BahithCelebrating Prophet's (peace be upon him) birthday Q1. Is celebrating the birthday of our Prophet (peace be upon him) an innovation? Some Muslims justify their celebration by referring to a Hadith which says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) fastedon Mondays because he was born on that day.What is its ruling in the Shariah? A1. Loving the Prophet (peace be upon him) is one of the basic signs of faith. Muslim should love him more than anybody else including oneself, his children and family, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “None of you becomes a believer until I am dearer to him than his children, his parents and all mankind.” (Bukhari and Muslim) Other narrations include life, wealth and family, too. Since, this love for him is part of our faith, it should be based on the correct teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Allah says that real love should be shown by following the Prophet's (peace be upon him) Sunnah. Allah, the Exalted said, “(Say (O Muhammad to mankind), If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur'an,3:31) There is no evidence in the Sunnah that show that the Prophet (peace be upon him) or his Companion's celebrated his birthday. Moreover, no one can claim that they love the messenger more than his companions. In fact celebrating his birthday was not known to the Muslims in the first best three centuries. Whoever says it is acceptable should present a proof. As Allah said, “Produce your proof if you are truthful.” (Qur'an,1:111) It is true that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to fast on Mondays. When he was asked why he was fasting on that day he said, “On (that day) I was born and on it (the Revelation) came down to me.” (Muslim) Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Deeds are presented (to Allah) on Monday and Thursday and I like my deeds to be presented when I am fasting.” (Al-Tirmidhi) Therefore, fasting on Mondays as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did, hoping for forgiveness, and for blessings to bestow from Allah is in accordance with what is proven by the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). But, one should not single out one week or one month for it, instead they should do it regularly. To say that we should celebrate the Prophet's (peace be upon him) birthday because many Muslims around the world to do so, is not the right approach because it isn't mentioned in the Qur'an or the Sunnah. Moreover, majority has no weight in Islam if it is found in violation of the words of Allah. Allah said, “And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's Path. They follow nothing but conjectures, and they do nothing but lie.” (Qur'an ,6:116) In another verse Allah said, “(Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (Qur'an,33:21) And, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has warned us not to innovate anything in Islam by saying that whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not a part of it will have it rejected. (Bukhari) When the Prophet (peace be upon him) began his Khutbah, he said “… the best of speech is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a misguidance…” (Muslim) Thus, Muslims should stick to the Sunnah and never follow innovations which are unauthentic and not from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Waiting period of a divorced woman Q2. When does the prescribed period (Iddah) of the divorce woman end? A2. The prescribed period (Iddah) for a divorced woman ends at the end of her third menstrual cycle, after the divorce if she is not pregnant. Allah said, “And divorced women shall wait (as regards their marriage) for three menstrual periods.” (Qur'an, 2: 228) If she is pregnant then her prescribed period (Iddah) would end whenever she gives birth to her baby. Allah said, “And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their husbands are dead), their ‘Iddah (prescribed period) is until they deliver (their burdens).” (Qur'an, 65: 4) In case the man divorced his wife after marriage and he didn't touch her (had conjigal relation with her) then no Iddah is required. As Allah said, “O you who believe! When you marry believing women, and then divorce them before you have sexual intercourse with them, no ‘Iddah (divorce prescribed period), have you to count in respect of them. So give them a present, and set them free, i.e. divorce, in a handsome manner.” (Qur'an, 33:49) And Allah knows best. __
