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 The Foundations of Celebrating the Noble Birth of the Prophet ﷺ

Every year, in the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Muslims come together to honour the memory of the Noble Birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They gather for dhikr (remembrance of Allah), recitations of praise and poetry, sharing of food, standing in reverence, and other acts that express their joy and love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Such celebrations are not merely cultural habits; at their heart, they are an expression of gratitude to Allah for sending us the Prophet ﷺ as a mercy and a blessing. These acts fall within what is firmly recognised in Islam as permissible and praiseworthy.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself showed us the foundation for this gratitude. It is authentically reported that he fasted on Mondays and explained: “That is the day I was born.” (Muslim, from the narration of Abū Qatādah raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu). His fasting was a way of thanking Allah for granting him life and sending him as a mercy to the world.

Following his example, Muslims express their gratitude to Allah in various forms: by feeding others, reciting praises, gathering for remembrance, fasting, standing in prayer, and more. All of these practices reflect the same principle of appreciating and celebrating the immense blessing of the Prophet’s existence ﷺ.

This celebration is also a living application of the Qur’anic instruction:

{And remind them of the Days of Allah} (Ibrāhīm: 5).

The “Days of Allah” include the times when He granted victory to His Prophets and protected His righteous servants. Among them are also the days of their births—moments that mark the beginning of their mission of guidance. Without doubt, the greatest of these days is the birth of the Master of all Prophets ﷺ.

Allah has honoured the days on which His Prophets were born, making them days of peace and blessing. About Sayyidunā Yaḥyā عليه السلام, He said:

{Peace be upon him the day he was born} (Maryam: 15).

And about Sayyidunā ʿĪsā عليه السلام:

{And peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised alive} (Maryam: 33).

Even in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the day of Friday is mentioned as blessed because it was the day when Sayyidunā Ādam عليه السلام was created. If such a day is honoured because it marks the creation of our father Ādam, then how much greater is the day that witnessed the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—the Seal of the Prophets and the Mercy to all worlds?

The day of his birth is unlike any other, for it is the day from which all other blessings flow. The blessing of his existence ﷺ is the cause of every good in this world and the next. To celebrate it is, in truth, to celebrate Allah’s greatest gift to humanity.

The Prophet ﷺ is the greatest favour of Allah upon humanity. Rejoicing in him and in his blessed birth is, in reality, rejoicing in the bounty of Allah. Allah Almighty says:

{Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy—in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.} (Yūnus: 58).

The Prophet ﷺ is the supreme manifestation of this mercy to all creation. Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “His mercy is Muhammad ﷺ. Allah Almighty said: {And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds} (al-Anbiyāʾ: 107).” This was reported by Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr in his Sunan and by Abū al-Shaykh in his Tafsīr.

If even non-Muslims benefited from rejoicing at his noble birth, then for Muslims, the benefit of such rejoicing is far more deserving and emphatic. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is authentically reported from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr that:

“Thuwaybah, the freed slave woman of Abū Lahab, had breastfed the Prophet ﷺ. When Abū Lahab died, some of his family saw him in a dream in a state of severe torment and asked him: ‘What have you found?’ Abū Lahab replied: ‘I have found no relief since I left you, except that I am given water through this (gesture of his finger) because I freed Thuwaybah.’” This was also narrated by ʿAbd al-Razzāq in his Muṣannaf.

Al-Suhaylī relates in al-Rawḍ al-Unuf (vol. 5, pp. 191–192, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī) that one of Abū Lahab’s family members saw him in a dream in a terrible state. He asked: “Have you found any comfort?” Abū Lahab replied: “I have found no relief since leaving you, except that the punishment is lightened for me every Monday, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was born on a Monday, and Thuwaybah had brought me the glad tidings of his birth. She said to me: ‘Do you know that Āminah has given birth to a son for your brother ʿAbdullāh?’ So I said to her: ‘Go, you are free.’ That act benefited me, even though I am in the Fire.”

Imām al-Ṣāliḥī relates in Subul al-Hudā wa al-Rashād (vol. 1, p. 367, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah) from the master of Qurʾān reciters, the ḥadīth scholar Abū al-Khayr Ibn al-Jazarī, who said:

“If Abū Lahab, the disbeliever condemned in the Qurʾān, was nevertheless given relief in the Fire for rejoicing on the night of Muhammad’s birth ﷺ, then what of a believing Muslim from the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, who rejoices at his birth and expends what he can in expressing love for him? By my life, such a person’s reward from Allah, the Most Generous, can only be that He will, by His grace, admit him into the Gardens of Bliss.”

It is also narrated from Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ once passed by a group of Jews who were fasting on the day of ʿĀshūrāʾ. He asked them: “What is this fasting?” They replied: “It is the day on which Allah saved Mūsā and the Children of Israel from drowning, and drowned Pharaoh, and it is the day when the Ark came to rest upon Mount Jūdī. So Nūḥ and Mūsā fasted on this day in gratitude to Allah.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “I am closer to Mūsā than you, and more deserving of fasting this day.” He then instructed his Companions to fast. This narration was recorded by Imām Aḥmad in his Musnad, and also by Abū al-Shaykh and Ibn Mardawayh.

If commemorating the day of Nūḥ’s salvation عليه السلام and the day of Mūsā’s victory عليه السلام is sanctioned in the Sharīʿah, then celebrating the birth of the Prophet ﷺ—who is the greatest of all Prophets—is even more deserving and evident in its legitimacy.

The Ruling on Celebrating the Noble Birth of the Prophet ﷺ through Acts of Worship

Scholars have stated that what has been firmly established among Muslims throughout the centuries is the permissibility of celebrating the Noble Birth of the Prophet ﷺ through various acts of devotion—such as those mentioned in the question and others besides.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Sakhāwī writes in al-Ajwibah al-Marḍiyyah (vol. 1, p. 1116, Dār al-Rāyah):

“The Muslims, across all regions and great cities, have continually celebrated in the month of his birth ﷺ—honoured and ennobled it—by organising splendid gatherings, filled with uplifting and joyous activities. They give charity of many kinds during its nights, display happiness, increase their acts of goodness, pay special attention to reciting accounts of his noble birth, and they are visibly blessed by its immense virtues—this being something tried and experienced.”

Other scholars have echoed this view, among them: al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Qasṭallānī in al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniyyah (vol. 1, p. 89, al-Tawfīqiyyah), and al-ʿAllāmah al-Diyārbakrī in Tārīkh al-Khamīs fī Aḥwāl Anfus Nafīs (vol. 1, p. 223, Dār Ṣādir), among others.

Designating this celebration for acts of devotion such as reciting the Qur’an, listening to the Sīrah of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, chanting praises, reciting poems, and making supplications—all of these are considered religiously commendable, supported by the general guidance of the Sharīʿah.

Among the supporting texts are the following:

• Allah Almighty says:
  {O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening.} (al-Aḥzāb: 41–42).
• It is authentically reported from our mother, ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her):
  “The Prophet ﷺ remembered Allah in all of his states.” (Muslim).
• Allah Almighty also says:
  {Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and salute him with peace.} (al-Aḥzāb: 56).
• Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
  “Do not make your homes like graves, and do not make my grave a festival. Send blessings upon me, for your blessings will reach me wherever you may be.” (Abū Dāwūd, Sunan).

Conclusion

These evidences, in their general sense, establish the recommendation of remembering Allah and sending blessings upon His Messenger ﷺ in all times and states. And since what is established by general texts cannot be restricted without proof, it remains recommended to engage in these acts—including within the commemoration of his blessed birth.

This is a translation of a fatwa published by Egyptian Dār al-Iftāʾ, issued by the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Nazir Mohammed Ayyad. The original fatwa in Arabic can be accessed by clicking here.