Q: Muslim brothers, I want you to enlighten me and answer a question that worries me greatly about the beloved and chosen Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, his family and Companions. Muslim brothers, I heard some Shaykhs in the Mawlid (the Prophet’s birthday) ceremonies saying that if it were not for Muhammad (peace be upon him), the heavens and the earth would not have been created, and that Allah created him (the Prophet) before Adam (peace be upon him) by thousands of years. They also say that Allah (Exalted and Glorified be He) has created the sun from the light of the Prophet’s forehead, the stars from the light of his teeth, and many other similar things which I cannot recall. I also hear that “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul-ul Allah” (There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) is written on the gate of Jannah (Paradise). I have asked some scholars about these sayings, some confirmed them, but others did not. This has put me in confusion; which of the two parties should I believe? I feel afraid and always distracted. I remember when I went this year on the occasion of the Prophet’s birth to Dar Al-Qur’an in Amman to celebrate this blessed night. Shaykh Hazim Abu Ghazalah was narrating part of the Prophet’s biography (peace be upon him), saying that whenever he visits the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) he approaches the iron window surrounding it, pretending to remove dust, but he in fact distracts the attention of guards to seek blessings. He added that one of his friends once brought him some dust from the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and that the smell of this dust is more fragrant than perfume. (Part No. 3; Page No. 15) As I heard this story, I remembered an incident that happened to me ten years ago when I went with some friends to visit the Church of the Resurrection. The purpose of the visit was to have fun and flirt with foreign Christian women there, may Allah forgive us all. There, in that church, we met one of the monks who offered us some perfume and told us it was the water with which Al-Masih (Jesus, peace be upon him) was baptized. I do not know what made me link between these two incidents in my mind, but I really suffered. Back to the Shaykh, he then started celebrating with the attendees by standing, jumping, and bending in irregular movements to the extent that Allah’s Words, which they were reciting, were hardly heard from them. I did not like this scene, so I left. But doubts started to afflict me whether I did right or wrong. The same incident was repeated on Laylat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree) and all other religious ceremonies. I beseech you by Allah to guide me as I am suffering greatly. I would also like to ask Your Eminence: Am I or any Muslim permitted to see the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the window? I was lucky enough to visit it and stand by the window. I wished I were a butterfly to be able to draw closer to his grave, not for any other reason but to be close to him (peace be upon him). I believe that the grave is made of dust and that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and his Messenger are in the heart of every believer. I wish I can visit the sacred places just to watch the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Holy Rawdah (the area between the Prophet’s pulpit and grave) (Part No. 3; Page No. 16) and the Sacred Ka‘bah, but I cannot afford the journey, and Allah burdens not a person beyond their capability.

A: Firstly, Celebrating the birth of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is an act of Bid‘ah (innovation in religion) that was not observed by him (peace be upon him), any of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, or his Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them). It is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Anyone who does an action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected. Secondly, the claims of some people that the heavens and the earth were only created for the sake of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and that he was created before Adam and so on, are all false. Even though he is the Sayyid (one who excels others in goodness) among all the messengers and the best of all creatures, it is not permissible to describe him by something that was not authentically revealed by Allah or reported by His Messenger (peace be upon him) or his Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them). Thirdly, when a Muslim visits the Messenger (peace be upon him), they should come to the grave and greet the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his two Sahabah, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). They should neither stay after that to make Du‘a’ (supplication) nor hold the window for Tabarruk (seeking blessings), because this is an act of Bid‘ah. Fourthly, the claim that someone has brought you dust from the grave of the Messenger (peace be upon him) is a false claim, because none can ever take any dust from his grave. Even if someone were ever to do this, it would not be permissible to seek blessings from it, for this act has no basis of legitimacy in Shari‘ah (Islamic law). This act was not done by the Sahabah who were the most knowledgeable (Part No. 3; Page No. 17) about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah, and loved him more than anyone who came after them. They are also an excellent example for us to follow. We ask Allah to grant you and us knowledge and righteousness.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.