The Contested Mawlid un-Nabi: Its History and Polemical Arguments For and Against it from Premodern Times to the 21st Century

As the supposed date of the birth of Prophet Muḥammad approaches, the debate within the Muslim community about the legality or permissibility of celebrating the birth of the Prophet (Mawlid) of Islam opens up each year: condemnable bidʿa (innovation) to some since neither the Prophet nor his Companions celebrated it during their lifetime ; Bidʿa ḥasana (good innovation) for others who see this event as an opportunity to show respect and love for the Prophet by recalling traditions (sunan) and certain episodes of his life. In addition to the Sunna, both sides of this contemporary debate draw on medieval authors who discussed the issue of celebrating al-mawlid al-nabawī in their time. Among these scholars, Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328), one of the most divisive and influential medieval theologians in contemporary Islamic thought, seems to be a particular case. Indeed, his writings are cited by both supporters and opponents of the Mawlid to give more weight to their speeches. The use of the same source to support antagonistic positions ultimately leads to confusion as to the real position of Ibn Taymiyya on the issue, as he is sometimes presented as a supporter of the Mawlid while elsewhere as a fierce opponent. The aim of this article is twofold. The first is to analyse the reception of Ibn Taymiyya’s words on the subject and how they are used and integrated into the discourse of contemporary religious actors involved in the debate on the Mawlid. The second aim is to use the comparison of sources to clarify Ibn Taymiyya’s stance on the Mawlid, a topic that is unquestionably relevant in ongoing debates within the Muslim religious community.

Domestic Devotions in the Early Modern World

This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC-ND License at the time of publication.

SAIZU INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TRANSDISCIPLINARY RELIGIOUS STUDIES (SAIZU ICON-TREES) , 2023

Mawlid is celebrated by Muslims around the world. Despite its popularity, there is no data regarding how this popularity portrayed in scientific research. This article aims to present a bibliometric overview related to research on mawlid over 25 years. This article can also be a guide for researchers interested in the Mawlid theme, so that they can obtain information about what journals to consult when they want to know more about mawlid. This article uses the Scopus Database to collect Mawlidrelated articles. The data were further analyzed to find several bibliometric indicators. This article found that English is the most used language (48 documents). Anthropology is the most popular research area (15 documents). In 3 decades, from 1997 to 2022, Mawlid's research has increased. From the beginning there was one document in the 90s, it increased to 9 documents in the 2001s, and in the last decade, it has increased to 47 documents. The country with the most publications is the UK (17 documents). The journals Cumhuriyet Ilahiyat Dergisi and Studia Islamika are the two publishers with the most publications of Mawlid Article. The most influential author was S. Schielke (2 documents and 34 citations). This article shows that although research publications related to Mawlid celebration have been found since 1997, but its popularity have increased over the past ten years.

ASEAS, 2018

In Palembang in South Sumatra, Indonesia, Maulid celebrations are considered an important religious event in the lives of many Muslims. Over the past twenty years, there has been an expansion of activities, the driving force behind which has been a young generation of Alawiyin in Palembang. Maulid celebrations organized by the Alawiyin in Palembang are separated along gender lines. In this paper, I show how female-only Maulid celebrations enable Muslim women, and especially the sharifat, to express their emotions and allow for bodily expressions during the actual Maulid event. I will argue that, in women-only celebrations, women express religious emotions which they wish to show but also which are expected from them as the expression of love for the Prophet Muhammad is part of the Islamic understanding internalized by the Alawiyin.

Vol. 27 No. 1 (2025): Afkar: Jurnal Akidah & Pemikiran Islam

The spiritual heritage and ethno-cultural richness of Kosovo are both deep and diverse, manifested through various layers of tradition and practice. Among these is the long-standing tradition of celebrating Mawlud, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This practice, which has been present in the region for generations, is distinguished by unique characteristics and cultural expressions that hold significant value for the spiritual life of the Muslim community in Kosovo. The historical development, features, and specific forms of Mawlud celebrations, such as the recitation of poetry and singing about the life of the Prophet (PBUH), have played a vital role in preserving Islamic identity and transmitting religious teachings, particularly during the communist period when religious expression was restricted. This article analyses how Mawlud has been organised and celebrated, highlighting its importance in sustaining Islamic culture and community life. The research methodology is primarily based on empirical fieldwork and library research. Interviews were conducted with imams and elder community members who have witnessed or participated in Mawlud traditions. In addition to oral sources, the study draws

Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, 2017

The festival of the birth of the Prophet in Indonesia begins on the sixth day of the month of Mawlid and ends on the twelfth day. It is one of the most important religious festivals in the world’s largest Muslim country. This religious celebration is held in three Indonesian royal courts: Yogyakarta, Surakarta, and Cirebon. My paper is a brief ethnographic account of the Muhammad’s birthday celebration in Yogyakarta.

The traditional honoring of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed (Milad-un-Nabi) has shifted in numerous Indian cities from private prayer and ritual meals in the home to grand public festivals that bear resemblances to Hindu religious processions. In 2010 in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, large-scale Milad-un-Nabi festivals became implicated in Hindu–Muslim nationalist riots that erupted weeks later at the commencement of a Hindu festival for Hanuman Jayanthi. This paper explores the political production of Muslim ethno-nationalism and the intra-community debates over the legitimacy and piety of Milad-un-Nabi celebrations. It argues that Milad-un-Nabi as a public performance is a (re)invented tradition that is part of the struggle for material, political and symbolic goods of the nation-state. It is shaped by local party politics and history of anti-Muslim discrimination. However, as the festivals highlight community divisions and religious ambiguities, they ultimately reveal the fragility of ethnic groups.

Archiv Orientalni, 2009

The Arab community in Palestine asserted itself over the years of the British mandate through the promotion of various national symbols. Such a national symbol was the festival of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (al-Mawlid al-Nabawi), which nationalists wanted to turn into a Bastille-day-like occasion. Yet its denominational content, and geographical factors limited the success of this project. Yet the history of the Mawlid over the Mandate years reveals many of the dynamics, ups and downs of Palestinian national mobilization during the period.