Standing up During the Meelaad

Q: Imaan-65 : When discussing the birth of Rasulullaah SAW. during the Meelaad. people stand up. Please clarify this?

Answer: This is another baseless act, which has not been established from either the words or deeds of Rasulullaah SAW. the Sahabah RADI. The Taabi'een or those after them. Carrying out this act with consistency is an act of Bid'ah. If the purpose of this standing is to honour the birlh of Rasululiaah SAW. why do people not stand when Rasulullaah SAW. birth is mentioned for hours in lectures and when Tafseer and Ahadeeth are taught? If the people who stand on these occasions believe that Rasulullaah SAW. attends these gatherings of Meelaad or may attend them, then why does Rasulullaah SAW. not attend the other gatherings stated here in which he is also discussed? Why then do they not stand on these occasions as well? The practice of always standing up on the occasion of the Meelaad is, nevertheless, an act of Bid'ah and needs to be forsaken.

1) A narration in Tirmidhi states that when the son of Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Mughaffal RADI. recited Bismillaah loudly in salaah before Surah Faatiha, his father said, "Dear son! That is an act of Bid'ah. Abstain from acts of Bid'ah. I have not seen anything more detestable to the Sahabah SAW. of Rasulullaah SAW. than acts of Bid'ah." Merely reciting Bismillaah loudly rather than silently is an act that this Sahabi RADI. labels as an act of Bid'ah. His reasoning for this is as he explains further when he says, "l have performed salaah behind Hadhrat Abu Bakr RADI. Hadhrat Umar RADI. And Hadhrat Uthmaan RADI. and have never heard any of the them recite it (loudly), so do not do so.

2) Hadhrat Naafi RAH. reports that Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Umar RAH. once heard a person sneeze and say, "Alhamdulillaah was Salaamu alaa Rasulillaah" . To this, Hadhrat Abdullaah bin Umar RADI. remarked, "Although I also say "Alhamdulillaah was Salaamu alaa Rasulillaah" (on other occasions as separate phrases). Rasulullaah SAW. did nnot teach us this (to recite this when sneezing) What Rasulullaah SAW. did teach us was to recite "Alhamdulillaah alaa Kulli Haal".

When the Sahabah RADI. could not tolerate such seemingly minor additions, would they tolerate standing up? Not at all!

3) Furthermore, Rasulullaah SAW. disliked that the Sahabah RADI. should stand up when ever he arrived and left, because of which the Sahabah RADI. stopped this practice.

And Allaah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah (Vol.1)

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