Saudi mufti urges Muslims to stop birthday ceremonies of Prophet (PBUH)

In a surprise fatwa (religious edict), Saudi Arabia’s top Islamic scholar has urged Muslims to stop staging ceremonies to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), saying such celebrations amount to heresy.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, the Gulf kingdom’s Grand Mufti and head of the seven-man Islamic Scholars Authority, said Muslims had acquired the habit of organizing ceremonies on the eve of the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) over the past three centuries and that it had spread to most Arab and Islamic nations.
 

This habit is a heresy and superstition, which must stop,” the Mufti said in a sermon during Friday’s open air prayers in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to the official Saudi press agency (SPA).

“Showing our love for our Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) should not be through staging a ceremony on one night, during which they recite poems and verses that are prohibited…if we want to show our sincere love for our Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), then we should back our words with deeds all the time rather than in one night…unfortunately, some Muslims believe that our sincere love for our Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) should be demonstrated at one night of the year during which they make psalms, poems and other recitations that are considered blasphemy.”
 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.