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All praise is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, and upon his family and all his companions. To proceed: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Offer a gift of respect, salutations, and peace with reverence in the court of the Luminous Presence, the Intercessor of the Day of Judgment (ﷺ)! O Allah, send Your blessings, peace, and bounty upon our Master, our Patron, and our Beloved Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

The Great Favor of Allah Almighty

Brothers in Islam! The month of Rabi’ al-Awwal holds great significance for the Muslim Ummah. On the blessed 12th of this month, the auspicious birth of Mustafa, the mercy to all creation (ﷺ), took place. The Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ) came into this world as the Perfect Man and the Guide for all humanity. Through his blessed existence, the dark and black clouds of ignorance and oppression dispersed from this world. Suffering humanity found support. The grieving and helpless found comfort, joy, and happiness. And above all, the special favor, grace, blessing, and mercy of Allah, the Lord of the worlds, were bestowed.

The twelfth date is dear even to my God,
Illumined by the beauty of the Master’s birth.

Dear respected ones! The Creator of the universe (ﷻ) has blessed us with countless favors. But the favor for which He has expressed His great bounty upon the Muslims is the blessed person of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Allah the Almighty says:

“Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 3:164)

In this blessed verse, Allah Almighty has clearly declared His blessed person as His favor and bounty and mentioned the attributes of the Noble Messenger (ﷺ).

Speak of the verses of the birth,
Like an earthquake in Najd.

The Mention of Mawlid and the Holy Quran

Honorable esteemed personalities! On the occasion of the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, in the gatherings of Mawlid, after hymns and Naat, describing the attributes, perfections of the Noble Prophet (ﷺ), and the events that occurred at the time of his blessed birth in speeches and addresses is the “Dhikr-e-Milad” (Commemoration of the Birth). There is no religious objection to this. Allah (B) has mentioned the blessed births of numerous Prophets in the Holy Quran. Mentioning the noble birth of Jesus (D), He says:

“And peace is on me the day I was born…” (Surah Maryam, 19:33)

Allah Almighty also proclaimed the advent of His Beloved (ﷺ) among previous nations. Allah the Almighty says:

“And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, ‘O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you, confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad…'” (Surah As-Saff, 61:6)

The auspicious birth and arrival of the Master of eternity (ﷺ) is a mercy for all the worlds. Allah Almighty says:

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:107)

Allah’s (ﷻ) Special Grace and Mercy

Esteemed personalities! The coming of the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) into this world is a special grace, mercy, and divine blessing from Allah (ﷻ). We should be exceedingly grateful to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, for this special favor. We should become His obedient servants, obey Him, act upon His commands, avoid what He has forbidden, and express gratitude for this bounty, grace, and mercy. Moreover, we should express joy and happiness, for this is in accordance with the divine command.

Allah the Almighty says:

“Say, ‘In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.'” (Surah Yunus, 10:58)

Regarding the interpretation of this verse, Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہما) said, “The ‘bounty of Allah’ here refers to the blessed person of the Noble Prophet (ﷺ).”

We will proclaim the celebration of the Master’s birth until Judgment Day,
We will continue to demolish castles like the earthquake of Najd.

Proclaiming the Divine Favor Widely

Dear ones! Allah (ﷻ) has commanded in the Holy Quran to proclaim His favors widely. He says:

“And as for the favor of your Lord, proclaim [it].” (Surah Ad-Duha, 93:11)

Now, you tell me, what greater favor could there be than the person of the Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ)?! Therefore, it is understood that Muslims worldwide celebrating the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi festival every year on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, bathing and wearing clean clothes, doing illuminations, hoisting flags on houses, feeding people, setting up water stalls, taking out processions, organizing gatherings of Dhikr and Naat, and expressing joy and happiness as a form of gratitude to Allah while observing Islamic limits is religiously correct, permissible, and a means of earning reward!

Their mention will remain thus,
Those who try to erase it will be reduced to dust and perish.

Remembering Allah’s (ﷻ) Favor

Companions of the Islamic nation! Allah (ﷻ) bestowed favor upon the Children of Israel by saving them from Pharaoh, giving them a path through the sea, and making clouds a canopy over them. Then, commanding their generations to remember this favor, He said:

“O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you…” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:40)

The leading scholar, Allama Sayyid Muhammad Naeemuddin Muradabadi (رحمہ اللہ), commenting on this verse, says, “Remembering means to obey and worship Allah Almighty and express gratitude. Because not being grateful for a favor is to forget it.”

Therefore, the gratitude for a great and unparalleled favor and divine bounty like the Prophet (ﷺ) is to remember Mustafa, the mercy to all creation (ﷺ), as much as possible; to listen to and relate the attributes, perfections, and miracles of the Master of the Universe (ﷺ); to express love for the Mustafa through words and deeds; to act upon the exemplary conduct and teachings of the Master of the World (ﷺ); to respect and honor the Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ); to inform our generations about this great divine favor; to ignite the lamp of love for the Prophet in their hearts, etc. And the best way to do this is to celebrate the Mawlid festival with great fervor. Because Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi is the only religious occasion that provides an opportunity to practice all possible forms of expressing gratitude to Allah simultaneously.

On this blessed occasion, the servants of the Prophet express joy and happiness, decorate their streets and neighborhoods, recite the Holy Quran, organize Naat gatherings, stay awake at night in worship, perform optional prayers, engage in Dhikr and remembrance, fast in the happiness of the day of birth, meet relatives, host them, and congratulate them on Eid-e-Milad.

In short, they practically express gratitude for Allah’s (B) great favor in various ways. Therefore, for some people to declare this virtuous and multi-faceted act as shirk (polytheism) and bid’ah (innovation), to call it forbidden, is equivalent to alienating the new generation from the religion of Islam. Such people should understand the challenges facing Islam in this era of disbelief and chaos! They should consider the demands of the time! Instead of driving Muslims further away from Islam by chanting “shirk and bid’ah,” they should reconsider their stance!

One who stops the remembrance cuts off the grace, remains in loss,
And then that foolish man claims to be from the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah.

A Cause for Reduction in Punishment

My respected brothers! Celebrating the joy of the birth of the Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ) is a cause of goodness and blessings. It is such a great act that by doing it, goodness in this world and the hereafter and numerous benefits and fruits are obtained. Not only Muslims, but even hardcore disbelievers and polytheists are not deprived of the blessings of this virtuous act; they also receive some share due to the Prophet (ﷺ).

Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (رحمہ اللہ) narrated from Imam As-Suhayli (رحمہ اللہ) that Sayyidna Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہ) said: “When Abu Lahab died, I saw him in a dream after a year in a terrible state. He said, ‘I have found no comfort after you, except that my punishment is reduced every Monday.'”

Sayyidna Abbas (رضی اللہ عنہ) himself states the reason for this reduction in punishment: “That is because the Prophet (ﷺ) was born on a Monday, and Thuwaybah (the slave woman) gave Abu Lahab the good news of his birth, so he freed her.”

The great Muhaddith, Imam Ibn al-Jazari (رحمہ اللہ), commenting on this Hadith, says: “If this is the condition of a disbeliever like Abu Lahab (whose condemnation was revealed in the Holy Quran) because he expressed joy at the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his punishment is reduced, then what will be the reward of that believing Muslim from his Ummah, who affirms Tawhid and Risalah, and celebrates the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ)?”

Their celebration remains, by Allah’s will, the same,
Those who sought to erase them have themselves been erased.

The Mawlid of the Mustafa in the Words of the Mustafa

Respected personalities! In the customary gatherings of Mawlid-un-Nabi and assemblies of Dhikr and Naat, the attributes and perfections of Mustafa, the mercy to all creation (ﷺ), are mentioned. Mentioning the noble birth and narrating the events that occurred at the time of birth is also proven from the Master of Prophethood (ﷺ) himself.

The Companion of the Messenger, Sayyidna ‘Irbad ibn Sariyah (رضی اللہ عنہ), says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “I am the slave of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. (My status was decreed) while my father (Adam) was still being shaped in his clay. I will inform you of that: I am the answer to the prayer of my father Ibrahim, the glad tiding of ‘Isa, and the dream of my mother Aminah which she saw.”

Sayyidna ‘Irbad ibn Sariyah (رضی اللہ عنہ) says that just as the mothers of previous prophets saw dreams, the mother of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) also saw a light at the time of his blessed birth, because of which the palaces of Syria became illuminated for her. Then the Companions recited these verses from Surah Al-Ahzab:

“O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And one who invites to Allah, by His permission, and an illuminating lamp.” (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:45-46)

Therefore, commemorating the Mawlid is in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah, and this act carries great goodness and blessings and is a source of great reward.

Before whom all torches were extinguished,
Our Prophet brought that candle.

The Objectives of Celebrating the Mawlid of the Mustafa

Honorable esteemed personalities! We Muslims celebrate the festival of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi with full fervor every year in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal to express our love and devotion to our beloved Prophet (ﷺ), and we make great arrangements for it. This is an excellent practice and should be continued within Islamic limits! But at the same time, we should also know very well what the objectives of celebrating the Mawlid of the Mustafa are. Why is so much effort made to celebrate it? In this regard, some key points are as follows:

1. Expression of Divine Favor

Dear ones! Infinite thanks to the Creator of the universe (ﷻ) that He blessed us with the wealth of faith and created us in the Ummah of His beloved Prophet (ﷺ). Being born in the Ummah of the Prophet (ﷺ) is such a great honor that no amount of gratitude to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, is sufficient for it. Indeed, Allah Almighty has done us a great favor by gifting us His beloved! Therefore, as an expression of divine favor, we should act upon Islamic teachings, mold our character and appearance in the mold of Islam, and frequently hold gatherings of the Mawlid of the Mustafa so that the Muslim Ummah can be made aware of the status and rank of the Master of Both Worlds (ﷺ) and it can be explained to them what a great favor Allah (B) has done to us by gifting us His beloved!

2. Awareness of Respect for the Prophet

Brothers in Islam! The respect, honor, and reverence for the Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ) are the greatest in the entire universe. Allah Almighty has clearly commanded in the Holy Quran regarding the respect, etiquette, and honor of His beloved Noble (ﷺ):

“O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and be not loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:2)

The leading scholar, Allama Sayyid Muhammad Naeemuddin Muradabadi (رحمہ اللہ), says: “This blessed verse teaches the reverence, honor, and respect for the Prophet (ﷺ) and commands that full consideration of etiquette should be maintained when calling out. Do not call out as you call out to each other by name! Rather, present whatever you have to say with words of respect, honor, praise, reverence, and titles of greatness! Because there is a fear of good deeds being wasted due to lack of etiquette!”

One purpose of celebrating Mawlid, free of non-Shariah practices, is to pay respect, honor, and reverence to the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) and to make people aware of this. The Quranic commentator, Sheikh Ismail Haqqi (رحمہ اللہ), in “Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan,” says: “Celebrating the noble Mawlid is from the respect of the Prophet (ﷺ), provided it is free of reprehensible acts (non-Shariah practices). Imam Suyuti (رحمہ اللہ) said that it is recommended (mustahabb) for us to express gratitude on the blessed birth of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

3. Following the Sunnah

Honorable esteemed personalities! The Noble Prophet (ﷺ) would fast every Monday as an expression of gratitude to the Divine Court in the joy of his blessed birth. There is a Hadith in Sahih Muslim: Sayyidna Abu Qatadah Al-Ansari (رضی اللہ عنہ) reports that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about fasting on Mondays. He (ﷺ) said: “On that day I was born, and on it, revelation was sent down to me.” (Sahih Muslim)

Therefore, following the Sunnah of the Mustafa, Muslims fasting on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal is also an excellent means of celebrating the Mawlid of the Mustafa.

4. Encouragement to Follow the Exemplary Conduct

My respected brothers! Encouraging people to act upon the exemplary conduct of the Mercy to the Worlds (ﷺ) is also among the objectives of celebrating the Mawlid of the Mustafa. Allah Almighty has mentioned the encouragement to follow the exemplary conduct of His beloved Noble (ﷺ) in the Holy Quran:

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern…” (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:21)

Commentators say: “From this, it is known that the blessed life of the Prophet (ﷺ) is a model of life for all humanity. No aspect of life is outside of it. Allah Almighty made the blessed life of the Prophet (ﷺ) a model of His power. Therefore, a successful life is one that follows in his footsteps. If our living, dying, sleeping, and waking were to follow his footsteps, then all these actions become acts of worship.”

On the occasion of Eid-e-Milad, religious enthusiasm is found abundantly among Muslims worldwide. Inclination towards goodness and worship increases. Therefore, religious scholars, out of a sense of goodwill for the Ummah, make people aware of the Prophet’s biography and encourage them to act upon the exemplary conduct of Mustafa, the mercy to all creation (ﷺ).

5. Promotion of Unity, Harmony, and Peace & Tolerance

My dear friends, brothers, and elders! Today, germs of hatred and enmity are thriving everywhere in the world. Conflicts and riots are erupting based on linguistics and nationality. Intolerance, discord, and unrest are continuously increasing in society. An important purpose of celebrating the Mawlid of the Mustafa is also to promote unity, harmony, and peace and tolerance in society. Through the rallies, processions, and gatherings of the Mawlid of the Mustafa, mutual brotherhood, love, and empathy increase; a lesson of unity and harmony is learned; a sense of collectivity is created; and the superficial thinking based on linguistics, nationality, and poverty/wealth is eliminated.

Therefore, we should make excellent arrangements for the Eid-e-Milad festival, celebrate this sacred religious occasion with great passion and zeal, express abundant gratitude to Allah Almighty, spend our time in Dhikr and remembrance.