Mawlid Nabiyy - Here's why some Muslims don't celebrate Prophet Muhammad's birthday

It's that time of the year again when millions of Muslims around the world put all activities on hold to commemorate the birthday of the most influential person in history, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), with a festival famously known as Mawlid Nabiyy.

Usually observed on the 12th day of Rabi’ al-Awwal, Mawlid Nabiyy holds a significant spot on the Hijri calendar, and its observance is recognised in the Islamic community with an annual public holiday in most Muslim-majority countries of the world.

This year, Nigeria joined other nations with significant Muslim populations to mark the celebration with a public holiday on Friday, September 5, 2025.

Though intended to serve as a day of reflection on the birth, teachings, and lifetime of the prophet of Islam, the festival is a polarising culture in the Muslim world, with some adherents opposed to the idea.

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For centuries, Muslims have observed the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic lunar calendar, although the exact date can vary slightly due to moon sightings, to commemorate the Prophet's birthday.

The practice dates back to the early days of Islam, when the generation of Muslims (Tabi'un) who followed the companions (ṣaḥāba) of Muhammad and transmitted their teachings began to hold sessions to commemorate the Prophet's birthday.

For years, they recited poetry and songs composed to honour Muhammad and sung to crowds in the major cities. This occurred during the Fatimid Dynasty, a period of dynastic rule in Egypt from around the 10th to the 12th century.

Today, millions of adherents worldwide mark the day with community gatherings, prayers, and recitation of the Holy Qur'an.

In Nigeria, particularly in the northern region, Muslims observe large processions, lectures, and recitations to commemorate the day, with mosques in cities such as Kano, Kaduna, and Sokoto often filled with worshippers.

However, many Muslims today don't view this day as a modern celebration of a birthday. Instead, it represents a moment of reflection, gratitude, and expression of love for the Prophet.

This is rooted in the belief that commemorating his birth and life serves as a means to revive his teachings and bring people closer to the values of compassion, justice, honesty, and humility that he stood for.

Interestingly, neither the Prophet himself nor his immediate companions celebrated his birthday. In fact, the culture emerged centuries after his demise. This has caused a significant point of disagreement among Muslim communities.

Some Islamic scholars and groups, particularly in Saudi Arabia and among Salafi circles, are of the view that the celebration should not be observed as a religious duty since Muhammad and his companions didn't observe it.

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Providing a historical context for the disapproval of Mawlid Nabiyy, AbdulKabir Nasir, the Imam of Al Jazeerah Islamic Centre, Badore, Ajah, stated that any act not traceable to the Qur'an and the Sunnah (deeds of the Prophet) or the practices of the early generations isn't acceptable in Islam.

Nasir, who also serves as the Director of ClearPath Islamic Centre, explained that Mawlid Nabi should be viewed as a religious innovation and, as such, is forbidden in Islam.

"There have been scholars over time who advocated that the best way to offer our practices is to make them in line with other practices of the earlier generation. The earlier generation of Muslims refers to the Prophet, his companions, and those who came after them. The first two to three hundred centuries of Islamic history when we had the pristine Islamic practice.

"Scholars who held this view overtime they became a minority. They argued that this first period of Islamic history, there was nothing like the Mawlid. If the Mawlid was to be celebrated, the prophet of Islam himself would have celebrated it or he would have given us indications that it ought to be celebrated," the Islamic scholar told Pulse.

"I mean. if you are going to do something religious as far as Islam is concerned, it has to be traceable to the Qur'an, the sunnah or the practice of the early generations. So, there is zero evidence that it was celebrated. People that who were close to the prophet: Abubakar, Umar, and Ali, they didn't. These scholars said it wouldn't be seen as the celebration of the holy prophet (SAW), it should be seen as what we call a religious innovation. And religious innovations are not acceptable as far as Islam is concerned."

While opinions remain divided on the topic, Nasir buttressed his position with a recourse to an event during the time of the Prophet. He concluded that Muhammad left no hint of approval of the celebration of his birthday.

"A similar incident during the time of the prophet that made us know that yearly celebration of events or occurrences is not in any way to be reconciled was when he (Muhammad) came to Madinah, and he met people who had two holidays.

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"They said, 'We just have these as holidays, it was not a religious festival.' And the prophet said 'no.' Allah has changed these two days for you with those two days that are better (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha)," Nasir said, quoting the narration of Sunan Abu Dawud, one of the six canonical collections of hadith."

He further explained that this event established the principle that time-bound celebrations are generally prohibited in Islam.

"What I mean by time-bound is this, somebody gets a new car, a new house or wife, he can throw up a party in celebration because a good thing has happened to you. But when you take a day and then celebrate on a yearly basis, then it becomes an issue as per this hadith. So this supports the position of those scholars who said that this thing isn't permissible.

"Now, you turn that thing that is not permissible into an act worship then it becomes a religious innovation, which is not acceptable. This is why a group of Muslims don't find celebration of the Maolid a palatable one," he added.

While acknowledging the fact that those opposed to the Mawlid Nabiyy celebration are in the majority, the Imam said, "we usually argue that truth isn't known by the number of people attached to it, rather it's by the clarity of the evidence and declared validity and authenticity of the evidence you're putting forward."

For the school of thought opposed to the practice, the Mawlid Nabiyy celebration may constitute a sinful act, even though there is no specific punishment prescribed for participants.

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"As regards specific punishment for those who celebrate Mawlid, there is no specific punishment attached to the celebration of the Maoulid. As regards it being a sin, that's what those who hold it to be impermissible hold.

"This action of celebrating the Prophet's birthday has no basis, and it can't be described as merely a social activity. It is an element of spirituality in it. So, the action is a sin, but are those who do it sinners? Well, it depends. If the person is doing it ignorantly, believing that he's glorifying the Prophet (SAW), this person may not actually be deemed to be a sinner. But the action itself remains a sin.

"We owe these people two things: explanations and prayers if they don't get our explanations," Nasir concluded.