
‫مل يبق من النبوة إال املبرشات قالوا وما املبرشات؟ قال الرؤيا الصاحلة‬ and Al-Karubiyyun—they
supplicate for the people who
“Nothing is left from nubuwwah (prophethood) except
mubasysyiraat (glad tidings).” The Sahabah asked: were the reason the Mawli-
“What is Al-Mubasysyiraat?” Prophet s replied: “Good din Nabi s was read. There
dreams.”
is no Muslim whose house
was read the Mawlidin Nabi
<> s except that Allah protects
the inhabitants from drought,
plague, fire, calamities, di-
sasters, suffering, enmity,
envy, evil eye and robbery.
When he or she dies, Allah
makes it easy for them to
As-Sayyid Ash-Shaykh Muhammad Nawawi Al-Bantani r is
answer the questioning by
12

not a stranger to Muslims in the Nusantara. In fact, his greatness

is compared to a great scholar of the Shafi‘i mazhab Al-Imam
An-Nawawi r. His writings and works are spread widely and are Munkar and Nakir, and they
still being researched today. His full name is Abu Abdul Mu‘ti
Muhammad Nawawi ibn ‘Umar At-Tanara Al-Jawi Al-Bantani but he will be placed at the rank of
is more famously known as Muhammad Nawawi Al-Jawi Al-Bantani.
As-Sidq by Allah, The
He was born in Kampung Tanara, Serang, Banten in the year
1230h/1815m. He passed away on 25 Syawal 1314h/1897m at All-Powerful King u.”
the age of 84 tahun. He is buried in Ma’la near the maqam of his
grandmother Ummul Mu’minin Sayyidah Khadijah j. His father Taken from the kitab Al-Wasaail fi Syarhisy Syamaa’il by
is Shaykh ‘Umar, from his lineage, Nawawi was the 12th royal Sultan ‘Aarifiin Imam Jalaluddin As-Suyuthi r. Mentioned
descenant of Maulana Syarif Hidayatullah r (Sunan Gunung Jati, also by Al-‘Allaamah As-Sayyid Abu Bakr Syatha Ad-
Cirebon), from prince Maulana Hasanuddin (Sultan Banten I) who Dimyathi r in his kitab I’aanathuth Thaalibiin.
was named Sunyararas (Tajul ‘Arsy) and his lineage continued to
the Nabi Muhammad s through Sayyiduna Imam Ja'afar As- Sodiq,
Sayyiduna Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir , Sayyiduna Imam Ali Zaynal
Abidin, Sayyiduna Husayn, Sayyidatina Fatimah Az-Zahra l.
Remembering
the greatest
of Men13
In a hadith, Rasulullah s said: “I am the first to ask
for intercession, and I am the first whose intercession is
accepted by Allah u.”
Look at this hadith!
Rasulullah s is teaching us to nurture a connection
with him, a close relationship with Rasulullah s. In
the past, the Sahabah l gathered and remembered
Allah u, remembered the Prophet s, and those who
were blessed by Allah u.
Look at the Muslims today!
Far different from the time of the Sahabah of Rasu-
lullah s, Muslims today when they gather, they think
of people who don’t believe in Allah. They mention
13
From the lecture of Sayyidil Habib ‘Umar bin Muhammad bin Hafidz ‫ حفظه اهلل‬at Darul Mustafa, Tarim, Hadhramawt.
the names of those who are despised in Allah’s sight
and look at how many Muslims are influenced by the
destructive mindsets of the West, mindsets and think-
ing of people who have never prostrated to Allah.
Our obligation as Muslims is to tend to the belief in
our hearts, we strengthen our faith to Allah and sow
the seeds that honour is only for Allah and Rasulullah
s. Majesty belongs to Allah and his Prophet.
Allah u said in the Qur‘an which means: “Honour
and glory belong to Allah u and His Messenger, and
to the Believers, but the Hypocrites know not.”
Because of that my brethren, let’s glorify Allah u,
glorify the people that Allah has raised, and exalt
those that He u has exalted.
We must exalt Allah u, exalt the Prophet s, exalt
the Sahabah l, exalt the awliya‘ of Allah u.
It was said that one day when the Companions were
gathered, they mentioned the specialities of the pre-
vious Prophets f. Several among them said: “Look
at Nabi Ibrahim e who was made Khalilullah.”
So other Sahabah said: “But look at Nabi Musa e
who was more exalted and was made Kalimullah, one
who could communicate directly with Allah.”
Others said: “Look at Nabi ‘Isa e who was made by
Allah to be Ruhullah!”
Others then said how Nabi Adam e was created
directly by Allah.
As they were mentioning the different specialities of
the past Prophets f, Nabi Muhammad s came to
them, gave salaam and said: “O my Sahabah, you are
all gathered here mentioning the specialities of past
Prophets sent by Allah, you say that Nabi Ibrahim e
is Khalilullah and he is that. And you say that Nabi
Musa e is Kalimullah, the Prophet that spoke directly
to Allah, who communicated to Allah, and he is that.
And the same for Nabi Isa e and Nabi Adam e, they
are all exalted beings in the sight of Allah u.”
Then Rasulullah s said again: “And know, O my Sa-
habah that I am Habibullah, I am the beloved of Allah.
I am the first to give intercession to the ummah on the
Day of Judgment. I am the most exalted of creation from
all creations of Allah. I am the first Prophet that will
enter Paradise and with me will be the blessed one from
among the Mu‘minin (people who believe in Allah).”
Look at Rasulullah s, look at how he’s teaching us
to forge a relationship with him.
Let us always strenghten our relationship with the
Prophet s.
Allah and his Prophet are more fitting for our glori-
fication, and we should glorify them if we are indeed
believers of Allah and His Prophet.
<>
“The celebration we hold to
remember the Mawlid of the
Prophet s is not far from
what Sayyidina Hasan bin
Tsabit g did when the people
gathered and listened to him
praise Nabi Muhammad s
with his poetry. And we're not
doing anything other than
what was done by Sayyidina
‘Ali bin Abi Thalib g or that
was done by Sayyidina
Al-Barra’ bin ‘Aazib g or that
was done by Sayyidina Anas
bin Malik g when they told
stories of the Prophet's lofty
character s and personality
to those gathered.”
Taken from the article Al-Hidayah Al-Islamiyyah by Shaykhul
Azhar Al-Imam Muhammad Al-Khidr Husayn r.
the beautiful & innocent
Faces of Al-Aqsa...
Join khidmat khatam al-qur‘an for your beloved arwah, ramadhan 1440h/2019m and your
contribution of S$500 for this service will also be channeled for sponsoring sahur & iftar meals in this whole
month of Ramadhan at Masjid Al-Aqsa and the needy families & orphans in Palestinian refugee camps. An
effort with the help of Aman Palestin Malaysia, a non-profitable non-governmental oraganisation based in
Kuala Lumpur.

Rasulullah s said: “If you are unable to visit Baytul Maqdis (to perform solat at Masjid Al-Aqsa) then, deliver
oil to lighten its lamps, whoever carries out this act, will be similar (rewards) as those who perform solat inside
it.” HR Imam Ahmad, Ibnu Majah, Abu Dawud & Tabarani

For more information, please contact Ustadz Mohamed Mazdiuky at +65 9001 44 96 or email abumar-
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rewards
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Please support & join this blessed fiisabilillah effort

Khatam Al-Qur‘an 2019

& sponsor iftar Ramadhan 1440h
at the 3rd holiest Masjid!

Imam Al-Qurthubi r said in his book At-Tadzkirah: “Some of our scholars present evidence on the recitation
of Al-Qur‘an reaching the deceased using the hadith about the date fronds that was cut in half by Nabi Muhammad
s. He then prodded one into someone’s grave and another one into someone else’s grave. Then he s said: ‘Hopefully
it will ease them both as long as they are not dry.’ If the sticking of the moist branch-leaf of the tamar on the grave
could give benefit to the deceased, how else then with the recitation of verses from the Holy al-Quran that was
given to the deceased? Definitely the recitations are much more special than that moist tamar branch-leaf.”

In Al-Azdkar, Imam Nawawi r said: “Imam Shafi’i r and the scholars of Shafi’iyyah said: ‘It is sunnat to recite
some verses of the Qur‘an at graves.’ They said: ‘If they khatam the whole Qur‘an, it would be better.’”

The contribution of S$500 (for 7 names) for this service will also be channeled for sponsoring sahur & iftar
meals in this whole month of Ramadhan 1440H at Masjid Al-Aqsa, the needy families & orphans of Pal-
estine. A good and noble act in Ramadhan! Please share among your families and friends in this blessed
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official registration 1 march 2019!

we accept early registration!

For more information, please contact Ustadz Muhammad Mazdiuky at +65 9001 44 96 or email abumar-
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