Muwahhed
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 |  Subject: Birthdays: Origins and Islamic Perspective Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:57 am | |
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In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala RasulillahAs-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
Birthdays: Origins and Islamic Perspective
by Imran Ayub
Originally, i was looking for information about christmas and the islamic perspective, but then my sister told me about somthing a friend of hers was speaking about in school. somthing about birthdays having pagans origins!?! so i decided to look more into it and this is what i found....
Using the information, Insha’Allah I want to take another angle to this debate about birthdays and more specifically, Mawlid.
A lot of people argue about whether we should or shouldn’t celebrate the Prophet (peace be upon him’s) birthday. Ofcourse the obviously answer is NO! because he did not celebrate it and neither did his sahabas or the tabieen.
So where did it come about? Sheikh Ibn Taymiyah explains the possible origins, in his book, “the Right Way ”:-
"...Same holds for treating the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) birthday as a scared day. Muslims do so in imitation of the Christians who celebrate with much pomp and show Jesus’ birthday. They do so out of their love and respect of the prophet (Peace be upon him). Allah would reward them for their love for their prophet (Peace be upon him), BUT NOT FOR THEIR INNOVATION.*
Nonetheless, it should not be celebrated as a holy day.
First, there is divergence of opinion about the exact date of birth. Moreover, earlier Muslims did not celebrate it as a holy day though they could do so and there was apparently no obstacle to it. Had it really been a good thing, earlier Muslims would have celebrated it. For they loved the prophet (Peace be upon him) more than us and were more virtuous than us. Yet they did not do so.
[*once it is established that something is an innovation and yet if one commits it, he would not get any reward, rather he earns Allah's displeasure. anniversary functions may be help in memory of historic events. they cannot be organised in belief f earning Allah's Reward]
[Taken from Ibn Taymiyah's book, the Right Way . p. 47]
As for those people say that the Prophet (peace be upon him) celebrated it and use this hadith as evidence:-
‘Aa’ishah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was keen to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.” [al-Nasaa’i, 2320; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 4827].
He was asked about fasting on Mondays and he said, “On that day I was born and on that day revelation came to me.” [Muslim, 1162].
The Answer to them is in other hadiths, which clarify that he (peace be upon him) did not fast BECAUSE of his birthday, but because of the doors of jannah being open during them.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The doors of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday,
and every servant who does not associate anything with Allah (SWT) will be forgiven, except for the man who bears a grudge against his brother. It will be said, `Wait for these two until they reconcile, wait for these two until they reconcile, wait for these two until they reconcile.'" [Sahih Muslim, 16/122, Kitab al-birr wa'l-silah wa'l-adab, bab al-nahy 'an al-shahna'.]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, and he said: “Those are two days on which people’s deeds are shown to the Lord of the Worlds, and I want my deeds to be shown to Him when I am fasting.”[al-Nasaa’i, 2358; Ibn Maajah, 1740; Ahmad, 8161; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1583].
And we know that in Islam we only have Two celebrations. (ie the two Eids)
The Hadeeth narrated under the authority of Anas Bin Malik (Radia Allahu Anh) who said, “The Prophet (Sallah Allah Alayhi Wasalam) came to Medina with two days they played in.
The Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alayhi Wasalam) said, ‘What are these two days?’ They said, ‘These are two days we used to play in, in our Jahiliyah.’ The Prophet (Sallah Allahu Alayhi Wasalam) said, ‘Allah has replaced them with two better days: Eid Al Adhaa and Eid Al Fitr’.” [Sunan Abu Dawoud # 1134; 1/675,Also narrated through another authentic chain in Musnad Ahmad 3/103-235-250; Sunan Nasey 3/179-180]
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Okay so that is clear evidence from the Sunnah that we shouldn’t celebrate any kind of birthday because these celebrations are unislamic.
But because of we have muslims who love using the defence of “difference of opinion”, insha’Allah if we take it a step further and find the origin of birthdays, maybe the individual who celebrates birthdays, will think twice before blowing his/her next candles!
This is taken from a Jehovah witnessess’s website, the article or rather the extracts can be found in other places, but I found it interesting how they used reasoning and stopped celebrating Christmas, Halloween, easter, etc. they also do not believe Jesus (peace be upon him) is God, however they have many other deviant beliefs…
“How did early Christians and Jews of Bible times view birthday celebrations?
“The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”—The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries [(New York, 1848), Augustus Neander (translated by Henry John Rose), p. 190.]
“The later Hebrews looked on the celebration of birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with these days.”—[The Imperial Bible-Dictionary ( London , 1874), edited by Patrick Fairbairn, Vol. I, p. 225.]
What is the origin of popular customs associated with birthday celebrations?
“The various customs with which people today celebrate their birthdays have a long history. Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . .
. Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”—[Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.]
“The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who
attended his birth and watched over him in life. This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea.
. . . This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint. . . . The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks. . . . Honey cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of [Artemis]. . . . Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes. . . . Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods. The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune.
. . . Birthday greetings and wishes for happiness are an intrinsic part of this holiday. . . . Originally the idea was rooted in magic. . . .
Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day.”—[The Lore of Birthdays (New York, 1952), Ralph and Adelin Linton, pp. 8, 18-20.] ”
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Insha’Allah this should be clear enough why we shouldn’t celebrate birthdays of ANYONE.
Remember what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:-
“Whomever imitates the kuffar is one of them ”. [Narrated by Abu Dawoud 4/314 Hadith # 4031; Ahmad In Musnad 2/50; Ibn Taimieh in the Fatawa 25/331 said it is an authentic hadith; Ibn Hajar mentioned it in Fateh Albary 6/98; Alsuty Narrated it in Jame Sagheer and said its chain of authenticity is good. 1/590]
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Allah's Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)? [Sahih Muslim, Book 034, Number 6448]
and Allah knows best
more....
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Muwahhed
Senior Member
Number of posts : 2786
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Registration date : 2007-05-28
| | Subject: Re: Birthdays: Origins and Islamic Perspective Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:02 pm | |
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"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
ps: also read 'Ruling on Celebrating Birthdays' from http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Islam_ True/message/ 315
And (O Children of Israel , remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying): "Hold fast to that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein so that you may become Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2). Then after that you turned away. Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allâh upon you, indeed you
would have been among the losers. And indeed you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected." So We made this punishment an example to their own and to succeeding generations and a lesson to those who are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2). (Al-Baqarah 2: 63 - 66)Narrated Abu Huraira: I said: "O Allah's Apostle! Who will be the luckiest person, who will gain your intercession on the Day of Resurrection? " Allah's Apostle said:
O Abu Huraira! "I have thought that none will ask me about it before you as I know your longing for the (learning of) Hadiths. The luckiest person who will have my intercession on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who said sincerely from the bottom of his heart "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah." And 'Umar bin 'Abdul 'Aziz wrote to Abu Bakr bin Hazm, "Look for the knowledge of Hadith and get it written, as I am afraid that religious knowledge will vanish and the religious learned men will pass away (die). Do not accept anything save the Hadiths of the Prophet.
Circulate knowledge and teach the ignorant, for knowledge does not vanish except when it is kept secretly (to oneself)." [Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 98] Hakim b. Hizam reported to 'Urwa b. Zubair that he said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, do you think if there is any reward (of the Lord with me on the Day of Resurrection) for the deeds of religious purification that I performed in the state of ignorance, such as charity, freeing a slave, cementing of blood-relations?
Upon this he (the Apostle of Allah) said to him: You have accepted Islam with all the previous virtues that you had practised. [Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0223]
Compiled from various sources.
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