Dr. Muhammad Wissam, Secretary of Fatwa at Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, responded via a live broadcast on the official Facebook page of the institution to the question: “Some people claim that celebrating the Prophet’s birthday is an innovation. How do we respond?”
Dr. Wissam began:
“As we are accustomed, we open with al-Fātiḥah, seeking blessing from this noble gathering in the presence of the Chosen Prophet ﷺ, rejoicing in his noble birth, asking Allah to grant us success in what He loves and is pleased with.
O Rabi‘ al-Awwal! Have you not known that you are a crown upon the head of time, adorned and honoured? You come with delights, anticipating encounters, bringing with you every virtue as you arrive. You have become an eternal Eid—more lasting, sweeter in the hearts, and more beautiful. You are the month of light, in which the cosmos was graced by the birth of the Master of creation and the Beloved of the Lord of earth and heavens, complete in essence and perfect in attributes—our Master Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ﷺ, exalted, honoured, and magnified.”
He continued:
“Whoever knows the rank of the Beloved ﷺ knows that his coming into this world was the greatest manifestation of Divine mercy upon creation. A person rejoices at pivotal moments in his life: his own birthday, his graduation, his marriage, or the birth of a child. So the more we love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the more we recognise the value of rejoicing in his coming into this world. He is the cause of every good for us in this life and the Hereafter. If someone grants you wealth or favours you with blessings, you remember it with gratitude all your life. Then what about the One whose very existence was the cause of every blessing we enjoy in this world and the next? He ﷺ is the caller to good and the protector from ruin—as Imām al-Shāfi‘ī رضي الله عنه said in the introduction to al-Risālah.”
Dr. Wissam explained:
“Our celebration of him ﷺ is an expression of our love for him—and loving him is a pillar of faith. That is why the Ummah has, across the centuries, celebrated his noble birth without objection. People would gather, recite his blessed sīrah, recall his birth, his noble character, his virtues and attributes, send blessings upon him, sing his praises, and give food in charity.”
He added:
“This is an act filled with worship of Allah. For whoever loves the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, loves him as the Messenger sent by his Lord, and in that love he is glorifying Allah. We love Allah, and through our love of his family we love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. As he told us in the hadith: ‘Love Allah for the blessings with which He nourishes you, and love me for the love of Allah, and love my family for my love.’
Imam Abū Shāmah al-Maqdisī mentioned in his book al-Bā‘ith ‘alā Inkār al-Bid‘ the consensus of Muslims in approving the celebration of the birth of the Master of Messengers.”
Dr. Wissam then summarised:
“The Prophet ﷺ himself legislated for us the celebration of his birth when he celebrated his own birth weekly. This is what Ibn Ḥajar and al-Suyūṭī both extracted. When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about fasting on Mondays, he said: ‘That is the day I was born.’ Thus, he commemorated the blessing of his coming into existence every week, and in that he established for us a precedent: to celebrate him and rejoice in him.
When Shaykh Abū Mūsā al-Zarhūnī of Morocco, one of the righteous scholars, saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream and complained to him about such baseless claims with no foundation in reason or revelation, the Prophet ﷺ told him words that should guide us not only in celebrating his noble birth, but in all our relationship with him: ‘Whoever rejoices in us, we rejoice in him.’
So rejoice as you will in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and leave aside the extremists and hardliners who neither understand the texts nor perceive the purposes of the Sacred Law.”
The commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) birth is a celebration of the heart’s love and devotion. It is a sacred bond of affection, longing, and spiritual intimacy. Only those whose hearts have truly known him and tasted his love can immerse in this sweetness; all others are excepted, for they cannot feel the depth of this divine connection.