Question
Is the following argument in favour of seerah jalsahs in Rabiyul Awwal correct? "There are two aspects to mawlid. One is discussing the various aspects of the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the other is to specify a day, as ardent lovers of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The second issue is specifying a month for example, Rabiul Awwal to highlight different aspects of the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). In this era of retrogression, the Ummah is far away from the sunnah and ignorant of the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The month of Rabiul Awwal is used to remind and highlight the different aspects of the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to inculcate in the people the value of the sunnah. If these education programmes are conducted purely as an opportunity to highlight the seerah and sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) as people generally frequent the masjid in Rabiul Awwal with the anticipation of learning the seerah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), then it is regarded as capitalising on an opportunity. Such programs could be used to remove misconceptions around mawlid on condition there is nothing unislamic in these programs for example intermingling of sexes, photography, singing and music, etc. If one regards the mawlid on a particular day as compulsory or there are any unislamic activities in the mawlid then it will be impermissible."
Answer
Shaitaan is a cunning teacher and expert in the production of Bid'ah which is his extremely potent weapon to ruin the Imaan of people. He presents arguments in deeni guise to entrap simpletons and to provide tools for the ulama-e-soo' who are the fathers of Bid'ah. The aforementioned argument in favour of Rabiyul Awwal 'seerah' jalsahs is satanic deception – Talbeesul Iblees.
The so-called 'capitalising on opportunity' is a shaitaani-inspired trick to introduce and entrench bid'ah. The argument is palpably baseless. If the molvi who propounds this moronic view is sincere, then he is extremely short-sighted. But generally these Rabiyul Awwal molvis are not sincere. They introduce new acts of bid'ah in 'deeni' guise to bamboozle the unwary and ignorant. The 'seerah' jalsahs which these so-called deobandi molvies have innovated of recent are Bid'ah.
The underlying motive is to gain a following, to gain pocket-money, to gain donations for pet projects, to fulfil the dictates of the nafs by exhibiting riya, and similar other despicable motives of the nafs. These chaps clamour for public acclaim.
The argument which they proffer for the new 'seerah jalsah' bid'ah is an extremely subtle trap spun by Shaitaan. In general, even sincere and well-grounded Ulama are deceived and misled by such shaitaani subtleties.
Even a great Aalim such as Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Rahmatullah alayh) was initially misled by this shaitaani subtlety. It required a Giant of Uloom, a Muhaqqiqi Mudaqqiq Aalim of the calibre of Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (Rahmatullah alayh) to unravel this shaitaani plot and to convince Hadhrat Thanvi of his error of giving seerah bayaans in Rabiyul Awwal.
In lengthy correspondences between these two illustrious Akaabir Ulama, Hadhrat Thanvi finally understood his error and retracted his former stance, and abandoned Rabiyul Awwal participation. In effect Hadhrat Gangohi had pointed out to Hadhrat Thanvi that his argument in justification was 'nonsense'. It was 'nonsense' of the zukhruful qawl type which shaitaan whispers to his league of agents. And, sometimes the sincere Ulama are also entrapped. Only Allah Ta'ala can save us from such subtle evil snares of Iblees. believes to be Sunnah merely to appease one's sheikh or ustaadh. The muqallid has no daleel for abandoning what his Math-hab teaches to be Sunnah.
- Source
- themajlis.co.za
- Published in
- The Majlis Vol 24 No 08
- PDF page
- 8
Appears under MISUSE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF NECESSITY (approximate).