To a sound mind, it is logical to pause and reflect with the clarity of common sense on the issue of Maulid of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SA...
To a sound mind, it is logical to pause and reflect with the clarity of common sense on the issue of Maulid of the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). In every society on earth, people honor their benefactors. Nations set aside days to celebrate leaders who fought for independence, scientists who made great discoveries, or heroes who sacrificed for the people. Nobody questions this. It is seen as natural, reasonable, and necessary. If this is the case with men and women who only served for a moment in history, how much more with the one who brought the light of revelation to all humanity? If it makes sense to honour a soldier, a teacher, or a reformer, then by every measure of common sense it makes far greater sense to honour the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), whose mission was to guide mankind from darkness into light.
The Qur’an itself tells us: “Is there any reward for goodness except goodness?” (Qur’an 55:60). When someone does you a favour, the common sense response is gratitude. Our Prophet did not do us a small favour; he delivered us the Qur’an, taught us the Sunnah, purified our morals, and showed us the path to eternal salvation. If gratitude is due to ordinary benefactors, how much more is due to him? Commemorating his birth through Maulid is nothing but an expression of this gratitude.
And what about love? Common sense tells us that love is not silent. Love does not hide in the corner of the heart. Love demands expression. When we love some people, we speak of them, we sing their praises, we celebrate them. The Prophet himself said: “Love me because of the love of Allah.” In Shi’a narrations, it is reported that Allah created the heavens and the earth because of His love for the Five under the Cloak: Muhammad, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (peace be upon them all). This shows that love for the Prophet and his purified family is woven into the very fabric of creation. Is it not then common sense that believers should express that love in gatherings of remembrance such as Maulid?
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “No hypocrite loves me, and no true believer hates me.” In another narration: “Protection from the Fire is through love of Ali.” These sayings, preserved in Islamic tradition, remind us that the measure of faith is love; love for the Prophet and love for his household. When we gather for Maulid, we affirm this love, declaring that our faith is alive and rooted in loyalty to MUHAMMAD (SAWA) and the Ahl AL-BAYT (AS).
The Qur’an commands us: “Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings upon him and greet him with peace” (Qur’an 33:56). If even the angels are engaged in his remembrance, should not we, his ummah, do the same? It is also logical that this remembrance extends naturally to his family, who carry his light and preserve his message. Maulid is one of the collective ways by which we obey this divine command.
But common sense also warns us: do not go to extremes. To reject Maulid entirely, saying it was not celebrated in the earliest days, ignores the fact that societies always find new ways to express timeless truths. The essence of honouring the Prophet has always existed; Maulid is simply one cultural form of expressing it. On the other hand, we must also guard against excess. The Prophet warned against distortions of faith, reminding us to hold firmly to the Qur’an and his Ahl al-Bayt, as in the well-known Hadith al-Thaqalayn: “I leave behind two precious things: the Book of Allah and my Ahl al-Bayt; if you hold fast to them, you will never go astray after me.” This is the balance of common sense: Maulid is valid so long as it remains a remembrance rooted in love, knowledge, and loyalty, without straying into practices that contradict Islam.
Finally, let us look at the results. Common sense asks: does this practice bring people closer to Allah, to His Messenger, to his purified family, and to faith? The answer is yes. In Maulid gatherings, people recite the Qur’an, remember the Prophet’s life, send blessings upon him, renew their love for Ahl al-Bayt, and pass his message on to future generations. The Imams themselves constantly urged their followers to gather, remember, and revive their cause. Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: “Revive our affairs, may Allah have mercy on those who revive our affairs.” Is this not what happens in Maulid, when the story of the Prophet’s noble life and the virtues of his household are taught to children and adults alike?
So let us be clear: Maulid is not superstition. It is not excess. It is common sense. It is gratitude to the greatest benefactor, love expressed for the most beloved, loyalty to his purified household, moderation that avoids extremes, and a tool that strengthens our faith and unity. Both reason and revelation agree on its value. It is, in truth, a celebration of mercy, love, and remembrance of the one about whom Allah said: “And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds” (Qur’an 21:107).
May Allah open our hearts to see the light of reason for the celebration of Maulid.
O believers, let us not allow arguments and divisions to rob us of this light. Celebrate Maulid with sincerity, humility, gratitude, and love. For by doing so, we honor not only the memory of the Prophet but also our covenant with his Ahl al-Bayt, and the very essence of our faith.
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