Celebrating the Prophet's Birthday

I was watching television as it documented festivities gaining momentum on the approach of twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal. Rabi-ul-Awwal, the twelfth, is said to be Prophet Muhammed Pbuh’s birthday.

The news report narrated that there was a bit boost in sales of framed Quranic Verses, Asma-e-Husna and Asma-e-Nabi as Rabi-ul-Awwal proceeded. People believe that adorning their walls with these wall-hangings is a source of blessings in homes.

There is also the belief among a section of the Muslims that reciting Darood Shareef (Salutations) upon the Holy Prophet Pbuh, inspires the Prophet’s presence amongst us. That is, the Prophet SAW himself arrives at the gathering where the Darood Shareef is being recited, although he cannot be seen, and for this reason people stand up to honor his presence. The belief is so resolute that people even position a special chair for him to sit and attend the gathering.

Generally, all this is done in the drawing-room of the house, where generally there are also pictures hanging on the walls for which the very same Prophet SAW said,

‘The angels do not enter a house where there are pictures.’ [Hadith Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, N. 318]

So does Prophet Muhammed Pbuh enter such a house, which the angels abhor and refuse to enter?

And this is the very same drawing room where our girls and boys dance on the dholki nights of our wedding celebrations…

Consider a wedding set for Rabi-ul-Awwal. In the morning we are going to hold a gathering of Milad and Darood Shareef. And we will set that special chair for our Holy Prophet Pbuh to visit us and honor our gathering in honor of him. The evening is scheduled for a dholki. Now what will we do about that special chair? Are we going to remove that chair? No, but we cannot be so rude! We must keep it there in hope of Prophet Muhammed Pbuh extending his visit and staying on to attend our wedding festivities…

Dare we do that?

Are our dholkis and other celebrations of life kosher enough to be attended by our beloved Prophet Pbuh himself, or do we have some events, dresses and CD’s to hide from him?

Do we please Allah and His Prophet Pbuh by our part-time Islamic and part-time anti-Islamic behavior or do we instigate their anger unknowingly?

As human beings, we hate people who are double-faced, who behave in a certain manner in front of us and in a different manner in our absence, while the irony is that Allah, The Almighty is never absent and Prophet Muhammed Pbuh is also said to be reported about his nations’ actions regularly.

While there is this big debate among Muslims whether it is Islamic and reward-earning to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday in itself or not, however, that is not being discussed here. The point of contemplation is this; assuming that it is downright Islamic and reward-earning to celebrate the Prophet’s birthday, what do you think Allah Almighty and His Messenger Pbuh think about us a nation when our youth celebrates the twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal, wearing green bandanas inscribed with Kalimah-e-Shahadah, dancing in the streets to Naats recited upon tunes of Indian songs?

Should we celebrate the coming of the Prophet Muhammed Pbuh into this world by a one-day, at-times-notorious, lip-service, or by living day-in and day-out in obedience to his teachings and model character?