This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Aamad Mustafa ﷺ.
The Shariah Status of Celebrating Milad
The act of standing up out of respect upon hearing the mention of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ or during the celebration of Milad is baseless and without foundation; its roots lie merely in personal desires and exaggeration is its hallmark. The proof of Shariah rulings comes from the Quran and Hadith, the consensus of the Ummah, and the understanding of the pious predecessors, and none of these sources mention or even hint at standing during Milad. However:
◈ One person says:
"Reciting salutations and peace upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ while standing is the Sunnah of the Prophets."
Comments on their arguments will be made in the following lines; for now, consider the statements of the scholars on this matter.
◈ Allama Muhammad bin Yusuf, Salehi, Shami (may Allah have mercy on him, died 942 AH) writes:
جرت عادة كثير من المحيين إذا سمعوا بذكر وصفه صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقوموا تعظيما له صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهذا القيام بدعة، لا أصل له .
"Among many who claim love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ, this habit has become common that when they hear any attribute of the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, they stand up out of respect for him ﷺ. This standing is an innovation for which there is no evidence in the Shariah."
Reference: (Sabil al-Huda wal-Rashad: 415/1)
◈ Allama Abdul Hayy Lakhnawi Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him, died 1304 AH) writes:
منها أى من القصص المختلقة الموضوعة ما يذكرونه من أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يحضر بنفسه فى مجالس وعظ عند ذكر مولده، بنوا عليه القيام عند ذكر المولد تعظيما وإكراما، وهذا أيضا من الأباطيل، لم يثبت ذلك بدليل، ومجرد الاحتمال والإمكان خارج عن حد البيان .
"Among the fabricated stories narrated by the innovators is one that in gatherings where the Holy Prophet ﷺ is mentioned, he ﷺ is physically present in those gatherings. Based on this, they have introduced standing during the mention of the Prophet’s birth. These are falsehoods, and no evidence supports them. These acts are based on possibilities and conjectures, and no proof exists for them."
Reference: (Al-Athar al-Marfoo’ah li Abdul Hayy, p. 46)
◈ Allama Ibn Hajar Haytami (may Allah have mercy on him, died 974 AH) says:
نظير ذلك فعل كثير عند ذكر مولده صلى الله عليه وسلم، ووضع أمه له من القيام، وهو أيضا بدعة، لم يرد فيه شيء على أن الناس إنما يفعلون ذلك تعظيما له صلى الله عليه وسلم، فالعوام معدورون لذلك بخلاف الخواص .
"Many people standing up out of respect while mentioning the birth of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is also an innovation. No evidence is found for this. People do this intending to honor the Messenger, but the common people are ignorant and helpless, while the learned certainly understand."
Reference: (Al-Fatawa al-Hadithiyyah, p. 58)
Furthermore, supporters of standing during Milad differ among themselves; their statements are not found consistently, and contradictions in their accounts are not acceptable in the court of research. For example, some say the Holy Prophet ﷺ is physically present in that gathering, while others say:
"However, it is among the possibilities that the Holy Prophet ﷺ spiritually attends the Milad gathering."
◈ Some have said:
"Such an occurrence is a beautiful miracle possible," etc.
These are all their own words. There is no basis for this in the Quran and Sunnah.
Similarly, some extremist Sufis claim that they see the Holy Prophet ﷺ in a waking state or that the Prophet ﷺ attends their Milad gatherings, etc. This is in clear contradiction to the Book, Sunnah, and consensus of the Ummah, and therefore these statements hold the status of falsehood. The Prophet ﷺ has passed away, has gone to Allah, and the deceased will only be resurrected on the Day of Judgment from their graves, not before.
◈ Allah Almighty says:
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ 15 ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ
"After that, you will surely die, and on the Day of Resurrection, you will be resurrected."
Reference: (Al-Mu’minun: 15-16)
Allah the Exalted informs that the deceased will be resurrected only on the Day of Judgment; once they leave this world, they do not return. Whoever says that a person can return after death commits a violation of the truth, a truth recognized by the pious predecessors and followed by the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ and the great Tabi‘in (may Allah have mercy on them).
Some Deobandi elders also permit the presence of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in Milad gatherings after his death and standing during his mention, such as:
◈ Haji Imdadullah Makki (died 1317 AH) says:
However, one should not believe in the literal presence at the time of standing. If the possibility of his presence is considered, there is no harm, because the created world is bound by time and place, but the world of command is free from both. Therefore, it is not far-fetched that the blessed presence may occur.
Reference: (Imdad al-Mushtaq by Ashraf Ali Thanwi: 56)
◈ In the book of Ashraf Ali Thanwi Sahib, it is stated:
When the Masnavi Sharif was completed, the order was given to prepare sherbet, and it was said that the Maulana (Rome) would also be honored with it. After reciting Surah Ikhlas eleven times, the sherbet was distributed. He said that 'Niyaz' (offering) has two meanings: one is humility and servitude, which is only for God and associating others is forbidden polytheism; the other is offering to God and conveying the reward to God's servants, which is permissible. People object to this. What is wrong with it? If some unlawful defects occur in an act, those defects should be removed, not the act itself denied. Denying such matters prevents great good, like standing during the Milad Sharif. If someone stands out of respect for the name of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, what harm is there? When someone comes, people stand to honor him. If the noble name of this leader of the worlds (may my soul be sacrificed for him) is honored, what sin is there?
Reference: (Imdad al-Mushtaq by Thanwi, p. 88)
This is a false analogy to compare the world of spirits with the world of bodies, while their rulings are separate. None of the pious predecessors accepted such things; there is no mention of it in the Quran and Hadith, and later scholars have also declared it an innovation.
