Islamic ruling as regard birthday, anniversary celebrations (Volume 2)..

1: One thing is certain in this life, if you want to find a way for your stances, even where there is no way, you will find a way for yourself, the way might not be correct, but your loyalist will still go by it. Flash back at the Mu’aawiyah’s sect during the battle of Siffin, when they killed Aammar bn Yaasir, did Mu’awiyah not find a way to interpret out the hadeeth of the Prophet? He said: “we are not the one that killed him, those who brought him to the war did” can you see the interpretation all scholars regard as تأويل بعيد(a very far interpretation), and his loyalists accepted that.

2: This is a sahaabah, if he could give his own interpretation which senior sahaabah and scholars of revered regarded false interpretation, why should we be surprised if a normal mankind based the ruling of Allah upon certain erroneous points?! It is very dicey, everybody will want to maintain his lane while harvesting more loyalists. The religion is no one’s father’s religion, there is no need to fight each other on difference of opinions. Explain yours with concrete evidences if you are a scholar and move on, but the error is assuming a particular thought or school as the correct islamic evidences.

3: I got notified of an assumed refutation saying birthday, anniversaries celebrations are Eid, hence it is haram – even congratulating is said to be haram. One must go at his own pace and always put them at the defensive always, I intentionally did not respond immediately. Nevertheless, all the arguments saying such celebrations are haram revolves around Ibn Taemiyah’s theories in his book Iqtidau and a latter day definitions of Bidiah. The fact remains that it is very much easier to be theoretical but when it comes to application you will see same scholars agreeing on the same theory of Bidiah disagreeing on its practical implementation.

4: Several examples abound on differences on implication of Bidiah by those who upheld the same theory on Bidiah and Festivals. We should rather ask why the argument isn’t beyond Ibn Taemiyah’s theory since it wants to present a balanced argument.

5: The reality is that the foundational basis of Ibn Taemiyah’s analysis of festivals in his book Iqtidau sirat mustaqiim has been generalised and adopted as a yard stick to judge issues of anniversaries under different sociological context. All Festivals in the past are directly associated to paganism as the socio- political foundation of societies of the past is founded on paganism, but in our modern world a new reality has emerged dictated by other factors as freedom, equity, struggle for justice which is redefining the basis for a celebration of breakthroughs in struggle.

6: The argument quoted the hadith of the two festival days the medinities(ahlu madeenah) engage in play therein while the writer tried to insinuate that it is ordinary play day, this is false and a misconception. The fact is that they are play day associated with Jahilliyah paganism and some books of Sharh had indicated the two days as Nairuz and Mahrajan. The causes of realities of anniversaries of the modern world.

7: An intellectual reader will be surprised how the writer concluded the only ibn Taemiyah’s theory is a consensus, He might not have read Ibn Taemiyah wrongly rather they are popularising his ideas and erroneously assuming it as the truth and consensus. An effective way to deal with salafi issue is first to identify all the hadith they qoute, then you will research on its sharh(detailed explanation), since sharh gives a broad and proper illustration of the ideas of the salaf on the subject matter, then one will be able to make informed decision based on the present reality, unlike subjecting interpretations to the opinion of Ibn Taemiyah or any later scholars. Although theirs is also equally of importance but one will not become subjective to any idea.

Even the Nairuz and Mahrajan festival of the Zoroastrians – there are more to say on it, let’s keep it off social media, you can easily make your research about the sahaabah and salaf attitudes towards it – like Ali, Aishah, Ibn Abee Shaybah(the teacher of Imam Bukhari) even had a tenant who is a Zoroastrian that gives him gift of their festival and he told his family to only eat the fruits but reject the meat, I have more to say on this point but I will not further here. The Faqih is the person who does not disclose every knowledge so that it does not become fitna to the public just like Imam Malik regretted including a hadith in his Muwatta due to its implied consequence.

You can read further sharhu of the hadeeth in any sharhu of Abu Daud like المنهل العذب المورود or ﻋﻮﻥ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﺒﻮﺩ or any other. The hadeeth is also in Abu Daud.

8: The writer tries to relate and find a nexus between Madubah (NOTE: there are other terms mentioned in the books of fiqh like Mugni and Al Majmu’ etc which infact include those they consider as Bidiah such as house warming, Returning from Hajj or journey etc) which is at the instance of individual(s), and Eid (which he has confused between the linguistic, technical and shariah usage). Nevertheless, the Madubah as presented by his has no consequential religious maxim that could provoke any legal ruling. It is just for mesmerizing an undiscerning reader into accepting a preconceived conclusion.

9: The definition he has provided about Eid is simply ostensive and only furnishes part of the extension of the Eid. Imagine determining an Islamic ruling with a Kuwaiti encyclopedia!. It is only from an extensive definition an informed legal ruling could be deducted.

Take for instance from the limited definition, one could conclude that Arafah day is also Eid day more also a person on Arafah is not expected to fast, but again we could say it is not Eid because Eid days are just two. So an informed legal ruling could be deduced from an extensive definition of term and from which what is not Eid could not be claimed to be Eid simply because it is a yearly occurrence.

Their definitions should capture the entire essence for a rule to be deduced. الحكم على شيء فرع عن تصوره.
For instance, they will say Aqsa day is Eid, but we would respond that it is not Eid technically or legally because it does not entails all the perquisites of Eid.

10: It is a wrong saying to conclude because an event occurs yearly makes it Eid, That was from the linguistic definition as something occurring yearly. But that is not just the only definition as it also means Congregational feast etc. You can just check any Arabic dictionary or other sources. It could be daily, weekly or monthly where people congregate (linguistically). Because the Prophet said linguistically
إن لكل قوم عيدا و هذا عيدنا.
Yearly, monthly, daily occurrence of an event cannot determine Eid because they are all accumulation of days, why do they organize monthly da’wah programme? Yearly seminars? They only mis-apply principles when it seems to pay them, that is not Islam, Islam isn’t Christianity.

Still, there is no Islamic evidence to declare birthday, anniversaries haram or bid’ah.

11: It is because the basic acceptable standard by some set of people has been attached to individuals or certain committee. So if any idea is attached to their revered personality then it could not be wrong. But fortunately, the Prophet had only set the standard in Quran and sunnah alone. Even the authentic hadith which set Ali bn Abee Talib as a standard was rejected by Sh. Ibn Taemiyah and others, then how come later generations will then make Sh.Ibn Taemiyah as a standard while he himself has rejected setting humans as a standard?!

Just as they have made the students and members of the Imam Ahmad’s school of thought as the basis of the creed of Ahl sunnah wal Jamaa’ah while efforts are made to discredit others outside their school.

12: If you will shift your evidence from these celebrations being festivals to bid’ah – using Imam Shaatibi’s book(I’tisaam) as a justification, we will say you are still getting the whole matter wrong.

Because, going by Imam Shaatibi and Ibn Taemiyah’s theoretization of Bidiah, then every Bidiah is Kufru, but they never said every act of kufru makes its perpetrator a kafir, the likes of Jabata went to the extreme by considering every act of kufru as kafir.

They will say not everyone that practiced bid’ah will be determined heretic
(ليس كل من وقع في البدعة وقعت البدعة عليه)
They all say this including Sh. Madkhali, Albani etc, but it does not exceed their tongue, they are very vicious in condemning others as Mubtadee’ for little mistakes.

13: However, Imam Shaatibi has more than one definition for bidiah of which one of it is the famous one (طريقة في الدين مخترعة..), which is subject to disputation in its application, it is easier to theoretize a term, most especially when it is done almost 400 years after the period of the companion, If every scholar who had understood and accepted Imam Shaatibi’s definations are now called to determine issues that are Bidiah based on Shaatibi’s theory you will realise that they will begin to differ amongst themselves as to what to be considered as Bidiah.

Imam Shatibi had not made the definition in a vacum rather it is in opposition to some contemporary scholars of his time. Nevertheless, succeeding scholars after Imam Shaatibi had rely exclusively on his definition without recourse to the interpretations of scholars before him or his contemporary.

14: Imam Shatibi’s definition was only adopted by succeeding scholars after him without making further effort. But the consequence is that those who adopted the definitions of Imam Shaatibi even differ among themselves in its application and accuse one another of Bidiah based on Shaatibi’s definitions, so it is a proof that his definition is subject to conflicting interpretation. In sha Allah I hope to find time to do an exposition on Shaatibi’s term, infact some of the issues Imam Shaatibi did not consider as bidiah is perceived as bidiah by scholars who had relied on Shaatibi’s definition.

Does it not show our level of intellectual depravity that we had relied on Imam Shaatibi’s exposition of Masalih for about 900 years and is still being taught in universities till today without any further addition despite the serious need of our time in an advanced and complex sociological situation.

15: Ibn Taemiyah also has more than one definition, and the application of his definition is the source of confusion we have today with respect to Bidiah, take for instance his explanation of the following verse in his book Iqtidau sirat mustaqim as follows

ﺃَﻡْ ﻟَﻬُﻢْ ﺷُﺮَﻛَﺎﺀُ ﺷَﺮَﻋُﻮﺍ ﻟَﻬُﻢ ﻣِّﻦَ ﺍﻟﺪِّﻳﻦِ ﻣَﺎ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﺄْﺫَﻥ ﺑِﻪِ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ

ﻓﺈﻥ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺪﻋﺔ ﺃﻧﻬﺎ ﺗﺸﺮﻳﻊ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻣﺎ ﻟﻢ ﻳﺄﺫﻥ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ، ﻓﻤﻦ ﺍﺑﺘﺪﻉ ﺑﺪﻋﺔ ﻛﺎﻟﻤﻮﻟﺪ ﺃﻭ ﻏﻴﺮﻩ، ﻓﺤﻘﻴﻘﺔ ﺃﻣﺮﻩ ﺃﻧﻪ ﺃﺗﻰ ﺑﺪﻳﻦ ﻟﻢ ﻳﺄﺕ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ، ﻭﺯﻋﻤﻪ ﺩﻳﻨًﺎ ﻟﻠﻪ، ﻓﻤﺜﻞ ﻫﺬﺍ ﻛﻔﺮ ﻭﺭﺩﺓ؛ ﻷﻧﻪ ﺗﺤﻠﻴﻞ ﻭﺗﺤﺮﻳﻢ، ﻟﻜﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺒﺘﺪﻉ ﻻ ﻳﻜﻔَّﺮ؛ ﻷﻧﻪ ﻣﺘﺄﻭﻝ، ﻭﺍﻟﺘﺄﻭﻳﻞ ﻣﺎﻧﻊ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺘﻜﻔﻴﺮ

From the above he insinuated that if an act of kufru is engaged in, but the perpetrator is not considered a kafir due to his Tawil(interpretation).

The problem of Bidiah is not its definition but in application of the definition.

16: Reading the passage of Ibn Taemiyah critically, you will see that while given examples for the bidiah that he considers Tashree’u(legislation), he mentioned mawlud and others that could be tanamout to kufru and apostasy, so major problem is the application of the definitions of Bidiah and that the various definition is misapplied by those who subscribe to it.

Take for instance, the prayer for the completion of Quran during Ramadan tarawih should be considered as Bidiah based on the Shatibi’s definition I have mentioned above, but would Ibn bazz and other Saudi scholars accept that it is Bidiah, yet they use the same Shaatibi’s definition to condemn the acts done by others as Bidiah.

So, the various definitions was just personal efforts of these scholars and does not neccesarily indicate it is absolutely correct 100%. The Shaatibi’s definitions did not differentiate between Ibadatul Mahdah and that which is not.

17: So, Jabata salafiyyah is just freely applying these definitions just like his fellow salafi are also applying it in another dimension. The error of this Ummah is Taqlid(blind followership). infact we have glorified taqlid while pretending to preach against taqlid and we have adopted taqlid through the back door by claiming Fahm salaf, as if the salaf had agreed on those issues we claim Fahm salaf. we only use it as a gimmick to cajole people to do our taqlid blindly.

Even look at the issue of Aqeedah, we claim Aqeedatul salaf but we only want people to do taqleed of the Hanbaliyah creed.

18: All the scholars are beginning to have a level paying platform where the beautify and diversity of real Islamic scholarship is being showcased. Unlike some countries who sought to strangulate scholarship and only giving platform for their own stereotype ideas. This is Nigeria, it is now beyond personalities, it is the presentation of facts.

They can continue to insult and abuse which is a manifestation of intellectual intolerance.

The Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad is that of tolerance and appreciation of genuine intellectual diversity.

19: Politics and partisanship of historical past had more influence on our perception of the teachings of Islam. Some of the things for which we accused and ostracized fellow muslims were in existence even in the first best three centuries of Islam without causing any rancour. It was in the fourth century when some schools of thought begin to think they alone represent the creed of the first century that the Fitna of the mentality of “انا خير منه” or ” نحن خير منهم” began to take shape and Muslims began wrangling on superfluous issues.

20: May Allah safe this our present ummah from taqleed and guluw. The fact remains birthdays, anniversaries celebrations, sending greetings for these occasions is HALAL, nothing Islamic makes it haram or bid’ah, you might not celebrate it, you might not call to it, you can advise those celebrating it to make it halal but don’t make unlawful what Allah makes lawful.

Wa salla Allahu ala sayyidinaa Muhammad wa ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.