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Al-Mawlid and the Messages of Glad Tidings and Victory
Author : Secretary General Dr. Zaid Al-Kilani
Date Added : 17-09-2024

Al-Mawlid and the Messages of Glad Tidings and Victory

The anniversary of the birth of the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, shines upon us, laden with messages of glad tidings and victory. These messages fill the believer's heart with certainty, trust, good hope in Allah that victory is near, that ease will follow hardship, and that the generous Giver, the Almighty, is near to the doers of good.

What is the connection between the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, in the Year of the Elephant, and the message of glad tidings? What is the relation of that historical event to hope? What is the significance of that date as we witness the aggression of the aggressor, the occupation of the occupier against our people in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and as we see their attempts to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque? What is the significance of the promising Mawlid amidst these events?

How does the day of the Mawlid carry that meaning that every believer experiences when reciting Allah's Words (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." [Ash-Sharh, 5/6]? How do we live with the birth of our Prophet, illuminated by Allah's Words (What means): "And remind them of the days of Allah" [Ibrahim/5] - the days of His victory for His friends, the days of His defeat of His enemies, the days of relief for the patient, the days of reward for those who persevere in this religion?

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was born on the twelfth of Rabi' Al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant - the year of the attack on the Kaaba, the year of oppression, the year of tyranny, the year of aggression. Yet, it turned into the year of birth, the shining of light, and the beginning of glad tidings that would be followed by victory and reward.

It all began in the Year of the Elephant, the year when Abraha moved with his massive armies and their unprecedented weapons, aiming for the Holy Kaaba, the last symbol that reminded the Arabs, from generation to generation, of the rituals they had received from the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him. This was the final landmark reminding them of monotheism and its rituals. Abraha wanted to defile, erase, and destroy it, so that people would gather around him and under his banner, and so that their attachment to the Kaaba and the remaining vestiges of the religion of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, would be severed.

Thus, the beginnings were designed to determine the endings, to make that year the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, the erasure of landmarks, and the destruction of the last reminder of monotheism. Let us now draw a comparison to see the situation of the occupying aggressor today, who uses his weapons and tyranny to kill and destroy, believing that he will expel the people from their land, deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, Judaize their holy sites, and triumph over their beliefs. This is a comparison between the two armies, between the two beginnings, and between the two delusions.

Abraha thought he could conquer the Holy Kaaba, that he could end the last symbol of monotheism. Abraha had a massive army and unprecedented weapons, and the occupier today has deadly weapons with which he attacks our people, believing that through his aggression he can deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, and remove their belief from their hearts. This comparison, this similarity in beginnings, will have the same endings and conclusions, by the permission of Allah The Exalted, Who Said (What mean): "And indeed, Our word had already gone forth to Our messengers: Indeed, they will be supported. And indeed, Our soldiers - it is They who will overcome." [As-Saffat, 171-173].

Let us return to Abraha to see the glad tidings, the results, and the outcome. Historical sources tell us about the attempts of some Arab tribes to confront Abraha, and the same sources tell us that some Arabs guided Abraha to the best way to reach the Holy Kaaba, out of treachery to gain some favor from Abraha, like Abu Rgghal who became a byword for treachery!

As for the Quraysh tribe, they decided to defend the House in the way they could, through what is known today as "guerrilla warfare." They would go to the mountains, attack Abraha's army, and then return to the mountains. The leader of Mecca, Abd Al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood in front of Abraha, warning and reminding him, saying: "The House has a Lord who protects it." Then he turned to Allah and said: "O Lord, the servant protects his camel, so protect Your camel."

Then came the divine aid that is deeply rooted in our hearts: that Allah is The Protector of His religion and the Perfecter of His Light. So Allah Sent the birds of the abyss: "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, which pelted them with stones of Sijjil, and made them like straw eaten up." [Al-Fil, 1-5].   

 

Abraha was defeated and the divine aid did not stop there; rather, the command was given to send the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, into the world - the raiser of the banner of monotheism, the continuation of the mission of Ibrahim, who would fill the earth with justice and light. In the same year - the Year of the Elephant - which was planned to be the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, it became the year of preserving the Kaaba and the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him!

This teaches us that Allah's way in the universe is that dawn comes after the darkest night, and that no matter how long the oppression lasts, the light of truth will shine, He Says (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." It also teaches us that the victory and relief of Allah for our people in Palestine is inevitable.

The armies that came with their massive and fortified weapons, symbolizing their victory, turned out to be a symbol of their defeat! They became like the remains of eaten straw, with no weight or value.

This verse, this message, and this meaning, we remember on the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, because the day of the Mawlid carries glad tidings for the group who has been given the glad tidings, just as our Prophet was born in the year when Abraha thought he could conquer the House of Allah! So Abraha was defeated, and the Master of Creation was born, peace be upon him!

Thus, the Mawlid gives us the glad tidings that victory is near. It gives glad tidings to our people in Palestine, the people who have been promised by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whereas, he said: "There will always be a group from my nation who will be openly on the truth, victorious over their enemies." We have seen them openly on the truth, and we will see them victorious over their enemies, and we will see them praying in liberation in Al-Aqsa, by Allah's permission.

This is the anniversary of the Mawlid, and this is one of its messages. This is a renewal of the covenant on the day of the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is Fajr (dawn) Sunnah a confirmed one?

All praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds                                                                                                                                                                                  Of course, it is a confirmed Sunna which the Prophet (PBUH) used to offer in a regular basis. And Allah Knows Best.

Is it permissible to offer an Udhiyah on behalf of the deceased?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) on behalf of a deceased person is permissible. This is the official position of the Hanbali school (as stated in Kashshaf al-Qina’ by al-Bahuti,Vol.6/P.428) and was also upheld by the prominent Shafi'i scholar Al-’Abbadi (mentioned in Bidayat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Qadi Shuhbah,Vol. 4/P.358). It has likewise been narrated as a valid view among some Maliki and Hanafi scholars.
 
In fact, Imam Abu Dawud dedicated an entire chapter in his Sunan collection entitled, "Chapter on Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased." In it, he recorded a narration from Hanash, who said: "I saw 'Ali sacrificing two rams, so I asked him, 'What is this?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, so I am sacrificing on his behalf.'"
 
Imam Abu Dawud also narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, this is from You, for You, and on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah (community). In the Name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest," and he then slaughtered the animal.
 
The textual evidence here lies in the fact that our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offered a sacrifice on behalf of his entire community—and it is well-established that his community includes those who have already passed away.
 
Furthermore, there is an abundance of sacred texts demonstrating that the rewards of righteous deeds reach the deceased. For instance, it is permissible to fast on behalf of a deceased person who passed away with missed obligatory fasts, and it is equally permissible to perform Hajj on their behalf, both of which are firmly established in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, if the reward of fasting (which is a purely physical act of worship) and Hajj (which is a joint physical and financial act of worship) can reach the deceased, then the reward of an Udhiyah reaches them with greater reason (by way of A Fortiori argument). This is because it is a purely financial act of worship, falling under the general category of charity (Sadaqah).
 
Additionally, scholars have reached a consensus (Ijma') that the rewards of charity reach the deceased, and since the Udhiyah is inherently an act of charity, it falls under the same ruling. Consequently, based on all the aforementioned evidence, we hold the view that offering a sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is entirely permissible. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on fasting the six days of Shawwal?

Fasting the six days of Shawwal is Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they have fasted for a lifetime." [Narrated by Muslim]
This is because fasting one month of Ramadan is rewarded as fasting for ten months, and the six days are equivalent to sixty days, completing a full year of fasting.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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