Nasai

(1) "Became displeased." Because he did not consider it appropriate to display his own piety, therefore he became displeased at such a question. Or he sensed the danger that if he disclosed it, the questioner or other people would try to emulate him and would fall into hardship. Or he became displeased because in matters of worship—especially fasting—it is prohibited to imitate him, for example: *wisal* (fasting continuously for several days) is his unique characteristic; no other person is permitted to fast for more than one day in the manner of *wisal*. And Allah knows best.

(2) "Are pleased." That is, we are firmly adhering to the religion that Allah, the Exalted, has revealed upon you, therefore forgive our mistake.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

➊ There is a difference of opinion regarding the three fasts of every month. According to Shu’bah, the first three days of every month are meant; some say the first day of each ten-day period (ashrah); some say that in one month, one should fast on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and in the next month on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; some say the last days of every month are meant; and some say that what is meant are the “white days” (ayyam al-beedh). And this was the practice of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): he did not specify (the days) so that there would be ease and facilitation for the Ummah.

➋ The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said regarding the fast of Monday that it is a day of goodness and blessing, in which I was born, and on this day I was sent (as a Prophet), and the revelation of the Qur’an began upon me. Thus, one motivation was gratitude for the great blessings received on this day, and another motivation is mentioned in another hadith: that on this day, deeds are presented (to Allah), and I wish that my deeds be presented while I am fasting. This second motivation is also present for fasting on Thursday.

➌ A strange and peculiar argument and its answer: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast on Mondays, and the reason he gave was that it was the day of his birth, the honor of Prophethood, and the day of the Qur’an’s revelation. From this, it is argued that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) celebrated his birthday and expressed gratitude to Allah for this blessing, and that expressing gratitude to Allah on the day of the Prophet’s birth is his sunnah. Now, the question is: the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) specified a particular way and form of celebrating and expressing gratitude to Allah, and he practiced this throughout his life, always fasting on Mondays. So, if someone wants to celebrate the day of the Prophet’s birth (Mawlid al-Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), is not the correct way and form to fast on Monday, since the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) only fasted on his birthday and did nothing else? How, then, can processions in Rabi’ al-Awwal, singing and music, illuminations, decorative arches and doors, lighting up streets, alleys, and mosques be justified? Whereas the requirement of following the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is that nothing be added to the method he specified.

If the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) celebrated and expressed gratitude every Monday, then why is only Rabi’ al-Awwal singled out? While the day of Mawlid al-Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is generally not even a Monday. If the day of Ashura, the tenth of Muharram, is used as evidence, that too is incorrect, because Musa (alayhis salam) only fasted; the tradition of Eid was later introduced by the Jews, so celebrating it is following the way of the Jews, not following Musa (alayhis salam).

Furthermore, the month of the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) birth is not established; some consider it Muharram, some Ramadan, and some Rabi’ al-Awwal. In reality, the month of Mawlid cannot be determined, because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was born in Makkah, where the practice of nasī’ (postponement of months) was prevalent, due to which even the months of Hajj would change. Therefore, due to the advancement and postponement of nasī’, it is not possible to accurately determine the month of the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) birth. Whereas it is an established fact that his worldly life ended in this month, and now the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is not present on the face of the earth before the Muslims as he was before the Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in). Thus, the era of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in), the Followers (tabi’in rahimahullah), and the Followers of the Followers (atba’ al-tabi’in rahimahullah) has ended, and now this honor cannot be attained by anyone. Another point is that if the way of celebrating is the same as that adopted in the form of Mawlid al-Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), then what is the reason that on this day the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) received Prophethood and the revelation began, and it is explicitly established from the Qur’an that the beginning of the Qur’an’s revelation was in Ramadan, so why has the method of Eid never been adopted for Ramadan? The verse: ﴿قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا﴾ has been presented by Mulla Ali Qari as evidence for the gathering of Mawlid. And the real referent of this bounty and mercy, according to the explicit text of the Qur’an, is the Qur’an itself. Although there is no doubt that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is also a mercy, it is strange that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered the fast of Ashura, and that too at the beginning of the Hijrah, emphatically and, according to the Hanafis, as obligatory, and later even that emphasis was abrogated. But for the fast of Monday, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not even recommend or emphasize it. And if the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) fasting is proof for Mawlid al-Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), then certainly the Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in), the Followers (rahimahullah), and the Followers of the Followers (rahimahullah)—the three generations whose goodness the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) testified to—would have celebrated it, or at least the four Imams—Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, Imam Malik rahimahullah, Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah, and Imam Ahmad rahimahullah—would have recommended it, or at the very least, if not in hadith, it would have been mentioned in the books of jurisprudence.

Among the nineteen evidences presented by Imam Mulla Ali Qari in this regard, the majority have no connection to the gatherings of Rabi’ al-Awwal; those actions are always desirable and beloved. It is strange: the very first evidence is made from the incident of Abu Lahab’s happiness, who freed a slave girl in joy at his nephew’s birth. In that narration, it is stated that Abu Lahab freed the slave girl before the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) birth: (Qala ‘Urwah: wa Thuwaybah mawlatun li Abi Lahab, kana Abu Lahab a’taqaha). After this, the incident of the dream is mentioned. On this, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah wrote: (that the report is mursal, ‘Urwah sent it, and did not mention from whom he heard it) (Fath al-Bari, al-Matba’ah al-Salafiyyah, vol. 9, p. 145). Whereas the actual fact is that he freed Thuwaybah after the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) migration; it has no connection to his birth. For details, see (Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d, vol. 1, p. 108, “Mention of those who suckled the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam”; al-Isabah fi Tamyeez al-Sahabah, vol. 4, p. 65, Ibn Hajar; al-Isti’ab fi Asma’ al-Ashab, vol. 1, p. 12, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr). And the deed of a disbeliever, according to the explicit text of the Qur’an, is in vain. In Surah al-Furqan: ﴿وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا﴾. But after the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Prophethood and mission, he became his worst enemy, and this incident is present in Bukhari, vol. 2. And the incident of the dream, which was not presented before the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) for confirmation and endorsement—how can this incident become a proof of love and evidence? Can a dream become a legal proof and argument? The strongest and most significant evidence is the division of innovation (bid’ah), that this is a good innovation (bid’ah hasanah). However, according to Mujaddid Alf Thani, when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has said: (kullu muhdathatin bid’ah, wa kullu bid’atin dalalah, wa kullu dalalah fin-nar) (in religion) every new thing is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, then how can there be any goodness in innovation? Elsewhere, he writes: (The scholars) have said that innovation is of two types: hasanah (good) and sayyi’ah (evil). Hasanah is that good deed which was introduced after the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in), and which does not abolish a sunnah; and sayyi’ah is that which prevents a sunnah. According to this principle, Mawlid al-Nabi is a bad innovation (bid’ah sayyi’ah), because it prevents the sunnah. How many of these people fast on this day, which is the sunnah of this day? This humble one does not observe any goodness or light in these innovations, but perceives only darkness and impurity. If today, due to weakness of insight, the innovator’s action appears as purity and freshness, tomorrow, when insight is sharpened, it will be seen that its result was nothing but loss and regret.

The words of Mujaddid Alf Thani regarding innovation are worth seeing. For details, see: Maktubat Imam Rabbani, First Volume, Letter No. 186; Second Volume, Letters 21 and 23. And is it the case that for the two Eids, forced collection of donations and unlawful acts are carried out? Whereas in Mawlid al-Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), all this is happening.

1:
The narrator is in doubt whether he said ((la saama wa laa aftir)) or ((lam yasum wa lam yuftir)) (both have the same meaning). Apparently, this is an informative statement that he did not fast because he opposed the Sunnah, and he did not break the fast because he remained hungry and thirsty, not eating or drinking anything. Another opinion is that this is a supplication against him; by saying this, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) expressed his disapproval of this action.

Benefits and Issues:
(1)
Fasting for two days and then leaving a day without fasting was not liked by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) because he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) felt that it would be difficult for the average person to adopt this as a regular practice, except for someone who chooses the path of excessiveness, which is not appropriate.

(2)
The other two methods mentioned in the hadith were liked by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), therefore they are permissible.

(3)
Regarding the third situation, the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) expressed a desire that he would have the strength for it. This means that, due to many other engagements, it was difficult for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to adopt this practice. Therefore, in voluntary acts of worship, a person should adopt such a routine that there is no fear of it interfering with the fulfillment of his other obligations.