Ways of Celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi

The fact cannot be refuted that there is a humongous population of Muslims that celebrates the birth of Prophet (PBUH) and as per their arguments and logic, they are justified in doing so. On the other hand, there is another school of thought among Muslims who oppose performing of Eid Milad-un-Nabi and find it something that does not have any roots in Islam and is a bidah.

Keeping the debate aside, those who celebrate it will continue on celebrating it. One of the issues that the non-celebrating circle has regarding the celebration is that it people celebrate it in the form of procession instead of performing the deeds that actually bring good to a person or humanity instead of simple procession.

Although having processions is also a form of celebration, however, the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) should be different from the worldly celebrations and should have the elements of Islam in it. The lines below discuss a few ways of celebrating Eid Milad-un-Nabi in an Islamic spirit.

Ensure Salat Throughout The Day:

The best way of celebrating Eid milad-un-Nabi would be to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to the core. Therefore, in this regard a Muslim needs to remember the most integral part of the daily life of Prophet (PBUH) i.e. Salat. Although Salah is an  obligation that is to be performed by a Muslim throughout every day of life, however, on the day of the birth of Prophet (PBUH) a Muslim must strictly ensure that he or she performs the Salahs on their respective timings. By offering Salah a Muslim revives the Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH), thus it can be one of the best venerations a Muslim can have on the day of His birth.

Send Darood:

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith:

“On the day of Qiyammah the person closest to me will be the one who has sent the most Durood unto me.” (Tirmidhi)

The day of the birth of Prophet (PBUH) calls for His remembrance and paying respect to Him. The best means of doing so is by sending Durood to Him. The offering of Durood stands as a gift that a Muslim can present to Prophet (PBUH), which embodies the respect, and reverence that a Muslim has for Him. Although offering Durood should be made a part of daily routine, however, doing so in excess on the day of 12^th Rabi-ul-Awal can be one of the best gifts that a Muslim can send to Prophet (PBUH) on His birthday.

Give Charity:

Those who celebrate the day of birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) do it because they feel happy and when it comes to happiness, Islam wants the followers to spread it as much as possible. Like the Eid-ul-Fitr where Muslims give charity or Eid-ul-Adha on which Muslims distribute the meat of the sacrificed animal among the poor,  on this day as well Muslims must ensure that they be charitable and give charity to the poor. In addition to fulfilling the Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH), by giving charity a Muslim ensures that those who also wish to celebrate this day as a joyous occasion also have access to the means of joy. Thus, those who believe in celebration of this day should be as charitable as they are on any other Eid in Islam.

Forgive Others:

Those who believe that the day of 12^th of Rabi-ul-Awal is no less than a the day of Eid, for them it is necessary that they celebrate it in the same spirit of forgiveness as they do on the day of Eids. Eid is an occasion of joy and on that day a Muslim is supposed to do away with all the grudges and contempt that one has in his or her heart for others. It is a day when a Muslim is supposed to welcome others and forgive them for their mistakes. Therefore, those who are in favor of celebration of 12^th of Rabi-ul-Awal should make sure that on this day they forgive all those who have harmed them or offended them in anyway. Forgiveness was one of the major personality traits of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) therefore, reviving one of His traits on the day of His birth is also an expression of love and joy that a Muslim can exhibit.

Read Quran:

Quran was the greatest gift that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) brought for the guidance of mankind. Therefore, it is one of His reminiscences that remain with a Muslim and going through it can be one of the best ways of remembering Him. Quran reading with understanding helps a Muslim to picture the time in which verses were revealed and the kind of hardships or prosperity the Muslims in general and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in particular were facing. Moreover, the reason why Quran is there is to help a person become a better Muslim, which was the aim with which Prophet (PBUH) came to this world. Thus, on the day of His birth, if a Muslim reads Quran and tries to understand Quran, he or she would be fulfilling the reason for the birth of Prophet (PBUH). Ergo, the Quran tutors and the people celebrating 12^th of Rabi-ul-Awal must try to read and understand Quran on that day so that the purpose of the arrival of Prophet (PBUH) could be kept alive.

In a nutshell, one should not indulge in the debate of whether 12^th of Rabi-ul-Awal should be celebrated or not. Those who do it have their own arguments and those who don’t also have their own arguments. Those who celebrate it should make sure that in addition to all the processions they have, they must also revive the elements of Sunnah on this very day as all they want to do is to express their love for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).