Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais Warns Against Celebrating Mawlid in Friday Sermon

In his Friday sermon at Masjid al-Haram, Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, who is the Imam and Khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, spoke clearly about the Islamic ruling on celebrating Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He reminded Muslims that following the Prophet ﷺ and obeying Allah is the core of faith. He quoted the Qur’an: “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” He stressed that the Prophet ﷺ strongly warned against starting new things in religion and said, “Every newly invented matter is a bid‘ah, and every bid‘ah is misguidance.”

Sheikh Al-Sudais explained that early Muslim leaders and companions of the Prophet ﷺ, like Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud and Umar ibn al-Khattab, also warned against introducing new practices in Islam. They taught that following the old ways is enough, and all innovations are misguidance, even if people see them as good.

He stated that bid‘ah, or religious innovation, harms religion. It changes the true teachings of Islam, weakens the connection with Allah, and leads people away from the correct path. One of the most known innovations, he said, is celebrating the birth of the Prophet ﷺ during the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal. According to Sheikh Al-Sudais, the Prophet, his companions, and the rightly guided caliphs never did this celebration.

The Imam also pointed out that Mawlid celebrations often include actions not allowed in Islam, such as mixing of men and women, wasting money, singing loudly, and using inappropriate words. He mentioned the opinion of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, who said that making a special religious festival that has no foundation in Islam, like the Prophet’s birthday, is an innovation and is not following the pious early Muslims. Ibn Taymiyyah also compared Mawlid gatherings to Christian practices, not Islamic ones.

Sheikh Al-Sudais warned that Mawlid events today often involve unlawful practices like dancing, unnecessary eating, and gatherings where wrong ideas are spread. He said that saying one loves the Prophet ﷺ should not be done by inventing new celebrations but by following the Prophet’s true teachings, or Sunnah. He quoted a verse from the Qur’an: “Say, if you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”

He emphasized there is no real benefit in these innovations. Instead, they cause confusion and lead people away from the truth. Authentic Islamic texts, he said, clearly say not to gather for such innovations because they open the door to more misguidance.

In the end, Sheikh Al-Sudais called upon all Muslims to fear Allah, leave innovations and mistakes, and stick firmly to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. He mentioned that Islam began as something strange and will return to being strange, so glad tidings to those who hold on to it during these times.

Quran and Hadith References

• “O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger…” (Qur’an 4:59)
• “Beware of newly invented matters…” (Hadith, Abu Dawood)
• “Say, if you love Allah, then follow me…” (Qur’an 3:31)