Every year on 12th Rabi’ al-Awwal, millions of Muslims around the world, particularly in Yemen, Egypt, and the Indian subcontinent, celebrate Mawlid or Eid Milad al-Nabi – which is the commemoration of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These gatherings usually involve speeches, poetry recitations, processions, and festive celebrations – most of which are outward and ostentatious in nature.

However, as Ahmadi Muslims, it is important to remember the clear guidance given by the Messiah and Imam of the Age, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS).

Mawlid Al-Nabi: An Innovation Not Established by the Prophet ﷺ

The Holy Prophet ﷺ himself never celebrated his own birthday, nor did the Sahaba (RA), and nor the early generations of Muslims. Love for the Prophet ﷺ was not expressed outwardly through annual festivities, but rather by obedience, following his Sunnah, and upholding his mission.

This is exactly what Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, made clear – that true love for our beloved master, the Holy Prophet ﷺ, is demonstrated through practice of his teachings, not through innovations (bid‘ah).

Stance of the Promised Messiah (AS) on Mawlid

The Promised Messiah (AS) was asked whether Mawlid Majalis (gatherings commemorating the birthday of the Holy Prophet ﷺ) could be convened. He (AS) gave a detailed reply with clear guidance for Ahmadis. Below is a portion; the full answer can be read in the attached Urdu and English scans.

“If a meeting is held for the upholding of Islam and remembrance of the Prophet ﷺ, it comes under the kind of meetings which are permitted. The audience must be offering Durud. No innovations must take place there. The speeches must contain only the events of the life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the people should be praising God and praying for the Prophet.”

_{[Al Hakam, April 30th, 1904, pg 3] [English Scan]}

Furthermore, Ahmad (AS) constantly explained that Muslims should remember the Holy Prophet ﷺ every single day, not just once a year. He taught that reducing the Prophet’s ﷺ remembrance to a single day of festivities diminishes his true greatness.

He (AS) repeatedly stressed that the Prophet ﷺ must be remembered in every prayer, and that a true Muslim should send abundant Durood upon him daily – as that is a direct command of Allah in Holy Qur’an 33:57. According to Ahmad (AS), honouring our beloved master ﷺ truly was not through rituals, but in living his example in our daily lives – reflected in our actions, speech, and morals – while remaining firmly attached to the Qur’an and Sunnah as the real expression of love.

Stance of Khalifatul Masih I (RA) on Mawlid

Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Noor-ud-Din (RA), Khalifatul Masih I, made it abundantly clear that Muslims have only two Eids. Therefore, calling or celebrating Mawlid as “Eid Milad” is a bid‘ah, and that true love for the Prophet ﷺ should be expressed as Masih Maud (AS) taught and expressed himself – by following the Qur’an and Sunnah, not through innovations:

“Eid Milad is a bid’ah. There are only two Eids. In this way, people will keep creating new Eids and Ahmadis will say that there should be an Eid on the day of Mirza Sahib’s first revelation and Eid on the day of his death […] The greatest lovers of the Prophet ﷺ were the Sahaba, and they did not create a third Eid. If Eid Milad was permissible, then Hazrat Sahib [the Promised Messiah (AS)], who was a great lover of the Prophet ﷺ, would have observed it. To create such an Eid is a sign of ignorance, and those who create it only want to please the masses, otherwise they have no religious zeal.”

_{[Irshadat-e-Noor, vol 2, pg 352-353]}

Stance of Beloved Huzoor (ATBA) on Mawlid

In his Khutbah (Friday Sermon) on March 13, 2009, on the topic “True Commemoration of the Blessed Life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ”, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (atba), Khalifatul Masih V, stated:

“The life of our beloved Prophet can be discussed at different times throughout the year, and such gatherings should be held. This has been the practice of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and this is what the community does. Therefore, it is not tied to any specific day, but even if a specific day is designated for holding these gatherings and discussing the Prophet’s life—which is always discussed—there is no harm in it if it happens across the country and the world. However, it is essential that no innovations are included.”

_{[Alislam: Friday Sermon, March 13th, 2009]}

This question about celebrating Mawlid Jalsa was also once posed to Beloved Huzoor (atba) by a young female, to which Huzoor (atba) replied that while commemorating Jalsa Eid Milad Al-Nabi in the way many Muslims do is incorrect, it is also wrong to label it entirely forbidden. He explained that even in Qadian and Rabwah, people celebrated it by reciting “Salle Allah” and decorating their homes with lamps, lights, and small flags.

Huzoor (atba) clarified that celebrations are only forbidden when they involve harmful innovations. However, if such events are observed to highlight the message of Islam and the Holy Prophet ﷺ – for example, as a Jalsa Seerat-un-Nabi which we Ahmadis started and hold in many countries today – then there is no harm in them:

“Who says we do not celebrate it? We do not celebrate Milad-un-Nabi Jalsa on that day, which was started by the Non-Ahmadis. Seerat-un-Nabi Jalsa was started by Ahmadis, before that it was non-existent. When Hindus and Christians started their accusations against the Holy Prophet (SAW), at that time, above all others, the Promised Messiah (AS) responded to them. The Jalsas started in the time of Hazrat Musleh Maud (RA) and Seerat-un-Nabi Jalsas are now held today […] Hence we do not condemn it, in fact we started it. These people just celebrate Milad-un-Nabi once annually, talk a bit and then settle back down.”

_{[Waqf-e-Nau Class, June 8th, 2014]}

Furthermore, Ahmadi Muslims pretty much celebrate “Eid Milad-un-Nabi ” every single day. How?

Because beloved Huzoor, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (atba), has instructed all Ahmadis around the world to send Salawat (Durood Sharif) upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ at least 200 times daily (with age-based guidance for younger members). This practice shows that Ahmadis are remembering, honouring, and drawing closer to the Prophet ﷺ every single day throughout the year, and not just one day.

Conclusion

While millions of Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid or Eid Milad Al-Nabi, Ahmadi Muslims should remember the clear guidance of the Promised Messiah (AS): the true way to honour the Holy Prophet ﷺ is through daily love and obedience, sending abundant Durood upon him and his progeny, and reflecting and studying his life – not through innovations that he himself never practiced.