Q517 :My uncle has a large number of followers.
Every month, he performs a celebration of the Prophet’s birthday when
he feeds the poor with money he collects from his followers. He
recently asked me to make a hut for him in the graveyard where he lives
alone. He also asked me to erect a wall around the grave of my deceased
father. Please netment.
A517 : There is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad
conveyed to us Allah’s final message and the code of living He wants us
to implement in our lives. Every Muslim, therefore, loves the Prophet
more than he loves his parents or himself. Without the Prophet’s
teachings, humanity would have lived in darkness. Our love of the
Prophet and the position of honor given to him must conform to what he
has taught. Suppose that you have two children and one of them is
obedient and dutiful and the other is not that dutiful. When you are
asked who of your children loves you best, you are bound to answer that
the one who is dutiful loves you much more than his brother. You
consider the dutifulness of the first son the mark of his love to you.
This is indeed the truth. If your other son professes everyday that he
loves you very much and he kisses your hand when he goes out or when
you nete home, but nevertheless does not abide by your wishes or do
your bidding, you do not take his protestations of love very seriously.
Therefore, our love of the Prophet must be measured by the same
yardstick. If we follow the Prophet’s guidance and abide by his
teachings and implement what he wants us to implement, then we love the
Prophet. If we are satisfied by professing that we love him and we try
to give the proof of that by holding parties to celebrate his birth,
then our claims are devoid of any substance. As for celebrating the
Prophet’s birthday, whether done every year or every month or every
week, that can only be judged according to the Prophet’s guidance. We
have nothing in what the Prophet has said or done to indicate that he
has celebrated his own birthday. None of his netpanions or the
generation which succeeded him held any such celebrations at any time
or in any form. Therefore, we can only say that this celebration is an
innovation which earns no reward. I am afraid that your uncle’s desire
to live in the graveyard is very strange. The place of a learned Muslim
is within his netmunity to whom he tries to explain the Islamic
teachings and whom he encourages to follow the Prophet’s example. To
erect a wall around a grave or indeed to do anything with a grave which
is a mark of distinction is strongly discouraged. A grave must be
simple and raised only about a foot over the ground and should not have
a pyramid like shape. Its top should be flat. Tombs are not allowed in
Islam. Prophet’s children, grandchildren
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )