There is no evidence for Eid Milad in the Quran, Hadith, and consensus of the Ummah. If there were any proof, the Companions and the pious predecessors would have known about it and certainly practiced it.
① Allama Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
إن عمل المولد بدعة منمومة .
“Eid Milad is a blameworthy innovation.”
❀ He also says:
لا أعلم لهذا المولد أصلا فى كتاب ولا سنة، ولا ينقل عمله عن أحد من علماء الأمة الذين هم القدوة فى الدين المتمسكون بآثار المتقدمين، بل هو بدعة أحدثها البطالون وشهوة نفس اعتنى بها الأكالون .
“I have found no evidence for Milad in the Book and Sunnah; this practice is not transmitted from our leaders and trustworthy scholars of the Salaf. Rather, it is an innovation invented by the false worshippers; it is the result of carnal desire, fabricated by the indulgent people.”
Allama Al-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him)
also declared Eid Milad an innovation.
③ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
إن اتخاذ هذا اليوم عيدا محدث لا أصل له، فلم يكن فى السلف لا من أهل البيت ولا من غيرهم من اتخذ ذلك اليوم عيدا، حتى يحدث فيه أعمالا، إذ الأعياد شريعة من الشرائع، فيجب فيها الاتباع، لا الابتداع، وللنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خطب وعهود ووقائع فى أيام متعددة؛ مثل يوم بدر، وحنين، والخندق، وفتح مكة، ووقت هجرته، ودخوله المدينة، وخطب له متعددة يذكر فيها قواعد الدين، ثم لم يوجب ذلك أن يتخذ أمثال تلك الأيام أعيادا، وإنما يفعل مثل هذا النصارى الذين يتخذون أمثال أيام حوادث عيسى عليه السلام أعيادا، أو اليهود، وإنما العيد شريعة، فما شرعه الله اتبع، وإلا لم يحدت فى الدين ما ليس منه، وكذلك ما يحدثه بعض الناس إما مضاهاة للنصارى فى ميلاد عيسى عليه السلام وإما محبة للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وتعظيما، والله قد يثيبهم على هذه المحبة والإجتهاد لا على البدع من اتخاذ مولد النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم عيدا، مع اختلاف الناس فى مولده ، فإن هذا لم يفعله السلف، مع قيام المقتضي له وعدم المانع منه لو كان خيرا، ولو كان هذا خيرا محضا، أو راجحا لكان السلف رضي الله عنهم أحق به منا، فإنهم كانوا أشد محبة لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وتعظيما له منا، وهم على الخير أحرص .
“Making this day (the eighteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah) an Eid is an innovation without any basis. Neither the Salaf nor the Ahl al-Bayt made this day an Eid, because celebrating Eid is part of the Shariah and following the Shariah is obligatory. Introducing a new Eid is not correct. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave many sermons on various days, made many covenants, and many events occurred, such as the battles of Badr, Hunayn, the Trench, the conquest of Mecca, the entry into Medina, the Hijrah, etc. Likewise, there are many sermons in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained the rules of religion, but no Eid was established on those days. This is a practice of the Christians, who make the events related to Jesus (peace be upon him) into Eids, and it is also the way of the Jews. Celebrating Eid is part of the Shariah and must be followed; nothing is added to the religion that was not originally part of it.
Similarly, some people have invented Eid Milad in imitation of the Christian Milad or out of love and reverence for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah will reward them for their love and effort for the Prophet (peace be upon him), but they will not receive reward for Eid Milad. Moreover, there is disagreement about the exact day of the Prophet’s birth.
The pious predecessors did not do this, even though the requirement (reverence for the Prophet) was present and there was no obstacle. If this act were entirely good or more virtuous, the predecessors were more deserving to practice it than us, because they loved and revered the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than we do and were more eager for good deeds.”
Sheikh-ul-Islam and Eid Milad:
This statement of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, some people did not understand and attributed the permissibility of Eid Milad-un-Nabi to the Shaykh, whereas this is absolutely not the case. He clearly declares it an innovation (bid’ah). His intention was only that those who do this out of love for the Prophet ﷺ will receive the reward for the love they showed to the Noble Prophet ﷺ, but when they turned this love into the form of the Eid Milad celebration, it became an innovation.
❀ The meaning of this statement of Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, is exactly the same:
تعظيم المولد، واتخاذه موسما، قد يفعله بعض الناس، ويكون له فيه أجر عظيم لحسن قصده، وتعظيمه لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
“Some people have made the birth anniversary of the Noble Prophet ﷺ into an Eid (festival) out of reverence for his birth. They will receive great reward due to their good intention and reverence for the Prophet ﷺ.”
As for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s statement that those people will receive reward due to their love for the Prophet ﷺ, this is his error. Every innovation in the world is motivated by good intention or reverence for the Prophet ﷺ, so does every innovation carry both sin and reward? The pious predecessors (Salaf as-Salih) never said such a thing; rather, they considered innovation only a source of calamity. They condemned both the innovation and the innovator. No one has presented such a rare opinion that the same act can be both an innovation and a cause of reward simultaneously. May Allah forgive their error.
④ Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
أصل عمل المولد بدعة لم تنقل عن أحد من السلف الصالح من القرون الثلاثة .
“The origin of Milad is an innovation. This practice is not transmitted from any of the pious predecessors of the three (well-known) eras.”
⑤ Allama Ibn al-Hajj, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
إن خلا منه وعمل طعاما فقط ونوى به المولد ودعا إليه الإخوان، وسلم من كل ما تقدم ذكره، فهو بدعة بنفس نيته فقط؛ لأن ذلك زيادة فى الدين وليس من عمل السلف الماضين، واتباع السلف أولى، ولم ينقل عن أحد منهم أنه نوى المولد، ونحن تبع فيسعنا ما وسعهم .
“If Milad is free from singing and only food is prepared, with the intention of Milad, and friends and relatives are invited to eat, even if this act is free from the mentioned defects, it will still be an innovation due to the intention of Milad, because it is an addition to the religion. The pious predecessors did not practice this. Following the Salaf is the only worthy practice. It is not transmitted from any of the pious predecessors that anyone did anything with the intention of Milad. We are followers of the pious predecessors. Their practice is sufficient for us.”
⑥ Hafiz Sakhawi, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
لم يفعله أحد من القرون الثلاثة، إنما حدث بعد .
“No one among the three eras (Sahabah, Tabi‘in, and Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in) did this act. It was invented later.”
⑦ Hafiz Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
أول من أحدث فعل ذلك صاحب إربل الملك المظفر أبو سعيد كوكبري بن زين الدين على بن بكتكين .
“The first person who invented it (in Mosul) was the king of Arbil, Muzaffar Abu Sa‘id Kabri ibn Zain al-Din Ali ibn Baltakin.”
❀ Allama Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Wansharisi, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
سئل سيدي أحمد القباب عما يفعله المعلمون من وقد الشمع فى مولد النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم واجتماع الأولاد للصلاة على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ويقرأ بعض الأولاد ممن هو حسن الصوت عشرا من القرآن وينشد قصيدة فى مدح النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ويجتمع الرجال والنساء بهذا السبب ؟ فأجاب بأن قال : جميع ما وصفت من محدثات البدع التى يجب قطعها ومن قام بها أو أعان عليها أو سعى فى دوامها فهو ساع فى بدعة وضلالة، ويظن بجهله أنه بذلك معظم لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قائم بمولده، وهو مخالف سنته مرتكب لمنهيات نهى عنها صلى الله عليه وسلم، متظاهر بذلك محدث فى الدين ما ليس منه، ولو كان معظما له حق التعظيم لأطاع أوامره فلم يحدث فى دينه ما ليس منه، ولم يتعرض لما حذر الله تعالى منه حيث قال : ﴿فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾
“My Shaykh Ahmad Qabbas, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about lighting candles on the occasion of the birth of the Prophet ﷺ, gathering children to recite salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ, having children with good voices recite ten verses of the Qur’an, reciting panegyrics in praise of the Prophet ﷺ, and gathering men and women for this purpose. He replied: All these things are innovations whose elimination is necessary. Whoever does this, assists in it, or strives to continue it, his effort is innovation and misguidance. He considers celebrating Milad as reverence for the Prophet ﷺ out of ignorance, whereas he is opposing the Sunnah and committing prohibited acts. He is promoting acts in the religion that are not part of it. If he truly revered the Noble Prophet ﷺ, he would follow his commands and prohibitions, would not innovate in the religion, and would not become subject to Allah’s warning: ﴿ فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴾ “Those who oppose the command of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ should beware lest a calamity befall them or a painful punishment encompass them.”
From the clarifications of the scholars, it is clear that Eid Milad is not established from the pious predecessors but is a later invention.
❀ Allama Ibn al-Hajj, may Allah have mercy on him
, says:
السعيد السعيد من شد يده على امتثال الكتاب والسنة والطريق الموصلة إلى ذلك وهى اتباع السلف الماضين رضوان الله عليهم أجمعين، لأنهم أعلم بالسنة منا إذ هم أعرف بالمقال وأفقه بالحال .
“How fortunate is the person who acts upon the Book and Sunnah and firmly holds the path that leads to the Book and Sunnah. The path leading to the Book and Sunnah is the path of the pious predecessors because they knew the Sunnah better than us. They were more knowledgeable of the sayings of the Messenger ﷺ, well aware of matters related to religion, and better understood the circumstances of their time.”
❀ Allama Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him
, also rightly wrote:
أما ما اتفق على تركه فلا يجوز العمل به لأنهم ما تركوه إلاعلى علم أنه لا يعمل به.
“If the pious predecessors agreed to abandon a certain act, then acting upon it is not permissible, because they abandoned it knowing well that it should not be practiced.”
It is understood that if the pious predecessors agreed to abandon a certain act, then it is not permissible to do it. The celebration of Eid Milad, standing for the mention of the birth, and other such innovations are absolutely not established from the pious predecessors, Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah, or the early scholars. Therefore, these matters are evil innovations and reprehensible acts.
Allama Ibn al-Jazari, may Allah have mercy on him, and Eid Milad:
❀ Allama Sakhawi, may Allah have mercy on him
, narrates from Ibn al-Jazari, may Allah have mercy on him:
إذا كان أهل الصليب اتخذوا ليلة مولد نبيهم عيدا أكبر فأهل الإسلام أولى بالتكريم وأجدر .
“When the People of the Book have made the birth of Jesus, peace be upon him, a great festival, then the Muslims have even more right to make the birth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, a festival.”
❀ Allama Mulla Ali Qari Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
, says in his commentary:
قلت: مما يرد عليه إنا مأمورون بمخالفة أهل الكتاب .
“I say that to refute them, it is sufficient that we have been commanded to oppose the People of the Book.”
