Refutation of 5 Fabricated Barelvi Arguments for Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ
(Excerpt taken from Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amini’s book “Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ ki Shar‘i Haisiyat”)
❀ The Origin of Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ
In the Qur’an and Sunnah, there is no foundation for Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ. Its inception began in the 4th century, first celebrated in Egypt by the Fatimid Shi‘a.
(al-Khitat al-Maqrizi, 8/490)
The custom of celebrating the birthday of a prophet was originally a Christian innovation, later adopted by Muslims. The present-day Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ closely resembles the Christian celebration of Christmas, and it is a reprehensible innovation (bid‘ah sayyi’ah).
Neither the Companions رضي الله عنهم, nor the following two generations (Tabi‘in and Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in), nor anyone from the three best centuries practiced it.
Even Barelwi scholars themselves admit this:
✔ Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi: “Milad Shareef was not done in the three centuries, rather it was invented afterwards.” (Jaa al-Haqq, 1/236)
✔ Ghulam Rasul Saeedi: “The pious predecessors (the Companions and the Tabi‘in) did not hold gatherings of Milad.” (Sharh Sahih Muslim, 3/179)
✔ Abdul Sami‘ Rampuri: “Assigning the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal and especially the 12th day for Milad was introduced later in the 6th century.” (Anwar Sati‘ah, p. 159)
Hafiz Ibn Rajab رحمه الله said:
أما ما اتفق السلف على تركه، فلا يجوز العمل به
“That which the Salaf unanimously abandoned cannot be practiced. They abandoned it knowing it was not to be acted upon.”
(Fadl ‘Ilm al-Salaf, p. 31)
① Doubt #1: The Verse of Happiness
They use the verse:
﴿قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا﴾ (Yunus: 58)
Translation: “Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy – let them rejoice.”
But the word “farah” in Arabic means to feel joy, not to celebrate a festival.
For example:
﴿فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ﴾ (Tawbah: 81)
“Those who stayed behind rejoiced.”
Did they hold a festival? No.
Similarly, when verse 187 of Surah al-Baqarah was revealed, the Companions rejoiced greatly, but no festival was held.
Islam recognizes only two Eids: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
Hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ said when he came to Madinah and saw the people celebrating two days from Jahiliyyah:
“Allah has replaced them with two better days: Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.”
(Musnad Ahmad, 3/250; Abu Dawud, 1134; al-Nasa’i, 1556 – Sahih chain)
Hence, there is no third Eid in Islam.
② Doubt #2: The Gathering of Companions
Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ saw a circle of companions remembering Allah and thanking Him for guiding them and sending the Prophet ﷺ. He confirmed their intention and said that Jibril عليه السلام informed him Allah was boasting about them before the angels.
(Musnad Ahmad, 4/92; al-Tirmidhi, 3379; al-Nasa’i, 5428 – Hasan chain)
This was a circle of dhikr and du‘a, not a birthday festival. No reliable Imam has ever used this narration to justify Eid Milad.
③ Doubt #3: The Table Spread (al-Ma’idah)
They cite the verse:
﴿رَبَّنَا أَنْزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً … تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا﴾ (al-Ma’idah: 114)
This was a special event in the Shari‘ah of ‘Isa عليه السلام. Each Shari‘ah has its own rulings. In Islam, Allah gave us two Eids only. If they argue based on this, then why don’t they celebrate that same day of the Ma’idah as Eid?
④ Doubt #4: The Dream of Abu Lahab
The story: Abu Lahab freed his slave-girl Thuwaibah when she gave him the news of the Prophet’s ﷺ birth. After his death, someone saw him in a dream being given water in Hell because of this act.
(Bukhari, Mu‘allaq; Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaq, 16350)
But:
① It is mursal from ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr – weak and not a hujjah.
② It is a dream of a kafir’s relative – unreliable.
③ It contradicts the Qur’an:
﴿تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ﴾ (al-Lahab: 1)
④ Allah says of disbelievers’ deeds:
﴿فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًا﴾ (al-Furqan: 23)
⑤ It is not proven that Abu Lahab freed Thuwaibah specifically for the news of the Prophet’s ﷺ birth.
Thus, this narration is invalid as proof.
⑤ Doubt #5: The Verse of Perfection of Religion
The famous verse:
﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ …﴾ (al-Ma’idah: 3)
A Jew told Umar رضي الله عنه: “If this verse was revealed to us, we would have taken that day as Eid.” Umar رضي الله عنه replied: “We know the day – it was revealed on a Friday, the Day of ‘Arafah.”
(Bukhari: 45; Muslim: 3017)
Thus, it coincided with two existing Eids. The Companions did not institute a new Eid for this day. If any day deserved a new Eid, it would have been this, yet they did not.
This proves that no Eid can be invented outside what the Prophet ﷺ prescribed.
❀ Conclusion
The five main arguments of the Barelvis for Eid Milad al-Nabi ﷺ are false, weak, and baseless. Islam only recognizes two Eids. The Companions رضي الله عنهم, who had the deepest love for the Prophet ﷺ, never celebrated his birthday. How then can later people invent what they did not?
