In the Scholarly Perspective of Allama Dr. Shaykh Ghulam Rasool Hami (Hh)
Sheikh Sameer Manzoor
The question of celebrating Mawlid al-Nabi ﷺ has occupied an important place in Muslim devotional and juristic discourse for centuries. It is also a subject that requires intellectual honesty and scholarly restraint. The annual commemoration of the birth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in its organised historical form, was not practised by the Prophet ﷺ or the Companions in the manner familiar to Muslims today. At the same time, a substantial body of Sunni scholarship subsequently regarded gatherings for remembering the Prophet’s birth as permissible, and in many cases commendable, when they consist of lawful acts such as Qur’an recitation, remembrance of Allah, salawat, Seerah, praise of the Prophet ﷺ, charity and feeding people.
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, representing one contemporary Sunni legal institution, records the position that the majority of scholars from the early and later generations recognised the legitimacy of commemorating the Prophetic birth, and that numerous scholars authored works in support of it. The central scholarly question, therefore, is not whether an annual ceremony in its later institutional form existed during the first generation, but whether Muslims may lawfully assemble around acts already recognised by Islam in order to express gratitude and joy for the advent of the Messenger ﷺ.
The Qur’an does not contain a verse saying, in explicit terms, “Celebrate Mawlid on such-and-such a date.” It would therefore be academically incorrect to claim such a direct command. What the Qur’an does provide, however, are general principles concerning divine mercy, gratitude and legitimate rejoicing. Allah says: “Say: In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy — in that let them rejoice.” (Qur’an 10:58). The Messenger ﷺ is himself described as a mercy to the worlds: “And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Qur’an 21:107).
The Sunni argument for Mawlid proceeds from these principles. If the Prophet ﷺ is among the greatest manifestations of Allah’s mercy to humanity, then expressing lawful joy and gratitude for his advent falls within the broad Qur’anic principle of rejoicing in divine mercy. This does not transform Qur’an 10:58 into an explicit command for an annual Mawlid ceremony; rather, it establishes a legitimate theological foundation upon which the later juristic discussion rests.
The most direct Prophetic evidence used in the discussion of Mawlid is the authentic narration of Abu Qatadah al-Ansari (RA) recorded by Imam Muslim. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about fasting on Monday, and he replied: “It is the day on which I was born and the day on which revelation was sent down to me.” (Sahih Muslim, 1162).
The importance of this hadith is considerable. The Prophet ﷺ himself identified his day of birth when explaining why Monday possessed special significance for him. His response demonstrates a connection between the memory of his birth and an act of worship and gratitude. It does not constitute an explicit command to hold an annual Mawlid gathering, and it should not be presented as such. Rather, it establishes a principle upon which later Sunni scholars reasoned: that remembering the Prophetic birth and expressing gratitude to Allah for it is not inherently contrary to the Sunnah. The form of gratitude in the hadith is fasting; later Muslims who gathered for Qur’an, salawat, Seerah, charity and lawful expressions of joy were applying the same broader principle through different lawful means.
The theological significance of the Prophet’s birth provides a further basis for understanding Mawlid. Allah says: “Allah has certainly bestowed a great favour upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves.” (Qur’an 3:164). The sending of the Messenger ﷺ is explicitly described as a divine favour. Likewise, the Qur’an declares: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is what you suffer, concerned over you, and toward the believers is kind and merciful.” (Qur’an 9:128).
Thus, the Prophetic advent is not treated in revelation as an ordinary historical occurrence. It is a divine favour carrying guidance, mercy and salvation. The Sunni permissibility argument consequently understands Mawlid as an organised expression of gratitude (shukr) for this extraordinary divine favour. If gratitude itself is commanded, and if the Prophet ﷺ represents one of Allah’s greatest gifts to humanity, then expressing gratitude through lawful devotional activities has a legitimate basis in the general principles of Islam.
Mawlid is also closely connected with the Qur’anic and Prophetic teaching concerning love for the Messenger ﷺ. The Qur’an states: “Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.” (Qur’an 3:31). The Prophet ﷺ also taught that complete faith requires him to be more beloved to a believer than his parents, children and all other people (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). Love, therefore, is not an optional emotional ornament added to Islam; it is deeply connected with faith itself.
A gathering in which Muslims remember the Prophet’s life, recite salawat, narrate his virtues and renew their attachment to his Sunnah can consequently be understood as an expression of this mandated love. The permissibility argument becomes particularly strong when celebration is understood not as entertainment but as an expression of reverence, gratitude and spiritual attachment. The purpose is not simply to feel emotion for the Prophet ﷺ, but to allow that emotion to lead to obedience and imitation.
The Qur’an repeatedly instructs believers to remember Allah’s signs, favours and significant events. Allah says to Musa (AS): “And remind them of the Days of Allah.” (Qur’an 14:5). Sunni scholars who permit Mawlid have viewed this principle as relevant to the remembrance of the greatest events associated with Prophetic guidance. The birth of the Messenger ﷺ represents the beginning of the earthly life of the final Prophet, whose mission culminated in the completion of divine guidance. Remembering such a blessing through lawful acts does not necessarily require a specific ritual prescribed by revelation. Rather, the occasion can serve as a framework for activities that are already religiously meritorious. Dar al-Ifta Egypt similarly cites the principle of remembering divine favours, and the hadith of Monday, in its explanation of the permissibility of commemorating the Prophetic birth. The legal reasoning is therefore cumulative rather than dependent upon a single text.
Another important principle employed by Sunni jurists concerns the fasting of Ashura. When the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah and learned that the Jews fasted on that day because Allah had saved Musa (AS) and the Children of Israel from Pharaoh, he affirmed the significance of fasting on it. The juristic relevance lies in the principle of expressing gratitude to Allah for a past divine favour through an act of worship. The occasion itself is historical, while the gratitude is renewed periodically. Sunni scholars who support Mawlid have regarded this as an analogy in principle: if remembering a historical divine favour can be connected with recurring worship, then remembering the birth of the Messenger ﷺ can likewise become an occasion for gratitude, provided the acts performed are lawful. The analogy does not mean that Mawlid is identical to Ashura, nor that the Prophet ﷺ prescribed an annual Mawlid. It demonstrates instead that Islam recognises the legitimacy of connecting remembrance of significant divine favours with acts of gratitude.
Among the most significant classical Sunni defences of Mawlid is the treatise of Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, *Husn al-Maqsid fi Amal al-Mawlid*. Al-Suyuti did not base his argument upon the claim that the Companions held annual Mawlid ceremonies. Instead, he examined the contents and purpose of the gathering. He described a form involving the assembly of people, recitation of Qur’an, narration of accounts concerning the Prophet ﷺ and the provision of food. This methodology is crucial, because it demonstrates how a classical jurist evaluated the practice through its constituent acts. Dar al-Ifta Egypt likewise identifies al-Suyuti’s treatise as one of the principal classical works written in support of the commemoration of the Prophetic birth. His argument therefore represents not a rejection of jurisprudence in favour of popular devotion, but an attempt to place Mawlid within recognised principles of Sunni law.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani is another major authority whose position is frequently cited in the Sunni discussion. The position transmitted through al-Suyuti is carefully conditional: the organised Mawlid gathering was not known from the earliest generations in that form, but it could contain both commendable and reprehensible elements. Where the gathering consisted of good acts and avoided prohibited matters, it could be regarded positively; where prohibited elements were introduced, those elements would render the practice blameworthy.
This approach is particularly important because it establishes that the question cannot be answered simply by the word “Mawlid.” The legal ruling depends upon what is actually being done. Qur’an, charity, Seerah, salawat and lawful food remain virtuous acts; unlawful conduct remains unlawful. The title of the gathering does not change the ruling of individual actions. This conditional reasoning provides one of the strongest juristic foundations for a disciplined Sunni conception of Mawlid.
Abu Shamah al-Maqdisi, a prominent Shafi’i scholar associated with the scholarly tradition of Damascus, is also cited in the classical literature concerning Mawlid. The positive approach attributed to him emphasises charity, generosity and lawful joy connected with remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ. This is significant, because it reveals that the scholarly defence of Mawlid was never intended to reduce the occasion to verbal praise alone. Feeding people, giving charity and bringing happiness to believers are independently recognised acts of virtue. When such actions are brought together to express gratitude for the Prophet ﷺ, the occasion can acquire additional spiritual meaning. Dar al-Ifta’s contemporary presentation similarly describes Qur’an recitation, remembrance, praise of the Prophet ﷺ and charitable meals as central components of the permissible form of commemoration.
The existence of a substantial body of classical literature on Mawlid is itself significant for understanding the history of the permissibility debate. Sunni scholars wrote independent works discussing the Prophetic birth, its virtues and the legal status of commemorating it. Among the works identified by Dar al-Ifta are Ibn Dihyah’s *al-Tanwir fi Mawlid al-Bashir al-Nadhir*, al-Iraqi’s *al-Mawrid al-Hani fi al-Mawlid al-Sani*, Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi’s *Mawrid al-Sadi fi Mawlid al-Hadi* and al-Suyuti’s *Husn al-Maqsid fi Amal al-Mawlid*. The importance of these works is not that the existence of a book automatically proves a legal ruling. Rather, they demonstrate that the question was seriously examined by recognised scholars of Hadith, jurisprudence and Islamic history. Mawlid was therefore not merely a later popular custom defended without scholarly engagement; it became a subject of sustained Sunni legal and devotional scholarship.
Contemporary Sunni institutions that permit Mawlid frequently describe its permissibility as the position of a broad majority of scholars from the later generations. Dar al-Ifta Egypt states explicitly that numerous scholars among the predecessors and successors recognised the legitimacy of commemorating the Prophetic birth, and that many scholars authored works supporting it. Such a claim should nevertheless be understood within its proper scope. It represents the position of those Sunni scholars and institutions that recognise the commemoration; it should not be turned into the assertion that there has never been a serious Sunni disagreement. The existence of an opposing juristic opinion is historically undeniable. Academic integrity requires acknowledging it, while also recognising that the permissibility position possesses substantial classical Sunni authority.
The strongest objection to Mawlid is often formulated simply: “The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions did not celebrate it, therefore it is an innovation and impermissible.” The Sunni response that permits Mawlid does not necessarily deny the first part of the statement. Rather, it challenges the legal conclusion. Not every practice that was not performed in an identical organised form by the Companions is automatically prohibited. Muslims later organised Qur’anic education into institutions, compiled Hadith collections, established schools and universities, printed Qur’ans and arranged religious conferences — forms not practised in their modern institutional structures by the Companions. The legal question is whether a later form introduces a prohibited belief or act, or whether it organises recognised beneficial acts for a legitimate purpose. The permissibility approach therefore distinguishes between establishing a new obligatory religious ritual and organising permissible devotional activities around an occasion of remembrance.
This distinction becomes especially important when considering the nature of a Mawlid gathering. If someone believes that Allah has commanded Muslims to perform a particular Mawlid ritual in a particular form, without evidence, the claim would require scrutiny. But if Muslims gather voluntarily to recite Qur’an, send salawat, listen to Seerah, praise the Prophet ﷺ, give charity and feed people, the legal analysis can be different. The gathering is a means of organising individually permissible actions. Dar al-Ifta explicitly explains this distinction by noting that expressing joy through different lawful means is permissible, and that customary acts such as giving gifts can become more meritorious when combined with righteous objectives such as strengthening family ties and expressing joy at the Prophetic birth. The permissibility argument therefore does not require inventing a new act of worship; it requires organising established acts of goodness around a meaningful occasion.
The Sunni defence of Mawlid is strongest when it recognises clear limits. A gathering cannot become permissible merely because it is labelled Mawlid. If it contains prohibited behaviour, false statements attributed to the Prophet ﷺ, indecency, extravagance, neglect of obligatory prayers or beliefs contrary to Islamic theology, those elements remain impermissible. Classical scholars who defended Mawlid did not give permission for everything that could occur at such gatherings. Rather, they defended a form of commemoration based upon the Qur’an, Seerah, salawat, charity, food and lawful expressions of joy. This conditionality is essential. It means that the ruling is not “everything called Mawlid is permissible”; the more precise formulation is that a Mawlid gathering composed of lawful and meritorious acts, undertaken with sound intention and free from prohibited elements, can be permissible and commendable according to a substantial Sunni scholarly tradition.
Intention also occupies a central position in the legal understanding of Mawlid. The Prophet ﷺ taught: “Actions are judged by intentions.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). A gathering organised for pride, rivalry, extravagance or worldly display cannot acquire spiritual merit merely by using a religious title. Conversely, a gathering organised sincerely to remember the Messenger ﷺ, educate Muslims about his Seerah, increase salawat, feed people and encourage obedience to Allah possesses a fundamentally different character. The intention does not make a prohibited act permissible, but where the acts are lawful, sincere intention gives them spiritual direction. Mawlid therefore becomes most meaningful when its intention is gratitude to Allah, love for His Messenger ﷺ and renewed commitment to the Prophetic path.
At its theological core, the permissibility of Mawlid rests upon shukr. The believer does not worship the Prophet ﷺ; worship belongs exclusively to Allah. Rather, the believer thanks Allah for sending the Messenger ﷺ. The Qur’an repeatedly directs human beings toward gratitude for divine blessings. The birth and mission of Muhammad ﷺ brought the final revelation, the completion of Prophetic guidance and the model of a life devoted to Allah. It is therefore entirely understandable within Sunni devotional theology that Muslims may feel profound joy and gratitude when remembering his blessed advent. The Prophet ﷺ himself identified his birth as a reason for his Monday fast. The later Mawlid gathering, according to its proponents, is an expanded communal expression of that same fundamental attitude of gratitude.
A further misunderstanding arises when Mawlid is described simply as the “birthday of the Prophet ﷺ” in the ordinary secular sense. The theological significance is far deeper. Muslims do not gather merely to celebrate the biological birth of a historical personality. They gather to remember the arrival of the final Messenger, the bearer of revelation and the mercy sent to the worlds. The content of the gathering therefore matters enormously. If it is devoted to Qur’an, Hadith, Seerah, salawat, charity and remembrance, its religious character becomes clear. The celebration is not an imitation of secular birthday culture but a devotional gathering centred upon gratitude, knowledge and love. Contemporary Sunni legal authorities make precisely this distinction when explaining that the purpose of Mawlid is to gather for remembrance, praise, Seerah-related reflection and charitable acts.
On the basis of these principles, the Sunni position permitting Mawlid can be stated with precision. There is no authentic Hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ commands the Ummah to conduct an annual Mawlid ceremony in a specific format. Nevertheless, there are authentic texts establishing the significance of his birth, the obligation of love for him, the legitimacy of gratitude for divine blessings and the virtue of the acts commonly incorporated into a sound Mawlid gathering. Classical Sunni scholars, including al-Suyuti and the scholars whose positions he transmitted, developed a juristic case for its permissibility or recommendation. Contemporary Sunni institutions such as Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta continue to defend this position. Therefore, the academically responsible conclusion is not that Mawlid is an undisputed obligatory Sunnah, but that its organised commemoration through lawful devotional acts is regarded as permissible — and by many Sunni scholars as recommended — when conducted within the limits of Shariah.
The deepest justification for Mawlid is ultimately found not in the magnificence of a gathering but in the spiritual reality it creates within the believer. If Qur’an is recited, Seerah is studied, salawat are increased, charity is given and hearts are reminded of the Messenger ﷺ, then the occasion can become a means of drawing closer to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ came to humanity with revelation, mercy and guidance; remembering his birth can therefore become a moment of renewed gratitude for that divine mercy. The authentic Monday hadith provides a Prophetic example of connecting his birth with an act of worship, while the works of Sunni scholars such as al-Suyuti provide a later juristic framework for communal commemoration. The strongest Sunni case for Mawlid is consequently neither emotional nor polemical. It is a measured argument: the annual institutional form is later, but the acts of Qur’an, salawat, Seerah, charity, remembrance and gratitude are rooted in Islam, and when these lawful acts are gathered to express love and gratitude for the Messenger ﷺ, a substantial Sunni scholarly tradition regards such commemoration as permissible and commendable. The real fruit of Mawlid should then be greater love, deeper knowledge, stronger adherence to the Sunnah and a life increasingly shaped by the character of Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ.
In Kashmir, the remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ has historically been intertwined with the region’s rich Sunni-Sufi religious culture. Mawlid gatherings, naat gatherings, salawat, Seerah discourses and spiritual assemblies have formed part of the devotional landscape through which generations have expressed their attachment to the Messenger ﷺ. In such an environment, Mawlid is not merely an imported ceremonial practice; it has become part of the living religious vocabulary of Kashmiri Muslims. Yet its contemporary relevance depends upon what it produces. The real measure of a Mawlid gathering in Kashmir should be whether it strengthens prayer, learning, family values, compassion, social responsibility and freedom from destructive habits. When Prophetic remembrance reaches everyday conduct, the historical memory of Mawlid becomes a living spiritual force.
In the contemporary religious landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, Karwan-e-Islami International has emerged as one of the organisations giving large-scale public expression to Mawlid. Under the spiritual leadership of Allama Dr. Shaykh Ghulam Rasool Hami (Hh), the organisation has developed a programme of Rabi al-Awwal activities that includes public gatherings, rallies, conferences and religious assemblies. Contemporary reporting has documented Karwan-e-Islami International’s Mawlid activities and described large public participation in its programmes. It has recorded, for example, an annual central Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi rally organised by the group from Qamarwari, Srinagar, toward Shadipora, Bandipora. Earlier reporting also documented a Milad conference and rally associated with Karwan-e-Islami International in Ganderbal and other parts of Kashmir, where scholars discussed the Seerah and teachings of the Prophet ﷺ. Such activities demonstrate how Mawlid has been transformed from an individual devotional practice into a major public expression of Prophetic love and religious education.
The distinctive feature of Karwan-e-Islami International’s Mawlid programme is its geographical reach. During Rabi al-Awwal, the organisation has sought to carry the message of Milad into different districts and local communities rather than restricting the remembrance to a single central gathering. Public rallies create a visible expression of religious identity, but their deeper value lies in bringing Seerah and Prophetic ethics into the public conversation. When communities walk together in remembrance of the Messenger ﷺ, the symbolism can be powerful: different localities, occupations, ages and social backgrounds temporarily stand together around a common spiritual centre. For an organisation committed to a Sunni-Sufi religious ethos, such mobilisation represents an attempt to make the love of the Prophet ﷺ socially visible and communally shared.
At the institutional level, Jamia Qadriyyah at Trigam, associated with Karwan-e-Islami International, has become an important venue for major religious gatherings connected with the Mawlid season. Recent reporting documented a Grand Shab-e-Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ Conference at Jamia Qadriyyah, Murshid Nagar, Trigam, attended by thousands and featuring scholars from Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of India. The programme included religious discourses, praise of the Prophet ﷺ and recognition of graduating scholars and Huffaz. The significance of such an institution is that it can provide an intellectual home for the devotional culture of Mawlid. When a Mawlid gathering takes place alongside scholarship, Qur’anic learning, Hadith, Seerah and the training of religious students, celebration and education cease to be separate activities.
The annual International Milad Conference associated with the Karwan-e-Islami tradition represents another dimension of this institutionalisation. Its importance lies not simply in inviting large numbers of people, but in creating a platform where the Prophetic personality, Seerah, spirituality and contemporary challenges can be discussed before a broad audience. A conference of this nature can serve as a meeting point between classical Islamic scholarship and contemporary society. It can ask questions that are urgently relevant today. How can Prophetic mercy address social conflict? How can the Seerah guide young people confronting addiction and moral confusion? What does Prophetic justice teach us about social responsibility? How can love of the Messenger ﷺ become service to humanity? When Mawlid is allowed to ask these questions, it becomes intellectually alive rather than merely ceremonial.
The public Mawlid movement associated with Allama Dr. Shaykh Ghulam Rasool Hami (Hh) reflects an understanding of Milad as both spiritual remembrance and social awakening. His public addresses have repeatedly connected the remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ with contemporary moral questions, including the need to protect society from drugs, moral degradation and social fragmentation. Recent reporting on the Grand Shab-e-Milad gathering at Jamia Qadriyyah recorded his emphasis upon the Prophet’s birth as a source of peace, and upon the need for young people to return to Prophetic values. This approach gives Mawlid a contemporary vocabulary: the Prophet ﷺ is remembered not merely as the subject of historical narration, but as the moral guide whose mercy, justice and spiritual discipline remain relevant to the problems of the modern world.
There is consequently a broader social philosophy behind large-scale Mawlid mobilisation. A rally, viewed superficially, is simply a procession. Viewed sociologically, it can become a mechanism for collective memory. It tells younger generations that their religious heritage is not an abstraction confined to books, but that it belongs to the public life of the community. A conference is not merely a sequence of speeches; it can become a platform for transmitting knowledge. A Seerah programme is not merely a religious function; it can become moral education. And a gathering centred upon salawat can become a moment in which people rediscover a sense of spiritual belonging. The real achievement of an institution such as Karwan-e-Islami International, therefore, should be assessed not only by attendance figures, but by whether its programmes produce learning, humility, service, brotherhood and Prophetic character.
There is, however, an important ethical test that every Mawlid movement must continually face. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ should not be remembered only through words while his teachings are ignored in conduct. If people gather in thousands to express love for him but continue to deceive, oppress, abuse, indulge in drugs, neglect parents, violate the rights of neighbours or disregard the poor, then the deeper message of Mawlid has not yet reached the heart. The Prophet ﷺ was sent to cultivate human beings of character. The Qur’an describes him as possessing “an exalted standard of character” (Qur’an 68:4). Therefore, the highest expression of Milad is transformation: a dishonest person becoming truthful, a harsh person becoming merciful, a careless young person becoming responsible, and a divided community rediscovering brotherhood. The light of Mawlid must eventually appear in human behaviour.
Mawlid al-Nabi ﷺ should ultimately be understood through the language of gratitude, love, knowledge and transformation. The Qur’an teaches believers to rejoice in Allah’s bounty and mercy; the authentic Sunnah records the Prophet ﷺ identifying the day of his birth as a reason for his Monday fasting; and a substantial tradition of Sunni scholarship — from Abu Shamah and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani to al-Suyuti and later Sunni jurists — developed a conditional legal defence of organised Mawlid gatherings composed of lawful acts. The historical record therefore calls for neither exaggeration nor dismissal, but scholarship.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Karwan-e-Islami International has sought to give this tradition a contemporary institutional form through Rabi al-Awwal programmes, public Milad rallies across communities, major gatherings and international conferences associated with Jamia Qadriyyah, Trigam. Recent documented programmes demonstrate the scale at which this tradition is being carried into public religious life. Under the guidance of Allama Dr. Shaykh Ghulam Rasool Hami, the emphasis has increasingly been placed upon connecting the remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ with peace, moral renewal, education and resistance to social evils.
The deepest meaning of Mawlid, however, cannot be measured by the size of a rally, the magnificence of a conference or the number of voices reciting salawat. Its real measure is what happens afterwards. If remembrance produces mercy, if Seerah produces character, if salawat produces love, if love produces obedience, and if obedience produces service to humanity, then Mawlid has fulfilled its highest spiritual purpose. The Prophet ﷺ is not merely to be remembered once a year; he is to be encountered in the conscience of every believer, in the ethics of every household and in the moral character of every society that claims to love him.
(Sheikh Sameer Manzoor is a Research Scholar (KI).
