The Practice of Standing Up at the Mention of the Prophet ﷺ
Standing up at the mention of the Prophet ﷺ, as is customary in the Milad gathering, is an unfounded and unauthentic practice. This act is based solely on personal desires and exaggeration and has no basis. It is established through Shariah rulings, the Quran, Hadith, and the consensus of the Ummah in the light of the understanding of the pious predecessors, but none of these provide any foundation for this practice; therefore, it is declared an innovation (Bid’ah).
Claim of the Presence of the Prophet ﷺ in the Milad Gathering
Some people believe that the Prophet ﷺ himself is present in the Milad gathering, while others say it is possible that you ﷺ spiritually attend. Some individuals consider this possible as a form of miracle. However, all these are personal opinions and claims that have no basis in the Quran and Sunnah.
Claim of Seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a Wakeful State
Some ignorant Sufis claim that they see the Prophet ﷺ in a wakeful state or that he ﷺ attends the gathering of Milad. Such claims are very serious mistakes, and these people oppose the Book and Sunnah as well as the consensus of the scholars. Because regarding those who have died in this worldly life, Allah Almighty says:
(ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ، ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ)
“Then indeed you, after that, are to die. Then indeed on the Day of Resurrection you will be resurrected.”
Whoever speaks contrary to this is either lying or presenting the matter incorrectly. These people fail to understand the reality that the pious predecessors understood and which the Companions and the Tabi‘un of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ followed.
Not Proven from the Companions and Tabi‘un
As far as standing up when the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned is concerned, there is no authentic evidence with a proper chain from any Companion, Tabi‘i, or trustworthy Muslim for this practice. Therefore, this act is an ugly innovation.
Scholars’ Opinion
Allama Abdul Hai Lakhnawi Hanafi (1264-1304 AH) writes about this practice:
“…this is also among those false things which cannot be proven by any evidence. It is only a possibility and conjecture, and that too without any proof.”
Similarly, Allama Muhammad bin Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (942 AH) states:
“Many lovers of the Prophet ﷺ when they hear mention of any attribute of you ﷺ, stand up out of respect. This standing is an innovation for which there is no evidence in Shariah.”
Muhaddith Ibn Hajar Haytami (909-974 AH) also says:
“This too is an innovation… people do it with the intention of respect, but for the common people this act is excusable, whereas for special people (scholars) it is not.”
Viewpoint of Deobandi Scholars
Some of the senior Deobandi scholars also consider this standing permissible, such as Haji Imdadullah Makki (d. 1317 AH) who states:
“…If the possibility of his arrival is considered, there is no objection… The blessed person is not far off.”
Ashraf Ali Thanvi Sahib also expresses the same opinion:
“…If, due to the name of the Prophet, someone stands up out of respect, what is wrong with that? When someone comes, people stand up to honor him.”
This viewpoint is actually equivalent to strengthening an innovation and is against the practice of the pious predecessors. It is an analogy with a difference, i.e., comparing the world of spirits to the world of bodies, whereas the rulings for both are different. Moreover, none of the pious predecessors accepted this analogy, and there is no basis for it in the Quran and Hadith.
Limits of Respect for the Noble Prophet ﷺ
Respect for the Noble Prophet ﷺ is an essential part of every believer’s faith, but the limits of this respect will be determined by Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Imam Ahl al-Hadith Allama Bashir Ahmad Sahaswani (1250-1326 AH) states:
“…We, the Ahl al-Hadith, show every respect to the Prophet ﷺ that is established in the Quran and Sunnah, whether it is in action, speech, or belief.”
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728 AH) also states:
“The respect for the Prophets is only in confirming the news they have given, obeying their commands, following them, and loving them.”
While some other scholars advocate for a broader understanding, as Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Barelvi writes:
“There is no restriction in respect; rather, in whichever time and place, whatever method of respect is practiced, do it in that way, provided that Shariah has not prohibited it.”
The Absence of Standing Up at the Mention of the Prophet ﷺ
If standing up at the mention of the Prophet ﷺ was a form of respect for ﷺ, then why were the Companions, the Followers, and the Followers of the Followers deprived of it? There is a big difference between the respect shown by the Companions and the respect practiced in the present era. In the Quran and Sunnah, evidence is necessary to permit an action in religious matters, whereas in worldly matters, evidence is required to prohibit something. Unfortunately, in this issue, people have limited respect to indulgence and worldly interests.
Reference to the Saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
Abu Mujaz Lahq bin Humaid, a Tabi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates:
“…Whoever likes people to stand for him as if he were an idol, let him consider his abode to be Hell.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained this hadith by stating that this warning applies when people stand for someone who is sitting, whereas standing for someone who is arriving is not meant by this. This explanation has also been elaborated by al-Muhaddith al-Albani:
“…It is considered undesirable for those sitting to stand up for someone coming from outside.”
Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه says:
“…None of the Companions would stand upon seeing the Prophet ﷺ, because they knew that he ﷺ disliked it.”
Practice of the Pious Predecessors
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله says:
“In the time of the Prophet ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, it was not the habit of the pious predecessors that when they saw the Prophet ﷺ, they would stand up, as people do nowadays.”
Benefit Number 1: Mutual Respect between Sayyida Fatimah رضي الله عنها and the Prophet ﷺ
Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates that:
“When Lady Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, would come to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he ﷺ would stand up towards her, hold her hand, kiss it, and seat her in his place. Similarly, when the Noble Prophet ﷺ would visit her, Lady Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, would stand up towards him, hold his hand, kiss it, and seat him in her place ﷺ ﷺ.”
This narration was declared authentic by Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him
, and Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him
, and Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, confirmed their agreement. This standing up is permissible. Although this narration appears to contradict some other narrations on the surface, reconciliation between them is possible. Sheikh al-Islam Thani, Allama Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him (691-751 AH), explains this by writing:
“It is blameworthy for a person to stand up out of respect, but there is no harm in standing up to welcome someone when they arrive. This applies to all the ahadith.”
Benefit Number 2: The Prophet ﷺ honoring his foster parents
Amr ibn al-Sa’ib narrates that he heard this tradition:
“One day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting when the foster father of ﷺ came. ﷺ spread a part of his cloak for him, and he sat on it. Then the foster mother of ﷺ came, so ﷺ spread the other side of the cloak for her, and she sat on it. Then the foster brother of ﷺ came, so the Prophet ﷺ stood up and seated him in front of himself.”
Commentary: This narration is “weak” due to its chain being “Mursal.”
Benefit Number 3: Sayyiduna Abbas رضي الله عنه welcoming the Prophet ﷺ
It is narrated from Sayyida Umm Fadl رضي الله عنها:
“The Prophet ﷺ came. When Sayyiduna Abbas رضي الله عنهما saw him ﷺ, he stood up towards him, kissed between his two eyes, and then seated him ﷺ on his right side.”
Commentary: This narration is false. Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله has declared it invalid.
. Regarding its narrator Ahmad bin Rushdain Al-Hilali, Hafiz Dhahabi رحمه الله says:
“He fabricated this narration out of his ignorance.”
Weak Doubt and Its Refutation
The innovators sometimes argue that the Companions رضي الله عنهم used to stand in respect of the Prophet ﷺ. Their evidence is the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to sit with us in the mosque and talk. When you ﷺ would stand up, we would also stand, and we would remain standing until we saw you ﷺ enter the house of one of your pure wives.”
Commentary
This narration is “weak” because regarding its narrator Hilal ibn Abi Hilal Al-Madani, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“La A’arifuhu” meaning “I do not know him.”
Imam Ibn Shahin, may Allah have mercy on him, also said:
“La A’arifuhu” meaning “I do not know him.”
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, also stated:
“La Ya’rif” meaning “He is unknown.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, classified it as “Maqbool” (conditionally accepted)
, while Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned him in
, but despite this, this narrator remains “Majhool al-Haal” (unknown status).
Explanation of the narration
Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him (773-852 AH), said:
“It is possible that the reason the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, remained standing was that they thought it might be a burden to call the Prophet ﷺ again for any of their needs. Later, when I referred to Sunan Abi Dawood, I found the incident of the Bedouin in which the Prophet ﷺ called a man and ordered arrangements of dates and barley for the Bedouin, and then dismissed the Companions.”
Statement of Mulla Ali Qari
Mulla Ali Qari, Hanafi Maturidi (d. 1014 AH), says:
“Perhaps the Companions used to wait in case the Prophet ﷺ needed something or came back to them again, and when they became certain that you ﷺ no longer needed them, they would disperse. After you ﷺ left, they did not prefer to sit.”
Refutation of the Proof for Standing out of Respect
It is not correct to say that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to stand out of respect for the Prophet ﷺ. And using this as evidence for standing at the time of mentioning the birth is completely wrong. This standing, as explained, was due to some necessity or etiquette, not for respect.
Reception of Sayyiduna Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Juhaifah, may Allah be pleased with him:
“When Sayyiduna Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, returned from the migration to Abyssinia, the Prophet ﷺ welcomed him, kissed him between his eyes, and said: I do not know which of the two things makes me happier—the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja’far?”
Comment:
The chain of this narration is “weak” because it includes the narrator Ahmad bin Khalid Al-Harani. Imam Al-Daraqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“It is weak, nothing more; I have not seen anyone praise it.”
Hafiz Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
“Wah” meaning “This narrator is weak.”
Narration about Ikramah bin Abi Jahl رضي الله عنه
“When Ikramah رضي الله عنه reached the door of the Prophet ﷺ, he ﷺ stood up quickly with happiness.”
Comment:
This narration is not reliable because its narrator Muhammad bin Umar Al-Waqidi is considered “weak” and “abandoned” by the majority. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal رحمه الله says:
“He used to fabricate hadiths.”
Incident of Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah رضي الله عنه
It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha رضي الله عنها that when Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah رضي الله عنه came to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ was present in my residence. He knocked on the door:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up holding his clothes without being fully dressed. By Allah! I have never seen him ﷺ meet anyone without being fully dressed before or after this. He ﷺ embraced him and kissed him.”
Comment:
This narration is “extremely weak” because:
Its narrator Ibrahim bin Yahya bin Muhammad Al-Shajari is “Lain Al-Hadith”
.
Yahya bin Muhammad bin Ibad Al-Madani Al-Shajari is “weak,” and Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“He was blind and would accept what people said.”
Muhammad bin Ishaq Al-Madani is “Mudallis,” and Imam Zahri, may Allah have mercy on him, is also Mudallis; neither explicitly stated they heard directly, so the narration is “weak.”
The Incident of Sayyiduna Saad bin Muadh, may Allah be pleased with him
When the Prophet ﷺ called Sayyiduna Saad bin Muadh, may Allah be pleased with him, he came riding on a mule:
“When he reached near the mosque, the Prophet ﷺ said to the Ansar: Qoomoo ila sayyidikum (Rise towards your leader).”
This incident does not mean that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, stood out of respect. In fact, this command was to help Sayyiduna Saad, may Allah be pleased with him, who was wounded, to dismount from the mount. Other narrations also clarify this point:
“Rise towards your leader and help him down from the mount.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote with this clarification:
“These words reject the argument for standing as a sign of respect based on this incident.”
There is no proof for standing out of respect for the Prophet ﷺ
It becomes clear that standing at the mention of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ is not established by any authentic narration. Those who practice it have no solid evidence, and it is categorically baseless in the Quran and Hadith, therefore it is declared an innovation.
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Barelvi (1324-1391 AH) writes:
“Standing at the mention of the Prophet ﷺ is the Sunnah of the pious predecessors.”
This is a false claim, because there is no evidence for it from any Sahabi, Tabi’i, or Tabi’ al-Tabi’in, not even from Imam Abu Hanifa or Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on them.
Mufti Sahib further writes:
“At the time of birth, angels were standing at the door of wealth, therefore standing during the mention of birth resembles the action of angels.”
This is also an unfounded and unproven statement. Such claims are neither established by the Quran and Hadith nor confirmed by the pious predecessors. Their claims are actually attempts to mislead people.
The prevalent celebration of Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ is an innovation
The current form of Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ, in which celebrations and gatherings are held, is an innovation and there is no doubt about its being an innovation. If there were any clear evidence for it in the Quran and Hadith, the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) and the pious predecessors would certainly have been aware of it and practiced it. On the contrary, it appears that this practice is an innovation. Scholars have given several clear statements regarding this:
Statements of Scholars
Taj al-Din Umar bin Ali Fakihani, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 734 AH)
“The practice of Milad is a blameworthy innovation.”
He further states:
“I do not find any evidence for this Mawlid in the Book and Sunnah, nor is its practice transmitted from those scholars of the Ummah who are our leaders in religion. This innovation was actually invented by false worshippers and is the result of carnal desires, which are maintained by indulgent people.”
Allama Al-Shatibi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 790 AH)
He also declared the Eid Milad-un-Nabi to be an innovation.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him (661-728 AH)
He says:
“This practice was not done by the pious predecessors, despite the fact that honoring the Messenger was required and there was no obstacle. If this practice was entirely good or better, then the predecessors were more deserving than us to practice it, because they loved and honored the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more than us and they sought righteousness more.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar Asqalani, may Allah have mercy on him (773-852 AH)
He says:
“The practice of Milad is an original innovation. This practice is not transmitted from any of the three (Mashhood Laha Bil Khair) eras of the pious predecessors.”
Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad Ibn al-Hajj (d. 737 AH)
He writes:
“If there are no songs in the Milad, only food is prepared, and the intention is for Milad, even then this act becomes an innovation due to the intention, because it is an addition to the religion. The pious predecessors did not practice this. Following the pious predecessors is the only worthy practice. It is not transmitted from any of the pious predecessors that they performed any act with the intention of Milad. We are followers of the pious predecessors. The practice that was sufficient for the predecessors should be sufficient for us.”
Hafiz Sakhawi, may Allah have mercy on him (831-902 AH)
He writes:
“This act was not performed by anyone from the three eras (Companions, Followers, and Followers of the Followers). It was invented later.”
Hafiz Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him (849-911 AH)
“The first person who invented the Milad was Muzaffar Abu Saeed Kukbari, the king of Erbil.”
The unanimous stance of the scholars
The statements of the esteemed scholars make it absolutely clear that the celebration of Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ is not established from the pious predecessors (Salaf us-Salih), rather it is a practice invented later. Ibn al-Hajj, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 737 AH), said in this regard:
“How fortunate is the person who acts upon the Book and Sunnah and firmly holds onto the path that leads to them. The path that leads to the Book and Sunnah is the path of the pious predecessors, because they knew the Sunnah better than us.”
Allama Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him (737-795 AH), states:
“It is not permissible to act upon something that the pious predecessors unanimously abandoned, because undoubtedly they abandoned it knowing that it should not be acted upon.”
The Importance of Following the Salaf
It is established that following any practice abandoned by the pious predecessors (Salaf-e-Saliheen) is not correct. Therefore, celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ, standing up on the occasion of the Prophet’s birth anniversary, and other such innovations and customs are not proven from the pious predecessors, the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah, or the early generations. Hence, all these matters are considered reprehensible innovations (bid’ah sayyi’ah) and disliked acts.
Conclusion
The prevalent celebration of Eid Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ is an innovation (bid’ah) because there is no basis for it in the Quran, Sunnah, or the practices of the pious predecessors. This practice was invented by later people, and the scholars of the Ummah have strongly condemned it. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the Tabi‘in, and the Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in did not hold such gatherings, nor did anyone consider standing up during the mention of the birth anniversary as an act of worship. Therefore, all these customs are considered additions to the religion and innovations.
