Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem
1. “Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy: therein [alone] let them rejoice. It is better than what they hoard” (10:58)
Ibn `Abbas said: “The bounty of Allah is Knowledge [of Tawhid], and His mercy is the Prophet (s).” Abu al-Shaykh narrated it as stated by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur (4:367).
Al-Alusi in Ruh al-Ma`ani (10:141) and Abu al-Su`ud in his Tafsir (4:156) said that the bounty is general while the mercy is specific and therefore emphasized.
Al-Razi in al-Tafsir al-Kabir (17:123) said the command is emphatically restrictive, meaning that a human being should not rejoice in anything else than the mercy.
2. “And all that We relate unto thee of the story of the messengers is in order that thereby We may make firm thy heart” (11:120).
The Prophet (s) is the most important of the Messengers – upon them peace – and the Mawlid is the chief event consisting mainly in the reading or recitation of Sira accounts, making firm the hearts of the believers in faith and love of the Prophet (s). This proof forces even the detractors of Mawlid to organize what they call “Sira conferences”.
3. “O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for Us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers” (5:114).
Isma`il Haqqi in Ruh al-Bayan (2:446) said: “The table was called a great feast meaning: the day it was descended upon us. It was referred back to the table spread because the greatness of that day is linked to its greatness.”
This verse is a proof for the celebration of Christians for an event concerning them, but the birth of the Prophet (s) is a greater event and of universal concern.
4. “Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (19:33).
This verse is a proof for the celebration of Christians for the blessed birth of `Isa (AS) – together with similar references in Sura Ali `Imran (3:35-44) concerning the blessed births of Maryam (AS) and Yahya (AS) – but the blessed birth of the Prophet (s) is a greater event and of universal concern.
5. “We verily sent Moses with Our revelations, saying: Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light. And remind them of the days of Allah. Lo! therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful (heart)” (14:5).
There is no historical event greater than the birth of the Prophet (s) in reminding this Umma of the days of Allah, and this event is the greatest revelation “for each steadfast, thankful heart” as stated also in the second proof, “that thereby We may make firm thy heart” (11:120).
6. “Recite unto them the story of Ibrahim” (26:69).
Those who object to Mawlid are objecting to reciting unto the Umma the story of Muhammad (s).
7. “That ye (mankind) may believe in Allah and His messenger, and may honor h/Him, and may revere h/Him, and may glorify h/Him at early dawn and at the close of day” (48:9).
Al-Nawawi said that the scholars of Qur’anic commentary have given this verse two lines of explanation, one group giving the three personal pronouns “HIM” a single referent, namely, either Allah (“Him”) or the Prophet (“him”); the other group distinguishing between two referents, namely, the Prophet (s) for the first two (“honor and revere him“), and Allah for the last (“glorify Him”).
Those of the first group that said the pronouns all refer to the Prophet (s) explained “glorify him” (tusabbihuhu) here to mean: “declare him devoid of inappropriate attributes and pray for him.”
Those who celebrate Mawlid with good manners and sincerity are closer to putting this Divine command into practice than those who don’t, and Allah knows best.
8. “Allah verily hath shown grace to the believers by sending unto them a messenger of their own who reciteth unto them His revelations, and causeth them to grow, and teacheth them the Scripture and wisdom; although before (he came to them) they were in flagrant error” (3:164).
Al-Razi said that the grace of Allah to the believers, in the person of the Prophet Muhammad (s), exceeds the grace shown all previous communities, and the latter were ordered to celebrate such graces as shown in previous proofs. Those who object to Mawlid (1) object to celebrating the greatest of the graces of Allah and (2) object to our Community justly priding itself over all other Communities.
QUR’ANIC PROOFS FOR MAWLID [2]
The Holy Qur’an praises and celebrates the Prophet’s physical and moral Traits (Shama’il Nabawiyya)
9. The Prophet’s Heart – Allah bless and greet him: “For he it is who hath revealed (this Scripture) to thy heart” (2:97); “that We may strengthen thy heart therewith” (25:32); “The heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw” (53:11).
10. The Prophet’s Character – Allah bless and greet him: “And lo! thou art of a tremendous nature” (68:4).
11. The Prophet’s Face – Allah bless and greet him: “We have seen the turning of thy face” (2:144).
12. The Prophet’s Sight – Allah bless and greet him: “The eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold” (53:17).
13. The Prophet’s Chest – Allah bless and greet him: “let there be no heaviness in thy breast” (7:2).
14. The Prophet’s Life – Allah bless and greet him: “By thy life! (O Muhammad) they move blindly in the frenzy of approaching death” (15:72).
15. The Prophet’s two Eyes – Allah bless and greet the Light and coolness of our eyes: “And strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoy, the flower of the life of the world” (20:131).
16. The Prophet’s Name – Allah bless and greet him: “And those who believe and do good works and believe in that which is revealed unto Muhammad” (47:2); “Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets” (33:40); “Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him” (3:144); “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves” (48:29).
17. The Prophet’s Country – Allah bless and greet him: “Nay, I swear by this land – And thou art an indweller of this land” (90:1-2).
18. The Prophet’s Wives – Allah bless and greet him and be well-pleased with all of them: “O ye wives of the Prophet! Ye are not like any other women” (33:32); “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers” (33:6).
19. His Speech – Allah bless and greet him: “Nor doth he speak of (his own) desire” (33:3).
20. His Voice – Allah bless and greet him: “Lift not up your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor shout when speaking to him” (49:2).
21. His Immunity – Allah bless and greet him: “Allah will protect thee from mankind” (5:67).
22. Obedience to him – Allah bless and greet him: “Whoso obeyeth the messenger obeyeth Allah” (4:80).
23. His Lofty Status among the worlds, before the Prophets and angels, and in the Divine Presence – Allah bless and greet him: “And [have We not] exalted thy fame?” (94:4).
QUR’ANIC PROOFS FOR MAWLID [3]
Allah Most High said: “Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? Did He not bring their stratagem to naught, And send against them swarms of flying creatures, Which pelted them with stones of baked clay?, And made them like green crops devoured?” (105:1-5).
This is a great proof mentioned by the late admonisher of the Umma, Shaykh `Abd al-Hamid Kishk of Egypt.
He said that it is established that the Prophet (s) was born in the year of the Elephant; therefore, in addition to being a perpetual reminder of the protection of Allah Most High for His House from Abraha in the time of `Abd al-Muttalib, this Sura also indicates that the Prophet (s) and everything connected with him shall not be resisted but shall conquer, even if “camels” are usually overcome by “elephants” and even with very small means – outwardly – such as the birds’ pelting-stones, which were the size of lentils.
Similarly, Allah Most High has prepared, in His factories, nuclear-like devices of unimaginable destructive power for the enemies of the Prophet (s) in our time and their elephantine armies, who have no idea of what they are challenging.
QUR’ANIC PROOFS FOR MAWLID [4]
Allah Most High said: “Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation” (33:56).
This is an explicit proof for Mawlid as its main activity is the sending of blessings and salutations on the Best of creation (s) and his Family.
This a fundamental dhikr of the Believers which must be often reminded to the soul, as the Prophet (s) said that everything has its polish and the polish of hearts is dhikr, and whatever one loves, one makes frequent mention of, to the point that he advised one of the Companions to make his whole du`a consist solely in invocations of blessings and salutations upon him.
Those who have not yet laid the foundation of love in their hearts cannot build upon it through increase. They are floundering at the station mentioned by Allah Most High when He addressed the desert Arabs, saying “The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say `We submit,’ for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts” (49:14).
Zayn al-Din Sha`ban ibn Muhammad al-Athari (d. 828) relates that after Abu al-`Abbas Ahmad ibn Mansur al-`Abid died in the Mihrab in the mosque of Shiraz he was seen in dream by Abu `Abd Allah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar who asked him: “What has Allah done with you?” He replied: “He forgave me, crowned me, and entered me into Paradise.” Al-Saffar said: “I asked him: ‘Because of what?’ He said: ‘Because of the abundance of my Salat on the Messenger of Allah (s).'”
And he reported from the Hafiz Rashid al-Din: “There was in Misr a man by the name of Abu Said al-Khayyat who did not mix with people nor attend the gatherings. Then he began to attend the gathering of Ibn Rashiq assiduously. The people expressed surprise and asked him why, whereupon he said: ‘I saw the Messenger of Allah (s) and he said to me: Attend his gathering, for truly he invokes abundant Salat on me.'”
And he narrated from Abu `Abd Allah Ahmad ibn `Ata al-Rudhabari, from Abu al-Qasim `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Marwazi that he said: “I used to rehearse hadith with my father during the night and so a pillar of light could be seen at the place where we used to meet. It was asked what is that light and they said: ‘It is their Salat on the Prophet (s) when they meet.'”
Imam Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi listed the infinite benefits of invoking blessings and salutations of peace on the Imam of the Prophets and Messengers in his valuable treatise, al-Qawl al-Badi` fi al-Salat `ala al-Habib al-Shafi` of which many excerpts are mentioned in the collection of fatwas on Mawlid posted at https://sunnah.org/ . Al-Sakhawi also authored a monograph on Mawlid titled Subul al-Huda.
Abundant blessings and greetings of Allah upon our Master Muhammad, his Family, and his Companions.
